The only guns I've ever fired were paintball guns, bb guns, and toy guns. As I watch the news and see the current state of politics in our country, I am more and more convinced that I should probably learn more about guns and firearms.
What I'm afraid of is that a revolution is coming. With a divisive president in office only trying harder and harder to divide the country, I worry that the liberal, left leaning folks are going to be in trouble. The more conservative faction in our nation all seem to love and understand guns, ammunition, and how to use them. Most democrats and liberals are all for gun control yet don't know the first thing about shooting a weapon.
I realize that my opinion may be colored by my upbringing. I grew up on a dairy farm in northern New York. We had a dozen shotguns in the house. It wasn't unusual to have one in the back of the truck on a rack in the cab of the truck or in a gun holster on a tractor to kill gophers that were digging holes in the fields we were working, squirrels that chewed a hole into our attic, and foxes that kept getting into our hen house. My dad and brother regularly hunted white tail deer that would be both a trophy head on the wall and meat in our freezer that helped feed our family. I grew up not wanting to join my family in the hunting. I didn't mind having the meat, but didn't want to be part of the killing.
Now, my family runs the gamut of the political and religious spectrum. Having a gay son who married an African man and his twin brother who also married someone from a foreign country has slowly shifted them more left than they were. Still, my family doesn't vote for parties, but policies. One of my brothers has a large gun collection and my parents continue to have guns on the farm for hunting.
I feel like I am the only person in my family who knows very little about guns. My sister and her husband taught their daughters about guns, as have my brothers with their kids. I know that some of them vote for the right, and some for the left. What I also know, and appreciate, is that even my liberal siblings are teaching their kids about guns.
The thing is, none of my more liberal friends are teaching their kids about guns, gun safety, and gun use. I, myself, am for gun control. I really am. I want gun and ammo control in our country. BUT, I also think that it is essential that kids learn how dangerous weapons are and how to use them. I think all adults should learn the same thing.
Why I bring politics into the picture, is that I'm truly afraid that this revolution is coming in America like we haven't seen for one hundred fifty years. ON our doorsteps in a matter of seconds, we may be fighting face to face with our neighbors and our friends to win our way regarding what we think this country really should be. When this revolution happens, my intellect, and that of my friends, isn't going to protect us from our conservative friends who have been pitted against us and all know a lot more about guns and how to use them.
I'm not advocating for violence. I'm not cheering for murder, war, or a revolution. What I do want, though, is a country where both the left and right understand how to use guns for protection and for feeding themselves WITH sensible gun control. I also want a country where we can talk about these things, politics, guns, religions, race, and class warfare civilly so that my fears of us killing each other in a revolution can be assuaged.
Until I can no longer live in fear of a revolution, I guess its time for me to learn about guns.
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