Self defense ...
The
primary uses of guns are recreation and self-defense. Relatively few
people have any issues with guns used for the recreational purposes of
target shooting and hunting.
More people seem to have issues with guns used for self-defense.
Every living thing on this planet is born with a natural right to defend itself. Ultimately your well-being is up to you, not your local police. You are going to be the first person on the scene of a crime directed at you or someone close by; not the police. In a case of violent crime against you, the police are for cordoning off the crime scene with yellow plastic tape.
A common scenario: It's late evening, you and your spouse
just had dinner at a restaurant and you're walking back to your car.
You become aware of three men walking directly at you from three
directions. Their intent is obvious. Your choices:
1- Take a pistol out of your pocket or purse and holler "I HAVE AGUN!
BACK OFF!!!"
2- Take a cell phone out of your pocket or purse and holler "I HAVE A
CELL PHONE. PLEASE WAIT WHILE I CALL 911. OH, AND WILL YOU PLEASE WAIT
10 MINUTES UNTIL THE POLICE GET HERE?"
Another common scenario: A woman is jogging in a park. A man jumps from
the bushes ahead of her. She has a pretty good idea what he wants to
do. Her choices:
1- Take a pistol from her fanny pack and holler "I HAVE A GUN! BACK
OFF!!!"
2- Take a cell phone from her fanny pack and holler "I HAVE A CELL
PHONE. PLEASE DON'T RAPE ME UNTIL I'VE CALLED 911. OH, AND WOULD YOU
PLEASE WAIT ANOTHER HALF HOUR UNTIL THE POLICE GET HERE?"
We could walk through numerous other scenarios of car-jackings,
muggings, home invasions and the like. I hope you got my point.
Before initiating an attack, those hypothetical criminals don't know if
you're armed or not - unless you live someplace where you're not
allowed to protect yourself. They're less likely to attack if you might
be able to defend yourself. Even if you choose not to provide for your
own protection, the fact that you live someplace where some people are
armed and you might
be armed works in your favor.
Some people argue that elimination of personal ownership of guns will
reduce crime. The available data does not support this claim; infact,
the data refutes it. In every major metropolitan area where personal
gun ownership has been restricted the rate of violent crime has
increased. (Sources on request) The frequently heard saying that 'when
guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns' turns out to be true.
Just the possibility of credible defense gives criminals pause.
I support the natural, birth-right of people to defend themselves,
including the use of guns when necessary. I support the second
amendment to the U.S. Constitution which guarantees that government
cannot take that right away.
Abortion ...
The one thing
I'm sure of about the abortion issue is that people are pro-choice or
pro-life based on personal, often religious beliefs. That makes for
heated debate. The big question in my mind is, how much right do I have
to use the government to impose my beliefs on you?
I am personally, as a matter of belief
, pro-life. I don't know
what an embryo feels or doesn't feel at what point in development; I
don't know
when a fetus or newborn becomes self-
That said, I've watched women that I know have to make this decision. I
know that
it is the most difficult, heart-
One of the rules I live by: I have my beliefs and you have
yours. My beliefs do not trump yours, and yours do not trump mine. I
will not use the government to impose my beliefs on you if you will not
use the government to impose your beliefs on me.
Gay Marriage ...
This is another issue where people come at it mostly from
personal and religious belief
. Personally, I'm straight. I have a wife, three kids, two grandkids,
and that's the way I am. I know several gay couples, of both sexes.
Some are good friends. As long as they're happy, I'm happy.
Marriage is a public and private bond and contract between two people.
It is sanctified by friends, family and usually clergy. Marriage is
quite commonly called "holy matrimony". It is a marriage of spirits.
It's never called "government matrimony".
The government gets its nose into the personal business of marriage
because it offers some benefits to spouses who are married according to
state and federal law. If it weren't for those benefits there would be
no issue. But, we have social security benefits to worry about, special
IRS rules and inheritance laws. So the government wants to decide who
is "officially" married.
The "official-ness" of a marriage is created by the bond and contract
between the parties. If the contract is valid our government should
recognize it in the same way it recognizes other contracts. Anyone
presenting a contract of marriage or proof of any sort, from a
religious organization or their own contract should be considered
married for government purposes.