hardballer
Regular Member
imported post
I had two interesting encounters with neighbors yesterday. I'm out in the yard doing a little spring cleaning'/yard work and one stopped and says, “Hey, tough guy! What're ya compensating for something, think you're a big man?” He reckoned I would not be so big without that gun.
He was PO'd because I had asked him to slow down earlier as he drove through the neighborhood. 10 mph speed limit, he's never under 20 mph or more. Kids, dogs, cats, elderly all use the road. No walks or curb. I asked very politely and suggested that I would be calling the sheriffs dept. in the future if he did not slow down. Same guy I pulled out of a snow bank last winter (he was drunk) Now he's a tad adversarial. He leaves and gives me a one finger salute. I am amused.
Later, another neighbor, his wife and I are talking about this and she says, “you bring this on yourself for carrying that, that gun.” She says; “you are scaring people, we've been talking about you. What kind of person carries a gun. We live in a quiet neighborhood. What are you afraid of?” I reply that I am not so much afraid as I am prepared. “FOR WHAT?” she very nearly yells.
I said, I am exercising my 2nd amendment right to bear arms in accordance with our state Constitution and the Constitution of the Republic. She says, “Well I don't know about all that but I think it would be better if we were like England.” Oh boy, here we go. “If all the guns were gone. . . .etc., etc., etc. zzzzzzzzzzz”
Her silent partner finally jumps in and says, “Yeah, I suppose you think kids should have guns too.” I say, “Noooo, I think they they should be able to shoot guns at whatever age their parents think is appropriate and under supervision.” He says, “before you know it, they'll be taking them to school.” I say, “Like they used too?”
I mentioned some of the recent incidents in Madison and Milwaukee with home break-ins and the crime map from Eau Claire. She was non-plussed and unmoved from here passivistic stance. I even remarked that Gandhi once said "Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the Act of depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest." She noted that and said she would have to look that up. OK. . . .
The conversation devolved from there with her saying that she did not want to argue but I should stop wearing the gun to make the neighbors feel better. I assured her that I would not and that the ones she should worry about are the guys who are hiding their guns and whom she is bumping shoulders with at Walmart etc. While shopping in her safe little world.
I asked her what if she were accosted and she said she would never use a gun even to save her own life and I just figure, there's natural selection at work.
THE RIGHT SITE
I had two interesting encounters with neighbors yesterday. I'm out in the yard doing a little spring cleaning'/yard work and one stopped and says, “Hey, tough guy! What're ya compensating for something, think you're a big man?” He reckoned I would not be so big without that gun.
He was PO'd because I had asked him to slow down earlier as he drove through the neighborhood. 10 mph speed limit, he's never under 20 mph or more. Kids, dogs, cats, elderly all use the road. No walks or curb. I asked very politely and suggested that I would be calling the sheriffs dept. in the future if he did not slow down. Same guy I pulled out of a snow bank last winter (he was drunk) Now he's a tad adversarial. He leaves and gives me a one finger salute. I am amused.
Later, another neighbor, his wife and I are talking about this and she says, “you bring this on yourself for carrying that, that gun.” She says; “you are scaring people, we've been talking about you. What kind of person carries a gun. We live in a quiet neighborhood. What are you afraid of?” I reply that I am not so much afraid as I am prepared. “FOR WHAT?” she very nearly yells.
I said, I am exercising my 2nd amendment right to bear arms in accordance with our state Constitution and the Constitution of the Republic. She says, “Well I don't know about all that but I think it would be better if we were like England.” Oh boy, here we go. “If all the guns were gone. . . .etc., etc., etc. zzzzzzzzzzz”
Her silent partner finally jumps in and says, “Yeah, I suppose you think kids should have guns too.” I say, “Noooo, I think they they should be able to shoot guns at whatever age their parents think is appropriate and under supervision.” He says, “before you know it, they'll be taking them to school.” I say, “Like they used too?”
I mentioned some of the recent incidents in Madison and Milwaukee with home break-ins and the crime map from Eau Claire. She was non-plussed and unmoved from here passivistic stance. I even remarked that Gandhi once said "Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the Act of depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest." She noted that and said she would have to look that up. OK. . . .
The conversation devolved from there with her saying that she did not want to argue but I should stop wearing the gun to make the neighbors feel better. I assured her that I would not and that the ones she should worry about are the guys who are hiding their guns and whom she is bumping shoulders with at Walmart etc. While shopping in her safe little world.
I asked her what if she were accosted and she said she would never use a gun even to save her own life and I just figure, there's natural selection at work.
THE RIGHT SITE
