A gun as a tool

The discussion over at Post Politics regarding my prior post is getting interesting. In an excellent post, Mr. Kleinheider explains how a gun is considered a tool to many, no different "than a circular saw or a chainsaw." That's exactly how I have always seen it and how guns were treated at my house when I was a child. Maybe that is why rural kids seldom seem to be the ones who do foolish things like getting out the guns when parents aren't around. My desire to play with a gun as a kid was roughly equivalent to my desire to play with the lamp on the coffee table. We were taught early on that a gun has a purpose, much like a chainsaw has a purpose. We knew not to play with the chainsaws and knew not to play with the guns. We also knew that if we ever wanted to look at the guns or shoot them, all we had to do was ask. We knew what they were, how they worked and knew the damage they could cause. There is something about hunting with Dad that engenders respect for nature, for life, for death and for the gun. There was never any mystery surrounding the guns, nor should there have been.

The comments there continue to show ignorance and emotion.

Heyron writes

May 29th, 2009 4:05 pm
But you can’t mix driving a car with alcohol. Neither should you mix the latter with carrying a gun.

Despite all of the information out there on the subject, Heyron still hasn't figured out that it was, is, and will remain illegal for people to drink while carrying. Being in the same place where alcohol exists is hardly a "mix." If I am not drinking, what is the risk that I might do something stupid with my gun? Are you concerned that some punk might get up in my face and threaten to kill me and that I might respond with lethal force? If so, the laws of self-defense continue to apply [note that I am NOT suggesting that lethal force would be warranted in that situation]. Why should I not be able to lawfully defend myself if I reasonably fear that I am or another person is in danger of serious and imminent bodily harm or death just because I am in a bar or a restaurant that serves alcohol?

The anti-gun crowd also seems to conveniently forget that any restaurant or bar has the right to override the law simply by posting a sign at the entrance. Heyron and his ilk can go there for their beer, "feel safe" and depend on the police for protection. As for me, I prefer to depend on myself and will take my business elsewhere.