Family, traditions, understanding of the whacky nature of the very recent frontier mindset in a lot of this country. Maybe it's just the Texas factor of upbringing. Maybe "pro-gun" gives the wrong idea. I would never belong to the NRA, but I'm very comfortable around guns. Most members of my family have multiple guns, including rifles and handguns. I think that's just fine b/c they know how to handle and store them safely and properly.
Thanks for responding. I don't think someone with your level of education would ever consider being comfortable around guns in any country in Europe, so yeah, really seems like a very American (Texan) thing. Heck, it seems like every other girl on Tinder has a photo with guns in it in this country (a friend told me that, of course).
I've never understood the mentality behind not being "comfortable around guns" in that they are inert inanimate objects. Now sure, they are potentially dangerous if mishandled or if someone has deadly intent, but you could say the same about MANY other things. Are those who are uncomfortable around guns also uncomfortable around automobiles? Knives? Swords? Fireworks? Large groups of people? Animals? It just seems like that kind of person would spend their entire lives being uncomfortable.
(at last bit). I don't own any at present, for what that's worth. Mrs. B-Bob (a non-Texan through and through, but a southerner) can't stand them and doesn't understand how anyone could tolerate them. But like many boys (and girls I guess) raised in Texas, I was properly cleaning, loading, firing, cleaning again, and storing guns before I ever even thought about driving a car. That is probably pretty strange outside of Rwanda or something. I wish our culture here was less obsessed with guns, but I've accepted that, at least for a while, we have to work with what we've got. A few common-sense bits of legislation would help a lot.
this one's a bit out of the ordinary, if there is such a thing as "ordinary" when it comes to shootings
My wife was confronted by a woman this past Saturday because the woman thought my wife was going to back in to her and her daughter. The lady was startled because she either heard the rear sensors on my wife's SUV sound as my wife engaged her SUV in reverse or saw the reverse lights come on. My wife never took her foot off the brake (corroborated by parking lot video and eyewitnesses). My wife tried to explain, but the woman wasn't having it and went off on her verbally vicious. Next thing you know, the woman's husband who is a white 30ish, body builder type comes charging up and amps up the hostility toward my wife. He's calling her all kinds of names and creating an ugly scene. The guy's own mother is with him and she convinces him to move toward the store. My wife, shaken and scared, backs out from her spot 4 spaces deep from the store and heads in the only direction she can which is toward the store. As is often the case at Target or any large store, there is cross traffic to wait on for the pedestrian and cars going in that direction. My wife's SUV is barely moving toward the direction the man is in who is to the left of her at this point. The next thing you know this ******* pulls a gun from the back of his pants and puts it to her windshield directly at her face accusing her of trying to run over him. HIs mother again has to drag him away. My wife got a picture of the guy and later that evening when she shows us the pic, it turns out my oldest son is friends with him. So we have been trying to report his identity for a couple of days now but can't get a call back from the Police to let them know who to go pick up. Frustrating.... I have no idea why a 30 year old guy verbally accosts a 50 year old woman much less pull a gun out on her over something that didn't even happen. He's 10 times her size. I have known this guy since he played HS football with my son. My wife didn't go to the games or activities much so he didn't recognize her. He's probably looking at a felony now. This guy has always had a temper problem. Obviously he's the kind of guy who doesn't need to own a gun. In today's climate, how do we make it harder for a guy like him to own a gun? This guy is super lucky a cop wasn't in the parking lot or another armed citizen. The eye witnesses said he and his wife were acting like maniacs.
Scary story, sorry your wife had to go through this. This guy should definitely not have a gun, it's just crazy that people with a temper problem like that have such easy access to guns in the US.
Good lord amighty, @Granville, this is horrible to read. I hope you and your wife can give her a huge break if she has some kind of PTSD after that. Most of us don't have guns pointed at us (especially in movie-style anger) every day. We just seem to live in the age of anger, where people assume the absolute worst of one another and (unconsciously?) are just looking for the next chance to get really really angry at someone else, usually a stranger in traffic or the internet or a parking lot, etc. Just very sad. Take care.
Thanks, she is really shaken over the incident as would anyone be. You described what my son told me his now former friend has become after high school. Steroids are a factor.
Sorry about that. This reminds me of a podcast I listened to while working out last night. I can't find the audio but it is about "regular court cases" around the country this being in Cleveland. The girl that is getting her butt slapped at the beginning of the video is charged with a 4th-degree felony because she accidentally hit a cop while struggling. You never know what some random person could do to you in public. Your wife handled it well and thankfully did not get hurt physically.
Glad your wife is okay. That guy needs to be arrested and have a felony against him that would make him unable to own firearms.
https://www.kptv.com/illinois-man-b...dium=social&utm_source=facebook_FOX_12_Oregon AURORA, Ill. (AP/Meredith) — The frantic calls started pouring in at 1:24 p.m. A gunman was shooting people inside a sprawling manufacturing warehouse in Aurora, Illinois. Within four minutes, the first police officers rushed to the 29,000-square-foot building in the suburban Chicago city and were fired on immediately; one was struck outside and four others shot inside. By the time the chaos ended Friday afternoon, five male employees of Henry Pratt Co. were found dead and the gunman was killed in a shootout with police after a 90-minute search of the sprawling warehouse.
"The Worst Mass Shooting You Never Heard About (This Year, Anyway)": https://hotair.com/archives/jazz-shaw/2020/08/10/worst-mass-shooting-never-heard-year-anyway/
What is difficult for you to figure out? Ideolgically motivated mass shootings are far more scary to the general US population as it can happen in a safe suburban community in a random shopping mall. The sad reality is that outside of poor ghetto communties, Americans don't experience or interact with gang violence. It doesn't effect them in a tangible way. No one thinks they might be a victim of gang violence going to First Colony Mall. They also have completely different solutions. Ideolgically inspired mass shootings require understanding how people become radicalized especially online. Gang violence requires understanding how young black men in these communties are attracted to these gangs(supplemental income). So obviously a shortage of income and wealth is an significant part of the problems along with having minor offenses on their records as teens preventing them from applying to many jobs.
"Nearly all gang shootings are done with illegal, unregistered handguns, so it doesn’t work for the gun control angle." Except all these illegal, unregistered handguns start their lives as legal, registered guns...
