What That Be About

Observation: I've heard more guns going off in the neighborhood in the past 6 months than I have heard in the past 15 years all together. What that be about?

Almost every afternoon in the past year, and all weekend, from morning to night, you can hear anything from .22 to big game rifles, or some even bigger going off. There is a  hunting club up the road, and they do have a rifle range and skeet range...but they've been there since we got to the neighborhood, and that shooting comes from one direction, and only on weekends.

Theories:

Paranoia is gripping the country incited by Arab Spring and press coverage showing 10 year old kids with AK 47's. Reaction is WOW! WAY COOL! If I do that I will be very safe and everyone will be scared of me and I'm feeling powerful!

Crime in America on big screen TV. The fact is that almost everything on TV seems to  depends on a murder to whup up an audience. Used to be, if a homicide happened in New York City, we didn't ever hear about it in Danielsville, Ga. Now it's a given your gonna' hear about it instantaneously via 24 hour coverage by CNN, Fox and others needing to filled unadvertised time slots...with anything. Crime, guns, sex murder, war, bloopers and sports are appealing. I don't think they used to be, but TV and Ad execs decided it would sell , and it did. Course Bugs Bunny and Road Runner cartoons are harmful to children.
Go figure, America.

Recently elaxed gun carrying permits, or "toting chips", in Georgia, are allowing everyone who wants one a concealed weapon permit for any  reason at all. You just have to figure a way to  qualified to buy a Glock 9mm. That is getting easier on every street corner.

Major pushes by "states rights" advocates, militia groups, NRA, gun and knife show advertising, and good old fashion "a man ain't dressed without a gun"  advertisers have loaded the American households with enough fire power to make the Gunfight at OK Corall look like a Sunday School picnic.

I'm not saying guns are bad. I have a Remington .22 with a scope, no less! Squirrel don't fear me, but I do make them nervous until I shoot once...then they laugh. I have 1917 Swedish military issue carbine, a 9mm, with adjustable iron sights that are accurate to 12 miles. Where it came from is a mystery to me...probably boot for a trade i made on a guitar in another life.

I also own a .22 Ruger pistol that has been fired about a dozen times, usually to eliminate  possums in the chicken pen. I learned it was cheaper to catch 'em by the tail, and throw 'em out. You eliminated the possum, temporarily. He will be back numerous times, but as dumb as they are, he'll never remember how or why he got in the pen to begin with. You don't run the risk of shooting a laying hen, either...if you shoot like me.

I have 2 Red Ryder BB guns, a pellet rifle and a Wham O Wrist Rocket sling shot minus the surgical tubing which rotted years ago....so I'm  armed. I can safely say I haven't found that I need to waste a bunch of money "popping caps" everyday.

I have observed that Mommies everywhere despise when therir little boys start pointing fingers at each other a going "bang bang"...or make some other creative noise depicting the firing of a pistol. Get over it, Mom, it's genetic. Kids just know. Before pistols it was swords, before swords, clubs or bow and arrow. Little boys have doggedly upheld their right to posses finger, or other imaginary arms despite Mama's warning "Don't Take Your Guns To Town, Son".

I must say the reason for this essay comes from experience. It's disconcerting to be in the woods at the lower end of the property on a nice early morning walk, and have a rifles going off on the adjoining properties. Make one's heart race, which is the reason for walking, I suppose. It puts a new slant on a nice quiet walk in the woods,though

I guess it's a sign of the times, this public paranoia and fascination with guns. It's not a Ther seem to be a NEED to have a gun on one's person, in the glove compartment or by the bed. My Mama's got a silver plated Sand W .32 six shooter by her bed. She nearly shot my uncle with it, once, when he came home from a frat party, and she wasn't expecting him.

I have always heard the adage "carry a gun, and you'll have to use it." I personally can't think of anything scarier than having to use a gun on another person. I don't carry one, or even think about them until the "weekend warriors" start in to popping caps around here.

I do, however, reserve the right to arm bears.  It's safer than arming people. Bears could care less about guns, they're already loaded for bear!