[bkcunningham1]

Gracie, when this discussion first started getting more opinionated, I thought about you. I felt protective of your opinions of TV, guns and the topic of criminals in the TV area. I didn't want anyone to offend you whether you posted in this thread or not.

We haven't met, but I feel like I know a little bit about you from your posts. Nothing from any of your posts would ever lead anyone to think you are an airhead or uninformed.

The second amendment gives us the "right" to own guns. It isn't something that is required. Don't worry about the people who carry concealed weapons. They aren't the criminals. They've had background checks. Some of the people who carry concealed weapons are off-duty law enforcement officers or military people who know the proper way to handle firearms. Some are people who have gun training for whatever reason. Some are idiots.

Same as people who get behind the wheel of a car. Some are safe, some are idiots. Either way accidents happen.

When you were taught to drive defensively it was to teach you to watch for situations that put you in harms way and to lessen the likelihood of an accident. I'm sure you live that way without a gun and you've been safe so far. On the otherhand, I bet you'd be surprised how many of your wonderful neighbors, both in Ohio and in TV, have weapons in their homes as a defense. People just don't generally announce it.

I'm from the country and most people have guns whether it's for protection or to hunt or both. People have gun racks in their trucks. Our county schools have a required gun safety class in elementary school. Not the entire school year, but just a few lessons about gun safety. It is required before children get their hunting license.

See my point? To me at least, there are many cultural reasons I am comfortable around firearms. I was raised with four brothers and we would skeet shot and target practice. My dad was a sharp shooter. Safety was always first. I have a compound bow and love to shoot targets. I've never killed an animal with a weapon. Since I've been a licensed driver, I have killed a dog, a cat and a rabbit by accident with my car. I hit a deer with my car once, but I like to imagine when it finally got up and ran away, it survived.

I would never encourage someone who isn't comfortable with a gun to own one. That is your right and nobody should make fun, belittle or make assumptions about someone who doesn't own or carry a gun. I would bet the majority of people who own guns and live in TV came to TV with the gun and the reasons for owning a weapon; they didn't purchase their first gun because they moved to TV.

I know you have good common sense and would never put yourself in harms way or in dangerous situations intentionally. I don't think you are naive or unsafe because you don't have a gun. It's just a topic that brings up strong opinions and defensiveness by gun owners because the right to bear arms is often debated in the Constitutional manner. We have the right to, and the right not to, bear arms.