[redwitch]

I've seen comments on this thread and threads in the past stating that the gun toters honestly believe their friends and neighbors will be grateful that they carry should the need arise. Frankly, I don't get it. I carry. Sorry, if your home is getting burglared, I'm not going to kill someone to protect your property. If you get into an altercation and no weapon is in sight, I'm not shooting someone. In other words, the only way I'm pulling a gun out is if someone is in true danger of getting killed (not hurt, KILLED). I was taught to aim for the heart and head and I'm very accurate, whether a moving target and one that is still. I'm not going to try to wound someone, I'm going to do my best to kill them and, if I'm going to do that, then I better have a dang good reason for using that weapon. So should any other gun owner.

Few social workers carry and they go into some seriously bad areas and they're not the most popular people in those areas. I used to deliver food for Project Open Hand in Oakland and I would deliver in some pretty bad gang-infested, drug dealing neighborhoods, including the Avenues, Oakland West and even into Richmond. I never had the need for a gun.

What frightens me is that so few are truly trained and I really don't want them "helping" me if the need should arise. The odds are just as high that they'd wound my stalker and get him angrier or, worse, hit me as stop him from hurting me. Just because you carry doesn't mean you have a clue or the wherewithal to do what is necessary if the need should arise.

So, if you have a need to carry, know how to use your weapon properly, understand you are carrying to kill (not threaten, not gesture, not wound), then carry whether in TV or not. A gun can be a useful tool regardless of where you are. It can also be a great instrument in demonstrating exactly how stupid you are (like showing a gun because someone is keeping you from readhing your destination while waiting for a parking space or getting "your" parking space). Treat it with the respect it deserves. Better yet, treat others with respect and maybe you'll never have the need for that gun you so proudly carry.

(Boy, do I have a lot of soapboxes, but this is a true biggie for me.)