Why Do I Need?
I've made a conscious effort to NOT post in this thread. The "assault" rifle/weapon threads can get all emotional and stuff.
Must . . . not . . . respond . . . must . . . not . . .
And then I read #81 (ctdonath) and #82 (benEzra). Suffering from actual rationality here.
Curse the lot of you!
Okay, fine, be that way; you can
HAVE my post.
I don't have this conversation often, as I tend to avoid the whole conflict/confrontation thing, but it does happen.
The following is a synthesis, cobbled together from memory, of a few such conversations. The form is essntially the same, the details vary, but this is the essence:
(By the time we get this far, we're past the "evil" and "kill people" stuff, and usually the definition of "assault RIFLE" stuff. If that hasn't resolved, this part of the conversation never happens.)
Him: Why does anyone need "one of those?"
Me: Why do you ask? Is the question rhetorical, or are you wanting an actual answer?
Him: Well, I'd like to know why people think they need one. I mean, aren't they just asking for trouble?
Me: There are plenty of reasons, how about we work on just one?
Him: Fine.
Me: Would an analogy be acceptable?
Him: Try me.
Me: Fire extinguisher. Spare Tire. Seat belts. First Aid kit. You have any of those?
Him: Yeah, all of them.
Me: Planning on having a fire? Flat tire? Accident?
Him: No, but those are commonplace, and you just never know.
Me: Do you need your seat belt every day? You've been driving for years. How often do you need it?
Him: Well, you never know. Anything can happen on the roads.
Me: You're old enough, remember the LA riots in '92? After the Rodney King verdict?
Him: Yeah, there was looting and burning and stuff.
Me: Ever notice which stores were left alone?
Him: No, which ones?
Me: The ones who had rifles in their storerooms and offices. The ones who got up on their roofs and kept the looters away with those rifles.
Him: Yeah, but that was a riot. We don't have riots here.
Me: Don't have, or can't have?
Him: Well, it's not likely.
Me: So, if you had a store, you would bet your whole livelihood and fortune and the welfare of your family on that?
Him: We have police.
Me: So does LA, and they have more than we do. They followed orders, and stayed back away from the rioters and looters. The shopkeepers in Koreatown were on their own.
Him: Well, okay, why would you need one at home?
Me: You're not serious. Home invasions happen WAY more than riots.
Him: Not where I live.
Me: I'll bet car accidents don't happen on your street, either. Do you wait until you're on the highway to put on your seat belt?
Him: No, but that's not the point. Home invasions aren't like accidents.
Me: That's true, and if you believe that it can't happen to you, you're free to remain unarmed. That's a risk I wouldn't take with my home and family, though.
Him: Well, I'm not gonna keep something like that around.
Me: Your choice. Me, I think I'd rather be prepared and never need it. Needing it and not having it would suck.
Him: I depend on the police to keep the neighborhood safe.
Me: The courts have made it clear it's not their job to protect an individual, so I would have to believe that's my job.
Him: Yeah, but an assault rifle?
Me: We covered that. It's just a rifle. We went over the ergonomics thing.
Him: Yeah, but why would you need that many bullets.
Me: For the same reason your fire extinguisher will put out a fire the size of your whole kitchen. If you know in advance that only one person will break into your house, then just load the magazine with two or three rounds. Simple!
Him: But you can't know that in advance!
Me: True. Guess I'll just have to load the mag to capacity then.
Him: I think you're over-prepared.
Me: And that would be my choice. My fire extinguisher is probably bigger than yours, too. I can live with that.
Him: What about criminals? Don't they use them?
Me: FBI stats say rifles of any kind are not a significant factor in crime. I'll take their word for it.
Him: Well, it's like, y'know, you're getting ready for war.
Me: Well, look, we were just doing a single reason, right? The fact that the population of able-bodied men is the militia and is supposed to be armed in case they're needed by the government, that's a different issue. Let's try to stay with the reason we're discussing.
Him: Militia? That's the National Guard.
Me: Dude, you need to read more. The Guard was created more than a hundred years after the Constitution. Look, I understand that you're not comfortable with rifles that look just like the military stuff, even though they don't work the same. I know that you've been told over and over that the cops will keep you safe, and you sort of believe that, even though you know it's not true.
There are things that bother me, too. I'm not good with power tools. Chain saws scare me, and I've never used one. If I got the chance, and someone would teach me, I'd probably be okay with them. I was that way with guns, too. I got lucky and someone took the time to help me with that.
When you're ready, I'll be happy to spend some time with you at the range. You can get your hands dirty and get some experience with rifles. Pistols, too, if you want.
Him: Well, I don't know.
Me: There is one thing, though. Safety is a big thing with shooters, and you're gonna have to learn safe gun handling before anyone puts a rifle or pistol in your hands. If you can deal with that, I'd be happy to teach you.
Him: Well, if you teach safety, I guess that might be okay.
Me: Let me know when you're ready.
These conversations almost never result in the guy going "Okay! I'm sold! Sign me up!" Sometimes the conversation doesn't get past "the police will keep us safe."
In two cases, however, we got to the range. In one case, the guy bought a revolver.
I'll take the win wherever I can get it.