Wow, remind me not to write a post when I am tired on this iPad. Last night’s post didn’t make any sense. I fixed it.
This iPad and Apple products in general work like Democrates. This stupid thing often decides for me what I mean and then without asking changes it. It corrects words that are not misspelled and many times it will change the word before the word I typed. I might type M likes and it will be changed to swim faster. Doesn’t start with the same letters, nothing was misspelled, the new phrase doesn’t fit, but what the heck let’s just mess with her.
I have enough trouble on my own thank you very much iPad.
Moving on.
A few days ago I shared a link to Kathy Jackson’s article on Awareness. It’s a very good article go read it.
I don’t want to talk about the specifics of her post. I want to talk about the comments that were left on my page after I shared.
My FB is small. 1200 people like it. Not a huge number, but I notice I get a lot of discussion both on that page and here, so when one guy and I were going back and forth about the degrees to which we are aware, it dawned on me that the anti gun people just are not paying attention to what us gun folks talk about.
Again, I will say I am not talking about Bloomberg or the Brady folks. I am never talking about them. I am talking about the anti gun people that twitter and use Facebook as a way to prove their points about the crazed gun nuts.
They pop on, leave a snarky comment and bolt. I do not think they read anything we say.
i can think of very few other things I devote more time, energy and effort into getting right. And by getting right, I mean mostly avoiding every having to use my gun. What other “sport” do you know where thousands and thousands of hours goes into NOT using the main piece of sporting equipment?
Shooting is a sport for me. I do not compete, but shoot for fun a lot. I like it, but that is not all it is. For me the main goal is learning how to use the tool effectively should I have to. And by have to I mean left no other choice, forced into by someone determined to do me harm.
As a crazed gun nut, I am more aware than I ever have been about where to be, where not to be, what to look for, when to leave, how to behave in non threatening ways(not that I ever behaved in threatening ways) and well pretty much calm cool and collected. Actually, not all that crazed.
As a note, crazed people do not make very good choices. Spraying bullets all over is not a good way to protect my life or those around me. Crazed is not a goal of ours, ever.
I spend more time learning how not to never use my gun then I do actually practicing to use it. I dry fire, I go to the range, I talk about better ways to shoot on the move or under a car often, but most every second of the day I am thinking about or doing something that will hopefully put me in a better position to not have to defend my life.
i am giving the bad guy every chance here. I avoid him and his mostly likely places, I don’t do anything to provoke him(yell at him, call him names, flip him off), I tell him in about a zillion non verbal ways…”Don’t pick me”. I even spend most days talking to and encouraging others to make changes to their lives, so they are less likely to have a bad guy encounter. Not looking for a fight is my point.
Anti gun folks…pay attention. Read the twitter feeds, blogs and Facebook pages. Yes, we think making jokes about killing zombies is a hoot and yes we really do like big guns that shoot a billion rounds for no other reason than its fun(got that, no other reason), but carrying a gun for self defense is just that.
For self defense.
I can’t think of one possible reason why anyone wouldn’t want me or anyone else to be able to do that.
Self defense IS the biggie for me also. And there are those who believe “my” life is worth less than those criminals who would attack me (PCism and all). That is one reason why I choose to live where I do, and not in a state that restricts my rights…
Me too! My daughter wants us to move back to California and while there are many things I enjoy about that state, there gun laws are not one of them
The only thing I miss about California is the ocean. They can have the rest of it.
http://frontiernet.net/~netim/square-med-select.gif
Surprisingly enough, Col. Cooper had a few thoughts along these lines:
“Anyone who is aware of his environment knows that the peril of physical assault does exist, and that it exists everywhere and at all times.”
“An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it.”
That’s why he is the master:)
The sad thing is, that those same anti-gunners won’t read this 🙁
All of us “crazed” gunnies will read it, and nod along, because we all agree with you, but the anti-gunners will not. And they’ll continue to expect other people to take care of their safety – they’ll always depend on someone else (the police, usually) and life just doesn’t work that way.
Yes, but maybe one and maybe is enough for me:)
Sadly, you are correct that for the most part, it falls on deaf ears.
Here’s the deal: sane anti-gunners that I talk to believe that the harm from allowing private citizens to have firearms (and here they are mostly thinking about friendly fire and children getting into Daddy’s gun stash) outweighs the good of allowing private citizens a force equalizer. We are both prepared with facts and data points, but the nature of the beast is that facts and data can and is massaged by partisans on both sides. So at the end of the day we are all left with gut feelings about it and some of us like to spray out guts about a bit more than others. I’ve never yet convinced anyone to change their mind about firearms via the internet, so I confine my internet to reading people who can help my practice and ignoring those who don’t.
I actually have. Not many, but a few folks have adjusted their stance based on something I said or did, here on the blog. I don’t always know, but even one is a good thing, so I keep trying.
It probably isn’t helped by fact that the web leads to interpretation by people who don’t know us, can’t see us, can’t watch our body language and so can put a layer of their own over what we post. I’m guilty of sounding flippant, I know, yet for all my sometimes snarky and off-hand comments, I take the responsibility of carrying very seriously.
Your right. Everyone gets snarky or annoyed and makes a “rude” comment or a joke that the group gets, but outsiders might misinterpret, but I have this perpetually optimistic view of life and people. I keep being astounding by the awful things the “average” anti gun person says.
My daughter has had a friend for 3 years. We know her and her family well. The other day in school someone was asking her about what I do. When this girl overheard I help teach people to shoot, she didn’t talk to or have eye contact with my daughter. M said it was like she was scared.
I thought what are her parents telling her about guns?? I am telling you, I am not a scary person:)
It’s like they don’t even pay attention to reality.
I gave up on FB. Deleted the account and everything. I’m not the most advanced shooter out there, but I have students for eight hours. For Concealed Carry Class my mantra is much like yours. I say “If you do everything else right, awareness, preparedness, and mindset will get you out of 99.8 percent of harm.” IF you find yourself on the 2 tenths of a percent on the curve, your actions will be fast, permanent, profound, and life changing.
I agree with you. The LAST thing I want to do is presentation from holster. It is already decided then. If that happens I have fallen into the 2 tenths despite my best efforts otherwise.
I think about that often. I really never use my personal,page because my real,friends never like anything I post anyway…lol they just texted me or call about what I posted, but I do like the AGirl page. It’s been a neat way to interact with folks.
Your a smart guy and you are a good shot…even when in enormous pain:)
AW, shucks……. I’ll be in the corner blushing now.
Damn You Autocorrect
Lol, see someone who knows my pain.