I have long believed that all law abiding Americans should own guns, period. Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that there are some people who, for the safety of themselves and others, should NOT own a gun. Now before you get all snarky on me, I am not coming out in favor of gun control nor am I saying those people don’t have the right to own a firearm, I simply suggesting that they shouldn’t.
The NRA correctly states that there are two primary causes of firearm accidents: ignorance and carelessness. The direct cause of most firearm accidents are ignorance of
the rules for safe gun handling and proper operation or the careless disregard of those rules. You hear stories of people shooting themselves accidentally while cleaning a gun – how on earth do you do that? Ever see a contractor who has cut off a couple of fingers with a saw; do you think he didn’t know how to operate the saw safely or did he just get careless?
Don’t be this guy:
Recently we had a group of four 20-somethings come into the gun store/range whose appearance alone had us reaching for our guns. They all scattered in different directions, actions typical of shoplifters, but our real concern was the revolver sticking out of the tall tattooed fellow’s pants. Long story short, they just came to use the range, but their attitude towards firearms was casual at best. We repeatedly had to correct their actions on the range (thankfully there were no there shooters at the time), but carrying a firearm without a holster is just foolish. This guy was just begging to lose a body part.
Or this guy:
Attitude really is everything. Attitude can be the difference between a good day and a bad day and in this case a good day at the range vs. a potentially life altering accident. A gun is a tool; nothing more, nothing less. Understanding how to use any tool properly and safely is critical to successfully completing your task whether that is cutting 2x4s or defending yourself against an intruder. Gun owners get enough bad press these days, so please, if you’re going to own one, learn how to handle and operate it safely.
Prepper 365 
I couldn’t agree with you more. There are some people who just shouldn’t have access to a weapon that when used wrong, inappropriately, in anger, with malice… can cause damage… fatal damage. But how to weed them out? I don’t have an answer for that. Hey, thanks for stopping by our blog recently, we appreciate it.
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I second this.
There are a lot of us that treat shooting as a hobby but are still professional and respectful of the weapon. And there’s also a lot who aren’t.
When I was in the military, before we even got to touch a rifle we had to know its every function, capability and mechanism and we were tested on that knowledge. Knowing this instilled that level of respect for the weapon as well as the right way to operate a weapon safely.
When it comes down to it, having that knowledge made me treat the weapon as a professional instrument and not as a toy.
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Love love love your blog!
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