Guns

I had plans to run all over town getting this-and-that done today.  That was before I woke up to find that I'd be lucky to make it out of my driveway.  In spite of my hatred for driving in the snow, I did manage to make it a few blocks to the grocery store to buy dog-food.  (My dogs are spoiled.)  I wanted to stop by the classroom and set up a fish tank, but the unplowed parking lot didn't look like something my Chevy Classic needed to try to conquer today.  So now I'm at home.  The dogs are fed (or would be if they'd quit hiding food in the couch), and there's a whole lot of nothing for me to get done here.

That happens sometimes living in the Rockies.  Weather happens, and sometimes my plans have to drastically change.  It was a minor "problem" that I had to learn to deal with in New York too.  Yeah-- NYC and Wyoming/Colorado definitely have snow in common....  That's about it, though.

Due to changing gun laws in some states, I've been thinking a lot lately about the differences between gun culture out east and gun culture in my house.  Hopefully, based on other posts, I've proven myself as a person who doesn't revel in violence or the mistreatment of life.  However, I'm also one who would refuse to give up her AK, even to the extent of surrendering my life.  In simpler terms, they'd have to kill me before I'd let them take my guns from me.  (Whoever "they" are.)

Don't be surprised.  That's western gun culture vs. city gun culture.  We don't use our guns as a means to gain control or power.  We don't use our guns in petty turf wars or gang shoot-outs.  We never use our guns pre-emptively as weapons.  Ever.  (Yes, that includes hunting.  We'll get into that later.)

So, my east coast friends, let me elaborate on some of those reasons why your "crazy" Wyoming friend would sacrifice her life before sacrificing her guns:

• Guns are a tool, not a weapon:  Let's get into that hunting thing.  Personally, I was never able to bring myself to shoot anything, but I don't judge those who have.  Most hunting families who I know use their meat throughout the year to keep their kids fed.  Guns, then, are a tool used to make sure a family's dietary needs are met.  For those of us who own land and/or animals, guns are an absolute necessary tool in scaring off and, in rare cases, killing threats to  property.  Losing a few cows to some coyotes may not seem like a big deal to folks out-east, but such a loss is devastating out here.  Losing a few cows could mean losing the farm, losing the family, losing everything.  Thank goodness ranchers and farmers can use their firearms to protect their livelihoods.  Guns are also tools necessary for self-reliance.  I can confidently say that, if the west were suddenly cut off from all outside resources, my family and I could live comfortably for years providing for ourselves.  We'd rely on our survival skills, knowledge of the land around us, and our guns-- we could do it.  How many people can say that?
• The vast majority of gun owners are responsible:  What I mean by responsible is that they practice gun safety.  When a Wyomingite walks into a gun shop, they're not doing so because Rick's .357 colt python was SOOOOOOO cool on The Walking Dead.  Gun purchases are not on a whim or done to achieve a certain image.  When we bring our money to a gun store, we also bring years (yes, YEARS) of firearm and self-defense training with us.  It's our culture.  Learn to ride a bike-- check.  Learn to handle and store firearms safely-- check.  No joke.  Long before I was allowed to touch a gun, I had it drilled into me what it meant to own one.  "Always act like a gun is loaded."  "Never aim at something unless you intend to kill it."  And there's a whole mess of other rules to go along with those two.  Most of us are professionals, folks.  We have the training and the permits to prove it.
• Firearms run in the family:  Some of the most precious family heirlooms out west are the family firearms.  The shotgun that great-great-grandpa used to settle the homestead.  (We don't have one of those in my family.  It's just an example.)  It's true that certain guns are significant in a family tree.  To take those away from the family would be to take away an important part of that family's legacy.
• Guns protect us from people:  I was going to post a bunch of statistics here to prove my point, but I'm getting hungry, so I'll leave it up to you to do the research.  Where there is strict gun control, there are also elevated amounts of violent crimes-- homicides, stabbings, shootings, etc.  Yeah-- I can't think of any criminal who would walk into a Wyoming establishment expecting to get much done by waving a gun around:  No doubt that criminal would have more than a few barrels pointed back at him/her.  Problem solved.....  I know what you're thinking-- What about mass shootings?  I certainly don't mean to make these tragedies out to be less ...well... tragic than they are/were.  The loss of any life is remorseful.  Did you know, though, that more people are killed by drunk drivers every year than by guns?  (Again, I'll leave you to do the research.)  Yet we're not rallying together to outlaw alcohol or cars....  Think about it.  Taking away guns would only serve to treat the symptoms of a much larger issue, all while taking firearms away from responsible owners... and pissing off everyone from Montana down to Texas.
• Guns protect us from animals:  Living out here, one can expect to run into all sorts of critters.  We're not talking about going up to the mountains for the weekend (although that is an option).  We're talking about seeing elk, deer, antelope, coyotes, foxes, and badgers on the way to work.  Ever been nose to nose with an angry moose?  My dad has.  You never know when a ridiculously aggressive rattle snake or mountain lion is going to pay a visit to your backyard to play with your dog.  Or your kid.  (Yes, there are parts of the country still like this.  Many of us call it home.)  "But that's not safe!" you say?  "Why would you choose to live in a place like that?" you wonder.  Where else would we go?  Chicago?  Detroit?....  No thanks.  I'll take the grizzly on my front porch.
• Guns are a symbol of our independent "western" spirit:  My ancestors were some of the first to settle in America, because they sought freedom.  Tired of persecution and regulations, they came to a land where they could live and let live.  They supported the 2nd amendment, because they knew what it was like to live under a tyrannous government.  Generations later, other ancestors-- again tired of persecution and regulations-- sought freedom again, this time out west.  They established themselves.  (Let's not get into American Indian rights.  That's another blog for another time.)  Generations later, you have me.  You have my family.  You have my friends.  You have thousands of us.  And we're not the types to give in to persecution and regulations.  (Imagine that.)  If a tyrannous government were to demand our guns today, it would be an insult to our identities and everything our ancestors fought to establish.  That's why we won't give it up.  Are we stubborn?  Yes.  Are we right to stand up for rights?  Yes.  Don't like it?  Fine.  Don't move here.

That, my friends, is why I would rather die than live in a world without my AK.