In the light of the Colorado theater tragedy, I decided to enlighten myself about guns and gun owners. My sister and I went to a discussion group led by a guy who said he wanted to "demystify the gun culture."
The host was not what I expected. He was an average size guy, in his mid-50's, who had been a gun enthusiast all his life. He was a hunter, a competitive skeet shooter and once owned a gun shop and shooting range. He spoke in a low, deliberate tone and explained things extremely well.
I was surprised at how many women were there, since I always considered weapons enthusiasts to be primarily male. But there were about 40 percent women and they all owned guns. Like my sister and I, they all knew how to shoot and had taken courses in gun safety.
The speaker started out introducing one of his closest friends. A short man who worked as a tax consultant. He had a wife, two adult children and a home in a really nice part of town. His wife breeded poodles and bichons and also did landscaping. They might come off as a totally wimpy couple until you saw pictures of his weapons collection -- well over 100 guns of all kinds. He wasn't a military veteran or an NRA member. Just an average guy with a large weapons collection.
Another speaker had a similar collection. Some of the largest, most destructive weapons I had ever seen. All of which were registered with law enforcement. He had no problem with registering guns. As long as he got to keep them. He (and a few others) registered their weapons primarily as an aid in case they are stolen.
One speaker wanted all of us to differentiate between gun owners and crazy people who own guns. For it is the latter who cause the trouble. He talked of the Aurora theater shooter, who bought his guns legally. He noted that the shooter bought guns at numerous locations, along with ammo. He talked about a tip off that was missed -- why is a man who has never handled guns or had an interest in them suddenly stockpiling weapons and ammo?
We agreed to disagree about background checks. To join the military, they do psychological profiles. If you want to join the police, they do the same along with a background check. Yes, you can kill someone with a knife, or a can opener, but not from 20 feet away. If someone has just been dumped from a long relationship, had a heated disagreement with someone or been fired from a job, they shouldn't have access to a weapon. If you have a long history of depression or instability, you shouldn't be able to buy a gun.
Yes, I know that violates the Second Amendment. But do you want that guy around your family?
I found tonight to be a huge eye opener in my view of gun rights. Who would have thought they would be normal people?