Guns, Guns and More Guns: Wyatt Where Are You When We Need You?

In today's Oklahoman an article by Megan Rolland deals with the aftermath of the shooting of eight people following the OKC-LA Lakers basketball game the other night. One Miles Hall, the owner of a local gun range, believes, according to the article, that since hand guns are not allowed in the Chesapeake Energy Arena and most, if not all, the Bricktown restaurants and bars, it has created a "victim rich" environment.

Hall is quoted as saying, "I'm not looking for a Wild West shoot out in the street, but chances are pretty good the bad guys know the victims are not carrying." Later in the story he is also quoted as saying, "I think responsible, educated, gun owners are the solution to an awful lot of crime woes because the bad guys don't want to get hurt doing what they are doing. They tend not to be that stupid."

Sorry, Miles, but yes they do tend to be that stupid. The specific crime we are talking about involved a teenager and a fight over what one attorney describes as "stupid high school stuff--boys, girls, telephones--stupid little high school issues." Trust me Mr. Hall, the last thing on that toad's mind was whether anyone else was carrying a weapon, or not. When you are sixteen and want to be a tough guy, analytic thinking is really not part of the equation.

I've said it before and I will say it again here. I've been hunting twice in my life. I have no problem with people who do, so long as they have the decency to eat what they've shot. The problem is that Glock 9 millimeter semi automatics and even that little five shot Rossi .38 tucked away in my night stand are not designed to bring down a deer, or a covey of quail. They are designed for one purpose and one purpose only. That is to kill another human being.

If everyone out there has one, no matter how "responsible" they might seem when they buy it, no matter how "educated" they might pretend to be, somewhere down the line a pecentage of them are going to use it at the wrong time in the wrong place for the wrong reason.

Yes, I can just imagine the family friendly environment at the arena. You get some Johnny Ringo wanna be all beered up and then when Metta World Peace throws that elbow into the side of James Harden's skull, he saves the commissioner the problem of deciding how long the suspension should be. Or, more realistic, there won't be any need to call in an usher to deal with that asshole in front of you who won't sit down.

It is unclear if Miles Hall advocates the use of gasoline to put out raging fires, but considering his logic in this instance it isn't that far fetched to believe so.

Back during the real Wild West, when places like Dodge were out of control, the first move by guys like Wyatt Earp was to halt everyone from bringing a weapon into town. This is known as gun control. It was strictly enforced and the murder rate plummeted. The streets became safe.

But that is okay. Hand gun advocates have never worried about history or logic. They just want to have that warm fuzzy feeling of manhood strapped to their hip. They want that sexual rush of knowing they are the ones who decide who lives and who dies.

I have a gun and I am dangerous, therefore I am. Wanna' see my erection?

Wyatt, where are you when we need you?

5-24-12