Is it okay to run this column?

I’m a gun guy

I own rifles and pistols and shotguns. They run the gamut from single-shots, over-and-unders, and side-by-sides to semi-autos, pumps and bolt-actions. I inherited some, bought most, and received a few as gifts.

Four months of the year I hunt, a loaded weapon in my hands more days than not. In the off-season I shoot clay targets with the shotguns and kill cans with the .22. Sometimes I fire my 9mm Italian cop rifle just to hear it go rat-a-tat-tat.

That being said, I’m sick and tired of even the most common sense firearms legislation viewed as an attack on the Second Amendment. Background checks and waiting periods before making a purchase are not the first step down a slippery slope that ends with the government taking your guns.

If it is, the slope sure ain’t very slippery. Since I was a kid I’ve heard that someone (usually Democrats) is going to take our guns, but I’m getting pretty old now and I’ve still got mine.

I’m surprised more folks aren’t upset over the strict licensing of fully automatic weapons. Shouldn’t we all have the right to own machine guns?

The dialogue, however, has changed. It used to be that the folks most concerned about their gun rights were either hunters or competitive shooters. Now it’s every yahoo with a Glock or an assault rifle, who claims they own the weapon for self defense or the impending civil war. You’d think with such a heavily armed populace there would be plenty of instances of folks defending themselves against bad guys.

American Rifleman, a monthly publication of the National Rifle Association, used to print stories about armed citizens protecting themselves in every issue. It still might. Other than those magazine stories, though, instances of private citizens protecting themselves are pretty rare.

Of course those same folks who fear their guns will be taken away are also convinced that the liberal media won’t run those kind of pro-gun stories.

But as a gun-totin’, card-carrying member of the liberal media, I can say that’s nonsense. Someone shooting a bad guy to protect themselves or their property is a news story. If you’re not reading or hearing about it there’s a good chance it simply didn’t happen.

Unless, of course, you saw it on the internet where legitimate sources and attribution aren’t necessary, or read it in an industry rag with a political agenda. Then you know it’s true.

They’re coming to take your guns.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]