Bear Bait Mountain tales, firearms and life

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There have been threads lately about guns and their application. Let me state this, guns have a place that they belong and that is at the hands of responsible people. An armed citizen is a citizen, an unarmed citizen is a subject. There is a NRA list of about 20 countries which outlawed guns this century (1900's), 20 of 20 have been bullied by the government, citizens killed, ect. Keep your gun, keep it out of reach of children, know how to use it, learn to be accurate with it.

As the population increases there is going to be a higher count of idiots, weirdos, uncontrollable people; your chance at being one of their victums is increasing too. Times have changed, media and entertainment are fanning the flames; human value is reducing; a gun has never yet hurt a person that was not in the hands of another person. If you have one be prepared to use it, if your not prepared get rid of it. If your life is in danger use the gun, but only after you train yourself how to use it. One, don't touch it unless you are ready to use it. Two, if you choose to use it, grab it , aim it, fire it all in one motion; that dismisses premeditation. Three, fire below the waist, less vital organs, less chance of manslaughter charges; when the aggressors approach stops the firing stops - not before, not after; all things in moderation. Four, a gun is only reached for when there is no where to escape aggression. Five, know that the gun gives you the power to undo one of Gods creations.

Whats it like to drop the hammer? I can tell you; 35 years ago the government sent me on tour of sunny southeast asia, the purpose of that tour is still not yet clear. We camped out a lot, snuck around the wet, thick woods, it was fun until the 600 mile per hour pieces of metal came flying at us. Firing at sound or unseen targets was not a problem, after all we were the best trained, best equiped, best butt kicking beasts out there - or so we were told.

The first time the target was in sight and the smoke and noise didn't matter, you try to aim the vomit away from your weapon, you make a mental note to change britches as soon as possible, you see humans parts scatter like in cartoons; its not real - something this horrible could not be. You empty your magazine hoping that 2.6 seconds gives someone else the oppurtunity to cover you; the weapon your holding "communicates" that it is going dry which dosen't matter, you knew that from training, your allready on the ground. A second magazine appears in the weapon, you don't remember putting it there, again the weapon barks, suddenly it is quiet; you can hear the blood squirting and taste the gunpowder in the air. You look in the direction no one else is looking while your hand reaches for the morphine syringe in your first aid kit hoping you don't have to use it on yourself to get to others that need it more. With any luck everybody is still alive, some arn't, some will be taken away in a chopper never to be seen again and you know you can never go home again. You have crossed that final line.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), January 31, 2002

Answers

I agree with 99% of your advice as far as your rules go with how to handle a gun. I might question the practice of aiming below the waist and admitting this to a jury. If I were member of a jury that was trying a homeowner who shot a criminal, I would wonder why the homeowner felt comfortable deliberately aiming for the legs. The only reason I would even fire a gun at someone is if I were certain they were trying to kill me and I felt I had kill them first. And I would not be afraid to admit this is court; the DA would have a hard time proving I wasn't scared for my life, and was therefore justified in killing / injuring the perpetrator.

FBI agents are taught to keep firing until the subject is down; that is why you sometimes hear of police firing an obscene number of rounds into a perpetrator. They are even taught that a person with a knife is dangerous to anyone within 21 feet. That is the distance the average person can cover in one second, and is therefore a threat. Other than that little thing . . .

And thank you mitch for going through that little camping trip in the southeast. Your scenario is pretty much the experience described to me by your fellow vets. Intense boredom, occasionally interupted by sheer terror. It couldn't have been easy and you and your fellow veterans deserve a big THANK YOU for your efforts. I've never been in the military, but I know many who have.

-- j.r. guerra in s. tx. (jrguerra@boultinghousesimpson.com), January 31, 2002.


Big thanks Mitch, for reminding us all of the responsibilities of using a deadly weapon, and reminding us all of the horrors of war and warfare.

Once a peace loving, demonstrating anti-war "hippie", always a non- violent defender of peace. Dad told me if I am going to aim a gun at something, anything, I had better kill it and eat it. Being mostly vegetarian, this is not acceptable to me in any way, shape or form. Including ever taking a human life, ever.

I would rather let someone go and shoot me and kill me than me automatically blast him/her and take her life instead. What gives me this right to take their life? What higher power approves of this action? Ceratinly not Jesus, or anyone else in the Christian religions. I am of the Buhhdist following, and have made the decision that ALL other options of avoiding violence must be used instead of deadly force, there are other ways, you know, you simply must be prepared and ready. Most Oriental forms of self defense are completely non-violent in nature and can help you survive an armed assailant. IF you choose to do so.

Owning guns is not the problem, people who think that owning, and using guns will SOLVE all their problems ARE the problem!!!

Violence begats more violence, using guns against humanity is NEVER right or morally correct, this spread of armed violence must end somewhere, I choose to be part of the solution, not part of the problem, how about YOU???

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), January 31, 2002.


Respecting that others have different opinions, in today's world, where perpetrators have a "take no prisoners" attitude, I will leave the self defense with martial arts to Chuck Norris, and keep my .38 I enjoy living far too much to give it away. Even a mouse will defend itself violently when attacked, that is normal and natural. As for you Mitch, thank you for your service to our country! Regards, Julie K.

-- Julie K (okwilk213@juno.com), January 31, 2002.

THANK YOU for your service, Mitch. I am sorry that your life had to be changed by such traumatic experiences. I am grateful.

-- clovis (clovis97@Yahoo.com), January 31, 2002.

My cousin died in Nam. Thanks Mitch for laying it on the line.

Safe Journey's

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), January 31, 2002.



Ghandi would rather have died than to harm anyone and he was shot and killed for that philosophy. He was esteeemed by the majority of folks in the world in and out of his own time, so Annie, you have excellent company in your beliefs. I see no need to talk you into gun ownership,and I hope, as a pacifist, you would not try to talk me out of my gun. Everyone here does seem to have a good handle on having one's own opinion and allowing that we will at time disagree with others.

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), January 31, 2002.

Thank you for sharing, Mitch, and thank you for your service in Vietnam, for whatever reason you/we were there.

I, too, was taught to aim low, but for the reason that with each shot, the kick raises the barrel. So in a rapid fire mode, all bullets will hit the target.

-- Laura (Ladybugwrangler@hotmail.com), February 01, 2002.


I'm a handicapped grandmother, living a mile from the nearest neighbor. I used to be alone from Monday through Friday. I had a fully loaded nine-millimeter(sp?)pistol with the safety off right by my bed! I figured that, if someone broke into my home and was entering my bedroom, they weren't looking for a cup of coffee!

-- Ardie/WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), February 01, 2002.

Yes, Mitch. THANK YOU for your service. Can't imagine going through that. I appreciate the vets.

-- Cat (catcrazy@somewhere.com), February 01, 2002.

Everyone talks about having a pistol for home protection, but several years ago in sports afield someone ask Mr Carmichcal the gun editor what was the best gun for home protection a 357 or a 44 magnum...He politely told neither that the best home defence weapon was a 12 gauge shotgun because it throw a bigger pattern and you didn't have to aim , just point and shoot...

-- Bob (snuffy@1st.net), February 01, 2002.


Mitch, I want to thank you also. I wasn't drafted, and had I been I would have resisted. I am not proud of that prior philosophy, which gets real confusing because nothing was gained by that war.

While you went through the description, I was re-loading in MY mind. Only without the training, I was shot dead because I dindn't get down low, and thus a defendeless target.

-- Rick (WV) (Rick_122@hotmail.com), February 01, 2002.


Thank you for your service, your story and your advice. Because of you and men like you, none of the boys we went to school with were drafted, wounded or sent home in a box. It was over by then, thank God. Ann (mrs Rick)

-- Ann K (Ann1956ann@hotmail.com), February 01, 2002.

Welcome Home Brother;

I usually don't post, just lurk but your post touched a nerve with me. It's a hard thing, going to see the elephant and those of us who made it home occasionally need to share it to let everyone know that the price of warfare is high.

In today's world the risk of another conflict has grown and we need to understand that the men and women that are deployed don't always come home. It's one thing to realize that we have to defend our country and it's different for the young folks that do the bleeding.

This may not make much sense but I just wanted to respond

Jim Tanner

-- Jim Tanner (tanner_jim@hotmail.com), February 01, 2002.


It is the policymakers that should be at the front lines, not the young people following their bull feathers statements. The elected officals should be first to defend us as it was in the Native Amnericans eyes, the real first democratsy on Earth.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), February 02, 2002.

Mitch, I read your comments and completely awled by the way you discribed it so perfect..Since we were in the same conflict and in the same area of combat, your comments made me shiver just to think back at how bad it was and to thank GOD for letting me survive.. Thanks for being so blunt and honest and to get the point across at what death is all about and how horrible war is...But like you said it should have been our fearless leaders who went instead of us... SEMPER FI BROTHER

-- Bob (snuffy@1st.net), February 03, 2002.


Three of my brothers were in military during Korean War. My husband was too, but we weren't married at that time. Youngest brother served during Nam. All came home safely, thank God. One of my dad's remarks--"Rich man's war, poor man's fight".

-- gibson girl in s.e.Illinois (bobtravous@email.com), February 03, 2002.

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