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Back in the olden days, when we had things like a daily newspaper and brought the week's food home in paper grocery bags, I set up a small air gun range in the basement of our house in the city. Not really sure why I did it, except that it seemed like something that might be fun.
Eventually, we had a couple of different air rifles and two or three pistols of various types. And going down to the basement, to shoot at paper targets, was something that my two oldest daughters and I did fairly regularly and became moderately proficient at.
In the beginning, we simply taped our targets to paper grocery bags packed with newspapers and fired away. But eventually, concerned about ricochets and wanting to have our targets at eye-level when seated, I built a target box with a shelf to hold the bag and hung an old carpet behind it. Later on, I even added a 48" fluorescent light out in front of it.
Recently, for whatever reason, I decided to revive this pastime and invited the daughter who still lives here in the city to join me. Which she agreed to do, with notable enthusiasm. She and her sister both have sportsman permits for pistols but not concealed carry permits which are notoriously difficult to get in New York State and California.
Both girls are responsible women, with families and careers, and, while not particularly paranoid, recognize the potential for random, violent crime in the urban areas where they sometimes work and travel. They also have what I would consider to be reasonable concerns for the safety of their families.
While I'm not currently a permit holder, and find myself disturbed and at odds with certain policies and pronouncements of the NRA, I do understand some of the concerns of its members. (I'm also deeply offended by the likes of that has-been rocker and braying jackass, Ted Nugent, who is a current member of its board of directors.)
At the same time, despite living in a reputedly safe suburban area, I do have a home defense strategy in place and would not hesitate to defend myself and loved ones if that became necessary. And I firmly believe that it's every citizen's right to do so even though I disagree with the current interpretation of the 2nd Amendment.
I think I'm writing this because I suspect that some of my recent activities may have seemed out of step with any sane response to the horrific events involving firearms which have also drawn attention to the presence of an overly-powerful gun lobby in this country.
On the other hand, I'm not some unhinged nutcase cowering in my bunker in anticipation of the zombie apocalypse.
That, in fact, has already occurred and the leader of it is now in our White House...
LPK
Dreamwidth
4.7.2018
Eventually, we had a couple of different air rifles and two or three pistols of various types. And going down to the basement, to shoot at paper targets, was something that my two oldest daughters and I did fairly regularly and became moderately proficient at.
In the beginning, we simply taped our targets to paper grocery bags packed with newspapers and fired away. But eventually, concerned about ricochets and wanting to have our targets at eye-level when seated, I built a target box with a shelf to hold the bag and hung an old carpet behind it. Later on, I even added a 48" fluorescent light out in front of it.
Recently, for whatever reason, I decided to revive this pastime and invited the daughter who still lives here in the city to join me. Which she agreed to do, with notable enthusiasm. She and her sister both have sportsman permits for pistols but not concealed carry permits which are notoriously difficult to get in New York State and California.
Both girls are responsible women, with families and careers, and, while not particularly paranoid, recognize the potential for random, violent crime in the urban areas where they sometimes work and travel. They also have what I would consider to be reasonable concerns for the safety of their families.
While I'm not currently a permit holder, and find myself disturbed and at odds with certain policies and pronouncements of the NRA, I do understand some of the concerns of its members. (I'm also deeply offended by the likes of that has-been rocker and braying jackass, Ted Nugent, who is a current member of its board of directors.)
At the same time, despite living in a reputedly safe suburban area, I do have a home defense strategy in place and would not hesitate to defend myself and loved ones if that became necessary. And I firmly believe that it's every citizen's right to do so even though I disagree with the current interpretation of the 2nd Amendment.
I think I'm writing this because I suspect that some of my recent activities may have seemed out of step with any sane response to the horrific events involving firearms which have also drawn attention to the presence of an overly-powerful gun lobby in this country.
On the other hand, I'm not some unhinged nutcase cowering in my bunker in anticipation of the zombie apocalypse.
That, in fact, has already occurred and the leader of it is now in our White House...
LPK
Dreamwidth
4.7.2018
