The Adulteration of Armament
If you travel to the west side of Utah Lake on any given weekend, you'll find a swarm of folks firing weapons. It's the sort of sight that could horrify the snot out of any self-righteous authoritarian from Los Angeles to Baltimore.
But as the refugees from the collapsing state of California continue to seek sanctuary here in the mountains, it's becoming more apparent that the way things've been done for the last several years is not compatible with our future.
I've been described as a gun nut before. I don't reject the label, really. I've got my fair share of "assault weapons" and accessories that would make hoplophobes like Paul Helmke wet himself. I also know the term "hoplophobe" so that should give you some sort of indication of where my values are.
I also hate the NRA and most other gun lobbies because I think they've done more to streamline the disarmament of the American People than the Brady Campaign has.
Along with owning the object, I think that it's every human being's responsibility to train in the use of arms. Does you no good to own a weapon if you can't safely and effectively use it. Utah has been a great place to do this.
Somehow, though, it has become vogue to get and shoot guns without much regard for the safety of others. This is exemplified in the suburban commandos who take their AR's out to the hills west of the lake and squeeze triggers any which way they fancy.
I have more than just a couple personal anecdotes pointing to the possibility of people being irresponsible with their weapons. So much so that I really do worry for the future of armament.
On two occasions now, I have seen people open fire when people had not cleared out of the range. Friends have politely waited until all people were done firing, ventured toward the berm to place targets, and then some goon with an AR-15 decided to show off how quickly he could empty a magazine with people standing barely yards away from their point of aim. NOT COOL.
There are plenty of unsubstantiated rumors about bullet holes appearing all over houses in the area – but I have never seen anything so grossly negligent. I'm quite sure Californians, not knowing what freedom smells like, will invent or exaggerate stories freely so they can reshape our home in their phobic and spineless image… for the safety of the children or something. However unfounded most of the sentiment is with regard to the tradition of shooting west of the lake, I can testify that there is a bit of a problem out there. So much that I've stopped going there entirely.
Really, I blame NRA-style, gun-nut rhetoric for endangering both the safety of those who live in the Saratoga Springs area and for endangering the vital principle of popular armament. The whole attitude of "if you have a gun, you'll be safe" from gang bangers and gestapos alike is aggravating beyond belief.
As the Good Colonel Jeff Cooper (referenced previously) has asserted: Posession of a weapon does not make one armed any more than posession of a piano makes one a musician.
Yes, authoritarians and gang bangers are always going to be a threat to the lay person and the lay person is always going to be in need of the effective means of addressing those threats. This is why Flying Spaghetti Monster gave us our sapience!
Weapons do not provide protection. They only punctuate consequence. Moral, rational, critical thinkers who are also armed provide protection.
So when the goons drag their broken appliances into the desert and blow through 500 rounds without regard to their surroundings, you start to understand where the statist pantywaists get their caricatures of gun owners from.
Does this mean I want the state to crack down on people who shoot in that area? Not really. What I really want is for my fellow Utahns to grow up. To pay attention! You own every round you fire! The consequences are yours! If people continue to put others at risk with their games, they may find themselves in a position where somebody needs to shoot back.