Tuesday, June 17, 2003

Guns in My House

Rachel Lucas discusses why people who refuse to keep a gun in their home are insane. I am presently insane in this way, since I keep my guns unloaded and locked up. Her next post on the subject points out that people who prefer to rely on the police rather than keep a gun are like those who prefer to rely on the fire department rather than keep a fire extinguisher. I have a similiar delusion, where I avoid going to the doctor because I don't want him/her to tell me how to change my habits to improve my health. I'm going to live forever, right?

Our current solution is to have an alarm system. Next we will get a dog. Even so, I want a loaded self-defense gun in our house, secured so that only my spouse and I can access it. I want both of us to be able to use it correctly, and as our daughters grow I want them to learn to use it correctly. Before they leave our home, I want each one to own her own gun. I want the women in my life to be empowered to protect themselves. If my girls choose not to keep a gun in this way, that will be their choice, but not because I have failed to prepare them for it. No one should have to live in fear. Rachel has much more (including some debunking of all those alarming statistics about guns). You can also check Mrs. du Toit and her husband Kim.