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(my rant on guns is below; to see pics of my hardware see the menu above)

My gun philosophy: the fully-armed pacifist

It is my goal to never have to pull a gun on anyone. Or anyone else I should say; I was mugged/carjacked once (it was strange) and survived by deploying a Beretta 92. A rough draft of that story is here.

I'm one of those people who believes in reducing violence in our everyday lives and also believes passionately in a person's right to defend him/herself from those who choose to ignore the social contract which allows us such a high quality of life. Many rational, thoughtful people see these two concepts as mutually exclusive; I do not. Under normal circumstances onlookers might see me as liberal (assuming people are basically or at least potentially good, being a herbal-tea drinking doctoral student) but when people infringe on my (or my family's) safety or property others would see me as conservative (I'm a card-carrying NRA member). Both of these are equally parts of my personality.

My approach might resemble the zen school of archery in which the real target is in the self, and stillness and concentration are the main tools. As with any powerful tool (airplanes, cars, a dremel, a hammer) there is the possibility of misuse, abuse, and destruction. And there is also the possibility of enlightenment, care, and attention to detail.

Experience

My father taught me how to shoot and handle long arms when I was small. The most important lesson I learned from this quiet, powerful man is that a gun is a tool which demands responsibility and competence from its owner. It is not a key to Instant Respect or Bad-ass-ness. Contrary to the hyper-macho images portrayed on TV and in the movies, guns force you to be always vigilant, planning ahead and being aware of yourself, your weapon, other people, and your surroundings. For more along these lines, see my CHL page.

In my teens my father and I learned much from our neighbor, who is now a sheriff in Oklahoma. We got exposure to some heavier hardware like .357 revolvers (a S&W, IIRC), and rifles chambered for .243, 7mm mag, etc. I borrowed the .243 for my only (and unproductive) deer hunting trip. I do not care to hunt, mainly because my hands get stiff and hurt in the slightest cold. But I have hunted rabbit, squirrel, etc. to eat.

My next bit of major experience was in the military, with basic at Ft Sill, OK, and permanent duty (two tours) in the former FRG. I was never good with the M-16 (it felt cheap to me), but did better qualifying with the M60 machine gun, LAW, and hand grenades (grenades scared the piss outta me, btw). During basic some of the arms liberated from Greneda came our way; I loved the folding stock paratrooper-style AK. This taught me that an assault weapon could feel good, substantial and be easy to clean. Although I prefer the 5.56mm round to the 7.62mm I'd much rather carry an AK into an unknown situation than the M-16 series.

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