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Aspen Times Article & Response |
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Aspen Times Article & Response From: http://www.aspentimes.com/article/2009904129964 Paul Andersen: Fair Game On buying a gun Paul Andersen The Aspen Times Aspen Co, Colorado Until now, gun ownership has never been a high priority for me; in fact it’s been against my nature. That’s why recent efforts to exercise my Second Amendment rights have put me in a peculiar place, ideologically and politically.
It began when I walked into Sports Authority in Glenwood Springs a few months ago intent on buying a gun, or rather, a firearm. There was a guy at the counter buying a big box of bullets, or rather, shells. There was another guy in Carhart coveralls chatting with the sales clerk about the lethal force of their arsenals, or rather, firepower and muzzle velocity.
When I told the clerk that I wished to purchase a handgun, he shook his head solemnly. “We can’t sell them here. Sorry. You can’t get a handgun anywhere in the valley.”
“Are they prohibited?” I asked. “Not yet,” quipped the Carhart guy. “You have to go to Rifle.”
“I have to go to Rifle for a pistol?” I asked. “Yep,” they both nodded, as if imparting a bizarre and unfathomable truth.
I confessed to them that I had never bought a firearm before and explained what I wanted it for. “I do a lot of hiking where there are mountain lions, and I’d like something that can deter or at least scare off a big cat before I become kitty litter.”
Both men were very helpful in suggesting what kind of handgun would best suit my needs, weighing the merits of a heavier Glock against the lightweight ease of a Smith & Wesson revolver. I didn’t understand half of what they were saying. They recognized the blank look in my eyes and gave me the name of a gun shop in Rifle.
I left feeling disappointed by the lack of available handguns in the Roaring Fork Valley. For the first time, I experienced a tinge of NRA umbrage over gun control, not as an ideological affront, but simply as an inconvenience.
I called the gun shop in Rifle and explained to the proprietor about protecting myself from mountain lions. He offered three standard options: 1. A boat horn. 2. A can of pepper spray. 3. A gun. He began rapping off brands of pistols. “But,” he warned, “with Obama in office, you can’t touch a Glock, anywhere.”
The dealer recommend the Glock .40 caliber or an aluminum Smith & Wesson .357 or .38. My investment, he estimated, would be between $400 and $600. “With any of these you can kill a bad guy or you can kill an elk.” He then offered to enroll me in his concealed handgun permit class “before they rescind it,” he intoned ominously.
I decided I had better do some research, so I went online to a few firearm websites. The Midwest Hunter’s Outlet page opened with an illustration of President Obama wearing a goofy-looking crown. The headline read: “Coronation Special. Last Remaining Assault Rifles. Get Them Before It’s Too Late!” This urgent tone was featured on most of the websites I visited.
I read an article in Market Watch that said, “Gun sales have been soaring nationally over the past few months, ever since it began to look likely that Sen. Barack Obama would win the presidential election. Obama and a stronger Democratic majority in Congress are seen by many enthusiasts as more likely to impose new restrictions on firearms sales and ownership — or at least to more rigorously enforce existing ones.”
The Rifle gun dealer was right — I couldn’t touch a Glock or a lightweight Smith & Wesson on any website. I called him back and got on a waiting list that has, so far, been months long. I may never get the gun I want, a Smith & Wesson 642 Airweight .38 special 5-shot revolver, and may instead have to opt for pepper spray and a boat horn.
Through my research, I realized that gun sales may be one of the biggest growth areas of the American economy today, which is an alarming indicator of our national anxiety level. Americans are arming themselves in record numbers — for something — and I don’t think it’s for hiking among mountain lions. My Response: My name is Edward and I own The Tradesmen Gun Store that Paul mentioned in this piece. I remember speaking with Paul, and he relayed most of our conversation and the information correctly. I believe the article is fair. We know (and support the fact) that every person has the right to self-defense. And, there is no difference between a mountain lion, or a violent criminal. Both will kill you. However, it has been my experience (having taught firearms for more than 22 years) that Liberals disguise their motives about buying a gun by saying they want the firearm to defend themselves from animals, not people, as if to avoid “judgment” from their peers. I have had many “anti-gun” students and customers that completely switch to reason and logic after being raped or assaulted. All do. But this is not an issue of Liberal -vs- Conservative. This is about right and wrong. It is right to support defense. It is wrong to deny any person that freedom. Some might say, “Why do you need a gun like that?” Well… I, for example, am also a pilot and own my own airplane. Why do I need an airplane? Why does anybody need two snowmobiles? Why do you need an Aspen Ski Pass? There is no need for a gun like that? Tell that to the people that I have witnessed (when I was a police officer) defend their homes and family from violent mobs during Hurricane Katrina, the L.A. Riots, and other chaotic events. Ask Paul why he needs a gun now. As for the 2nd Ammendment… The United States Supreme Court has ruled time and time again that the U.S. Constitution is not in place to give rights, but to protect them. And, it has ruled over and over that each individual (not militia) has the right to own and possess firearms. Not for hunting, not for sport, but for self-defense and their protection from tyranny. Did you know that machine-guns and silencers are legal in Colorado? That the Sheriff MUST issue you a CCW permit if you meet the qualifications? This is why Colorado is considered one of the safest states in the Republic. Chicago, LA, New York = No Handguns Allowed. Crime Rate = Highest in the Nation. The 1st Amendment protects freedom of the press. But what if government said… “Okay. You can have a newspaper, but it can only hold 10 pages, and you cannot load those pages with any harmful words, and people that buy the newspaper must have training and pass a background check and complete a reading course before they can have it, and the U.S. Government will keep a database of all its readers in case any of you get out of line.” Nobody would stand for that nonsense. My customers (and all other Americans) that buy handguns, “tactical rifles” (assault is a behavior, not hardware) and get concealed weapons permits do not commit crimes like you might think. Read the FBI/NIJ statistics. Off-duty Police Officers commit violent crimes 4 times more often than concealed weapons permit holders. It is not just about people witnessing the loss of their freedoms. It’s about the constant and systematic melt-down of all society around us. Take your pick. Desperate victims of the economy, The Mexican drug violence, Korea launching its missile, Pirates, the out-of-control robberies in the valley… My customers tell me that they are getting training and firearms for their personal protection – not to “protest Obama.” Keep in mind that Paul ended his writing by saying that Americans are arming themselves in some sort of “alarming” or anxiety-driven way. But he began his article by telling us he wanted to do the same thing. So our behavior is alarming, but his is not? He can do it, but we cannot? Some can have firearms, but others cannot? I do not make my decisions with feeling or emotion, and certainly not hypocrisy. Everything I do is based on: History! Fact! Logic! -Edward Wilks
WSTC, Inc. - The Tradesmen - Advanced Combat Training 128 East 3rd Street, Rifle, Colorado 81650 Edward Wilks - Owner & Instructor Phone: (970) 625-GUNS (4867) sales @ 625guns.com www.625guns.com |
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Last Updated ( May 08, 2009 at 10:33 AM )
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