This is an excerpt from a letter I wrote to a friend of mine in Australia. As gun control is an issue that never seems to be laid to rest, I thought I would share my opinion, not only with G, but with the readers of the Irregular. You may agree. You may not. Luckily, here in America, we’re still allowed to have differing outlooks. And fortunately, we can disagree and still be friends.

Well, my friend, here I am. I’ve been thinking about the fact that you can’t own a firearm in Australia. Or, more aptly, that you can’t possess one without a government-issued permit. And well, when I get a “hot topic” rippling around in my mind, I like to put it to paper… or “plasma” in this case, I suppose.

As you may already know (for I’ve jabbered to you at will) I have an intimate relationship with firearms. My father and mother both came from homes that relied on game to feed their families. My mother’s birthday gift when she turned 10 years old was a .410 shotgun. Dad was a law enforcement officer. Every night when he came home for supper, he’d unbuckle his sidearm and hung it on the coat hook amidst our jackets and hats. We were hunters and enjoyed target practicing for sport, too. We were educated in firearm safety. We were taught that they were not toys. We were disciplined if we broke the rules. I honestly can’t ever remember thinking that Dad’s revolver was an item of interest or fascination. It was part of his uniform, and no more enthralling than his badge or his cap with the ME F&G logo on it.

Now, while I grew up with firearms, and was taught to shoot and how to carry a weapon safely, and how to have fun “shooting skeet” or practicing proficiency with a stationary target, you should also know that I have had some trauma in the “gun” department. I tell you this so that you will see that my views are not based on some innocenteyed, fairy-tale ideal of a person’s “right to bear arms.” I have been on BOTH sides of a muzzle. I have been threatened, held at gunpoint, terrorized with a firearm in days of yore by someone who is since long gone. So, friend, I “hear” where you are coming from. I hear you loudly and clearly. Guns can be and ARE abused. Innocent people do die sometimes, in the heat of the moment, when a firearm is handy and available.

A murder happened in my neighborhood two years ago, just a few miles from here. A friend was brutally killed. Local gossip said the weapon used was an axe, or something very similar. I don’t know, and for the sake of this discussion, the exact weapon used does not matter. What matters, friend, is this. If a twisted person is bent on harming another, they will find the means. They WILL use whatever weapon is at hand. If my friend had been armed, is there perhaps a chance she could have saved herself? We’ll never know, but it’s something to think about.

The bare bones of the issue are these, in my own humble opinion. Every human being on this planet has a right to protect themselves, their families, and their homes. Every person has a right to -–without a “government” making across-the-board proclamations about who is worthy of that privilege. Who —or what— is a “government,” anyway? In this country, a government is made up of people that we, the “little guys,” have voted into office. We regularly vote them in HOPING AGAINST HOPE that they will represent the wills of their constituents. That they will not have a personal agenda. That they will not be for sale to the highest bidder. That they will remember that in a democratic society, the resolves and ideals of the majority of its citizens are SUPPOSED to rule the day. Are supposed to rule the town, the state, and the country. Sadly, that model which was the ultimate vision of our founding fathers has been corrupted and misused over the years, until our government resembles a separate entity, outside the boundaries which contain and constrict the average citizen. A few hundred people of power, controlled by a few hundred corporations with immense power, are making decisions that reduce -–or even revoke–- our rights, our freedoms and our abilities to make personal choices.

“Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” A trite saying, but true. But any person intent on violence - –intent on having malevolent control–- will find the means of obtaining the tools to mete out that violence or assert that control.

I believe I have a fairly unbiased opinion, having been the victim of gun violence, as well as a responsible gun owner and controller of same. I’ve listened, ad nauseam, to the arguments from both sides of the “gun control” issue. I have given the matter reasoned thought and attention. I have tried to keep the propaganda and brain-washing techniques used by the special interest groups compartmentalized. And it is my opinion that a human being has every right to own a firearm, if that human being chooses to do so.

You and I are lucky. We’ve never lived in modern Europe or Africa, where countries have been invaded and taken over by an enemy. We here in America used to feel quite protected… our country is bounded by vast oceans to the east and west, and allies to the north and south. Once upon a time, we felt safe. No one could enter our country “en masse” and without warning and attempt to overthrow our government, appropriate our resources, or restrict our freedoms. We couldn’t be surprised, because the enemies were distant and world was large. Once upon a time, the world was large.

But things have changed. Just imagine, if you will… imagine a hostile group, large in man-power and mighty in weaponry, descending from the air and swarming over your beaches. Laying waste to your country, intimidating your citizens, occupying your homes, taking as their own those resources that belong to you, your friends, your family and your fellow Aussies. Would you not want to be able to repel those invaders? Would you not want “able and ready” neighbors to come to your aid? Would you not feel compelled to go to theirs? Or would you be content to sit back and hope that the Australian military had the means to conquer the foe in a timely manner? Before too much damage was done or blood was shed? Your home and your loved ones are high on YOUR list of priorities. But how highly do you rank in your government’s estimation?

Or, on a more personal level. What if a group of deviants snuck into your somewhat secluded home in the middle of the night? What if they tried to rape your beloved wife? Or, what if they tried to rape you? I mean, we’re talking about the real world here, and it isn’t pretty. Do you not feel it is a basic right for you to be able to defend yourself and your wife from criminals who are intent on harming you? Or even, killing you? You can bet your bottom dollar those miscreants would have guns! You can bet your bottom dollar, my friend. Of course they would! They’re not going to let some leader in Sydney who has the power of a ballpoint pen at his disposal tell them what the law is! They’ve chosen to take themselves outside the law. And you, G… you should have the right to level the playing field.

In my opinion, it is never acceptable for the sick and twisted and dangerous of this world to be allowed a greater advantage than the sane and the moral and the peace-loving. If that is the case, then eventually, this world will be populated with only those who have not a care for all things civilized. I believe that it is not only our right, but our DUTY to keep a just balance of power. If only those in “authority” and those with sinister intent are armed, then the good people -–the ones we hope will inherit the earth–- will become an endangered species.

Yes… sometimes guns kill people. But sometimes, guns save them too -—when nothing else would have. Reasonable people only use deadly force when there is no other option. NO OTHER OPTION. But I, for one, would like to HAVE the option. I, for one, do not want some “entity” telling me that my options to enjoy life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness are limited. That’s wrong. No “entity” has a greater right to control my life than I do. Me. Karen Bessey Pease.

It’s my life. And it’s your life. YOU are smart enough to know if you can handle a firearm responsibly. You are sensible enough to handle a firearm safely and with respect. In my opinion (for this is all it is!) your government should not be allowed to tell you that you aren’t. Neither should mine. They are there to serve us –-the little people–- and not the other way around.

Okay. I’ve had my say. And in under 1,700 words, too! Obviously, you disagree with my stance (for I just now read your note of this morning), and that’s okay. That is MORE THAN OKAY. We are all products of our upbringing, our education, our experiences and our indoctrination. And I have NEVER let a philosophical difference keep me from enjoying a friendship, and most especially not the friendship of a wonderful and kind and sane man such as yourself. You are allowed to have a differing opinion, and I welcome you to try and change my mind. I most certainly will return the compliment! And I’ll even teach you the fun and the challenge of firing a shotgun when you come to visit me up here in the (currently) free state of Maine.

Even though I have been terrified while being threatened with a gun, guns themselves are not something to be feared, my friend. Being defenseless is.

Your friend, KazzaBP