Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/06/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]You two READ that screed? Jim Richard wrote: > B.D. I'd be upset too except I know where the "delete" key is. :-) > > At 06:33 PM 6/24/2006, you wrote: > >> So once again, we read a thousand words of MJS's opinions on a >> subject, only >> to be told the rest of us should confine our opinions on the same >> subject to >> the Forum? >> It would be funny, were it not so sad.... >> >> >> On 6/24/06 7:56 PM, "Marc James Small" <msmall@aya.yale.edu> wrote: >> >> > At 04:39 PM 6/24/06 -0400, Jim Shulman wrote: >> >> I understand that's the whole point of this project--that gun >> ownership is a >> >> lot more "normal" than most of us non-owners would imagine. While >> the usual >> >> media image of a gun owner is some wild-eyed fanatic living in a >> garret, >> >> Kyle is showing otherwise--that it's as ubiquitous as owning a Toro >> riding >> >> mower or Veg-o-matic. >> >> >> >> That's not to say more desirable than owning the mower or Popeil >> items--he's >> >> not making judgments about that--but it is rather remarkable in >> that he's >> >> putting faces on what had been anonymity. >> > >> > A number of us on the LUG are gun owners. I don't hunt but I do target >> > shoot on occasion. (My rifle is a 1909 Argentine Mauser rechambered >> to .30 >> > - '06 I picked up years back from my Secretary's father as part of a >> fee. >> > I had a 3X-9X by 30mm scope mounted on it -- the scope was made by the >> > Arsenal folks in the Ukraine, the guys who gave us those Contax RF >> clones, >> > the Kiev cameras, for so many years -- it even has the oblate triune >> sphere >> > logo on it.) I don't own it for intimdiation, I don't own it for >> machismo, >> > I don't own it for self-defense (though my wife came equipped with a.22 >> > Ruger target pistol along with a whole aresenal, so our differences >> tend to >> > be VERY peacefully resolved <he grins> -- but, then, she is a Michigan >> > farmer by origin and grew up around guns much more so than I did.) >> I do >> > take my rifle out every couple of years with a couple of boxes of >> 280-grain >> > ammunition (have to use the high-power rounds as there is the barrel >> is a >> > tad larger than the regulation .30 - '06 one, tehcnically it's a 7.62mm >> > round in an 8mm barrel, though the actual measurements are a bit >> different.. >> > >> > There were no firearms in my house when I was growing up but my >> father was >> > retired from the Army and had commanded an anti-aircraft battery in >> Alaska >> > in combat during the Second World War. I learned to shoot when I >> was 12 >> > and taught marksmanship when I was a Boy Scout camp staff member and >> later >> > as a Scoutmaster (along with teaching campcraft, pioneering, map >> work and >> > orienteering, first aid, lifesaving and so forth). I consistently shot >> > Marksman in the Army, generally on the M1 or M14 or M16 but on >> occasion on >> > the M1911A1 .45 automatic or on a substitute such as a .22 target >> pistol. >> > The Army allowed me to fire a LOT of weapons from small-bore rifles and >> > pistols up through 81mm and 4.2" mortars to 90mm and 105mm tank guns >> and >> > even 105mm and 155mm and, on a few occasions, 8" howitzers. I never >> had a >> > desire to own a gun despite an intense interest in military history: >> > during most of my time, I was much more concerned with the maintenance >> > cycles and MTBF for, say, the M1 tank or the CUCV than I was on >> popping off >> > rounds downrange. >> > >> > I own a gun just because I own a gun. Very few of my friends know >> that I >> > own a gun and that my wife has an arsenal that would choke the >> average pawn >> > shop. We do not belong to the NRA or the like, we do not have >> > bumper-stickers on our cars (well, at election time, I generally sport >> > something along the lines of OCTAVIA JOHNSON FOR SHERIFF or the >> like), we >> > do not go to demonstrations. I know a bunch of other gun owners who >> are >> > much of a sort with my pattern, and I suspect that most US gun >> owners just >> > own guns and so be it. It is not the central part of our lives, it >> is just >> > something we do and, yes, my wife came equipped with a riding mower >> which >> > seems a bit of an overkill on my small yard and I tend to do my >> cooking on >> > cast iron. The only Cuisinart I use is our coffee maker, though I >> prefer >> > to grind the beans in a Krups grinder proving that even a mild >> techno-geek >> > can go low-tech on occasion. (I do have my late mother's Cuisinart >> > processer but my wife simply refuses to use it, preferring the old >> ways of >> > doing it by hand. We are having strip steaks and blanched asparagus >> and a >> > bottle of Chilean red wine in a few minutes: we do eat simply but >> well!) >> > >> > USian citizens have rights derived from the common sovereignity and >> > expressed in our Constitution. The Bible does not provide any >> "rights" to >> > Chirstians as Paul makes clear that anyone saved -- and he does not >> > restrict this to "Christians", interestingly -- is saved but through >> the >> > infinite Grace of God. We Christians do have a lot of obligations, >> most of >> > which we miss -- how many of us have ever gone down to Skid Row on >> > Thanksgiving Morning and brought it a couple of hungover street >> folks for a >> > meal in the haven of our home? -- but at the same time we have no >> > guarantees with Christ other than that if we throw ourselves >> wholeheartedly >> > into his service, we shall earn His happiness. But, again, there >> are only >> > the haziest of guarantees in the Bible and I get fidgety when folks >> start >> > talking about a "God-given right" to bear firearms. The right came >> from >> > the forefathers when they developed our common polity by drafting the >> > Constitution, and is only as strong as we make it. (I can discuss >> Second >> > Amendment rights all day long but, as I note below, that is not a >> proper >> > topic for discussion on the LUG., so contact me off-List, as I am not a >> > member of the Forum.) >> > >> > We can argue the radical fringes all we want but that probably >> belongs on >> > the Forum and not on the LUG itself as we would soon be discussing >> ALL of >> > the radical fringe elements and then we'd be into the sort of general >> > donnybrook which makes my Riley blood elated but which causes my >> Hielan' >> > ancestors to roll over in their graves at the wasting of a good >> fight on >> > something which cannot be resolved. So, the Forum is probably the >> place >> > for the discussion of the social aspects of firearm ownership, while a >> > discussion of these fine pictures is, of course, at the heart of the >> LUG. >> > >> > Sorry to have rattled on so long, but I am responding in fine to a >> bunch of >> > comments from other members and just wanted you guys to realize that >> there >> > are gun owners on the LUG -- for that matter, our Senior Member, was >> taught >> > BRM (Basic Rifle Marksmanship) by William Tell shortly before he did >> that >> > magnificent book of combat photographs taken during the Wars of the >> Roses, >> > though I don't know that Ted has ever owned a firearm. >> > >> > Marc >> > >> > msmall@aya.yale.edu >> > Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir! >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Leica Users Group. >> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > // richard (This email is for mailing lists. To reach me directly, > please use richard at imagecraft.com) > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >