[Leica] Jayanand's comments about "Tea Party"

[lrzeitlin at aol.com (lrzeitlin at aol.com)]

Taught to shoot at ten years, and you
consider it "normal" - even if you are just busy exterminating animals
instead of human beings - this is just unbelievable to the vast
majority of humans on Earth. Those "military types" are far more
trained and responsible, as well as safer for everyone than than the
general public with cupboards full of guns, mostly unlicensed.

I know you will come back at me with some slanging comments on India,
as you normally do, but what India is does not change the reality of
what the USA is. Remember that.
Jayanand
- - - -
Jayanand, with all due respect, you don't have a clue. I served in the 
military in two wars. In the Korean war I qualified as a tank commander 
at Ft. Knox and was assigned to photograph armored equipment in combat. 
In addition to a Signal Corps Leica IIIf I was issued a M1 carbine and 
a Colt 1911 pistol. I used both in actual combat. I was recalled to the 
Army as a company commander in the first stages of the Vietnam war.

Your assumption that "military types" are more prudent in weapons use 
than the general public is unfounded. If anything, they are taught to 
kill. That's what a gun is for. In my state gun ownership is highly 
regulated. Licenses are required for all handguns and a rigorous 
firearms safety course must be completed. Of course illegal, 
unregistered weapons are available, just as they are everywhere. If you 
go into any city in the world, visit a seedy section of town. wave a 
handful of banknotes in the air, and say "I want to buy a gun" you will 
be offered your choice within a few minutes. Even in Chennai.

Newspapers worldwide are full of stories of soldiers going berserk and 
spraying bullets into real and imaginary opponents. Shiites shooting 
Sunnis, Jews shooting Arabs, IRA zealots shooting Brits, and Americans 
shooting children. As for my slanging comments about India, I hardly 
need to remind you about the massacres that take place on almost a 
daily basis in that peaceful country. The death toll after the 
partition was greater than in our Civil War.

These days I prefer to shoot pictures - not bullets. I also like to eat 
meat and drink fine whiskey.

Larry Z