HTT - Gun Edition

I couldn't even bring myself to post a picture of a real gun - that's how much they scare me.

I'm going to steal some heat from last week's hunting Hot Topic and discuss a cousin controversy: guns.

Remember how I told you I'm pretty passionate in my disdain for hunting? Well, my feelings on guns are even stronger and even more opposed. I don't like guns. Period.

(This is the point where those of you who might take offense if I share a differing viewpoint should click here. I enjoy a healthy debate, but I know some of you don't like it when I get on my soapbox. Remember, it's cheaper than therapy for me, and no one will make you read it if you don't want to. Besides, disagreeing doesn't mean we can't be friends. We all agree that the Simpson sisters are overexposed, right?)

I recognize that many people have different reasons - some frightening - for wanting to own a gun. I'm sure most of them are valid, but for me the pros can't outweigh the cons, which is why there will NEVER be a gun in my house.

Guns kill people. I know, I know, "people kill people," but guns sure help them accomplish that goal. And while gun owners may argue that firearms also protect you, I believe the chance they'll get to do that is small in comparison to the possibility of harming someone you love.

I know that most gun owners are very responsible, which I applaud and encourage, but most parents who have lost children to suicides by gun or accidental shootings thought they were being responsible, too. They kept their guns unloaded, their gun safes locked and their ammunition across the house. They taught their children how to use guns responsibly and warned them to stay away. But accidents happen - and when they happen with guns, they can be fatal.

Kids are smarter than you think. They can access guns no matter how careful you are, even at a very young age. My biggest concern is suicide because it's a rising epidemic among our youth and when guns are involved there are rarely second chances, unlike other methods. My next concern is curiosity - a child showing off guns to siblings or friends, resulting in accidental firings, which could result in criminal charges. My final concern is someone using a gun for violence, whether petty crime or mass shooting.

I'm not really worried about criminals and guns. Most of them acquire their guns illegally, which is obviously hard to control. And if they turn one on an innocent citizen, it's often for intimidation and not with the intent to kill.

I worked as a reporter covering crime - and have been a news junkie most of my life - and in my experience it is rare for someone to save their life or others' by using a gun. When someone has, the shooter was usually someone in law enforcement or another occupation where advanced gun training and experience is required. Other times, innocent people were hurt or an angered assailant fired back with better precision.

The world is scary place. I worry about bad things that could happen to my family like the rest of you, but I think guns can be a placebo effect. I think they make you feel safe, but it is a false sense of security. The odds of your gun being used on someone you know are much higher than using it to protect yourself.

But I know some of you - maybe all of you - disagree.

Help me understand why or why not you would own a gun, and how you can be sure they won't be used inappropriately.

Your comments really softened my views on hunting, so maybe this will do the same.

Then again, it might take a miracle.

But I'm listening.