I live
in a state where I would be able to walk into a store, put down some
money, fill out a form, and in fairly short order obtain a gun.
However, I have not done that; I will not do that.
The first
thing I want to mention before I go into the reasons for my choice is
that I am not a person who has no experience with guns. While my
parents did not have guns in the home, from the second to the fifth
grade I went to a summer camp that had a shooting range. From a fairly
young age I was shooting at targets and cans, learning how to aim and
shoot a rifle and a pistol. In sixth grade we moved overseas to an
environment where hunting was an accepted and common activity. Our
friends and neighbors maintained a collection of weapons, and had
various trophies on their walls.
When I reached adulthood I lived
in New York for over two decades. You may say: “aha – that’s why you
don’t want a gun… you are one of those darn New York liberals”. Well
actually, I lived in upstate New York for well over half of that
two-decade period in an area where hunting and guns were an important
part of the culture. In that region of the country for many people
owning and using a gun often meant the difference between eating well or
going hungry. After living upstate, I moved nearer to New York City.
While the city is well known for its restrictions on gun ownership, that
is not true for the counties immediately surrounding the five boroughs
of New York. So, over all, I have not lived a life isolated from the
realities of gun ownership and my decision to not carry a gun is not due
to lack of experience.
My reasons for not carrying a gun are
largely two-fold. The first reason is due to the fact that I am a
scientist. I live a good part of my life analyzing facts and making
decisions based upon those facts. Given my approach toward rational
analysis, my first reason for not carrying a gun is that they are
dangerous. Having a gun in your home increases the likelihood that you
will be shot: either accidentally, or due to an intentional act by an
intruder or a family member – guns in the home are NOT protective.
Since ultimately I don’t want to be shot, the completely rational
response (but counter-intuitive to some) is that I should reduce the
chances of that happening by not owning or carrying a gun.
My
second reason for not carrying a gun is more philosophical and has at
its foundation my experiences as a child. When living outside
Washington I was taken, like many children, on a tour of the FBI
building. One of the stops on the tour was the indoor firing range
where the Special Agent showed off his skills by placing a neat set of
holes in the heart of the target. As he talked to us, he spoke of his
training and of the respect he had for guns; and the respect we should
have for guns. One of the things he said stays with me even now. He
said that you never draw your weapon unless you intend to fire; you
never fire your weapon unless you aim at your target; you never aim at
your target unless you intend to kill. He stated emphatically that a
“warning shot” or “shooting to wound” was nonsense. The reason he was
issued a deadly weapon as part of his job was for that reason – it is a
deadly weapon.
So the second reason I do not carry a gun is that I
will not make the conscious decision, in advance, that I am going to
kill someone. By carrying a gun, I would be making a choice that I am
going to use it. By carrying a gun, I would be making a choice that I
am a person that finds it acceptable to end someone else’s life. By
carrying a gun, I would be no different than the “hit man” or the “gang
banger” whose life decisions cheapen the value of the lives of others.
I choose to not live my life as a premeditated murderer.
I don’t carry a gun – and never will.
