What Are You Afraid Of? An open letter to gun controllers by a gun owner, by Chris Goodwin

Special to TLE

When you see a gun, you see a crime or an accident waiting to happen. I don't see a crime, but a machine that can be used for good or evil.

Just a machine.

You fear a machine. I can't understand why you fear it. I don't fear it, any more than I would fear a can opener or an automobile.

You have no more reason to fear it than you have to fear a can opener or an automobile.

Do you fear a can opener or an automobile?

To us, it's about the ability to protect ourselves. Me, you, the young woman walking down the street, Joe Sixgun with his wife and kids. It is a parent's right and proud duty to protect his or her family. You would take away the means, and eventually, the right. (But you can never take away the duty.)

Because you fear a machine.

You say it's about reasonable safety, that it's not about total confiscation, but let me ask you this: When is there enough gun control? When will your fear end?

You're afraid of me because of a thing I own.

Why are you afraid of guns?

I'm not afraid of guns. I'm afraid of people.

I'm afraid of you because you would render me defenseless. I'm afraid of you because I can't understand your fear.

I don't want to be afraid of you. I don't want you to be afraid of me. I don't understand why you're afraid of me.

You say it's about crime, but your actions show otherwise. If it was about crime, you would be trying to stop criminals, not those who obey the law.

You say it's about reducing accidents, but again your actions show otherwise. If it was about reducing accidents, you would be in favor of education, not of taking away my ability to protect myself and my family.

You want to stop crime by stopping guns. Don't you think that if stopping guns would stop crime, it would have worked by now?

To us, it's about protection. It's about having the right and the ability to protect ourselves and our families. You would take that away from us.

To us, it's about rights. Rights are not something granted by the government. Rights are inherent in us by who we are, by the fact that we are human. You would take away our rights.

To us, it's about freedom. We are free men and women. You can't take that away from us. The worst you can do is kill us.

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