Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2013/10/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Easily the worst thing I've ever read on the the LUG the whole time I've been here. On 10/18/13 3:54 PM, "Lawrence R. Zeitlin" <LRZeitlin at aol.com> wrote: > Don't over react to guns. They are common in rural America. There are > far more guns in the US than there are Leicas, Nikon, Canons, and all > other fine cameras combined. The gun culture is alive and well not only > in the south but in the North West, the mid-Atlantic states and in New > England. The next time you take a drive on a cross country highway stop > in at a Cabella's or a Bass Pro sporting goods store. You will see > enough guns on display to arm a regiment and enough ammunition to stock > a medium sized rebellion. Schools are even closed during deer hunting > season in much of Pennsylvania. A successful hunt is the key to a well > fed holiday season. New York City even hosted the Bannerman warehouse > until it moved up the Hudson to Pollopel Island. Bannerman and family > were merchants who bought up most of the military surplus from the > Civil War, the Spanish-American war and WW I. Most of the world's > rebellions until the outbreak of WW 2 used Bannerman supplied weapons. > My father even had a Sears Roebuck sized catalog of Bannerman's arms > available for resale. > > When I was a boy the country was much less urban than it is now. In > rural communities gun ownership was accepted as a fact of life. Most > families owned at least two guns, a shotgun for hunting and a 22 cal. > rifle for the kids to plink around with. Most high schools had rifle > teams, usually subsidized by the Army. Indeed an armed population was > considered the key to national defense. What enemy would attack a > country with a well armed citizenry? The NRA, rather than being > dedicated to supporting the Second Amendment, was an advocate of > teaching marksmanship in schools. > > I currently own three guns, a shotgun, a rifle, and a handgun. My > favorite is a Browning semi-automatic 22 rifle, also John Browning's > favorite gun. It is beautiful, a true work of art. I bought it on sight > 40 years ago. I lusted after that gun more than I ever lusted after a > Leica camera. It has appreciated in price more than twenty times the > price I paid. > <http://www.basspro.com/Browning-SemiAuto-Grade-I-22-LR-Rifle/product/102 > 17873/> > > I was taught to shoot as a ten year old at a YMCA camp by a German > doctor who had served as in infantryman under the Kaiser during WW I. > At one time I was even capable of shooting a bullet through the center > of a cigarette, end on, at 50 ft. I shake too much now and my vision > isn't what it used to be. > > The prevalence of arms has a low correlation with gun murder rates. > Vermont and New Hampshire are the U.S. states with the highest per > capita gun ownership, minimum regulatory requirements, and also the > lowest rates of gun homicides. What really disturbs me is traveling > through Europe and the Middle East and seeing all those young military > types in airports and wandering the streets with fully armed large > magazine assault rifles slung over their backs. How responsible are > they? You guys who are appalled at seeing weapons, think about that. > > Now about Tina's picture of a "Tea Party" family reunion. This may be a > minority opinion but I think it is a poorly composed, unsharp, snapshot > of a family at a dinner table with one person handing a gun to another. > Just a bad picture. Peter is right is stating that prudent gun handling > practices are being violated. The is no indication that it is a "Tea > Party" meeting at all. Even Tina's original title on her web site does > not identify it as such. This picture is far below Tina's usual > standard and I suspect was titled and posted only to evoke comment. And > you can see. It did. > > Larry Z > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information -- Mark William Rabiner Photographer http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/