[Leica] IMG: Tina's "Tea Party" reunion propaganda photo

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

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