It’s hard for people who don’t love guns to understand those who do. In some places—commonly referred to as “Blue States”—this gun gap is a hidden chasm. You can no more argue for unabridged Second Amendment rights than suggest that a flat tax is fairer than our current system of income redistribution. White man’s burden, yes. Great white hunter, no. For a long time, I was “in the closet” re: my fondness for things with triggers that go bang. When I started this site, I had to tell my parents that I was a gun guy. This revelation did not please my mother. She’s as staunchly anti-gun as she is pro-Obama. (Yes, really.) Only now, not so much. Oh she still thinks Barack is the bee’s knees, but age has diminished her stridency on gun control. These days, Mom asks about my “gun thing” without looking at me as if I have pin lice on my eyebrows. For that, I am thankful. You?
I am thankful for living in an area where post-Thanksgiving show-and-tell of recently acquired firearms is a family tradition.
Thankful for growing up in Texas, in an age where going to school with a deer rifle hanging in the back window of your pickup truck was considered normal. For having family land where I could shoot, unencumbered by fees, memberships, or rules. Thankful that Winchester made their level action rifle, and Bill Ruger made the best .357 single action revolver ever. And thankful for a son that enjoys shooting as much as I do, even if he won't necessarily have the same freedoms I had.
Thankful that my friends in New York City now envy me because I own guns. They visit me more often these days because they enjoy shooting with me, but they can't get licenses in the Big Apple.
I'm thankful for my wife, who understands and appreciates my hobbies. Not only am I a "gun guy", I'm a car guy, a tool guy, a woodworking guy, etc etc. Happy Turkey Day!
I am thankful that the so called AWB expired on time and I can now get quality mags for most of my stuff for less than I was paying for garbage before 2004.
I'm right with you on the family issues Robert. My sister is a Buddhist and one of her (extremely enlightened) teachers who did a remote healing prayer session for me told her that I should not be carrying guns. This startled her since she'd never told him that I did. Then there's Mom, who, while Christian, is leaning towards the karma thing and told me she doesn't want me killing someone even in defense of self or loved ones.
I am thankful that my wife did not call off our wedding when she discovered that I dropped $2800 on a .50 BMG rifle and that she is willing to indulge my eccentricities on the subject.
I am thankful that I got a FN Five-seveN before the price went from $700 to $1300 (although it is back down to right around $1000 now).
But most of all, I am thankful that I live in a country where it is perfectly legal for me to accept personal responsibility for the defense of those I love and to choose the tools with which to do so.
I am very thankful that Heller and MacDonald seem to have the anti gun crowd in retreat, though I strongly suspect they will continue to do their best to chip away at our rights and freedoms.
I am most thankful that my two sons have embraced the way of the gun, that their wives fully support our gun culture, and that my two (so far) grandchildren are being raised to be safe responsible gun handlers.
About that whole turn the other cheek thing, if a person has a moral conviction to live that way, fine, it's their choice. But ask them what the correct and proper thing to do is should they see an evil person abusing an innocent. Do nothing and allow another to come to harm, or by means of whatever force is available try to protect that innocent from harm. And on that note I am supremely thankful to live in a country where others may have their own personal beliefs but I am free to have my own. I can't force them to adopt mine and vice versa.
I am thankful that things aren't worse or farther along when it comes to the destruction of our bill of rights and the constitution. I will be even more thankful when this mess comes to a head and we remove the offending parties and restore both. I will be three times as thankful when more people realize what is going on and turn their radios up and their TVs off.
I am thankful my wife allowed me to purchase a Thompson Sub Machine Gun, full auto. Learned that anyone that can buy a handgun can own a full auto mfg before May of 1986. Fun to rock and roll on the farm with a Tommy Gun.
I’m thankful for the recent SCOTUS decisions that reaffirmed our rights and rocked our enemies back on their heels. I’m very thankful that we have attorneys like Alan Gura on our side who are ethical, smart and patient enough to fight for our rights forstallling the necessity of cracking open the ammo box to get them back.
I’m also thankful that major victories are being won in state legislatures and that other states are working toward joining Vermont, Alaska and now Arizona in Constitutional carry.
Finally, I’m thankful that I chose to live in Alaska where I can exercise my right to keep and bear arms and no one raises an eyebrow.
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