Why I Hate Guns

This article is about my hatred of guns. When I was a teenager, I thought it would be cool to own a gun, but I changed my mind. Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of these people who wants to disarm America. I have no problem with people owning a gun or guns. But only if they are responsible. If you are an irresponsible gun owner, you should have your gun or guns taken away immediately.

A couple of gun owners turned me against guns. One of these things happened here in Tennessee close to thirty years ago. On a cold winter night, a nine year old girl was chilly. She decided to get an extra blanket out of the closet. But what she didn't know was that her parents put a loaded gun on top of the blankets. As she pulled the blanket out of the closet, the gun discharged. The bullet struck the girl and killed her.

The other gun owner who turned me against guns even more was the father of a baby girl. What happened was ironic. This man bought a gun to protect his family. One day while his cousin was visiting him, he decided to show off his gun. The gun accidentally discharged. The bullet went through his hand and struck his six month old baby daughter, killing her. This was ironic because he bought the gun to protect his daughter, but it killed her instead.

What certain people need to learn is that guns are not toys. If you own a gun, you must be responsible. Don't show it off to people and keep your gun or guns out of the reach of children. If you're not willing to be a responsible gun owner, you should be disarmed.

One more thing that happened involved my brother. When my brother was a child, he and our cousin were playing. Our cousin found Dad's gun. Our cousin was smart enough to aim the gun at the ceiling when he pulled the trigger. But if he had aimed the gun at my brother, I would be an only child. After this incident, Dad decided to be more responsible with his gun. But he shouldn't have owned a gun in the first place because he had it within the reach of children.

I'm not asking gun owners, I'm begging them. Please be responsible. If you choose to be irresponsible, you may also have to bury a child. Please remember what I said. Guns are not toys. Be responsible or you may end up being sorry.