Cops and Robbers
Copyright © December 1, 2018 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
Introduction
There are a lot of people today who believe that only cops and robbers need guns.
And unless you are either a cop or a robber then you don't need a gun.
Discussion
If honest law-abiding citizens are forbidden to own firearms, then honest people will be at the mercy of any criminal who wishes to attack them.
There are two reasons why this will be true:
- Robbers: Criminals do not obey any of the existing firearm laws (such as you cannot take a firearm into some areas, such as schools and churches), and criminals will not obey any new firearm laws if new laws are passed. The only people who will benefit from the passing of new restrictive firearm laws will be criminals. Criminals will rejoice and celebrate if honest law-abiding citizens are forbidden to own firearms because this will mean that a criminal can attack us anywhere we happen to be and we will not be able to defend ourselves.
- Cops: Law enforcement personnel are not responsible for protecting citizens unless the policeman just happens to be at the scene of a crime when it begins, or if they arrive at the scene of a crime while it is still in progress. The job of law enforcement personnel is to apprehend criminals after the criminal has committed a crime.
If honest law-abiding citizens are forbidden to own guns then the crime rate will skyrocket. The reason is because the new firearm laws will have made honest law-abiding citizens easy targets and we will be defenseless against any criminal who has a firearm and who threatens us with it.
The Younger Generation
It concerns me that many younger people today do not know anything about firearms except for what they see in the movies, or what they see in the computer games they play.
Many young people have never shot a firearm and they do not know the basic firearm safety rules.
Many young people do not know how a firearm works, except for the fact that you have to put more bullets in the firearm when it is empty.
In my opinion, young people today should be taught the following information by someone who truly understands how powerful firearms are, and who understands the damage that a firearm can do, and who desires to teach others that firearms must be respected if accidents are to be avoided.
Firearm Safety Rules:
- Always treat every firearm as if it were loaded and ready to fire.
- Never point a firearm at anyone (including yourself) or anything you do not intend to kill or destroy.
- Always point a firearm in a safe direction, such as the ground but not at your foot, when you are moving the firearm from one location to another location.
- Never put the open end of the barrel on the ground or in water because if anything gets inside the barrel then the gun may explode when the trigger is pulled.
- Never put your finger on the trigger until the sights are aligned on the target.
- Never, never pull the trigger unless the firearm is pointed in a safe direction or at your target, including when the firearm is not loaded. Thousands of firearm injuries and accidental deaths could have been avoided if this rule had been followed.
- Positively identify your target (no guessing) and everything behind your target the bullet might hit.
- Always wear safety glasses when shooting any type of firearm.
- Do not put your eye too close to a riflescope or you will receive a black eye, or a more serious injury to your eye.
- Always wear some type of hearing protection when shooting any type of firearm.
- Do not put your hand, fingers, or face on or against the moving parts of the firearm when pulling the trigger or you will get injured.
- If using two hands to hold a semi-automatic pistol then do not put your other hand directly behind the moving slide on top of the pistol because it will seriously injure your other hand. Instead grasp the wrist of the hand that is holding the handgun.
- Do not store or carry your firearm with a live round in the firing position in front of the firing pin. Wait until you are actually ready to use your weapon before you insert a live round into the firing chamber. Thousands of firearm injuries and accidental deaths could have been avoided if this rule had been followed.
- If your firearm has a safety then the safety should be ON until you are ready to actually pull the trigger.
- Do not use your riflescope to look at other hunters. Use binoculars instead.
How the Firearm Works and the Differences between Single-Shot Firearms, Revolvers, Bolt-Action Rifles, Lever Action Rifles, Pump Action, and Semi-Automatic Firearms:
For each type of firearm discuss the following:
Explain what parts of a firearm are in motion when it is fired and how the next round of ammunition enters the firing chamber.
Explain what happens to the empty brass shell casing after the firearm has been fired. In other words, is it ejected automatically immediately upon firing (semi-automatic), or manually when you pull the bolt back or cock the lever or work the pump, or does it remain inside the firearm until you manually remove it (revolver)?
How to Safely Load and Unload a Firearm:
Demonstrate the safe way to load ammunition into a firearm.
Demonstrate the safe way to remove unfired ammunition from a firearm.
How to Correctly Clean and Maintain a Firearm:
Explain the importance of keeping firearms clean and well maintained.
Demonstrate the safe procedure for cleaning the different types of firearms.
Conclusion
In my opinion, a BB rifle or pistol is one of the safest ways to teach young children firearm safety concepts, and to give a child an opportunity to shoot a firearm.
One of the most important things to stress to a young person is that a BB rifle is not a toy -- it is a real firearm and a BB can hurt or kill a small animal, or a bird, or a person (if shot through the eye).
In my opinion, Daisy makes two of the most dependable and affordable BB rifles for younger children.
The BB rifle at the top of the above picture is the traditional "Red Ryder" BB Rifle made popular in the movie "A Christmas Story" where the little boy is constantly being told, "You'll shoot your eye out."
In my opinion this rifle is the correct size for most children between the ages of 10 and 16, depending on their height and strength.
The BB rifle shown in the bottom of the above picture is the "Buck" model.
It is shorter than the Red Ryder rifle and it only weighs about 1.6 pounds.
Therefore, in my opinion, this rifle is the correct size and weight for most children between the ages of 7 and 10, depending on their height and strength.
The reason is because young children have shorter arms and this rifle is the proper length for young children to learn how to comfortably hold and aim the rifle in the correct manner without having to get into an awkward uncomfortable position.
If you are interested in either or both of the above rifles then during December of 2018 the Walmarts in my area are selling the Red Ryder rifle for $22 and the Buck rifle for $18. If you have young children, or young grandchildren and their parents have given you their approval, then this would be a Christmas gift the child would never forget, and the child would never forget that you were the one who bought it for them, and you were the one who taught them the safe way to handle firearms.
If you buy a BB rifle for a child then please also buy the child some safety glasses because a BB can ricochet back at the child if the BB hits something hard. They make safety shooting glasses for children that are smaller than the ones that fit an adult.
May I humbly suggest that you begin by telling your child that the BB rifle is not a toy. It is a real firearm.
And before you allow your child to hold the firearm please discuss the 12 firearm safety rules with your child and explain why each rule is important.
In the future, before you allow your child to shoot their BB rifle again, please ask your child to tell you as many of the firearm safety rules that they can remember. Then remind them of any safety rules that they may have forgotten.
Respect for a firearm and firearm safety begins when you are a child. It is a habit that will stay with you your entire life if it is given the correct emphasis when you are young.
Respectfully,
Grandpappy.
Click on www.grandpappy.org for Robert's Home Page.
Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com