Joe Fudd Addendum

I wish I had seen this before I posted that last piece. During a facebook townhall meeting last month, Joe "Fudd" Biden told us to expect new legislation that would ensure "that a loaded weapon is not in the reach of a stranger or a family member who is not competent to use it.” Let that sink in for a moment. Joe Biden is going to lecture us on being "competent" enough to use a gun. If you are unsure what competent means, I encourage you to look it up. I'm going to assume that you know for the purposes of this blog.

Competent enough to use a firearm would entail things like not randomly firing one into the air, having no idea where the projectile might end up. Also, not firing one blindly through the door of your home without knowing who or what stands on the other side of it. Basically, competent enough not to let Joe Biden anywhere near your gun.

There are statistics out there(which I'm not going to quote here) that lead us to the logical conclusion that legal gun owners are some of, if not the most, responsible single group of people in America today. To have someone as irresponsible as Joe Biden(see previous post) lecturing us on competency and responsibility in the area of gun safety is beyond ridiculous. He is part of an administration and collective of people who between the top 10 of them would not likely be able to tell you the basic rules of gun safety.

That leads me to my next point. In the same meeting, Joe "Fudd" told us that he also supported the idea of parents checking on how friends store weapons before they allow their children to go to other peoples’ houses. “That’s a judgement for every parent to make,” Biden said. "I don’t think it’s irrational for you to ask whether or not there are guns in the home and how they are stored.”

While I think it is a very good idea to know as much about where our children are going and who they are associating with, I think if someone that I didn't already have some kind of relationship with asked me those questions, I'd just tell them they should probably have little Johnny play somewhere else if they were concerned about the safety of my home. As for my children, they will know the rules of gun safety. They won't put themselves in dangerous situations where someone might just have guns laying around. They would know to leave, immediately, if someone started playing with a gun or asking them if they wanted to see or play with a gun. They would know right away upon entering a home whether or not the occupants seem like responsible people. This kind of training starts at home. I am much more able to trust that my properly educated child can assess the situation than I would be by asking someone those questions. If they were responsible owners, they would probably tell me exactly what I would tell them. If they weren't responsible gun owners, they probably wouldn't tell the truth anyway. What Joe "Fudd" is suggesting, on the surface seems well intentioned enough. But deeper down, what I believe he is suggesting is very intrusive. I think it is in line with the thinking of doctors asking whether or not there are guns in the home.

Gun safety begins with the gun owner. It is his or her responsibility to make sure they are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of themselves and anyone else who may happen upon their gun. Accidents happen, but in most cases of unintentional shootings, it is negligence and irresponsibility that lies at the heart of the cause. I don't believe that anyone ever accidentally shot themselves while cleaning a gun. If you follow the basic safety rules(and common sense), it will not happen. I abhor reading a story about these incidents. Irresponsible gun owners do more harm to those of us who understand what gun ownership means than people like Piers Morgan does in spewing his nightly diatribe.

So, Joe "Fudd" Biden, do us a favor and stick to what you know. That may take a while to figure out, but at least you'll be kept busy.