Let's Teach the Safe, Responsible Use of Firearms
[Reprinted from Issues & Views Summer/Fall 1999]
 It may take a village to raise a child
but we sure can bury one fast. Listening and reading the commentary that came
out of the tragic death of little Javine Holmes made me ill. Javine lost her
life from the unintentional discharge of a shotgun fired by another child in
Washington, D.C., in early 1999. Radio personalities praised callers who
commented on the evils of gun ownership.
Did the shotgun blast that ended Javine's life wake up anyone? Can't we see
that the District of Columbia's strict gun laws did not prevent Javine's death?
No matter how hard you try, you can't blame the National Rifle Association for
this one. Guns don't sneak out of their hiding places on their own power and
search for and destroy innocent children.
When the NAACP's president announced that the organization was planning to
sue gun makers and gun stores, they missed the mark. This organization should
be among the strongest proponents of self-defense, considering past history of
lynchings and police brutality. Keeping firearms or weapons of protection from
the people is always about a ruler's desire for control and power. The Japanese
kept weapons from the people to keep the shoguns in power. The British and
European colonialists did it to keep their empires going. In America, gun
control was designed to keep weapons out of the hands of slaves.
By helping to make it harder for the average citizen to own guns, the NAACP
fails to represent the working class brother, the single mom, and the
old-timer--all of whom recognize the need to be protected in their homes.
Each firearm used in a crime is carried by a human hand. The almost endless
number of gun laws now on the books in this country do not keep guns from
criminals, and it is not sensible to expect criminals to start obeying gun
laws--not now or ever. The right to protect oneself and family is already
enshrined in the Constitution and should not be in jeopardy.
So that there are no more tragic deaths like Javine's, let us try to train
our children, instead of wishing all firearms evaporate. I am the founder of
the Tenth Cavalry Gun Club located in the suburbs of Washington, DC. This is a
nationally recognized club of law-abiding men and women, who encourage the
safe, responsible use of firearms.
I personally would like to work on a panel of educators to come up with a
plan of community training in firearm safety for parents and children. I would
do this for free. To teach your child about a gun, he or she will have to see
one, touch one, and listen to all the history that is attached to it. It might
bore them, or it might make them respectful of this important tool that can
bring lots of enjoyment as a sport, while also providing a means of defense.
Good training in the use and care of pistols and rifles is the best way to turn
out responsible future gun owners.
-- Kenneth V. F. Blanchard is a former police lieutenant and security
specialist with the United States Government. He has lobbied for the right to
keep and bear arms and has successfully testified on behalf of gun ownership
before legislative bodies. He is the executive director of the Tenth Cavalry
Gun Club, which he founded, and a board member of the Law Enforcement Alliance
of America, an organization of law enforcement officers and citizens. For
information about membership in the TCGC and his forthcoming book, contact him
at: TCGC, P.O. Box 12424, Arlington, VA 22209;
http://www.blackmanwithagun.net.
Copyright © 2001 Issues & Views
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