Opinions on new TN law?

[HokieDNA01]

I grew up not liking guns and they still make me uneasy. But the world around me makes me uneasy too. And the things that happen around me are beyond my control. A gun is not. I took the class so I could educate myself on safety and accuracy. I spend quite a bit of money on ammo so I can improve my aim and gain trust in my ability. My entire family disapproves of my gun ownership and I respect them for it as I do you Tig. I shared their point of view for years. They also do not like my motorcycle so you see what that effect had.

I explain guns to my Mom in two ways. I look at it like an insurance policy. My Mom always says "I don't want to live in a world were I feel like I need a gun" Well I dont also don't want to live in a world where I feel like I need medical insurance or cancer insurance (my parents have that) but sometimes you prepare for the worst even though you hope to God you will never have to use it. It gives you options.

The other analogy I use is that guns just as much of a weapon as a car. A car is very deadly if you point it at someone and "pull the trigger" push the accelerator. It isn't the cars fault that it hit someone...it is the drivers. So what do we do? We train our drivers, we test them and give them licences insuring they have the skill needed, and we punish them for breaking the law. I wish this country would inforce the gun laws that it has instead of always looking for new ones to add to the books.

Do I always have a gun on me?...absolutely not. Would I have had one on me the night the Jonny's shooting happened even if it was legal to carry in there? Not necessarily. And would I have acted if I did have one when the shooting took place? I dont know and have asked myself that many times. I will never know. But I do not like the thought of being helpless.

The other shooting that has hit very close to me is the Virginia Tech shootings. Many of you may not have made the connection but a Hokie is VT's mascot and I got my degree from there. I had classes in the building that the second shooting occured and spend some time living in the dorm where the first person was killed. Would students having guns on campus prevented that much tragedy?...I dont know but I would have trusted having a gun more then I would have trusting throwing myself out the window in a last ditch effort to save myself.

Here is a picture of myself at a Memorial Service at Vanderbilt after the shooting. April 16th still hits me hard every year.