Ten days ago, the Director of Communications at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence took me to task for writing that American gun control laws are fundamentally racist. Ladd Everett’s polemic was epic, fully deserving a full reply. Which I still haven’t written. Meanwhile, I was curious to discover that Everett called me “Robert ‘Guns are Fun‘ Farago. Obviously, Everett was using the term to cast doubts on my gravitas. Still, as the Brits are wont to say, fair play. You can see the claim in the blurbette beneath this and every other post with my byline on it. And you know it’s true.
Whatever else I or you or anyone else can say about guns, for some of us, shooting is a blast. It focuses our minds and gives us a sense of power. (No penis compensation remarks today please. Holster girl’s defenders have beaten me into submission. Which I love! Kidding.)
Shooting take us away from the day-to-day and challenges us to compete with ourselves or others in a safe environment. There’s plenty of techno-ballistic-based geekery to be had, and lots and lots of sensory input.
There’s a Zen thing going on as well. Shooting mandates an ongoing attempt at self-mastery. A mind – body challenge on a profound dare I say it spiritual level. It’s like golf or Tai Chi, only you get to destroy things.
Which is where a lot of no-gun folk are left behind. They view guns as dangerous. That they are. Guns aren’t safe. Oh no. Far from it. You can put your eye out with a gun, no problem.
And that’s another reason why they’re so much fun. Muzzle discipline, finger control, gun state awareness, target verification—a game’s not a game without rules and some kind of stakes. Do you play poker with toothpicks? Neither do I. The fact that guns are lethal makes using them that much more . . . fascinating. Important. Challenging. Fun!
I went to the outdoor range this morning. No video. Nop snaps. No tests. No article fodder (much). Just fun. I feel better for it. In fact, I AM better for it. Everyone needs to have fun. And that’s the truth.
