14 DAY TRIAL // Gun control is a major topic in the US in this day and age. In fact, it’s not so much a conversation point as it is a heated debate that boils down to just how much freedom people living in the country should be granted by ongoing rules and regulations.
Some are in favor of strict policies that highly limit the manufacture, sale, possession and use of firearms, others say that each and every citizen should have the right to buy and carry as many firearms as they might want.
Not to play the evil dictator or anything of the sorts, but it seems to me that, when it comes to gun control, there is such a thing as enjoying a wee too much freedom for one’s own good. Mind you, I even have the perfect story to illustrate my point.
That awkward moment when a dog shoots its owner
This past Monday, a man in Wyoming, US, had to be rushed to a local hospital after being shot with a rifle. The police knows exactly who the culprit is but is yet to make an arrest. This is because the man was shot by his own dog.
It is understood that, on the day of the incident, the victim, identified as 46-year-old Richard L. Fipps, decided to take some time from his usual routine and remove the snow chains fitted on his pickup truck. Since its schedule was pretty much clear, his dog saw fit to keep him company.
While 46-year-old Richarl L. Fipps was busy removing the snow chains, the pooch figured that it might keep itself entertained exploring the pickup truck’s bed. Unfortunately, the dog chanced to come across the man’s rifle and accidentally fired it.
Police officers are yet to figure out exactly what happened. What they do know is that, since the rifle’s safety was not switched on, the pooch managed to fire it and ended up injuring its owner. More precisely, it shot him in his left arm.
On the bright side, the 46-year-old man did not suffer any life-threatening injuries. True, he had to be hospitalized, but doctors maintain that his injuries are not all that serious and that he should soon make a complete recovery.
There’s nothing funny about this incident
If we’re going to be honest here, we have to admit that reading about how a dog accidentally shot its owner with a riffle is bound to make some people giggle. The thing is that, cartoons-like scenario aside, there really isn’t anything funny about this incident.
The fact of the matter is that, as much as some people might like them, firearms are dangerous. Mind you, they are not dangerous in themselves. The way I see things, what makes them unsafe is the fact that too many people don’t know how to handle them and don’t take them as seriously as they should.
True, there are guys and gals in this world who do know their way around firearms. Still, this does not change the fact that, as illustrated by the story about the dog that shot its owner with a rifle, accidents can happen. From where I stand, just one accident involving a firearm is already too many.
We don’t like it when people drive drunk because they can easily make poor decisions and end up injuring themselves and other folks. We’re doing our best to keep people from smoking because, as shown by plenty of studies, smoking endangers the life of both the guys and gals who indulge in this habit, and their close ones.
Why is it then that gun control laws are so intensely debated when it’s pretty clear that firearms are as dangerous if not more dangerous than drunk driving and smoking, and should be treated accordingly?
Call me a freak and a fan of totalitarian regimes, but as far as I’m concerned, there is such a thing as having too much freedom when it comes to rifles and their kind.
