Guns can be a good thing, in the right hands, with proper knowledge and attitude. Those of us who are NOT reactionary, who basically don't like to fight and hope to avoid violence, who in most circumstances want to give criminals a chance to truly rehabilitate rather than just send them to death row, etc., should own guns. Upstanding members of NAACP, PFLAG, the AFL-CIO and other unions and organizations defending the rights of homosexuals, women, and minorities, should have guns, be properly trained in safety, know how to use them effectively, and keep the gun safe from children, teaching everyone in their homes gun safety.
The reasons for this do include the typical value of self-defense if there were to be a break-in, and the Founding Fathers' considerations that people may need to protect themselves from a tyrannical government, but the best reason is this: gun safety and proficiency are valid fields of knowledge and skill, particularly suited to those who are mature, level-headed, and progressive. Knowledge and skill are good things. And if the level-headed, progressive, and non-bigoted members of a society do not have guns, who else does?
It is time to stop merely complaining about right wingers collecting arsenals of machine guns, violent street gangs, and children playing with their parents' guns, and to start making ourselves THE example of responsible gun ownership. Teaching caution and respect of guns to family members, teaching values of level-headedness, compassion, and tolerance, and what constitutes a reason for self defense, can only strengthen us to deal with potential threats in a mature, well thought out, systematic way.
