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Marksman
The following article was written by Mike Roberts a gentleman I grew up around having hung out with 3 of his sons. He writes a weekly article about hunting & fishing for a small town newspaper in Connecticut .
The village he talks about is South Meriden Connecticut , as kids we roamed the ponds and rivers fishing, we all had toy guns and played army or cowboys and Indian in the fields & woods. As we grew older we built tree houses & forts , purchased BB guns and yes even shot each other( I so hated those new 10 pump and CO2 guns they stung the hell out of you) The unwritten rule was only do leg or below the chest shots.
You learned quickly to wear a lot of clothing.but I don't remember ever one kid getting hurt out of about 10 of us.
We all learned how to safely shoot after awhile and the wars turned into target shooting at cans & paper targets.
Some of us moved on to 22s and shotguns. We'd roam the woods and fields hunting rabbits , squirrels , pheasant ,quail . Then when we got older we moved on to deer hunting & ducks.
Unfortunately farm land diminished and as we grew up more laws were passed to the extent It's almost illegal for a kid to own a toy gun.
The point I'm trying to make is we were outside playing and our families or neighbors always knew where we were.
What happen to those days?
Most of us grew up that way, why did we not raise our own kids that way.
Why do we use tvs , cell phones & computers to entertain and baby sit our kids & grand kids?
Why is it so dangerous for kids to play & explore outside ,And why do we not take the time to know our own neighbors so that we feel safe?
Sorry about the rant. But do read the article and hope you get something out of it.
Responsible owners unfairly under fire
Mike Roberts
Published: February 2, 2014 | Last Modified: February 2, 2014 01:00AM
And now we are the “Bad Guys!”
Why? Because we are the owners of various firearms.
Now, before I go any further, let me make it perfectly clear, what happened at Sandy Hook was horrible beyond description, and words fail me when I try to find the ones that could tell you the contempt I feel for the perpetrator of that horrendous deed and the sorrow I feel for those left behind to suffer the anguish and heartbreak from what was done to their loved ones that infamous day. And now it appears that almost every day, somewhere in the U.S., there are incidents that feature other demented souls who seemingly relish the attention paid to their dastardly deeds, and I fully understand the desperate need to curb firearms violence.
But I have to wonder, is taking away the rights of millions of honest, taxpaying, legal firearms owners the way to accomplish this?
A case in point: What have I, as your average firearms owner, ever done that I now am required to have a special permit to purchase a shotgun to hunt with and to purchase hunting shells for the shotgun to go afield with? Other than hunting with my shotgun, I use it to raise money for the Connecticut Shooting Sportsmen For St. Jude annual fundraiser at the Meriden Rod & Gun Club and the New Haven Raccoon Club. Connecticut Shooting Sportsmen For St. Jude has donated over $700,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital over the last 20 years and this was all done without any tragic incidents involving the use of firearms..
When I first started to pen this column back in the 1980s and 90s, I would travel over to Blue Trail Range in Wallingford to watch some of their high-powered rifle matches. Many of the participants were veterans of World War II and Korea and even Vietnam who put their lives on the line so that we could enjoy the many freedoms that are offered to us here in this great country, including the owning and use of legal firearms.
Many of them used the same firearms that they used in combat and all of their shooting was done at paper targets. Some of the shooters were what you might call old timers and some of them were much younger, including children and grandchildren of some of the shooters. They came from near and far to participate, but an increased anti-firearm movement came about that prevented many of them from using the very same firearms that they were told to use in defense of these freedoms we are supposed to enjoy.
As an elder in our society, I have to wonder what ever happened to cause such a tremendous change in the makeover of our society. As a child growing up in the Village of South Meriden, I was able to experience a firearms freedom that today would draw the full attention of a police S.W.A.T. team. I could go to any store that sold .22 caliber ammunition or even a box of shotgun shells for hunting and purchase as many boxes as I could afford and was never once questioned as to what I was going to do with the ammo. And, unbelievably, there was NEVER — I repeat — NEVER an incident that resulted in the violent death of innocent human beings because I was able to purchase the ammo and carry a firearm without bringing down the wrath of the authorities on my friends and I.
This forces me to ask the question, what is so different in today’s world from the one that I grew up in that could promote the everyday violence and terror that comes screaming at us on a daily basis? Back then we were involved in WWII, and that was a terror in itself with the loss of so many of our servicemen. Oh, there was some crime involving the underworld, but on a whole our world seemed like a much safer place to be in than what we have today.
Drive-by shootings and school massacres were unheard of and parents DID know where their kids were at any given time and this was accomplished without all of the electronic gizmos that are available today for kids. We went to movies where the good guys always shot the guns out of the hands of the bad guys. Today, a movie isn’t acceptable unless there is blood and gore spread all over the TV or movie screen. And, YES, this includes violent video games that are so popular these days. I have personally watched the eyes of children light up with delight as they use one of those video games involving illegal firearms to promote more blood, gore and violence. But heck, they are just games—right? The more blood shed the better, and then all they have to do is hit a button to do it all over again.
Make no mistake about firearms. We as owners are directly responsible for ensuring that our firearms do not fall into the wrong hands. But we also have to realize that it is not the firearm that is the villain no more than it is the fault of a high-speed vehicle that snuffs out the lives of the innocent when it is in the hands of the wrong person.
Although some of their legislation might have been well-intentioned, some of our politicians have forced some firearms manufacturers to move out of our state because of new legislation that has passed since the Sandy Hook tragedy. Their focus is in the wrong direction. They should be looking to head off the deranged individuals who are responsible for these horrible happenings.
Didn’t we learn anything from the bombings at the Boston Marathon? They used pressure cookers for their “weapons” of choice, yet little if anything has been done to restrict the use or ownership of a pressure cooker and rightfully so.
And what kind of a society are we that allows a deranged individual to use a computer or other similar piece of electronic wizardry to find and use instructions on how to concoct these homemade bombs?
Maybe we should take the time to teach all children about firearm safety and keep a more watchful eye on what they are watching and learning on all of these electronic devices that they all seem to use these days. And how about cutting back on the movie and TV violence that seems to be so fascinating to way too many of today’s youths?
Why do we expect firearms legislation directly affecting honest, firearms owners to be the cure all for gun violence in our country? Time would be better spent educating our youth about the proper use of firearms and the dangers of their misuse. But I guess it is easier to go after the honest firearms owners than it would be the computers that deliver the knowledge on how to make a bomb out of a pressure cooker that will kill and maim the innocent and overpowered vehicles that result in the loss of so many other innocent lives.
I rest my case — for now.
The village he talks about is South Meriden Connecticut , as kids we roamed the ponds and rivers fishing, we all had toy guns and played army or cowboys and Indian in the fields & woods. As we grew older we built tree houses & forts , purchased BB guns and yes even shot each other( I so hated those new 10 pump and CO2 guns they stung the hell out of you) The unwritten rule was only do leg or below the chest shots.
You learned quickly to wear a lot of clothing.but I don't remember ever one kid getting hurt out of about 10 of us.
We all learned how to safely shoot after awhile and the wars turned into target shooting at cans & paper targets.
Some of us moved on to 22s and shotguns. We'd roam the woods and fields hunting rabbits , squirrels , pheasant ,quail . Then when we got older we moved on to deer hunting & ducks.
Unfortunately farm land diminished and as we grew up more laws were passed to the extent It's almost illegal for a kid to own a toy gun.
The point I'm trying to make is we were outside playing and our families or neighbors always knew where we were.
What happen to those days?
Most of us grew up that way, why did we not raise our own kids that way.
Why do we use tvs , cell phones & computers to entertain and baby sit our kids & grand kids?
Why is it so dangerous for kids to play & explore outside ,And why do we not take the time to know our own neighbors so that we feel safe?
Sorry about the rant. But do read the article and hope you get something out of it.
Responsible owners unfairly under fire
Mike Roberts
Published: February 2, 2014 | Last Modified: February 2, 2014 01:00AM
And now we are the “Bad Guys!”
Why? Because we are the owners of various firearms.
Now, before I go any further, let me make it perfectly clear, what happened at Sandy Hook was horrible beyond description, and words fail me when I try to find the ones that could tell you the contempt I feel for the perpetrator of that horrendous deed and the sorrow I feel for those left behind to suffer the anguish and heartbreak from what was done to their loved ones that infamous day. And now it appears that almost every day, somewhere in the U.S., there are incidents that feature other demented souls who seemingly relish the attention paid to their dastardly deeds, and I fully understand the desperate need to curb firearms violence.
But I have to wonder, is taking away the rights of millions of honest, taxpaying, legal firearms owners the way to accomplish this?
A case in point: What have I, as your average firearms owner, ever done that I now am required to have a special permit to purchase a shotgun to hunt with and to purchase hunting shells for the shotgun to go afield with? Other than hunting with my shotgun, I use it to raise money for the Connecticut Shooting Sportsmen For St. Jude annual fundraiser at the Meriden Rod & Gun Club and the New Haven Raccoon Club. Connecticut Shooting Sportsmen For St. Jude has donated over $700,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital over the last 20 years and this was all done without any tragic incidents involving the use of firearms..
When I first started to pen this column back in the 1980s and 90s, I would travel over to Blue Trail Range in Wallingford to watch some of their high-powered rifle matches. Many of the participants were veterans of World War II and Korea and even Vietnam who put their lives on the line so that we could enjoy the many freedoms that are offered to us here in this great country, including the owning and use of legal firearms.
Many of them used the same firearms that they used in combat and all of their shooting was done at paper targets. Some of the shooters were what you might call old timers and some of them were much younger, including children and grandchildren of some of the shooters. They came from near and far to participate, but an increased anti-firearm movement came about that prevented many of them from using the very same firearms that they were told to use in defense of these freedoms we are supposed to enjoy.
As an elder in our society, I have to wonder what ever happened to cause such a tremendous change in the makeover of our society. As a child growing up in the Village of South Meriden, I was able to experience a firearms freedom that today would draw the full attention of a police S.W.A.T. team. I could go to any store that sold .22 caliber ammunition or even a box of shotgun shells for hunting and purchase as many boxes as I could afford and was never once questioned as to what I was going to do with the ammo. And, unbelievably, there was NEVER — I repeat — NEVER an incident that resulted in the violent death of innocent human beings because I was able to purchase the ammo and carry a firearm without bringing down the wrath of the authorities on my friends and I.
This forces me to ask the question, what is so different in today’s world from the one that I grew up in that could promote the everyday violence and terror that comes screaming at us on a daily basis? Back then we were involved in WWII, and that was a terror in itself with the loss of so many of our servicemen. Oh, there was some crime involving the underworld, but on a whole our world seemed like a much safer place to be in than what we have today.
Drive-by shootings and school massacres were unheard of and parents DID know where their kids were at any given time and this was accomplished without all of the electronic gizmos that are available today for kids. We went to movies where the good guys always shot the guns out of the hands of the bad guys. Today, a movie isn’t acceptable unless there is blood and gore spread all over the TV or movie screen. And, YES, this includes violent video games that are so popular these days. I have personally watched the eyes of children light up with delight as they use one of those video games involving illegal firearms to promote more blood, gore and violence. But heck, they are just games—right? The more blood shed the better, and then all they have to do is hit a button to do it all over again.
Make no mistake about firearms. We as owners are directly responsible for ensuring that our firearms do not fall into the wrong hands. But we also have to realize that it is not the firearm that is the villain no more than it is the fault of a high-speed vehicle that snuffs out the lives of the innocent when it is in the hands of the wrong person.
Although some of their legislation might have been well-intentioned, some of our politicians have forced some firearms manufacturers to move out of our state because of new legislation that has passed since the Sandy Hook tragedy. Their focus is in the wrong direction. They should be looking to head off the deranged individuals who are responsible for these horrible happenings.
Didn’t we learn anything from the bombings at the Boston Marathon? They used pressure cookers for their “weapons” of choice, yet little if anything has been done to restrict the use or ownership of a pressure cooker and rightfully so.
And what kind of a society are we that allows a deranged individual to use a computer or other similar piece of electronic wizardry to find and use instructions on how to concoct these homemade bombs?
Maybe we should take the time to teach all children about firearm safety and keep a more watchful eye on what they are watching and learning on all of these electronic devices that they all seem to use these days. And how about cutting back on the movie and TV violence that seems to be so fascinating to way too many of today’s youths?
Why do we expect firearms legislation directly affecting honest, firearms owners to be the cure all for gun violence in our country? Time would be better spent educating our youth about the proper use of firearms and the dangers of their misuse. But I guess it is easier to go after the honest firearms owners than it would be the computers that deliver the knowledge on how to make a bomb out of a pressure cooker that will kill and maim the innocent and overpowered vehicles that result in the loss of so many other innocent lives.
I rest my case — for now.
