Mindless in Milwaukee

Barbara Miner, author of this editorial in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, is more than a little confused. After buying a Glock 19, "The kind that Seung-hui Cho used in his rampage at Virginia Tech," as she puts it (with no intention of being lurid, I'm sure), she finds herself both frightened of it and (according to her) fascinated by it.

I am scared of the gun.

But I am also fascinated.

I allow the fascination to run free, and I conjure up Hollywood fantasies of revenge and respect. A small, gray-haired woman, I imagine myself walking city streets and saying to any hulking guy who gets in my way, "Don't mess with me, I have a gun."

I look at the Glock, and it's hard not to appreciate its beauty, its sleek and economical design. I want to pick it up, feel its heft, admire its power.

"Appreciate its beauty"? Of a Glock? Don't get me wrong--Glocks are fine firearms, but this is the first time I've ever known them to be called pretty. If you think that looks good, lady, check out a custom 1911 (or even a bone-stock one).

And then I remember its purpose: to kill. And I'm not talking deer or rabbits, because a rifle is better suited for that.

No, there's little reason to own a Glock unless you intend to kill people.

"No reason to own a Glock unless you intend to kill people," eh? I hadn't realized how many of our nation's law enforcers are walking around with homicidal intent. The fact is that there is an excellent reason for peaceable people to carry firearms, including semi-automatic pistols in 9mm or larger calibers. That reason is to defend one's life against people who would destroy it. If that defense comes at the expense of the assailant's life, so be it--there is no reason that defending one's life with deadly force, when faced with a deadly threat, should be impossible to reconcile, even for a non-violent person.

I come to my senses and tell myself, "I bought a semiautomatic handgun. This is nuts."

Actually, I might have to agree. Your utterly twisted view of what the purpose of having such a firearm is would indicate that you might be better served with some counseling, or at least some education.

I am torn by these conflicting emotions and wonder if this is how it begins, the crazy addiction to guns that captivates so many people in this country.

I think it begins with that equally crazy addiction to life and liberty (addictions that a great many people seem to be conquering, sadly).

Will I be seduced by rhetoric from the National Rifle Association?

Let us hope not, lest you start believing that people like Sheriff Bill Brown and Senator John Millner are gun rights advocates, and "believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools." May I suggest looking into Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (gentiles welcome!), or at least Gun Owners of America? They'll be much less likely to poison your mind with thoughts of compromising, in discussions about the Constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human right of the individual to keep and bear arms.

Will I start talking about the right to carry a concealed weapon?

Perish the thought! Society would surely collapse if "authorized journalists" started talking about human rights.

How easy, I wondered, is it to get a gun in Milwaukee?

The answer is that it is absurdly easy - easier, in fact, than getting rid of the half-used cans of paint in my basement.

Acquiring the means to defend one's life should, evidently, be much more difficult than polluting the environment.

I brought along a friend who looks like a cop (why that would make me feel more comfortable in a gun store, I am not sure) and who knows about guns.

Short of wearing a uniform, how does one "look like a cop," I wonder?

The sales rep, who wore a loaded Glock and proudly showed it to us, asked a few questions about what I wanted.

He mentioned that if I had children in the home, I should keep the Glock's 15-bullet clip separate from the gun.

Because, obviously, if one has children in the house to defend, as well as oneself, one had better not be able to do it quickly.

I realized how effortless it is to get carried away by the excitement of owning and shooting a gun.

Luckily, my husband brought me back to reality. When I got home and showed him the bullet-riddled target, his response was, "Oh, great. You killed somebody."

Would your husband prefer that when faced with an attacker, that you merely annoy him?

After the two days, I returned to pick up my Glock. This time, the nervousness of buying a gun almost over, I noticed the stickers throughout the store, such as the one that says, "Fight Crime. Shoot Back."

I also took a closer look at the submachine guns on the wall behind the counter, realizing that I probably could have bought one of those if I had wanted.

I decided not to shoot a few rounds at the range. Maybe it was the submachine guns or maybe it was the stickers, but I had had enough of the gun culture for one week.

Sure you can buy a submachine gun--if you submit to fingerprinting, a much more invasive background check, get permission from someone in local authority (chief of police, sheriff, judge, etc.), pay a $200 tax, and wait on the BATFE for months.

Now that I have my Glock, the question is, what do I do with it? Part of me thinks it would be neat to become an ace shot.

But a more sober voice tells me that the sooner I get the gun out of the house, the safer I will be.

But how does one get rid of a gun? It's not like I can throw my Glock in with old dishes and outdated sports equipment and hold a garage sale.

The more vexing question is, do I really want to get rid of my Glock?

My question is why did you buy the thing in the first place if you're so uncomfortable around it, so afraid that it will suddenly convert you into a homicidal monster?

I am not sure I want to probe that question too deeply. It would have been much better if I had never bought the gun, if someone, somewhere, had made it even a little bit difficult.

So that's what this is about. You don't like the freedom of making your own choices about your personal security--you want the government to add to the difficulty of exercising your inalienable rights. You don't trust people with guns--you don't even trust yourself with a gun. Big Brother would be so proud.

The sad reality is that it remains outrageously simple to buy a semiautomatic handgun in this city. Even sadder, the youth of Milwaukee are paying with their lives for our refusal to legislate gun control.

No, the "sad reality" is that our society has sunk to blaming tools for the evil work wrought with them, rather than the perpetrators.