I say ban guns, legalize drugs.

That is my bench. I have shot a rifle. I shot like I bowl -- First shot /bowl is perfect. After that I come no where near where I think I am aiming. I think I would do better useing a bowling ball as a defensive weapon.

I get hunting for food, and why juliana's mom needs to carry a gun. And most of the hunters I know are fairly strong environmentalist. However, going to Argentina to hunt birds -- seems unnecessary.

My dad helped keep food on his family's table as a teenager through hunting. He usually didn't shoot the deer. He was a guide to a bunch of men from Below the Straits (now known as "Below the Bridge," i.e., the lower peninsula of Michigan) in his family's woods during deer season. They'd shoot the deer for trophies, take the antlers and sometimes the skin, and both pay dad and give him the rest of the deer. It was a good gig for a 14 year old in the middle of the Great Depression.

Dad knew how to handle a rifle, and owned one that he rarely used. But when I was old enough to know it was in the house he took me to visit a family friend who was also a sheriff, and they showed me how to handle the rifle and a couple of handguns. Curiosity cured and I can probably avoid shooting my foot off by accident. I still wouldn't want one unless I was planning on killing my own dinner, though. I just don't have a need, so I don't see the point of having something that dangerous in my home.

{{Hil}} and {{sj}}. I hope the good doctor can help, Hil.

Interesting conversation. My parents have and have always had guns, usually kept unloaded in the back of the closet, mostly rifles and shotguns, shells on the top shelf, handguns kept somewhere else. I don't know where. I was more interested in finding my mom's book stash. My dad hunted and at least my oldest brother still does, though he fishes a lot more. I'd like a gun, but not enough to have one since Greg's opposed, and with my kids not likely a good idea anyway, gun safe or not.

IE, people who go into gyms and classrooms and museums and public meets with little dicks and big guns.

Problem with this is: I don't know too many of those women who would pack a weapon to aerobics class. Not one of those people had a chance to do ANYTHING, much less reach for a weapon to defend themselves. This is the argument I use on my pro gun family. That their guns are more likely to end up in the hands of a kid, or a thief or be used to kill a family member than an attacker.

My dad's handgun collection ended up in the hands of a crack dealer when my brother stole them and used them to buy drugs. How safe does THAT make their neighborhood? Not very.

I think we have a well-armed militia--it's called the ARMY. I think that any guns (rifles included) should be well regulated--licenced and tracked. I respect hunting and shooting for recreation but we need to do a better job of keeping them out of the hands of crazies.

I learnt to shoot handguns because I knew how to take them off people, and at that point didn't want to be a danger to myself. And then I found out I enjoyed it. If I were flush I might consider buying one, but I don't know if I could pick just one. So renting is probably the way to go until I'm more experienced. Not that I've been to the range in forever.

Never shot rifle--just handgun and shotgun.

Hil, I have a raw food "uncook" book if you're interested in it.

I'd like to see more uniform/strict licensing and required training, but not elimination.

This!! Very much so. Gun control should be you know how to control the gun, and have a certain level of competency (sp? Sorry, on iPhone). There is rumor of evidence that a reason Hitler didn't invade USA was because so many folks had a gun, that the insurgence factor was too high. Additionally, the reason citizens should be armed, is to help prevent totalitarian regime from taking power. If the only folks who have guns is the government, then they are the only ones with power.

Both of those are NRA theory. Ingrained in me since a very young age. Is it wrong? I don't think so. Is it right? I don't think so.

I only shoot paper.

Thanks, Cashmere. I'm mostly just playing around with raw recipes until this heat wave goes away and it's cool enough to turn on my oven again. These raw tacos are actually pretty good, though. Might make them again.

Deena, how have you been feeling?

I think we have a well-armed militia--it's called the ARMY

Right, but would the current armed forces help the people to defend against an oppressive government? I suspect that it would be likely to be rather the opposite, that our military would be used to exert the oppressive pressure.

This is clearly devil's advocate stuff for me, as I fall on the wacko side of pacifism and don't really believe there is any good reason for a gun aimed at another human. My social justice stuff means that puts me in the middle of a whole whack of contradictions, but oh well.

I mean, I guess it's just as scary for me to think of guns in the hands of people intending to foment revolution as it is in the more common way I see it, which is kids trying to survive and destroying themselves instead. But I see it as constitutionally provided for in the former case, so it's odd for me.

I eat a lot of game, so I've clearly got no issue with the hunting thing, although I did as a kid. And I've also got no issue with it as sport, although personally I'm more interested in archery.