Fun Friday 04-10-2009

Sometimes you will hear people say that "any gun is better than no gun." Not this one. GunShy would like to do their first public service announcement, "Don't ever buy this gun."

New Toll Free Number

We just secured a toll free number that will help us provide a greater level of service to our clients. The number is 888-702-G-U-N-S and should be fully operational by this Friday. If only Don LaFontaine were still alive to leave my voicemail. "In a world full of guns and confusion....

If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out his website. I have enjoyed many a preview movie trailer thanks to Don.

There Are Some Things Scarier Than Guns

"As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives [only] moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun, therefore, be the constant companion to your walks."

-- Thomas Jefferson, writing to his teen aged nephew.

This has always been good enough for me, but recently my wife told me that "we" are going to start a new exercise and diet regimen. Since she has the metabolism of a hummingbird and looks just like she did when I met her 10 years ago, I read between the lines and realized that I will be working my butt off over the next 90 days. We just received the P90X program in the mail and I am sitting in my office wondering if I dare go home and watch any of these videos.

I guess one of the side benefits of this might be I won't have to get my gut out of the way when drawing my gun from it's holster. Since I have bought my pants a size bigger so as to accommodate for carrying a gun (keep that in mind when you start to conceal), I don't want to drop the weight too fast or I will be needing a new wardrobe. Wish me luck.....

Fun Friday 04-03-2009

With three little girls in the house I have had to get used to pink rooms, pink dresses, pink shoes, and I even proudly own a pink tie that was picked by my oldest daughter as her favorite. I also am familiar with Hannah Montana, every Disney princess, and Hello Kitty. That is why I was intrigued by this:

Won't be in my collection any time soon, but I can see how pink may be catching on.

Deep Thoughts

I started this post at 10:00 and two hours later it has been deleted about 5 times. It was on the subject of what the world would be like without guns and what kind of attitudes and attributes people would have to possess for that happen. It got very deep very fast and I realized it was way too heavy for this blog. One of the things that I found interesting is that guns are not a black and white thing even in my life. I support and am glad that we have them to protect freedoms, liberties, and life. At the same time, I am saddened when they are used to infringe upon those same things. Would the world be a better place without guns? Maybe in a perfect world. Until that day comes, I think I will hang on to mine.

Family Classes Explained

I thought that I would take a minute and give an overview of what is discussed in our family classes. With so many guns in American homes and with the rising trend of kids bringing guns and weapons to schools, GunShy feels that it is important to educate our children in the likelihood that they encounter a gun. These are some of the things that we discuss and as mentioned in a previous post, each class is customized to meet the specific needs of each family:

• Specific actions that kids should take if they encounter a gun in another persons home
• Specific actions that they should take if they are shown a gun at school or if they hear that someone has a gun at school
• A detailed presentation on the difference between what we see in movies and video games and the catastrophic effects that a misused gun can have (nothing graphic or scary, just the facts on what guns can do)
• A family discussion that encourages open communication between parents and children and tries to take the secrecy and taboos out of the equation
• If guns are owned in the home, we will discuss how that effects the family and offer suggestions that you may want to implement
• Question and answer session

These are only some of the things that will be discussed but hopefully it gives you an idea of what we are trying to do with our family classes. Sometimes it takes a third party to come in and "direct" a discussion in order for your family to accept and benefit from the information. I know this has been the case in my own family.

The unfortunate truth is that our kids are constantly curious and constantly learning things about guns, whether it be good information or bad. Think about how much violence they see on a daily basis from TV shows, video games, and even cartoons. If we don't actively intervene with accurate and useful information, do we know how they will handle a chance meeting with a gun? Let's take the "what if" out of the picture. If I can be of any help in your family, please send me an email at info@gunshy.org

Tolerance and Fear

One of the things that I am learning as I meet with people who want to learn about guns is this; we all have fears and biases that are ingrained into us because of our own experiences and education. Fear is an interesting thing. It is an emotion that does not need to be built on right or wrong, it is something we feel. The person who is afraid of guns has just as much right to feel that way as someone who is afraid of public speaking, or snakes, or anything, for that matter. Experts have said that as infants we are only born with two inherent fears, the fear of falling and the fear of loud noise. Everything else is a learned response based on our experience. I have been to firearm training courses where women have literally broke down crying because the experience is so overwhelming to them. One of the goals that I have with GunShy is to give individuals a safe, understanding environment where they can learn at their own pace. It took my wife 9 years of marriage before she would even consider handling any of my guns. She still is not a "fanatic" by any means, but I think she would tell you that it is possible to overcome stereotypes and learned fears simply by the right exposure and education.

If you have ever wanted to learn about guns but have been held back because of your own fears, or preconceived notions, I challenge you to give us a try. One thing that I can promise, is that there are options available to you to learn at your own pace and under the criteria that you are comfortable with. At GunShy, we want to make a difference and reach those of you who want a different kind of educational and training experience. We value your opinion and would love to hear of any input or experiences that you have had. Comments are always welcome and we will reply to any email sent to info@gunshy.org