Breakfasting safely in the Wild West
Dr Grumble is staying in a hotel. It's a nice hotel. It seems very safe. The people here seem very civilised. And the sign Dr Grumble spotted while eating his breakfast is very reassuring. No guns over breakfast. That must be good. Then a friend pointed out that the sign referred to the bar area and not where Grumble was breakfasting. It seems that firearms are allowed in the rest of the hotel. To English people that seems very odd. Why should anybody want to wield a gun over breakfast? Or in their bedroom? Or anywhere else for that matter? It's such an odd thing to want to do. And it is even odder to allow it. But they can't seem to see that over here. It's an odd world.
Mrs Grumble has never been to the Wild West. It's a good job she doesn't read the blog. This would worry her. It worries Dr Grumble in a way. But why doesn't it worry the natives?
9 comments:
Hope you're having as lovely and legal-free break Dr G.
If you are where I think you are, my one visit was memorable for many reasons (including eating steak for breakfast), but my fondest memory was in a diner. There was a container of toothpicks on the table, all hygienically wrapped in paper.
On the paper was printed 'instructions for use'.
Hopefully you get instructions if you buy a gun. Especially the safety catch.
Dr Grumble has never even held a proper gun but only last week he saw injuries resulting from firearms - but that is not something he can blog about.
And not just way out West. I remember popping into a sporting goods store in Cincinnati in the late 80s to buy a holdall and being stunned by the interesting display of assorted assault rifles, semi-autos, Uzis etc etc.
Which reminds me of a bumper sticker a friend of mine just spotted in Pennsylvania suggesting some Americans are not over-joyed by the Obama "time for change" agenda.
"I'll be keeping my money, guns and freedom...
...And you can keep the change"
It does worry many of the natives.
Unfotunately some genius wrote it into our bill of rights not knowing that people would take it entirely out of context.
Perhaps you can change it R.May.
Apparently Protestants were allowed to bear arms according to the English Bill of Rights. That was in 1689 so it might take you another 100 years or so.
During all the knife crime coverage over the last year, a gun happy American over here commmented, in all seriousness: 'Well, what do you expect if you take away their guns?!'
It is said to be the publicity about knife crime that leads to people carrying knives. I wonder if it is the same with guns in the US. These thing are all about inaccurate perception of risk whipped up by the media.
Possessing a gun is itself a big risk:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/359/10/989
I first learned to handle a firearm with my father at the stunning, in the UK at least, age of 12, and later in the military I became acquainted with automatic weapons. I have a healthy respect for firearms, as I do wood working power tools, or any other dangerous equipment that can kill you.
You seem to wonder why anyone would ever want to possess a firearm, so why don't you conduct a little experiment. One evening, when your busy schedule allows, take a tube ride to London and walk through one of the "Asian" neighborhoods with your head uncovered. When the "youths" make your acquaintance you may suddenly see the value of a firearm.
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