Hunting Deer With Machine Guns

[Kinda like fishing with dynamite... -ed]

From: Chris Brose <mailto:[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2001 11:13 PM

Subject: response to gun letter

Dear Andrea,

I serve in the US Marine Corps. I deal with guns for a living. Not only is it part of my profession, it is also one of my hobbies. I don't know if that makes you think I'm a bad person, but as someone who is ready to risk my life for my country, I hope I can say a few things to you in response to the letter you sent to the Director of Keep and Bear Arms.

I don't know how old you are, I'm assuming that you are probably still in school. But you have a few things wrong in what you said. If you read anything about the history of this country's revolutionary war, you will find the Bill of Rights was written to protect the citizens of the new country from abuses they had been subject to under British rule. With regards to the Second Amendment, it had everything to do with protection (of self and of country) and nothing to do with hunting.

Japan may have a low murder rate compared to us, but they have a far greater suicide rate -- and it has nothing at all to do with guns. In Switzerland, on the other hand, all adult men have guns in their homes (including machine guns or assault weapons) and their murder rate is also very low. So the guns really aren't the issue, it's the people using them. I believe that there are many psychopathic wackos in this country, but it's the criminals who use guns in crimes that are the problem. NRA members who support the right of law abiding citizens to have guns (for whatever reason -- hunting, target shooting, collecting, or self protection) are not the psychopathic wackos. The criminals who use guns in crimes are the wackos.

I don't know why you think people hunt dear with machine guns. That simply doesn't happen. Machine guns are useful if there is a formation of enemy soldiers attacking, but if someone wants to shoot something specific (a target or a dear) it is very difficult to do so with a machine gun. A rifle is much more suitable for that purpose. You may not know this, but machine guns are already very heavily regulated in this country. It is impossible to just go out and buy one. First, someone has to get a license from the federal government, then they have to pay a very high fee if they want to get one. People who buy them are mostly just interested in collecting them. Do you know how many machine guns were used in crimes in the past year? In the past ten years? I would tell you (none), but you probably wouldn't believe me... so you should ask your local police department. You might also ask them how many children were killed last year by guns in this country, because it wasn't anything close to 4745. (Also, you might want to ask them what a child is, for the purpose of that statistic. Would you consider an 18 year old gang member killed by another gang member a "child"?)

I handle guns very often, but I have never killed anyone. I don't want to kill anyone, but if my country send me to war, I might have to. Here in this country, I don't intend to kill anyone, either. However, I am prepared to, if I catch someone committing a violent crime. I'm sure that if you were being attacked by someone who wanted to rape or kill you, and there were no cops around, you would rather have someone like me around to help you (with a gun), than no one at all.

I really don't think that anything I say will change your mind. Maybe, but I'm not holding my breath. However, it is my sincere hope to show you that people who support the rights of gun owners aren't psychopathic wackos.

Sincerely,
Chris Brose, Sgt., USMC

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