You have no doubt heard the statement that guns are not dangerous; it’s the person holding the gun that presents the problem. Guns don’t kill, people kill. This is one of the major talking points of pro-gun owners who also righty cite the Second Amendment (Bill of Rights) to the United States Constitution although there are differing views of its interpretation. I heard of an incident recently that was a novel approach of how a gun owner’s problem with her gun was handled.
Most households have a weapon for defense although it’s obvious that the most important element of gun ownership is the psychological comfort it gives since a gun is actually hardly ever used, ever. It simply gives its owner security by its possession. It’s there if needed.
A friend was contacted by one of his neighbors who wanted to talk to him about a problem she was having and so a meeting was arranged. No topic was discussed so when the meeting took place, the friend was a little surprised when he was informed about the nature of the request.
The elderly lady whose husband had recently died was concerned about a weapon in her house. It seems that the chromed plated personal weapon was owned by her late husband and had for 26 years rested in the same place in their bedroom, in the night stand drawer beside the bed. The wife had never even touched the piece and now that its owner had departed, she had become concerned about its presence in her home. It was practically unused. The weapon had been carefully placed in a drawer hidden underneath a pair of gloves, and the bullets were cautiously wrapped separately in a white handkerchief. The drawer had no lock but there were no children in the household. The widow was the only occupant, and she never opened the drawer mostly because of her unfounded fear that if she touched the gun, it might fire with terrible results. What to do with the unwanted guest was her problem.
Hers was an unusual situation since seemingly her problem was not founded on logic but on an unrealistic supposition of a most improbable likelihood. A resolution to the problem was simple.
Visiting the home her friend carefully handled the unloaded gun, placing it in a secure box apart from the ammunition. The lady of the house was appropriately absent from the scene since she did not want even to witness the transaction.
The weapon was given a new home, a home whose owner had no objection to its placement but welcomed the protection afforded by his new friends, Smith and Wesson.
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Bill Lee
