>... I was looking forward to continuing Gun of the Week, but it (and,
>unfortunately, the hobby itself) is starting to feel pretty
>inappropriate. Before much longer, firearms collecting will be one of
>those things you never discuss with anyone whom you don't already know
>does it too, like collecting 18th-century pornographic engravings.

Well, speaking just for myself...

I'm a very firm proponent of stronger gun control laws, up to and including the repeal of the Second Amendment. Most of the country's population, by a large margin, live in urban areas where guns are going to be encountered in the hands of either criminals or paranoids too stupid to hold fire. Most arguments I've seen in favor of 'gun rights' exhibit what I view as a terrifying and monstrous disregard for the safety of others - or an outright delusional view of the role of force in society and law and order, or most often of all, both.

But I live in an extremely rural area where not only is gun ownership and use a major component of local culture, of great antiquity, it's also a vital part of the local ecology for its role in fighting the spread of Hoofed Rats. More, I'm interested in technology, which is often at its most sophisticated and refined in tools of war and murder.

So it's important to draw a distinction between shattering the diseased gun culture and actually stigmatizing guns, or worse, gun owners simply on that basis. Part of that is continuing to talk about guns in a fashion that respects them as more than just childish phallic symbols - which is something that your little column here does admirably.

In as far as I get a vote, I'd like to see you continue.

-----

"V, did you do something foolish?"

"Yes, and it was glorious."