Guns and My Grandfather
Teen robbers gunned down my grandfather in 1970 at the dry cleaning business he owned in Richmond, Virginia. He kept a handgun at the cleaners. That night he reached for it to defend himself and was shot by one of the animals. Being armed apparently doesn’t guarantee protection.
At the time, I was four years old and have only faint memories of my grandfather, like the smell of his pipe. Most of what I remember is from my mother’s recounting the horrific event. The neighborhood was changing and my grandmother worried about Arthur, my grandfather, working late by himself at the cleaners, which had a laundromat to keep up with the times.
During the non-stop news coverage of James Holmes’ mad killing spree in Aurora, I found myself thinking of my grandfather’s death. Many people have argued that if someone in the movie theatre had a gun perhaps James Holmes would have been killed and not been able to cause such carnage. I’m a supporter of the 2nd amendment, our right to bear arms under the US Constitution. My grandfather was a gun enthusiast, he owned guns to hunt and to protect his family. My father has owned a gun. I enjoy shooting and plan on taking gun lessons in the near future.
Reading the details of the Aurora shooting stirred up memories of the grandfather I was robbed from knowing. Out of emotion I tweeted, “There’s no reason for civilians to have assault weapons.” Afterwards, I was barraged with tweets, some full of disdain, but most from fellow conservatives seeking to educate how the term assault weapon is misleading. My good friend Val noted all guns are assault weapons because “guns serve only 1 purpose…to KILL whatever you aim at.” I’ve since learned assault weapon is a word coined by the military and co-opted by news media and used in the 1994 law to scare people about an “inanimate object” and vilify gun owners.
As San Jose Police Officer Leroy Pilepoints out in a video, fully automatic assault rifles are available only to the US military and law enforcement. He adds semi-automatic technology is over 100 years old and used in 20 million firearms, such as the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle used by Holmes in his attack on 71 people. While semi-automatic guns are less powerful than assault weapons and gun owners argue they use them for hunting, prior to the expiration of the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban in 2004, guns like the AR-15 and AK-47 were banned and limited to holding 10 bullet magazines vs. the 100 bullet magazine Holmes was able to purchase.
Many hunters insist they use AR-15 rifles for hunting but I wondered why one needs 100 bullets per magazine to hunt game? A friend who serves in the Army educated me the Army’s “basic load” is seven 30 round magazines for a total of 210 rounds or bullets per magazine. A soldier often has one magazine loaded in the gun and carries six more. This puts a civilian using a 100 round magazine, which often jams in an AR-15, into perspective. Some gun owners question using semi-automatic guns like the AR-15 for hunting. My Army friend said “if the criminals in California, who think owning AK-47′s are cool because they saw it on TV or heard about it in a song are going to go the extra mile to get the bigger magazines. Why can’t law abiding citizens?” If the federal government and states start banning certain types of guns, I agree it’s a slippery slope to eliminating our 2nd amendment right.
Background checks are good but did nothing to detect Holmes’ derangement. We all know mad people will find a way to kill no matter what. But I found it troublesome Holmes was able to buy 6,000 rounds of ammunition online in 60 days. Again, my astute Army friend educated me that professional shooters or aspiring marksman will shoot seven days a week, night and day, quickly burning through 6,000 rounds. However, he agreed Holmes’ huge purchase of rounds should have caught someone’s attention and perhaps warrants creating a monitoring system to track who is purchasing ammunition and the quantity.
The National Rifle Association, the nation’s largest gun rights advocate, needs to stop declining to comment on the Aurora massacre. A non-response is not sufficient for a vigorous defender of the 2nd amendment. Guns don’t kill; people use guns to kill and defend themselves against a target. I wish my grandfather had been able to kill those punks before they killed him but sometimes I wonder what would have happened if he hadn’t reached for his gun. I will never know just like we will never know what would have happened in the movie theater if someone was armed with a gun to aim at Holmes. But we can ask questions, can’t we?
Thanks for your review of the NAACP speech by Romney. It was very enlightening to me. As the black people of America become more and more conservative they will be a powerful force to making America great again.
I don’t think anyone (other than law enforcement and the military) have any need for the huge magazines and semi-automatic weapons. HOWEVER, no law has been or ever will be effective in keeping them from criminals. Because they are criminals because they don’t give a rat’s tail about laws. So what’s the point of more laws? This is just more useless liberal outrage.
So, so sorry 2 hear about your grand fathers death at the hands of chocolate Klansmen in 1970. So many Black business owners get the same “thank u” 4 surviving Jim crow; WW II; Korea; the Civil Rights Era, etc… The same happened 2 several of my late grandfather’s peers, including Mr. AK Williams of Savannah GA whose service station I grew up visiting… Losses like yours are why I’m Cap Black Anti Crime Activist 2day! NO LOVE 4 THUGS!
I am terribly sorry for the loss of your grandfather. I know your family was devastated in a way that cannot be completely healed. I may have been one of the twitterers whose tweets you interpreted as disdainful. 140 characters leaves little room for civil discourse. I apologized, and you, being of admirable character, accepted.
May God grant mercy on the soul of your grandfather, and may you continue to research and to write. I am a grandfather, and I would be very proud to have my four granddaughters grow up to be like you.
I understand your view and concerns, and I agree that the NRA should not remain silent. What they should do is explain their position and keep hammering it home. I now understand why the NRA is hard-core regarding gun regulations. The Leftist Statists will keep ratcheting up regulations until it is impossible to own a gun (except the elites). Confiscation is their end goal, but they know they can’t say that.
“The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But under the name of Liberalism, they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program until one day America will be a socialist nation without knowing how it happened.” – Norman Thomas
So, today they will ban 100 round magazines, then when another incident occurs in a few years (and it WILL happen), they’ll ban 20 round mags, then after another incident (it WILL happen), they’ll ban certain weapons, then repeat ad nauseum. This is part of the Left’s plan. So the NRA, rightly, decided to hold the line against any regulation in order to slow down the progressive agenda.
We’ve already fallen into the Leftist trap of “reasonable laws” and “for the children”. We need to stop allowing them to trap us further.
Thank you for sharing.
Since at least the last three out of four mass murders were committed by college students, maybe it might be prudent to require new students to have a psychological evaluation alongside of their physical for admission?
Since the onset of mental illness typically occurs between the ages of 17 – 26 an early diagnosis may prevent the student from living with an untreated mental illness and certainly will flag the student through NICS preventing them from purchasing firearms.
Also since most colleges do have an on campus clinic or nurses station, students diagnosed with early onset mental health issues could be monitored for medication compliance.
Your thoughts?
“….Being armed apparently doesn’t guarantee protection.”
Indeed being armed doesn’t guarantee protection. However being armed can and will reduce the threat of being killed by individuals who are armed who threaten to take your life.
No matter how many gun control laws are passed, there are many individuals who will go to any extreme to violate the law, namely those who are criminal, to find a way to acquire one or more firearms, the appropriate ammunition, etc., etc.
A police officer, or police officers may or may not reach the scene of the crime, in time to protect your life, any member of your family, your business, etc., etc……
…….whatever you can do to protect your own best interests, even if this means exercising the 2nd amendment, can also save your life.
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“…….fully automatic assault rifles are available only to the US military and law enforcement.”
Indeed fully automatic assault rifles should only be available to qualified U.S. military and law enforcement……….
….but here again, criminals, etc., etc., etc., will find a way to acquired one or more fire arms.
As doucmented by the “Fast and Furious” investigation…..
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder et al just made it easier for criminals, drug cartels, felons, terrorists, enemies to the citizenry of the U.S., etc., etc., to gain access to fully automatic assault rifles, ammunition, and other military munitions……….
…….and President Barack Obama exercised his “executive privilege” power as a U.S. President to stop the “Fast and Furious” investigation.
……..the worst criminals are Eric Holder, Barack Obama, and/or other individuals who make it possible for drug cartels, felons, terrorists, enemies to the citizenry of the U.S. to acquire fully automatic assault rifles, ammunition, and other military munitions.
….but “Oh Well” better than 90% of the black electorate blindly worship no good Barack Obama and although BO has loss some of the black electorate, far too many of the misguided in our own community still support and praise Barack Obama!
Just saw you on “To the Contrary” which I rarely watch. The gun ownership debate caught my ears. I wish you the best of luck and support as you stand up for what you believe. -Regards the Congresswoman who was there (and most Democrats) on this issue: Politicians are not stupid, They know battlefield weapons and automatic weapons etc have been illegal for everyday citizens since the 30′s. So when they use them as an argument for more gun control because “battlefield weapons belong in the military, not the street” they are either incompetent for not doing research, or outright lying to try to get their gun control agenda across. And then they wonder why we don’t believe them when they say they support the 2nd Amendment…
Thank you for writing this Crystal. I’m sorry about your grandfather.
I don’t know if anyone could have stopped holmes in time.
All I can say is may God have mercy.
Only God knows all the answers.
May God rest your GrandFather’s soul. Being disarmed does not guarantee any protections either but We the People have that right to be armed. You may be right that being armed does not guarantee anything but having that right does, or should, but that is even questionable now with this administration. Nothing about any of us is guaranteed. Restrictions will not either! I was sorry to read about your Grandfather Crystal!
We are to own weapons to serve as the unspoken ever present acknowledgement that the American people will not be governed against our will.
The only real reason this country has not been or ever will be over thrown by one tyrannical group.
Be careful to not let the gun control crowd morph the conversation into how many bullets it takes to bear arms or arms bears or do whatever those people do in the woods.
If you would like to connect with people who support the 2nd amendment and will share their opinions about self protection, take a swing by the Gun Blog Black List.
I can’t carry a cop to protect me so I carry a gun. Armed citizens are free citizens. Disarmed people are slaves to a poor government.
First off, my condolences for the loss of your grandfather. While i may not be black, i am conservative, and this issue (firearm ownership) is an issue that affects us all as Americans. As a survivor of an armed home invasion in las vegas nevada in 2006, i can attest to the worth of being armed, trained and capable of ones own defense. on that fateful night 3 armed criminals kicked in the door to my apartment which woke me up. I armed myself with my semi-automatic pistol and in the ensuing confrontation 1 of the 3 armed criminals raised his weapon at me after i told them to “drop your weapons” forcing me to fire on the criminal, killing him. At this point the other 2 criminals threw their weapons down dropping to their knees or laying down with hands above them. i called 911 to report the break in, and the shooting, and even though the metro police department was only 4 blocks away, it took officers 18 minutes to respond, the EMS was there within 5 minutes (from 10 blocks away). after everything was said and done, the remaining 2 criminals were arrested, the 3rd being pronounced dead at the scene. i was questioned thoroughly, they did their investigation, and the end result was the 2 remaining criminals were tried and convicted of not only the attempted robbery of me, but of 11 other armed robberies, 4 murders and 6 rapes. The police had been trying to catch the 3 of them for quite some time, and as 1 detective told me “you were the first person they ran into that was armed and able to defend themselves.” Had i not been raised around firearms, and taught their use, or had believed the liberal LIE that states “you dont need to be armed, thats what police are for” then i Most Likely would have just been their latest Victim, and Another footnote in an ever growing Unsolved case file. Since then ive Often wondered, how many people Could have been saved from being murdered, or raped, had They have been armed and able themselves? Chances are, at least a couple of them. And that is why today, I am an Adamantly Strong Advocate of not only Firearms Ownership, but self defensive Firearms training as well. Unless you are married to a police officer, or you have one With you at all times, they will never be There the Moment you need them. Self defense is not only a Right of Everyone, its Also a Responsibility. i for one believe its one that needs to be Re-instilled into ourselves, and generations to come.
#1. To my knowledge, all you need to have a ‘fully-automatic’ weapon is meet the requirements for obtaining a Class III Federal Firearms License–Be advised–they are NOT ‘easy’ to get, but NOT ‘impossible.’
#2. When you go hunting, the amount of ammunition (rounds) you can have IN the weapon is LIMITED—you are NOT allowed to have 20 round magazines! I am going to start working to change that in Michigan where I live–When hunting coyotes (a REAL problem in the state) we should be able to carry 20 round magazines—
#3. 100 round magazines are most likely subject to ‘feed’ problems, causing the gun to malfunction—NOT what one wants when in a ‘situation,’ to be SURE!!!
#4. You are going to take SHOOTING lessons–NOT ‘gun’ lessons–If you REALLY want to learn how to HIT what you are shooting at, I STRONGLY advise that you go to MassadAyoob.com–This man has OVER 25 years experience in Law Enforcement, and has been training BOTH civilians AND police officers–GOOD LUCK to you!!!
Can’t leave without pointing out this FACT—Too many people call rifles like AR-15′s and AK-47′s ‘assault’ weapons—POPPYCOCK!!! ANY ‘weapon’ could be called an ASSAULT weapon, depending upon the ACTION(S) behind the weapon!!! ASSAULT WEAPON??? Would YOU call a baseball bat used against an UNARMED peerson an ‘assault’ weapon? If NOT, WHY NOT? The person WAS ‘assaulted’ were they not? ANY device/item/object used to bring HARM/INJURY/DEATH to another person IS an ASSAULT WEAPON!!! Should we BAN baseball bats? Such beliefs are just plain STUPID, just like the idea that ANY more laws will stop people from being KILLED!!!
…the Second Amendment wasn’t written to ensure people could target practice and deer hunt. It was written so that the American populace could keep “Assault weapons” in order to defend themselves against an abusive malevolent government.
Anyone with a functioning brain stem studying US history up to 1865 could easily ascertain that fact.
Furthermore, pro-slavery forces during the antebellum period denied African-Americans the ability to own and possess fire arms. During reconstruction through the civil rights era of the late 1960′s the Klan along with many in the Democratic Party used the government and law enforcement to deny blacks their Second Amendment rights. The NRA aided southern blacks in realizing firearm civil rights in order to protect themselves.
With respect to your grandfather, as a man I think his actions were far more noble in defending himself then passively allowing himself to be victimized on their terms. In my eyes he is a hero.
The right to defend oneself is the primary human right that transcends all others. That’s bespeaks of the brilliance of this nation’s founders in authoring this Amendment.
The Jews of Nazi Germany were disarmed during the rise of the Third Reich. What would the world be like now had 4 to 6 million Jews fought the SS, Brown Shirts, and German soldiers with assault weapons?
Only those with an emotion based and pediatric understanding of human nature, a limited view of US History, or a naive and Utopian view of the world would advocate for disarming overtly or covertly the US population.
Logic, reason, and statistical evidence is on the side of lawful gun ownership.
I encourage the writer of this article to take some firearms courses.
…in response to “Brian Jones” I say a well practiced firearms owner could have easily stopped Joker Holmes.
First of all there are plenty of highly accurate handguns that can be augmented with “glow in the dark sights,” pulsing lasers, and flashlights. (And there are lots of excellent marksmen and women in this country.)
Any civilian can take tactical training or just practice at their local shooting range until they become competent.
The fastest growing segment of gun owners are women.
It’s the ultimate empowerment tool or equalizer…
The point is to reduce the statistical likelihood that you will be an easy target of a violent crime or assault.
Had one practiced gun owner returned fire during the Virginia Tech massacre it is likely that 33 people would not have been killed.
The same can be said for the shooting in Aurora…
Prima facie evidence of my point can be seen in the case of an elderly man who shot two gun wielding assailants mid-attack as they robbed a casino in Florida just a few weeks ago. Don’t believe me Google it?
The entire situation was caught on security cameras from two different angles.
Fight back, go down swinging, if any variables in an untoward situation allow you to do so…
A weapon is a tool like having a jack and a spare tire in the trunk of your car. You hope you will not need to use it but you’re foolish if you find yourself in a situation where you have that tool and need it but don’t know how to use it. Women are experts in the use of cell phones; why can’t the average woman master the use of a personally owned firearm?
What would happen to the rate of violent assaults, rape, etc.. against women if more were competent firearm owners?
Would a person intent on a mass shooting be more or less brazen to carry out a heinous act if they truly thought it was likely that some of those in an audience or assembly would immediately return fire to defend themselves?
Guns should only reside in the hands of the following people, law enforcement, military, ordinary law abiding civilians that are trained in the safe handling of said hardware, and are stable enough to carry. And I agree, the NRA does need to speak up and separate the good from the evil in situations like these. That would be the American thing to do.
The following is something I wrote in the past. Have a good day.
In this great country of ours where so many of the world’s people want to immigrate to and be educated by, we have some who try their very best to undermine the foundation of our liberty, our Constitution. Our First Amendment protects Free Speech, even vile, hateful speech and I am quite certain that a case can be made that many millions of people have perished in this world due to the poisonous oratory of a few. Our First Amendment also provides for the Free Exercise of Religion, even vile, hateful religions and I am quite certain that a case can be made that many millions of people have perished in this world due to the poisonous religious beliefs of a few. Our First Amendment protects Freedom of the Press, even a vile, hateful and dishonest Press, and I am quite certain that a case can be made that many millions of people have perished in this world due to the poisonous words of a few. Our First Amendment also protects the Freedom to Peaceably Assemble, even vile, hateful assemblages of people, and I am quite certain that a case can be made that many millions of people have perished in this world due to assemblies of hate and intolerance conducted by a few. Likewise, our Second Amendment protects The Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms, even hateful people bearing ugly arms with sinister thoughts, and I am quite certain that a case can be made that many millions of people have perished in this world due to hateful people bearing arms for reprehensible reasons.
Do we therefore change the Constitution given to us by our Founding Fathers and enact an outright ban on all Speech, all Religion, all Press, all Assembly and all Arms in a desperate grasp for security? Or do we trample on our Constitution and its original intent and ban all ugly Speech, ugly Religion, ugly Press, ugly Assembly, and ugly Arms? Who defines ugly? Is ugly in the eye of the beholder? Is ugly objective, empirical and logical?
Or do we honest, law-abiding citizens use our Constitutional Freedoms of Speech, Religion, the Press, Assembly, and the Right to Keep and Bear Arms as our Founding Fathers fashioned them to confront and counter the forces of evil as a protective shield against their poisonous oratory, hateful religious beliefs, dishonest press, sinister assemblies and wicked use of arms? Come to think of it, we’ve been doing exactly that for over 200 years! And we still remain the world’s brightest beacon of freedom.
Darryl G. Treat
March 9, 2005