Living Amid Gunfire

We’re living amid gunfire again. Neighbors apparently bought a semi-automatic handgun and now believe they can shoot it at will on their property. The problem with that is we live in an area full of volcanic rock. Rounds ricochet. It happens all the time around here. One neighbor shoots skunks and bullets zing over my husband’s head. It’s bullshit. And I’m done with it.

If I hear any more gunfire, I’m calling the authorities. We all have five acres and many, including this particular neighbor, have livestock. We witnessed numerous goats run around their pen in fear when the multiple shots rang out as we were walking down the driveway after moving the irrigation water. In other words, we were essentially targets for any round that ricocheted. Most folks have horses and what if one spooked and went through a barbed wire fence? Some have horses that compete in shows, and if one of those horses were injured and had to be killed, I can’t even imagine the money that would change hands. I don’t understand people. Did they get a new toy they wanted to play with? Common sense tells you that you don’t fire weapons like this in residential areas. So this tells me that they have none.

Lovely.

There’s only the distance of a five-acre property between us. That’s not enough distance for my comfort. Or my disabled Vietnam veteran husband who suffers from PTSD. He can’t hear repetitive gunfire without becoming extremely distressed. So no one will be sleeping in my house tonight. He’ll be pacing while I keep watch. When we moved here in 1981 a helicopter used to fly low over our home, so low I could see the facial features of the pilot when I was hanging laundry in the backyard. He’d hit the ground when the helicopter would fly over and it was awful to experience. I actually met the fool years later and saw just how stupid he was, but my husband was so upset at the time that he made me call the FAA and file a complaint on his behalf. The next day, the helicopter flew over the canyon instead of over our home. But it took time for my husband to calm down. Just as it will tonight.

I have No Weapons signs up at each gate into our property so the only weapons here belong to us. I have no problem with people exercising their 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. I have a problem, however, when they do so in a dangerous manner. Again. Volcanic rock everywhere. No one is safe when bullets begin flying.

Guns are not toys. Especially those of the semi-automatic persuasion. At the end of the day, these people will need to decide if they want continual police presence at their home or if they want to discover the location of the local gun range. There are plenty to choose from in the area and I’m sure if they look around they’ll find just the right one. It’s the appropriate place to fire weapons like the one they’re playing with tonight. They could get instruction that they clearly need and learn the safest way to handle their new weapon.

My husband had an M-16 on full auto pointed at his head by a fool during basic training. Said fool was soon thrown out of the Army. No brass, no ammo, Drill Sergeant was the normal response, but not this guy. The Drill Sergeant reportedly smacked the guy upside the head with a paddle for being so reckless, but my husband could have been killed that day, so he doesn’t deal well with reckless behavior when it comes to firearms, especially semi-automatic firearms.

Neighbors. And the summer has only begun.

Blessed Be