weapons and safety

["spencer" <spencer@inu.net>]

It has been encouraged by local police and my exhusband to carry a weapon.  The police don't consider a good buck knife a weapon.  There is the question of what handgun or rifle and where to carry it.  Then will you be able to access it and use it if you need to.  In my training in military and life in general, it was learned that you shouldn't get it out if you don't intend to use it to kill.  If you feel threatened so that you need to pull your weapon out, then by all means shoot to KILL.   Dead men tell no lies.  However, what will your horse do if you shoot.  If your horse is not trained/conditioned for shooting, you may have more of a problem than you started with.  Currently, I ride alone a lot or with my 11 yo daughter, who can get scared and embarrassed easily.  So I ride with lock out knife that is easy toget out.  the original buck knife is not that easy to get out.  Most of the 'fools' who bother other people are also chicken around something as big as a horse.  So you have 2 choice:  run as fast as you can away or run your horse over them.   Then go to the authorities.  I work Emergency and see the results of those who don't know as much as they thought they did.  In Texas, the police are fairly reasonable about women carrying weapons and they all recommend that those of us who work the off hrs carry a pistol and KNOW HOW TO USE IT.  So far I have onlyl used mine on varmits.  The point is well taken that one may need to put an animal down humanely.  So I will probably start carrying one when I go to rides.  otherwise, I keep them for varmits around the farm.  Something I have noticed is that kids that grew up in country and have seen what guns do-KILL- don't play with them.  Haven't seen reports of country kids playing with and killling each other with weapons found at home.  Just the city kids!!  Also, what good is a gun it it is unloaded?  Will you have time to load it in an emergency?  I doubt it.  My adult sons chewed me out for having a loaded 22 rifle.  My response was:  'What good is it if it isn't loaded?"  All guns, etc must be regarded as loaded at all times.  So much for my 2 cents.  

Mary Ann Spencer
breeding for REAL Arabians
with MUSCAT/BASK lines
Zavalla, TX