A Case for the 2nd Amendment
By JEG ~ October 21st, 2008. Filed under: Politics.
Readers of the old TTA site will probably recognize my passion for this issue. Some will like it, some will hate it. The former will support me, the latter will likely condemn me.
I took a fishing trip this weekend to one of my favorite campgrounds. I’ve spend the past few months tying flies on the end of my line and stalking the brown trout that are increasingly rare on the Poudre River just west of my hometown of Laporte, Colorado. In typical fashion, I caught two…one each day. Not bad for a flyfishing wannabe. The trout on the Poudre are pretty discriminating. They won’t rise on just anything. Royal Humpee…nothing. Bitch Creek…nothing. Elk-hair caddis…there we go. Nice brown. Renegade…there we go. Nice rainbow. That was it.
Great campsite, though. Blazing fire, pork and beans for dinner, and Glenn Beck on the radio.
Shoot, forgot my Glock. Actually, didn’t forget it. Thanks to federal and state regulations, I couldn’t bring it with me. National Forest. No firearms allowed.
I was a tad bit freaked out as the night grew dark, cold, and rainy. I had a tent for shelter – not much, but enough to keep the rain off me. I had a hatchet for protection – enough for me to hold off psycho humans, but pretty pathetic for holding off a bear, or a mountain lion…or in this case, a coyote. I’d read the Forest Service’s warnings, posted prominently throughout the campsite: “Camping in bear country.” No big deal. I’d lock my food in the back of my Ford Explorer, and I’d change clothes before bed.
“If approached by a bear, speak softly and try not to show any fear.” I laughed inside. I’m pretty sure there’s not a man alive who could show no fear if approached by a bear. “If attacked by a bear, fight back.” I laughed even harder inside. I played the visual in my head. Me and a bear engaged in a campground brawl. Pretty sure I’d lose that fight.
A mountain jay screamed like a woman. I jumped out of my sleeping bag and shined my flashlight outside. A coyote prowled the campground. I was the only one there. Normally, several other campers provided safety in numbers. Not last night. The coyote was clearly comfortable around people. As he snarled and paced back and forth, I wondered if I would be able to hold him off with nothing more than a sharp hatchet.
I’m not a poacher, folks. I’d no sooner shoot a deer than I would another human being. But I’d damn sure shoot a coyote or bear threatening myself or my family…if I could legally carry a firearm into a National Forest.
Support the NRA on this one.
