Annie Get Your Gun

While spending a leisurely morning reading the paper online, I thought that this was interesting. My grandmother had been telling me for weeks that they were "sold out of guns" in Amarillo. Last night on the news they mentioned that people were not only buying guns, they were stock-piling ammunition because there was rumor that the new president would increase the tax on ammunition by as much as 1000%. So, I Googled "gun sales up." Apparently sales are up across the country. Some say because of the president-elect, some say because of the economy. This brings the idea of a "well-armed militia" to a whole new level.

I think all of the concern is a little over the top. I imagine most of the people buying guns already have a few. I've always asked my husband why we need more than one (that's a whole different post in itself.) Should we be concerned that so many people are purchasing guns? If they don't already have a gun, why do they need one? Should I drop by the gun shop when I go to town today? Maybe we should build on to the house so we can stock-pile ammunition. Have you bought your gun today?

Guns at School??

I don't know if you have read in the paper or heard in the news about the small school at Harrold. They have decided to allow their teachers to "pack heat." The main reason they give is that law enforcement could take 30 minutes or more to arrive in the event a problem arises.
This is off of the AP wire: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gb14TxGFjaNfNsI_oNCTYWfrXXfgD92PK10O0
This article is from the local Amarillo paper:
http://www.amarillo.com/stories/082208/new_11054142.shtml

Supposedly the board will decide which teachers are "stable" enough to be allowed to carry guns and they will only use a certain bullet that is "safer".

This bothers me for several reasons:

• Harrold has now announced to the whole world that they are a small school on a major highway with no law enforcement (I can see the crazy people plotting now)
• Do you really think a teacher won't eventually pull a gun on a misbehaving student??
• What is going to keep the students from getting the gun from the teacher--can you say mutiny?
• Guns will not prevent unstable people from trying to carry out whatever crazy plan they have on the school.
• Isn't "safe bullet" an oxymoron???

Maybe I'm a little old fashioned or short-sighted