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Hello from South Florida
Hello everyone.
I've taken a lot of time to read several of the threads, and I'm impressed by the diversity of viewpoints and the civil way that you all have of exploring them.
I'm an ex-paramedic (I was sidelined by a job injury some years ago) who currently works as a cardiographic technician. I also make a little money on the side writing science fiction, horror, and some nonfiction essays.
I grew up in a very anti-gun household. My grandfather actually blew off two of his fingers with a shotgun in a hunting accident, and I believe this was a very emotionally traumatic event for my mother, who was a young and impressionable little girl at the time.
I retained my lofty, idealistic, anti-gun sentiments until I became a paramedic and began working in the streets.
It quickly became evident that cops are almost never there when you need them, that there were times when rape, murder, and even kidnapping may have been prevented by the presence of a gun. My first assignment out of paramedic school was working as a relief worker with the Red Cross in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew.
There was looting, vicious wild dogs, gang rapes that went unreported because the victims were illegal immigrants who were afraid of getting deported, and so on.
Working as a paramedic exposed me to the aftermath of crime and violence in a way that simply reading the newspaper can't.
It didn't take long for me to reverse my attitudes, so I did my reading, took classes, etc. and found myself the proud owner of a S&W Model 10 snubnose. I got my CCW when the legislation changed, and I diversified my gun holdings with an Armscor 1911 wide body (13 .45 ACP rounds in the magazine), a Browning Hi-power clone made in Argentina, and a Colt Official Police. I also have a Norinco-made copy of the Springfield Armory M1A.
I have also been a crime victim myself, and, on at least on occasion, threatening an intruder with a gun kept the bad man out of my apartment.
I plan to get a Glock 22, a .22 bolt action rifle, and either a 20 gauge or 12 gauge pump shotgun, and, perhaps, a small S&W J frame for a backup in an ankle holster.
We regularly get hit by hurricanes here in south Florida, and there's so much crime that the cops seem very casual about it and they respond--in many cases--hours, or even days later.
Having been on both sides of the fence on the gun issue (my religion tends to condemn weapons, but I'm not as devout as I should be), all I can say is that peoples' attitudes change when they're confronted with certain realities with their own eyes.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my post, and I'm happy to meet you all.
Best.
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Welcome...
from Central Florida!
ret :31:
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Welcome from Victoria, B.C. :wave:
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Welcome from Northern AZ.
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Welcome from SE Missouri.
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Welcome aboard from Virginia.
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Welcome from South Carolina...
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Good post. Welcome to DC.
:bier: from Ga.
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Welcome from the Garden State.
Good to have you aboard.
And thanks much for sharing your perspective.
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Welcome from Texas! :wave:
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