Enlightenment

I could not have anticipated the overwhelming response from gun owners across the country. Every day for more than a week e-mail messages poured in and two gun owners called from out of state to thank me for being an "open-minded journalist."

...

Gun owners, men and women alike, have been very therapeutic for me. They are an incredibly encouraging and generous lot, letting a newcomer borrow their pistols, try a variety of guns and use up their ammunition. With the price of metal so high, sharing bullets is right up there with putting gas in my tank.

It never fails. NEVER.

The people that Mrs. Zaher met are not part of the violence that plagues this nation. It doesn't matter how many guns they own, what caliber they are, their rate of fire, ease of use, or how they look - none of those people contribute to crime and therefore there is no reason to limit their access to weaponry.

I wish more journalists would take up the offers to head to the range or at least learn a bit about firearms.

People like Julia Zaher give me hope.