[Oe List ...] Gun Culture? In the home? Beyond?

[mhampton at att.net]

Unlike most of my generation and maybe the two after it; I did not grow up with 
a gun culture in my home.  Because my father had died after a gun-related 
accident my mother decided my brother and I would not have guns in our lives. 
 (This specifically meant John would not get toy guns as gifts.)  As I remember, 
this lasted until I was seven or eight and John was three or four.  Then my 
mother's father took me out and had me shoot a gun.  I was turned off enough or 
at least unexcited by the experience so that I never remember doing it again. I 
asked my mother about this Christmas evening this year.  She remembers our 
(small town, South Texas Hispanic) babysitter giving John a set of cowboy 
pistols earlier than that.  John grew up to be in the Corps at Texas A&M and 
then do 20 years active duty in the Army.  The same training does not 
necessarily communicate the same values.

As an adult, well after my active Order days, I became a Quaker.  My favorite 
short hand definition of the Religious Society of Friends is that we "respond to 
that of God in every person".  That implies that we are not confronted with evil 
"men" or evil women.  We are certainly confronted with evil action or at least 
acts universally regarded as painful and harmful.  We cannot institutionalize 
everyone who is strange or even clearly outside the mainstream.  We could decide 
to listen in family and others close see someone as dangerous.  (The family of 
the paranoid schizophrenic executed by the state of Texas for murdering several 
people come to mind.  They had tried for years to get help for him.)  I was very 
struck by the article from the Buddhist monk who grew up in Newtown and wrote to 
Adam, the shooter.
 
We choose what to own of the surrounding, prevasive values and culture.  
Community safety certainly seems a less red flag way into the discussions.

May we all be blessed with eyes to see and hearts to respond to human need.

Blessings for the New Year.

mary hampton
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