Do Not Decide Until You Understand

I was reading another article, and saw this comment:

“I just don’t see why anybody would want to own a gun!
 It’s stupid, like collecting antique clocks or some other useless thing.  What a waste of money!”

As if people should only have hobbies that he approves of.  I mean, collecting antique clocks?  How fucking moronic, amirite? 

Totally

There is an old parable that I’d like to share with you, dear reader, and allow you to draw the moral:

A young man started his new job at the county roads department, and on his first day, he toured the roads of the county with the man he was going to replace; a wise man who had been at his job for many years and who was about to retire. 

The young man thought himself wise, and had grand plans for the direction of the roads department in the county.  As they drove, they came upon a gate that blocked the road. 

The young man got out of the truck, and considered the gate.  After thinking on it for a while, he said “I see no reason for this gate to be here, let’s take it out.”

The old man shook his head.  “I will not allow it.  The men who installed this gate did so because it had a purpose, or else they would not have gone through the trouble and expense to install it.  A wise man would tell you that you should not remove a thing because you cannot see the use of it, but rather, that you should only remove that thing once you’ve determined it’s use and why it is there.  Until you can tell me the reason for this gate, you should not remove it.” 

The moral?  Anyone who cannot see any reason for a person to own a gun, should remove themselves from the debate until they can see the reason, because until then, they are speaking from ignorance and committing the same mistake that this young, ambitious man is committing.  You don’t destroy something when you can’t see the use of it, because surely it has a use, or else it wouldn’t exist.