Last night at work I noticed a children's book getting ready to be reshelved...
(The Right to Bear Arms by Paul J. Deegan, c.1987)
I thought, "Wow, a Second Amendment book for kids! Cool," and started flipping through the pages. It began simply enough, describing what the Second Amendment means and a little bit of its history, recounting the era in which the Amendments were written...
(Paul Bunyan?)
"Hmm...no," I said to myself. "I suppose they weren't." (& they weren't thinking about duck hunting or collecting either, Jimmah - I believe it was intended to protect us from people like you.)
I continued reading and found a tale of a boy at home alone one evening. He thought he heard the sound of someone breaking into the house. He was frightened...
(the raccoon mask, official uniform of burglars everywhere)
...and suddenly remembered that Dad had a rifle in his closet. The boy wondered if he should go get it in case the burglar got in?
(Yes, I know it's a shotgun. The book called it a rifle.)
But no, in the end, the boy decided to do the "right" thing...
(when seconds count, the police are only minutes away)
Luckily for the boy, the policeman arrived in time (with his handgun) and the burglar ran away.
Sadly, every story does not have such a happy ending. A child should be taught to safely use the tools available to them...
(photo courtesy of the ever-so-talented Oleg Volk)
...even if they're pink.
