Being part Houma Indian and the other part French from South Louisiana, my people made their living off the land for many years.  Fishing, hunting and trapping were a way of life, there were Alligators to hunt in the summer and deer, nutria and other fur bearing animals in the winter.  Shrimp, redfish and speckled trout were plentiful.  Not to mention the ducks and geese that was plentiful in the marshes during the winter.  Guns were a large part of my life than although they were a tool for making a living.  Most we used were bolt action 22 rifles and crack barrel shotguns. We did have gun accidents and deaths due to careless use and whenever guns are involved it will happen.  There were some cases of guns being used for shooting each other but that was a rarity.

As I became involved with the Military for 25 years, I became more aware of guns used for defense and how different these guns were from the guns I used back home.  Most military guns are designed to hit multiple targets as quickly as possible like the popular Russian AK 47 assault rifle.  Or hit targets at long range, like the Barrett 50 cal. Sniper rifle.  And there are still gun accidents and deaths due to careless use, but the military likes to call it friendly fire.

What I have learned through my experiences with people and guns is that guns are dangerous and in the wrong hands deadly.  And when I say the wrong hands I don’t mean just criminals or insane individuals.  Not everyone should have or be forced to have one because everyone is carrying one.  I knew people I grew up with could hit a target with no problem over and over but would freeze up while in a tree as a deer appeared in front of them and couldn’t shoot or miss the deer completely when they did shoot.  Same lesson in battle when a man faces off with an enemy. Will he freeze or miss (Baptism under fire)?  Not everyone can do it, especially for the first time.  No one should be forced to have a gun because everyone else has one.  My daughter is handicapped (Muscular Dystrophy) and does drive and does a lot of normal things but physically and mentally couldn’t shoot a gun and I don’t expect her to.

 As for as animal overpopulation is concerned.  God had the right idea when he initiated the predator to prey ratio of nature but man in his infinite wisdom had to mess with that and eliminate the predator.  Just as a lot of things we do for whatever reason but with every action man takes with nature there is always a reaction and mostly negative.

As for me, I’ve lost my taste for killing.  I still have my shotguns and 22 rifle from years past and talk of the days we would get in pirogues and paddle through the swamp and marshes all night hunting nutrias or just about anything else that we came across.  But now what isn’t being taken by the Gulf of Mexico is being taken for Wal-Marts and strip malls.  Oil companies have dug thousands canals through the Swamps and Marshes to locate rigs, many times not finding oil and leave as is that cause the marshes to erode faster than normal.  I don’t have to tell you of the Oil spill in the Gulf a while back.  Man takes and takes from this Earth but never gives anything back.  He messes with nature not knowing the consequences.  He calls destroying developing.  I’m afraid that includes me also.