Google image
Why Does that Guy Have a Gun?
Tranquil Sunday,
coffee shop in the
suburbs,
folk music on the radio,
barista busy with
lattes,
young man, mid 20’s
comes in,
pistol on hip,
hung in a holster
like
an old time western,
I wondered why,
so did a little boy
giving him
the once over
before asking his dad,
Why does that guy have a gun?
but nobody asked the
guy,
he got his coffee and
left
like no big deal,
like I have the right,
like nobody can stop
me,
like I don’t care if
I just scared a little kid
who might have
watched too much news
about little kids
getting shot in a school?
I wondered about the
law,
and whether it’s okay
to carry a gun
on your hip in Ohio,
but I mostly wondered
if its owner felt safer,
more in control,
ready for a shoot-out
on Main Street
to defend his way of
life,
his country,
his 2nd
amendment rights,
on a tranquil Sunday
in a coffee shop in
the suburbs
of Ohio?
I found this on Wikipedia and it was news to me: Ohio is a traditional open-carry state. The
open-carry of firearms by those who legally possess the firearm is a legal
activity in Ohio with or without a license. While legal, the practice is not
common in urban areas and often results in police responding. Various cases of harassment by police on
those open carrying have been documented.
Furthermore one must have a concealed handgun license to carry a loaded
handgun in a motor vehicle regardless of whether or not it is concealed.
Powerful image. Inspired writing through the eyes of a child.
ReplyDeleteJudy
Indiana is also an open carry state- as of a few years ago. One man created great distress at the local zoo and is now suing the city because security guards asked him to leave. A man was in the waiting room of a medical facility waiting for his wife with a gun in his pants pocket-not in a holster. It created great distress in the staff. How can our state legislators tell us that we must allow people with guns in our places of business and places of recreation?
ReplyDeleteI appreciate both of your comments. I was surprised by my own reaction and quite upset when it was filtered through the eyes of the little boy. We can learn so much from children if we take the time to see the world through their eyes.
ReplyDeleteThis poem coupled with your words "we can learn so much from children if we take the time to see the world through their eyes" just hits the nail on the head. That experience would have scared me, and I can just imagine the feelings that the little boy must have been experiencing. We all need to consider our children, and their viewpoints, before acting. For if we all took our cues from these little angels, this world would be so much more compassionate.
ReplyDelete