Guns for Self-Defense

Perhaps gun enthusiasts don’t believe the statistics that people who own a gun are far more likely to be shot with their gun, or have a member of their household shot, than they are to shoot a burglar or intruder. Or if they do believe the statistics, they may think that other damn fools may come to grief with their own guns but they, themselves, are responsible enough, careful enough, and well trained enough to avoid such tragedies.

I don’t know whether that’s what Jamie Gilt of Putnam County, Florida thought. But Jamie maintained a Facebook page titled ""Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense"" in which she advocated having guns for defense of home and family. She posted a picture of her holding a rifle in one hand and a small child in another. And she posted such statements such as “My right to protect my child with my gun trumps your fear of my gun,” and “Even my 4 year old gets jacked up to target shoot with the .22.”

According to news reports, Jamie’s four-year-old son accidently shot her with his mother’s .45-caliber handgun. Jamie was driving a pickup truck at the time; her son was in the backseat. Fortunately, Jamie survived.