I have never owned a gun, nor will I ever.
People I know killed by guns were shot by friends, neighbors or relatives. First was the mother of four, shot by her husband, who then burned down their home. Second was the last remaining Native American living on a remnant of allotment land on the shrinking Colville reservation. He was shot by a neighbor after a dispute. The third was a young Native American shot by his cousin in Arizona. My best friend was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet in 1999, blinding him for life. We were nonviolently exercising freedom of speech rights. I was shot numerous times with pellets and rubber bullets, bruised but not wounded. I know numerous others wounded by gun shots, some still carrying bullets within them.
Once I moved to the mountains of Eastern Washington with my two youngest children in 1992, I was surrounded by gun owners. A significant number were Stevens County militia. I attended Second Amendment meetings to educate myself. I spent time talking to men and women to understand the tremendous fear exhibited in public events, in literature and on local radio. As an unarmed citizen, I was alarmed at the fear displayed toward me by those who were proud of their small arsenals. My home was a gun-free zone. One guy said he could hide his gun if he came to visit without me knowing. I shrugged.
Recently I was part of a discussion about sandwich signs, guns and ammo on a Facebook thread. What struck me, as was the case in Stevens County, was those who are well armed seemed quite angry and/or threatened that I am not. I have wondered often why unarmed people seem so dangerous to those utilizing their constitutional rights. I have never taken anyone’s gun away. I do, however, strive for nonviolence as a way of life and to live the principals of loving one’s neighbor as oneself and doing good unto others. I see no other way out of this mess. It is my view that guns do not make us safer. I have yet to meet anyone who used their gun to stave off a tyrannical government with any success. Most killed people they knew and sometimes loved.
— Swaneagle Harijan
