Point and Shoot

I recently unknowingly entered into a very heated debate regarding gun control. It was with three downtown hipsters, all of which were wearing black horn rim glass and beanie caps, all of which had never held a gun and likely never will.

Unless, of course, one of them decides to host his next birthday party at the paint ball center. Or can dig up a vintage Nintendo duck hunter game. Regardless, everyone was pretty fired up.

To shoot or nor to shoot? That was the question.

My view point has always been that if you don't have a gun, you can't shoot anyone, and in turn no one will get killed. So why have a gun?

Unless its being used as a prop in a super sexy photoshoot on a ranch.

Attention all gun marketing companies: Gigi is a free agent and has the ability to make guns look remarkably cool and badass.

Anyways, to the hipsters I had said my piece and felt at peace.

Except when I realized that just because you don't have actual bullets, you can still do some serious damage.

Instead of arguing about an issue that most of us will never encounter and we cannot change (or don't have enough passion to change), let's talk about the ammo that we do have and that can be just as devastating: our words.

For example, telling someone that you love them when you don't to try to get what you want is the emotional equivalent of shooting an AK47 right through their heart and your integrity.

And shooting off negative slurs and awful names will leave residue on your hands and heart that is hard to remove and can't always be washed away.

Embellishing stories to make yourself look like the victim or the bad guy and telling them to everyone who will listen, is a point blank shot to your own self respect.

This is what's relevant in my life. Word control, not gun control. Words are as powerful as a sawed off shotgun and as the smoke clears, the repercussions can be permanent.

So choose your words carefully. Think before you speak. Understand that the impact of one sentence can kill the confidence and pride of the person you are speaking to.

Tempers can make this seem daunting. Emotions can make this seem impossible.

But all I know, is that the next time I go to pull the trigger, even in self defense (from some Baby Deer holding an AK47), I will imagine the collateral damage of the words I speak.

Continue your debate young hipsters, if you must, but excuse me if I don't partake in debates about guns.

Unless it's over which color of paint gun bullets I get to use at your birthday party.

If I'm still invited.