As a resident of New York, I’ve heard a lot of ruckus about the New York Safety Act. Governor Cuomo passed the NY SAFE Act in the middle of the night at the beginning of year 2013. The Act imposed greater restrictions on gun owners, gun licensing, and gun sales.

Needless to say, gun owners were a bit put out. One of the arguments is that the law breaks our constitutional right to the 2nd amendment to “bear arms.”

Guns are owned for multiple reasons, mainly safety, hunting, and law enforcement.

In the news today, I read about a hunter who accidently, yet fatally, shot another hunter. Yikes. No one wants to make that mistake. This is reason for reflection.

I look at our modern world and it just doesn’t seem as though guns have the same place as they did two hundred years ago. We buy our meat in the grocery store. We aren’t surrounded by wild animals that need to be shot. The population of people exceeds animals.  The United States doesn’t have the open spaces for bullets to go zinging around. And, bullets go far these days.

In the 18^th century a bullet could travel 400 yards, fairly accurately. In the 19^th century this bumped up to 1400 yards. Today, a bullet can travel miles.

I still believe in the right to bear arms, however maybe this is taking on new form in this technological era. I have a right to protect myself from negative thinking. I have a right to shoot down those thoughts that tempt me to get angry or sad. I smile though, because the only artillery that will work accurately is love, principle, honesty, and joy.

With the accidental shooting incident, so close to home, I am reminded of modesty. I don’t need to shoot at everything that moves.