“The bad guy ain’t going to give up his guns,” said Rick, a refrain that was echoed throughout the early morning. “And if you don’t believe me watch ‘Gangland’ on Spike TV.”
As an example, he pointed to Chicago where gun violence has precipitously risen despite some of the country’s most stringent gun laws. The Bristol resident declined to give his last name because he did not want his neighbors to know that he’s a gun owner.
He said that he’s been a member of the National Rifle Association since the age of 12, and he believes fervently in starting gun safety training at an early age.
How early?
He claims that he took his six-year-old grandson shooting last week.
“This kid’s gonna be safe,” he said proudly. “That’s one sentence, I’ve never finished to a kid: ‘don’t point that gun at anyone.'”
As with other gun enthusiasts, he defended his right to bear arms by citing the Second Amendment.
“This is our heritage; we’re free because we have guns,” he said. “I was born free and I’m going to die that way.”