By Gabby
I took drivers-education in New York City. Packed in a Nissan with four other 16 year old girls and an old Lithuanian man (instructor), our very first day behind the wheel was on the streets of manhattan; At least, it was the first time behind the wheel, for the other girls.
You see, in New York you can receive a learner a permit at age 16, but unless you take drivers-education, (even if you're a 17 year old with a full fledged drivers license from another county or state) the city is off limits until you turn 18. Without a certified instructor in the car, a person with a permit can't drive in the five boroughs. So if you're a 16 year old and you pass the course, and pass the exam, you must still wait until your 17 to hit those mean streets.
Those are the legal requirements for a New York City kid who wants to drive, and all of us in that little Nissan, were ready to meet those requirements. However, I was the only one who would leave the city every weekend and practice. It wasn't required by the city or the state, but I had the opportunity and I took it. I spent double the state recommended amount of time behind the wheel, checking my blind spot, merging and just driving. In the end, I was the only one in my drivers-ed car, who passed the exam on her first try.
You can call me an over achiever all you want, but the point is, the legal minimum doesn't get the job done. That's why I was appalled when a dedicated fan directed me to a recent article in The Daily Beast where I read this line, "I decided to find out what it felt like to be that "good guy" by carrying a gun everywhere I went for a month, doing the absolute minimum that's legally required."
Do gun-owners only do the legal minimum? [tweet this]Obviously, it is worth noting that the writer of the article works for the Brady Campaign. Her views are clearly going to be tainted by her daily encounters. Yet, her perception must be taken as a version of reality, at least to those who are on the outside of the gun-owning world. Why do they think that we gun-owners, only do the legal minimum?
1 comment:
Not only works for the Brady Campaign but is a board member. Seems that she watches too many horror flicks and keep making it sound like the gun is putting crazy thoughts into her head. Then she uses crazy logic that a person who does not even know how to load a gun is dangerous but someone who is well trained but registered is not as dangerous.
BTW, I learned to drive in the same city at the same age as you and hit the road at age 17. My sister did the same and brought my father's car home all wrecked on one side. :)
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