(The Oregonian, Portland’s local fishwrap, has been running an occasional series on the role of guns in the lives of Oregonians. This is my response to the latest installment, the thoughts of 18-year-old Trevor LeeJack Francois.)
I feel powerful with my guns. My dad doesn’t like me keeping them in my room, but I can’t live without them. I feel lost when they are not with me. We live in a crazy world, and I guess the guns help me feel safe.
This rifle is smooth, doesn’t have a lot of recoil. You can put a lot of rounds down, fast. It’s compact and short. It has a 16-inch barrel, so you can maneuver around corners, unlike a 4-foot-long deer rifle.
I think it’s important that people who are mentally unstable be kept away from guns, but sometimes you can’t control it, you know? No matter what the laws are, you just can’t control it.
I’ll begin by stating that I mean no disrespect to Francois, who by now is in the midst of Army basic training at Ft. Jackson, SC. More than anything, I feel sad for him. If you “feel powerful” with your guns, to the point where you “can’t live without them,” you’re either compensating or you have a boatload of issues. If being without your guns leaves you feeling vulnerable, adrift, and unsafe…well, I truly feel sorry you.
I’m curious; what is it that Francois feels he needs to protect himself from? What imminent threat to his safety could he possibly be facing in Gresham, OR? What is it about guns that makes him feel powerful? If he can only find power and security behind the sights of an AR-15, he’s exactly the sort of person who shouldn’t be allowed to own and/or fire one. And what convinced him that we “live in a crazy world?” It’s not as if life in Gresham is a mirror image of life on the streets of Detroit or Newark. The threats to his personal safety in the suburbs of Portland are few and far between. I don’t know where he gets his information, but he clearly lives in a world of his own creation, where danger lurks around every corner. How very sad that he’s become so demonstrably paranoid at such a young age.
Francois says that his father “doesn’t like me keeping [guns] in my room.” I question why his father never told him that he couldn’t do that. What possible reason could there be for keeping an AR-15 in your bedroom? That’s irresponsible and unsafe, and that’s on Francois and his father. Guns aren’t toys, and they’re certainly not for those who feel the need to compensate for other shortcomings.
Trevor LeeJack Francois is exactly the sort of person who shouldn’t be allowed to own an AR-15. At least in the Army he’ll be using weapons under supervision. He may feel safe around his guns, but I certainly don’t knowing there are people like him out there carrying semi-automatic military grade weaponry.
