Over the Christmas weekend my wife and I spent some time on the road traveling to visit family and friends. As usual, I was driving about 5 miles per hour over the posted speed limit of 65, and I assume the cars coming from the other direction were doing about the same, which reminded me of an analogy I have often used when talking about trust, responsible behavior and the different perceptions people have about given situations.

Two cars driving opposite directions on a two-lane road at 70 miles per hour are effectively approaching each other at 140 miles per hour. At speeds like that, bumpers, crush zones, airbags and seat belts are not likely to be of much use. The only thing between you and that 17-year-old in the '95 Chevy Silverado coming at you at 140 miles per hour is a 3-inch-wide stripe of yellow paint, yet most of us face this situation almost every day without much thought. So as Janet and I wound our way from Wickenberg toward Yarnell and Peeples Valley, I wondered how many of the occupants of the cars swooshing past us would have been uncomfortable standing in line behind me in the supermarket when they noticed the .45 on my hip. Most real Arizonans would hardly take notice, but we have a lot of refugees from places like California and New York who are easily shocked by such a sight. Nothing in my appearance or demeanor presents a threat to them, but they don't trust me and are concerned simply because I have a gun. They have an irrational fear of guns – hoplophobia.

I have difficulty understanding hoplophobes. I understand that guns can be dangerous. In fact, I'm sure I understand the danger much better than any of the hoplophobes I occasionally encounter, but I also understand that a gun in a holster is like a parked car. It's an inanimate object with no volition or malice. It's going to stay right where it is, causing no threat and doing no harm, unless a person chooses otherwise. Unlike cars, guns stay in their holsters while their owners are cruising through traffic. A gun owner would need to walk around with the gun in hand, swinging it and pointing it like a TV cop clearing a building for it to be comparable to the immediate threat of two tons of steel rolling down the road at highway speed. So far, I've not seen anyone doing that down at the local Wal-Mart.

Being safe with a gun is exponentially simpler than being safe with a car. To be safe with a gun, a person only needs to know and follow four simple rules:

1. Always treat every gun as if it's loaded (which would preclude removing it from the holster in public except in an emergency).

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2. Never point it at anything you are not intending or willing to kill or destroy.

3. Never allow your finger into the trigger guard until your sights are on your intended target.

4. Always be aware of what's behind and beyond your target.

Gun owners actively practice those rules to the point that, like driving, they become automatic. But unlike many drivers, responsible gun owners don't permit themselves to simply trust their autopilot mode. We remain actively aware of our safety habits even after they become second nature, because we understand just how costly even a minor mistake can be. Sure, not all gun owners are as dedicated and conscientious as I am, but the vast majority are conscientious enough to be sure that they never pose a threat to themselves or others.

The point is, the vast majority of gun owners are far more safe and responsible than the vast majority of drivers. Certainly there are exceptions, people who are irresponsible with guns or use them for criminal purposes, but those exceptions are few and dwindling. Accidental death and injuries involving firearms have been steadily going down for decades, and we will keep working to reduce those tragedies even further. Similarly, violent crime involving firearms has also gone down dramatically, even as the number of "guns on the street" has gone up exponentially.

Those who would infringe on our rights are fond of pointing out that the U.S. has a much higher "gun murder" rate than most other "developed" nations, but if you don't include the "gun murders" in a few troubled neighborhoods in a handful of U.S. cities, our "gun murder" rate is among the lowest in the world, while our overall murder rate is even better. And it's worth noting that the majority of those high "gun murder" neighborhoods are in cities and states with strict gun control laws.

If you owned or carried a gun, would you do so responsibly? Would you keep it in the holster except in emergencies or at appropriate times and places? Would you seek out training and practice the rules of gun safety? Would you be at least as responsible with your gun as you are with your car or truck? Then why would you think that your neighbor would be less responsible? Why would you think that the same person you trust to be whizzing past you at a combined speed of 140 miles per hour, could not be trusted with a gun?

I trust you with a car or a gun, just as I trust myself with a car or a gun. Those who can't be trusted to follow the rules of safety can't be trusted to follow the laws on possession either, so really you and I don't have any say about what they do anyway. But if worse comes to worst, at least I might be able to shoot the guy before he shoots me or someone I love. Trust me, that's the only reason I carry.

Media wishing to interview Jeff Knox, please contact [email protected].

