Somewhere along the way, the people of this great nation lost their way, especially when it comes to the subject of guns.

It’s not surprising, unfortunately. The media has been on a constant blitz about the evils of firearms. Politicians have spouted nonsense about how dangerous guns are and everything. Our entertainment has portrayed the law-abiding gun-owning citizen as either a wannabe Rambo or a complete fool if they bother to acknowledge we exist at all.

It’s created an environment where grown adults don’t know how to deal with the idea that some people may own guns. It’s bad enough that a man recently wrote to an advice columnist because his daughter lawfully owns a handgun.

Yes, seriously.

Buckle up, because I feel a fisk coming on.

Dear Amy: This week I discovered that my intelligent, hard-working, responsible 24-year-old daughter (who lives with me) is a gun owner! And it’s not a normal gun either — it is a 40 caliber semi-automatic, and she has hollow point bullets to go with it.

A sensible choice for anyone who doesn’t wet themselves over the idea of a private citizen owning a gun.

I mean, I’m not a fan of .40 caliber myself, but a lot of people love it, and I don’t have a particular issue with it. It’s just not my jam. I’m failing to see the problem other than the 24-year-old daughter living with her father. Then again, I hear this is normal these days.

Anyway, continuing…

Amy, this is the kind of weapon a criminal would possess! She says it is for emergencies. There have only been two home invasions in our neighborhood in the last 11 years.

First, how in the hell would you know what gun a criminal would possess?

Second, it’s also a common caliber for law enforcement, which may well be why your daughter purchased that particular firearm. A lot of people who aren’t familiar with guns may opt to select a weapon similar to law enforcement, trusting their vetting process to be a good enough seal of endorsement. While I don’t think that’s necessarily advisable, it’s not horribly wrongheaded either.

It’s not a “criminal’s” gun. It’s a gun, and like any other, it can be used for good or ill.

Not only that but just because your neighborhood hasn’t had a spate of break-ins doesn’t mean it won’t.

I’ve given her three choices: She can either give her weapon to me, sell it, or move out in three weeks.

Now, as she lives with you, that’s certainly your right. However, dropping an ultimatum like that isn’t exactly going to improve your relationship with her, especially since there’s no evidence she’s breaking any laws.

I love my daughter and would be so sad for her to move into a place that she would hardly be able to afford, but now I have to lock my bedroom door at night because I don’t know what she’s going to do.

Pro-tip: If she were going to use it on you, she already would have. The fact that she hasn’t illustrates that she’s like the millions of other gun owners who have firearms and have never hurt a living soul with them.

Now she says that I don’t trust her, and is barely speaking to me. How can I convince her to stop endangering us?

You don’t trust her!

For crying out loud, you’re locking your door at night because you somehow think the gun will magically make your daughter wake up and kill everyone in the house. That’s a clear sign you don’t trust her all on its own.

Look, I’m going to lay this out very bluntly. You have two choices, you either tell your daughter to move out or you deal with it.

She’s already refused to cough up the gun, and I don’t blame her. You’re not likely to be the one targetted for rape or assumed to be an easy target for a break-in because she’s female. She is. Should there be a home invasion while you all are there, she’s the one who is likely to get the worst of it. You’re not the one likely to have to deal with a stalker, be it an ex-boyfriend or someone else.

In other words, there are a lot of reasons she should keep that gun.

But if you’re going to push this, be advised: You may push your daughter away. She clearly takes her personal defense seriously.

Frankly, though, you shouldn’t do any such thing. It’s clear that there’s a need for at least one person who is capable of defending the household in your home, and since you’re incapable of filling that role, at least someone is.

As for the advice, it’s…ugh. It’s full of anti-gun claptrap including calling hollowpoints “exploding bullets.” Then again, advice columnists are people who are giving general advice; they’re not gun owners or even knowledgable about guns. They are, in theory, familiar with things like intrapersonal relationships.

She actually agreed with the ultimatum. I could honestly do an entire second post on the nonsense dressing itself up as “advice” in this crap.

Frankly, the daughter may well sever all ties with her family because of stuff like this, and that’s not mentioned by the so-called expert. Unsurprising.

The media of all sorts has to advance their anti-gun narrative by any means possible.