[nabs-l] an interesting question

[Peter Donahue]

Good morning everyone,

    There are cases of blind persons who were forced to use guns in self 
defense. One such case happened here in Texas in the 1980s. Someone 
attempted to break in to the home of a blind person in the Austin Area. The 
gentlemen listened for the sound of the burglar's activities. Being sure the 
area was clear of others he pointed his gun, shot the burglar, and killed 
him.

There are also accounts of blind hunters who successfully shot game with 
sighted assistance. There is an account of a federationist from I believe it 
is Iowa in a past issue of The Braille Monitor who successfully shot and 
killed a trophy elk.

    The above descriptions of the use of firearms by the blind indicate that 
even here it's possible with carefully thought-out alternative techniques 
and proper instruction in the use of firearms their use can be mastered by 
the blind. And like the sighted blind persons that make this choice must 
accept the consequences for improper and irresponsible use of weapons of any 
kind.

    As for the space program and risk taking remember those comments the 
next time you turn on your portable Braille Notetaker, read a book with your 
Victor Stream or your KNFB Reader Mobile, listen to music on your iPod, fly 
in a Very Lite Jet, or drive a car modified to permit a blind person to take 
the wheel the technology behind all of these inventions came from one place. 
If you said, "The Space Program" you're right. The next time you say that 
our space program took too many lives and is a risky business it's no more 
so than is going to war. War kills more individuals than the space program 
ever did. Those who became astronauts did so at their own risk a risk they 
knowingly took for the benefit of all humanity. And let us not forget that 
among our own ranks there are a few who wish to become astronauts one of 
which received and NFB Scholarship this year.

        I told a number of people that it would have been neat to be able to 
try out the car drivable by the blind at the Youth SLAM. For those of us who 
have delt with inadequate public transportation and want to make more 
efficient use of their time and have the freedom to live where they choose 
such a vehicle would be
very empowering~~! I hope some prototypes are brought to next year's 
national convention for some of us to try out. That would be awesome!

Peter Donahue


   ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kevin Wassmer" <commanderlumpy2003 at earthlink.net>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 9:41 PM
Subject: [nabs-l] an interesting question


Hello folks. I have an interesting question for you all. Do you think a 
blind person can cary a hand gun for self defence? If the answer is yes, 
then how would a blind person be able to shoot someone if by the time the 
gun was loaded the other berson atempting to hurt the blind person turned 
around very fast? Can a blind person cary a hand gun and defend themselves?
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