of time to bring pleasure or pain.

an apartment wall and forever snuff

I AM THE The responsibility for my actions rests

squarely on your shoulders. You conceived
me, you entombed me in a cartridge case
out the future of a defenseless child.
Doctor Mann spent a lifetime trying
to find out why I didn’t always perform
with my brother primer and sister gun- as external ballistics would demand I

BULLET... powder, slaves to your bidding.

If you didn’t cast, size, lube and load
me yourself, you bought me just like you
do—and he went to his grave with my
secret intact. But you insist on imbibing
alcohol and firing bullets into the air in a
! bought Mister Gump’s box of chocolates. puerile Yuletide celebration, understanding
"!BY LOUIS AWERBUCK But unlike the box of chocolates, with me nothing of the physics of my flight
what you see is what you get. I am the path—or my power to change your life
Reprinted With Permission of corked bottle encasing a quiescent genie. forever.
S.W.A.T. Magazine, Copyright 2005. Once the genie is free, you know exactly You will spend endless hours discussing
what potential can be unleashed—but you the merits and demerits of my size and
S.W.A.T. DECEMBER 2004 - Page 98
had better choose your three wishes wisely. velocity, but when all is said and done, it
The acquisition of firearms and am- really doesn’t mean anything.
www.swatmag.com munitions is sequential, one way or the The truth of the matter is that once I
other. Rarely does one initially have a depart from your gun muzzle you no
vast supply of ammo of a specific caliber longer have control over me—and I, too,

I am the bullet—and I have no conscience.

and subsequently acquire a firearm to use
or expend this supply. While people often
no longer have control over my own destiny.
The next time you see a humble un-
You will treat me with respect because buy a secondary or tertiary weapon for this fired bullet remember that without me
once I leave, you have no control over reason, usually one purchases the gun, your gun is as useless as fingers on a
my actions. Once I’m gone I will do as cleaning equipment, accessories, and a rooster. And once loaded, I can be as
I please, governed only by the laws of storage unit—be it a case, bag or gun dangerous as a drunk in rush hour traf-
physics. safe—before any thought is given to what fic. Once my power is unleashed, there
And the next time you see me I will ammunition is going to be obtained and can be only two results—delight and
have done my work, bringing on your used in the weapon. satisfaction, or disaster and horror. And this
life a potential gamut of emotions ranging And after spending a king’s ransom on will reach fruition in the blink of an eye,
from pleasure, satisfaction and exhilaration all this equipment, you head for the local for I have no childhood, no puberty, no
to anger, pain, grief and regret. gun emporium and spend a pittance on adulthood.
Use me wisely and with discretion, for a case of the cheapest garbage military Treat me with respect, for I am the bullet—
I can snuff out the flame of a king’s life as surplus ammo you can find. and I have no conscience. "!
easily as I can bring delight to a ten- Then when you miss, you blame it on !
year-old’s face by recording for posterity a me. When you accidentally discharge a [Louis Awerbuck is Director of the
first bulls eye on a humble paper target. firearm because you neglected to extract internationally acclaimed Yavapai Firearms
me from the chamber, you blame it on Academy.
It took the fire of a crucible to conceive
me, but now I’m no longer molten metal— me. When I plow my way through bone Course information and schedules are
and therein lies the deceptiveness of and muscle, and fail to incapacitate a available at their website at www.yfainc.com]
my power. When I was cast in the mould madman, you blame it on me. But when
of hot lead you knew I was dangerous, you achieve the result you wanted, then
but now you underestimate me as I lie it’s because of your masterful ability, Distributed by
in the womb of the cartridge case, a solidi- and I’m forgotten—used, expended, and The Piedmont NRA Instructors,
fied metal teardrop the size of your spent. Inc.
fingernail. Beware, for the day I’m born Such is my lot—Man’s ingratitude
I will go from womb to tomb in the fraction and lack of respect for the humble bullet. www.piedmontNRAinstructors.org
of a second. For me there will be no Because you paid for the ammunition, I
childhood, no puberty, no adulthood— 1. Always keep the gun pointed in a safe
become your possession; but you don’t direction.
just a nano-second of flight before I find own me—I own your soul. I will make
my terminal resting place. you or break you in my short lifespan. 2. Always keep your finger off the trigger
You must be mother, father, teacher, until ready to shoot.
The slightest marksmanship error on
and priest, because you will guide me on your part and I will embarrass you in 3. Always keep the gun unloaded until
my short life’s path. I am but an emotionless, front of your peers. The slightest lapse in ready to use.
inanimate object with no heartbeat concentration while manipulating a firearm
and no conscience. Once the hot gases of And - after you have handled firearms
and I will take an innocent life. I will wash your hands and face with soap and
propulsion give birth to my destination, ricochet off a windshield, a belt buckle,
they will also signal my death knell, for cold water.
or a baseball cap bill when you’ve been
I will have no childhood, no puberty, no told I should have penetrated the material—
adulthood. Instant birth to instant rest, and I will just as easily over-penetrate
with but a momentary tick of the clock