Honorary Darwin Award

[jarandhel]

I would hereby like to nominate my father for an honorary Darwin award. No, he didn't get killed (though it was close) and clearly he has managed to pass his genes on (sadly) since I am writing this, but.... well, here are the facts of the matter, decide for yourselves if this warrants one:

In cleaning the garage out for our move, my father found an old rifle belonging to him and my grandfather from when he was young. Not in great condition, but not in the worst condition ever either. Not wanting to go through the hassle of moving it or the legal problems of selling it or keeping it when moving to another state, he contacted the police to turn it in and have it destroyed. So far, I have no major problems with this.

Then he starts putting it right next to the door, as if it was sitting there to use on unwelcome visitors. I note how bad that looks, and he starts to move it over next to the computer table, within arm's reach of where he'll be sitting while waiting for the man. I pointedly note that looks worse, and make him leave it on the coffee table across the room and away from the door.

When the cop shows up to pick it up, my father literally jumps up to try to grab the gun and race it out to him like a hyperactive puppy. (Again, I stopped this.) Does anyone reading this NOT see why that would be a horrible idea?

Afterwards, I explain this to him, and he still doesn't get it. He rolls his eyes at me and thinks I'm paranoid. I explain to him the cop's likely reaction to seeing someone running out to greet him with a rifle in hand. "Aww, you don't let me have any fun, you mean I can't make his heart race a little?" and "he knew he was coming out here to pick up a weapon, I wouldn't have gotten shot..." are his responses.

And this is why I believe my father deserves an honorary Darwin award.

Edited: removed references to shotgun, gun in question was a rifle, for some reason was using the terms interchangeably before but my brain kicked back into gear now.

Comments

[ebonhost.livejournal.com]

Dude! Sign that man up!

Even -I- know better than that, and I come from a country where guns aren't very common at all.

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* I don't think they have to be common for it to still be common sense not to run towards an armed police officer holding one, regardless of whether he came to pick it up from you or not.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

I'll vote for him. Sheesh, good thing you were there; you probably saved his life. Clearly he has no clue how trigger-happy the cops are these days - they'll shoot a kid with a water pistol, let alone an adult with a shotgun.

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

I don't think they even necessarily need to be trigger happy. If I was a cop, and I drove up to someone's house and they came running out the door towards my car with shotgun in hand, I'd probably shoot first and ask questions later.

[animelily.livejournal.com]

Considering that cops are trained that when things look suspiciously like a threat to their life, they're taught to shot first ask questions later....uuuuuum. yup. Not quite too bright.

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It scares me at times to think that I have this man's genes. The lack of any and all common sense is truly astounding.

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

And you wonder why you're otherkin?? I think this is a good example...

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

Mrr? How so?

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

Do you really want to be admittedly related to someone *that* idiotic?? After all, you were asking for support with "honouring" your father with an honourary Darwin Award...

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

*shrugs* I suppose. I don't know, I don't presently tend to see being otherkin as making me less human, so I don't tend to look at it that way these days.

Though I will admit, I think being otherkin has made me more resistant to the major negative effects of being raised by someone like him...