The gun nut wackos have been crawling out of the woodwork recently. With “open carry” laws relaxing, it appears that some gun owners are trying to revert the country back to the Wild West days of yesterday years. Emboldened by the fringe of Second Amendment supporters, too often, people are reaching for their guns to settle scores that often seem senseless. Granted, the lion’s share of these wingnuts come from my home state of Texas, a place I have become increasingly ashamed to call home. However, the phenomena seems to be part and parcel of the red neck conservative masses’ mentality regardless of what part of the country they cock their hammers, or whatever they do with their semi-automatic rifles.

A case in point is the Minnesota man who ran amok when a neighbor wouldn’t take his advice on how to teach his daughter to ride her bike. This is seriously over the top dumb. Throw in a Remington 870 shotgun, and things got crazy in a hurry.

According to the arrest complaint, 61-year-old Gary Drake began making comments about the father’s tactics May 25 as he taught the girl to ride on the cul-de-sac they shared.

The father told his neighbor, “I’ve got it,” which apparently angered the older man.

“If you don’t like my advice, get off my street,” Drake told the man, who reminded his neighbor he didn’t own the street.

This apparently angered Drake even more, and police said he went inside to retrieve a Remington 870 shotgun. From Rawstory.com

Drake returned and threatened to kill the father, but fortunately, cooler heads prevailed as Drake’s wife came outside and physically took the shotgun away from him and dragged him back inside.

Drake wasn’t finished, however, and returned a second time to repeat the threat. Police were called and found alcohol was a factor before arresting the would-be killer before things really got out of hand.

Granted, most gun owners are much more in control of their emotions and actions than what we see happening on the fringe. The right to keep and bear arms is as sacrosanct to most Americans as the right to freedom of speech and other inalienable rights guaranteed by the Constitution. No one wants to see that right abridged. Abridgement, however, does not mean that regulations on who can carry arms and what arms they can carry in public is not the same thing. The thing to fear is when macho men armed to the teeth get to drinking and take the concept of “stand your ground” to the logical extension of lunacy. Therein lies trouble.