Believe me, as an individual that is very pro Buddhism and pro firearms I really want some magical quote by the Dalai Lama extolling the virtues of firearms. Many would point to his quote made May 15th 2001 as reported by the Seattle Sun Times:
"If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it is reasonable to shoot back with your own gun."
Wow, there you go, Dalai Lama said so himself...look no further...or perhaps you really should look a little further, because that's not the end of the quote as 99% of the internet would have you believe:
"If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it is reasonable to shoot back with your own gun. Not at the head, where a fatal wound might result. But at some other body part, such as a leg."
It's obvious why pro firearms people would choose to omit the last sentence of the quote. A great deal can be inferred from the full quote.
1) really, don't kill people.
2) the Dalai Lama (not surprisingly) doesn't really understand how firearms work and what bullets do to people.
3) the Dalai Lama is trying to be inclusive to a people that possess and hold in high esteem, firearms. He's trying to not be a hater, and he's pretty good at it.
There is no quote (that I know of) that the Dalai Lama has made that really supports guns. At best this often sited as a pro-gun quote is just the Dalai Lama accepting that firearms are here.
Gandhi on the other hand:
"Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest."
I am sure the Dalai Lama fully understands what bullets do to people.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the full quote should be posted and my search to find the whole quote somehow ended up with me visiting this page.
However the fundamental issue, the purpose of his quote (it seems from what I can find) is that people have a right to defend themsleves..and that is what most gun owners are trying to do..simply defend themselves. It is very few indeed who actually want to kill someone...but with out the threat of that finality, most of the criminal ilk will barely give heed to the warning.
Thanks for posting the whole quote. :)
I've been trained in self defense with firearms and what I've learned is exactly what the Dalai Lama said. I have never been instructed to kill anyone, I've been taught to shoot until the threat has ended. If a shot in the leg will end the threat then that's all one can morally and legally do.
ReplyDeleteAs the previous person suggested; anytime you shoot at someone there is the chance it will be fatal, even if you only shoot them in the leg. Very few people are skilled enough to hit a specific target like a leg, so we're taught to shoot at center mass. People can take several shots to their torso and still live. I will shoot until an aggressor is neutralized and not one shot more. I'm happy that the Dalai Lama agrees with my firearms instructors.
I saw the Dalai Lama speak once a few years ago. He was very funny and also inspirational.
Jerry
I think it's probably a bit naive to assume that a man who oversaw his country's armed resistance to a foreign invasion, then fled in the middle of the night while being hunted by the Chinese army is unfamiliar with what firearms do.
ReplyDeleteThe Dalai Lama said it is reasonable to meet force with like force for the purpose of defending oneself. Why do you read it any other way?
ReplyDelete