First off, in no way do I mean this post to shed a negative light on guns, gun owners, suggest that any of us are irresponsible gun owners or anything of the like, so I hope no one sees it as so. I've actually flip-flopped on whether or not to even post this. I decided to, and I hope no one takes it the wrong way, I apologize in advance if it touches any nerves, as it is not my intent at all. I just wanted to share an experience I had yesterday. I am a "non-traditional" (older) college student, enrolled at university. I am taking a Forensic Science course, which is an extremely interesting and fascinating course. However, the subject we are currently covering is firearms and firearm injuries/fatalities. We had a guest speaker yesterday, the state medical examiner, and he presented a lecture of firearm fatalities, complete with graphic slides of actual homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings. It's a very humbling and somewhat disturbing experience to witness the reality of what guns are capable of, and I speak for myself saying that it's easy to be jaded by hollywood and glorified and romanticized violence. The lecture was just a reminder of the actual power of firearms and the respect they command and the hopes that none of us are ever faced with a situation where we have to use deadly force, although its sometimes warranted. I love my gun just as much as everyone else and yesterday was just another reality check. I know we're all responsible gun owners and feel it's up to us to teach likewise. I know I'm new to handguns , but I've shot rifles and shotguns since I was very young, so I hope this doesn't come across as just a noob preaching to the choir. I'll stop "preaching" now, It just helped me a bit to share my experience. Thanks.