Sequel to guns and board games

I really didn't think I would be writing another post today. But some days, the stupid and dangerous behavior exhibited by "law abiding" gun owners just begs for comment. You may remember that I wrote a blog post about a Minnesota family playing board games when gun play broke out. Several people were actually injured by bullets in this family dispute while playing a board game. And at that, it was the second incident for the same family. When will we learn that having a gun at all times is just not necessary nor is it a good idea? Too many accidents and intentional shootings take place for small, insignificant arguments that should never end with gun shots.

Maybe it's Minnesota. Maybe it's the weather. It's snowing here again today. It's been the worst winter anyone can remember and we are all fed up with the cold and snow. The weather has kept us inside more than usual. And what do people do while spending time inside? They could read. They could clean their house, engage in hobbies, play with their kids and maybe play a game of cribbage with a friend. But watch out. Don't take that game too seriously. For in Rosemount, Minnesota, a cribbage player got upset at the outcome of the game and pulled a gun on his friend:

Rosemount, Minn., cribbage game went a peg too far Friday night when a disgruntled man pulled a gun on his neighbor, prosecutors say.

Peter E. Kvam, 60, was charged this week with second-degree assault and terroristic threats in the incident. He’s free on $25,000 bail.

According to the charges:

Police were called to an apartment complex in the city at about 9 p.m. Friday. Kvam’s neighbor told officers the two had been playing cribbage for money.

Kvam "became very upset when he lost the game" and pulled a small handgun from his sock. The neighbor said Kvam pointed the gun at him. Another man there at the time also said he believed Kvam had pointed the gun at him.

Why bring a gun to a game of cribbage? The gun owner had been drinking. Guns and alcohol don't mix for sure. But apparently for some people neither do guns and cribbage.

My husband's mother and her sister used to play a mean game of cribbage. And I do mean "mean". They actually got upset with the other over losing the game. Thank goodness they had common sense and the game didn't end with a threat of harming the other. Guns are dangerous and pose a risk to their owners and others in homes and in public. When some folks feel a need to bring a gun with them wherever they go, they just may intend for that gun to be used, and not in self defense. It's time to change the conversation about guns so that we can have peaceful communities without fear of the senseless tragedy an incident like this could have brought. In a mere second, one man could have been dead because another pulled a gun over losing a game. Be careful out there.

Fifteen- two; fifteen-four and a pair makes eight. It's just a game. Don't bring a gun to a friendly game. No one wins when things go wrong.