Why do Americans want to own guns?

by Abha Malpani on

I remain baffled by how it’s legal to own a gun in the United States. I think even the option of having one is like saying it’s OK to kill if you have a good reason.

According to a recent piece in Newsweek there are 215 million guns in America — i.e. more than half the households across the country own one.

This statistic triggered photographer and author of “Armed America” Kyle Cassidy to travel 15,000 miles across the country to ask people who own guns “why do own a gun?”, and take portraits of them in their homes.

Some of the reasons were just beyond my comprehension:

  • “My shotgun will take care of any intruder, and I know how to use it.”
  • “I own a shotgun for the same reason I own a fire extinguisher.”
  • “Gun ownership is a right and privilege, everyone should exercise it. I think everyone should have one, on the range, on the playing field, in the world.”
  • “It’s not the guns that kill, it’s the people.”
  • “I have nothing against guns, I think they are cool and I love that we have them in the house. My friends are very impressed by the collection we have.”
  • “It’s up to us as citizens to protect ourselves, our family and property. Our constitution provides us with the right and method by which to achieve that objective, and I simply choose to exercise that right.”
  • “I think the ownership of arms is not only a right, but the duty of a free people to themselves and future generation.”

Goodness gracious me.

[Full podcast here.]

Santa Barbara pueblo hopping with J. Peterman

by Kelly Amabile on

When things calm down in California, let’s hope you’ll still be able to consider this unique walking tour in Santa Barbara. The Conference and Visitors Bureau has created a Red Tile Walking Tour of the city’s original pueblo district, and are promoting it with a brand new video podcast. Before embarking on a trip to the American Riviera, travelers can first watch Beyond the Rooftops to get a preview of the historic adobes and distinct architectural style that characterizes Santa Barbara.

The 16-minute video gives an overview of the actual self-guided 12-block tour and is narrated by none other than John O’Hurley, best known for his role as J. Peterman on Seinfeld. The historic Santa Barbara County Courthouse serves as starting point for the tour, which includes 17 stops and 22 homes dating from the late 1700s through the 1800s. Other historic landmarks along the way include the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Lobero Theater.

Photo of the Day (10/15/07)

by Iva Skoch on

If this photo doesn’t brighten your day, there is no hope for you my friend! Wow, this is a truly spectacular sight. Lovely colors. Taken on Friday in Korea, by ladyexpat.

***To have your photo considered for the Gadling Photo of the Day, go over to the Gadling Flickr site and post it.***

National Parks Traveler Gets Facelift

by Erik Olsen on

One of my favorite Web sites about the National Parks, National Parks Traveler, has received both a face and content lift, and I highly recommend you give it a spin. It is lovely and they have a much more sensible web address now.

NPT is run by the ever-diligent, park-loving Kurt Repanshek who has done a stellar job over the years bringing to light issues and developments within our nation’s national parks. Seems he has teams up with the folks that do Park Remark to create a fantastic new site dedicated to the parks.

I wax rhapsodic about the parks frequently here because I deeply believe they are the crown jewels of our national heritage. We should all thank Teddy Roosevelt Ulysses Grant for having the foresight all those years ago to set off Yellowstone as a place that would be protected from development and where all Americans (and others) would be welcome3 to enjoy. The parks are in peril…well, there is a large backlog of much-needed repairs, and it is our duty to pay attention to what is happening to them. Now, that said, I am a realist. My first job out of school (my first REAL Job…after being a photographer in Tahoe) was with the Department of the Interior, the government agency that contains the National Park Service. At that time, there was a serious backlog of repairs, a shortage of qualified rangers and various threats to the sanctity of the parks (i.e. snowmobile issues, planes over the Grand Canyon, etc.). So many of these issues are not new. Not that we shouldn’t continue to pay attention, especially during these “difficult” years.

Anyway, I’ve given the new National Park Traveler a once-over and it is loaded with new features and lots of useful, interesting info. So I urge you, as we move swiftly into summer during which time your plans might include a trip here and there to the parks, to check it out.

City Surf’s Audio Walking Tours for the “Un-Tourist”

by Willy Volk on

According to City Surf, “Guidebooks show you which neighborhoods are cool to visit, we show what’s cool IN those neighborhoods.” Indeed, City Surf has created audible walking tours of some hip Toronto hang-outs, including Kensington Market, St. Lawrence Market, Yorkville, and The Annex.

To use the tours, you download one of the 30-40 minute tours, load it into your iPod, and hit the streets. Rather than having your nose buried in a guidebook, you slip on your earbuds and listen to what makes the area unique. Spaced out, listening to your iPod, you’ll look just like a local.

The only downside is that the tours run $9.99 CAD (about $9 US) per download. A little steep? Maybe. But the music-filled sample tracks City Surf has posted sound like they’re brimming with great insider tips that’ll let you experience the city the way the locals do. I’ve never gone on an audible walking tour of a neighborhood. I imagine I’d have to do it twice: once to learn the tips; and a second time to feel like I’ve really immersed myself in the place.

Not heading to Toronto? Montreal and Vancouver tours are in the works.

[Thanks, Ali!]