Peter Keith, former mayor of Grover Beach who owns a number of rifles and handguns, doesnt agree with President Barack Obamas multipronged gun control proposals.
He uses his weapons for a little hunting, to keep his Huasna Valley ranch clear of ground squirrels and for practice.
But the overriding reason he owns weapons, he said, is because we live out in the country, we live a half-hour out of Grover and that can be a critical length of time for a sheriff to get out here in the event one is needed. And if the worlds going to hell in a hand basket, he added, I want to be able to protect my mily.
Keiths view represents one side of a debate that is being held across San Luis Obispo County, much as it is in Washington, D.C.
Others locally support Obamas measures and think guns need to be more controlled.
Keith stressed that he is not a survivalist.
I dont want to hurt anybody, but the world can be gruesome and I will not surrender to it. I havent been a member of the NRA in 30 years, but Im signing up next week for a lifetime membership.
Whats happened to this country is a tragedy, all of these mass murders. Im just not going to be a victim; I know how to use weapons.
Betsy Ehler, a South County schoolteacher, has a different take on Americas gun culture.
Im against the crazy use of guns, although I think hunting is fine, as is self-protection. I think assault weapons arent necessary in our society. What happens with the gun lobby (when gun control is raised) is that they start waving the flag and 2nd Amendment rights to carry a gun.
The right to live trumps the Second Amendment, she added. As a teacher, Im constantly worried that someone may come in here and try to hurt them (her students) and thats no way to live.
Floyd Lewelling, a county native who currently lives in Atascadero, has been a lifetime hunter and keeps a variety of weapons for that purpose. Yet, like many gun owners, hes concerned about the safety of his mily and friends in the event of a natural disaster and subsequent societal crash.
If we see a natural disaster, such as an earthquake in either Southern or Northern California, where do you think armed gangs are going to go? Do we want to be unarmed when they arrive?
Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, reiterated in a statement her support for many of the presidents proposals.
I already support ... universal background checks, banning military-style assault weapons, banning high-capacity ammunition magazines that allow a gunman to fire dozens of rounds in less than a minute, and strengthening gun trafficking laws will help keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
Former fire chief of Orcutt, Kirk Mang, believes the answer to curbing gun violence lies within the bonds of the mily unit.
In my opinion, Obama and Democrats need to be looking at other causations, because weve tried gun control before, he said.
Sandy Hook would have happened no matter how many guns are out there. We have to turn the clock back and look at whats going on with milies.
Fred Seaman, overseer of the San Luis Obispo Sportsmans Association range on Highway 1, agrees to a similar degree.
Enforce the laws that are already on the books. You cant legislate crazy to save others. Look at that kid who killed his mother to get her guns, he said.
How about the crimes in Chinese schools where kids were killed with knives, or Rwanda where machetes were used? Should we outlaw knives? Machetes? Hammers? Vehicles, because they kill thousands annually? (Obamas proposals) could be a slippery slope toward confiscation of firearms.
Mang sees value in the deterrence of being armed: My daughter teaches 5th grade in the (San Joaquin) Valley where two armed parents of the kids have volunteered to guard the school.
What a bad guy with a gun doesnt want to meet up with is a good guy with a gun.