Friday, June 17, 2016

Gun Control

That poster hung in my room as a kid. Instead of sports heroes, I idolized Jimi Hendrix.

Hendrix and bassist Noel Redding were pointing guns at each other -- probably pretend guns. Funny thing was, Hendrix and Redding didn't get along professionally -- but that's another story. Let's take a closer look at their hands:

Jimi held the reins in his right hand and the pistol in his left hand (he was left-handed). He had his trigger finger in the trigger guard on the trigger and his thumb over the hammer. Had the gun been uncocked, that would have been the deadliest pose to strike. Now let's look at Redding:

The Englishman used both hands to grip the pistol, but way, way down on the grip. Note that Redding (who was right-handed) gripped the pistol in his left hand. He held the reins in his right hand.

It seems obvious that holding the reins of power is symbolically more important than self-defense, though both are hopelessly entwined. 

8 comments:

edutcher said...

Hendrix probably grew up with Westerns.

chickelit said...

Hendrix probably grew up with Westerns.

He also served in the Army -- a paratroop at Fort Campbell -- so he had some formal training with firearms. Redding probably watched Westerns too but had no hands-on time with guns. In other words, he wasn't experienced.

edutcher said...

Watching Westerns would have at least taught Redding how to handle a six shooter.

Heard about Hendrix being in the Army, but would he have had that much training with a .45?

ndspinelli said...

As you know, Hendrix was hung like a horse, probably longer than that gun.

From what I've read, Trump does listen to his daughter. And, you KNOW she is a hater of the 2nd Amendment. Probably doesn't even know what due process means. So, I think she's whispering in Trump's ear to ban guns.

The Dude said...

I have never seen anyone hold a pistol like that. We played Cowboys and Indigenous People when I was young, still have my cap pistol. We would have been mocked for holding a sidearm like that. Was he wearing footy pajamas, too? In any case, that Redding was no relation to Otis.

edutcher said...

nd, you're babbling.

ndspinelli said...

Rice bowls.

Dad Bones said...

What Sixty Grit said. If my brother or the neighbor kid held a cap pistol like that I would have shot it out of his hand and he would have been obliged to drop it. That never happened, though, because we were properly educated at Saturday afternoon cowboy movies at the local theater when we could get our parents to drive us into town.