From: ddoyle9570@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 08 2002 - 19:14:19 PDT
I will not waste band with quoting back and forth, those interested already no the subject....
I have never seen a mounted weapon (37mm, 40mm, or even M2HB) be asked to be removed from a MV event....maybe you have.
And I do not purport myself to be an expert in the field of OVM, although I don't recall ever seeing a hand-held weapon listed on the OVM list for a US vehicle. My impression is that rifles and pistols were issued to individuals, not vehicles.
Does having this type material displayed with the vehicle add to the display....of course. Is it essential, NO?
The problem comes from irresponsibility...either on the part of the participant, or on the part of the spectator.
I have seen, not heard a rumor about, SEEN with my own eyes two events that have convinced me that in most cases weapons, particularly live ones, are a bad idea at Military Vehicle events...which is not the same thing as a reenactment or a gun show.
There are a few other guys on this list that were witness to these also, if you want confirmation of these tales....
In case number one, fellow with a lot of experience is walking around in uniform with his side arm in its holster. At the end of the show as he is packing up, he discovered he had accidentally replaced his non-gun with his live, loaded M1911A1. And had been walking around armed all day.
In case number two, a fellow walks away from his beautifully kitted out jeep. A kid about 12 or so, ignored momentarily by his parent, climbs in and is immediately drawn to the dummy 45, and picks it up and proceeds to start "shooting" the other spectators.
Now what if these two events had been one? How much "interesting display" would that have been worth?
Absurd, I don't think so. Maybe you are super cautious, you seem to be, but accidents can and will happen, even to the best. How many accidents can the hobby afford, how many can you afford?
The guy who walked around armed all day...a dear friend of mine, and the event safety officer. Only weapon not checked, his own (now we have two, and they check each other). The kid doing the "shooting", his dad is a militaria collector, who preaches "don't point guns at anything you don't want to shoot." But accidents do happen.
Another time I will tell you about the reenactment that the weapons check turned up live ammo just before going into battle, or the MV show where a vendor was selling live blank ammo to a group of ten year old boys.
You have the right to disagree with rules, and lobby to change them, or run your own event with your own rules. You even have the right, protected by the weapons of our forefathers and current citizens to say folk like me are being absurd. But from what I have seen, we are simply being cautious.
My .02,
David Doyle
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