Well, at the worst it would be yellow journalism. It's highly disingenuous and extremely sophomoric in the attempt to create an "unbiased" look.
Heidi Yewman is a hack "journalist" or blogger. Her first story, which got this train wreck of experience going, I've already covered. The impact was so negative, the original publisher of the article refused to publish her three follow-ups. There's the commentary for you: a feminist-leading online magazine refuses to publish a woman's experience in owning and wearing a gun.
So before I begin, I will open first with some concessions to Ms. Yewman.
1. Yes, guns are easily available for those whom have the cash and can pass a background check.
2. Yes, anyone can get a gun without requiring training; you only have to be a good citizen to obtain a gun legally (in WA state and others).
3. Yes, there are many gun owners that are irresponsible and do not give firearms the proper respect they deserve (as you so wonderfully demonstrated).
So some of her points are accurate. Someone with little or no experience with firearms can walk in, buy a handgun after passing a background check, and pick it up in a few days.
Do you know what else I can do, Ms. Yewman? I can walk into Staples or Office Depot, buy a computer, and call up Comcast and get Internet service. I can go on websites like this, or any number of the thousands of message boards, and type whatever I want, with little or no training. I can host my own website, or pay for one hosted. Espouse the virtues of any number of controversial subjects from racism to abortion to international affairs. Do you know why I can do this, Ms. Yewman? Because in Washington, D.C., there's a document that was written over 200 years ago that express the desires of citizens far smarter than you to establish a country where the government could not oppress people or ideas.
After reading Ms. Yewman's article, I thought it was hilariously overworked, full of fear-mongering and purposeful neglection that bordered on insanity. Ms. Yewman left her gun in her purse at a friend's house, where children were at play. Ms. Yewman knew she had the gun, she didn't "forget" that it was in her purse. It's a purposeful attempt to illustrate how irresponsible people can treat firearms. Had a child actually rummaged through the purses and found the gun, and an accident happened, Ms. Yewman would be guilty of recklessness or criminal negligence. She was not acting like a reasonable person. In fact, reading her article implies that her entire month was full of irrational behavior.
Ms. Yewman broke her own criteria for her experience. She left her gun in her purse numerous times (two specific times in the article, it would not be a stretch to believe these weren't the only times), even knowing children would be nearby and have easy access to her purse.
She is the irresponsible gun owner she is afraid of. That we're all afraid of. But guess what? We have a right guaranteed by the Constitution to keep and bear arms. We have a right to express our opinions. We have a right to a jury of our peers. We have a right to drink. You don't need experience or training to exercise any rights. If experience or training was required, it wouldn't be a right.
It's really sad that Ms. Yewman's experience was more about propagating fear and manifesting irresponsible behavior than actually learning what being a gun owner is really about. Having our rights dictated to us through laws and licensing is giving unconstitutional power to the government.
In broad strokes, our government cannot legislate safety of the people by restricting rights. It is not the job of the federal, state, or local government to create laws to protect the people from harm due to their ignorance of common sense.
But back to Ms. Yewman. While I understand what she was doing, she just comes across as one of the most ignorant, hypersensitive coward I've had the displeasure of reading. Her experience is one of the most dishonest efforts at gun control and disarmament I've seen.
So in conclusion, Ms. Yewman, I implore you to continue exercising your Second Amendment; the right not keep and bear arms. There are millions of others that are willing to responsibly exercise the right to keep and bear arms.
