Fears, unfounded or otherwise

Heard my first gunshots today; somebody’s going to emergency, somebody’s going to jail.

We were sitting in the office this afternoon and there was a noise outside. It sounded like a string of firecrackers going off, five or six smallish bangs from outside. At first that’s what I thought it was, but then the sirens started and a reporter from another publication mentioned there had been a shooting.

From the start I’d state I’m not afraid of guns; I used to shoot at a competition level and guns are just like any other manufactured good in a lot of ways. A finely balanced shotgun or highly engineered rifle can be a thing of beauty, as exquisitely built as a fine watch or crafted sports car.

What does freak me out a little over here is their prevalence. This is less of an issue in San Francisco, since it’s one of the most gun-unfriendly cities in the US, but it’s the thought that anyone could be carrying one. In London if a fight kicks off you can be sure the most you’re going to face is fists or a knife 99 per cent of the time and if someone doesn't know what they're doing you can end the situation with minimal risk. But in the US there’s always the chance that the belligerent bloke (and tell the truth and shame the devil, it usually is men) you’re facing will have a gun.

There are nearly as many guns as people in the US, a very sobering thought. I could go to a gun show tomorrow and buy one with the minimum of fuss. It’s a far cry from the home shores where guns are kept safely in wall-fixed cabinets in gun clubs, which have security systems that could put some banks to shame.

But despite today’s incident you can’t live in fear – in the words of Roy Batty “that’s what it means to be a slave.” Instead you take a reasoned calculation of the odds and get on with your life. It’s like living in London during a bombing campaign; be it be Republican or Muslim fanatics. The odds of getting killed are minimal so live your life as normal and if it happens it happens. Otherwise they’ve won.

The other fear of the day concerned my housing arrangements. I was handing over my deposit today, and it’s a bit of a leap of faith to hand over wodges of cash to people you only met recently, however nice they are. I’ve met some absolute shits in this life and the worst have always been the most plausible, but this crew looks good to me.

So I popped round after work and we had a chat. It was very reassuring, and before you knew it three hours had passed and we were on the way to becoming firm friends. Even the house cat was adorable, a longish-hair grey who soon fell prey to my backrubs.

I really think I’m going to like living there. They’re young to be sure, so there’ll be occasional times where I feel the geezer of the group, but I think it’s going to be fun.