It’s almost the weekend and I’m pondering what to do to entertain myself in the coming days.

I’m not that big of a baseball fan, but I was thinking maybe I’d take in a Fisher Cats game.

As a kid I followed baseball closely – although I’ll admit that I didn’t grow up in New England, so I wasn’t following the Red Sox. I followed my hometown’s high school and American Legion teams and attended nearly all of their games. From time to time I would travel with my dad to New York City and go to a professional game.

Baseball is such a peculiar sport when you think about the fundamentals of it. Have you ever tried explaining the game to someone who has never played or watched it? It’s quite difficult. There are two teams....the first team sends a player with a large wooden club “up to bat” so that the other team can whip a small hard ball at him and the first guy tries to hit that little ball with the club....if he hits it, he can run around a circle until someone else throws the ball to another one of the players, yadda, yadda, yadda. I’ll spare you my explanation of a game that I’m guessing anyone reading this already understands well enough.

But what about that club they use? We all know it’s called a baseball bat. Most of us had one when we were kids. My brother taught me how to hold it and swing it and how to hit that little ball with it. Thinking back, what if I slipped and hit the catcher or something? Or one of my brothers? I’m sure that’s happened to someone along the way.

What if someone used a baseball bat for a purpose beyond hitting that little ball? What if they instead used it as a weapon? What if they beat someone to death with it?

Wait, I think something like that happened here in Manchester a couple years ago. Yes, yes it did.

Back in August 2005, Manchester resident Stephen Raymond was brutally beaten with a baseball bat near his Auburn Street home. He had confronted some youths in his neighborhood, who subsequently told their older friends and siblings, who later returned. Raymond ended up fighting with these teens and young men. One eventually took a red aluminum bat and swung it at Raymond, hitting him in the back of the head. Raymond died from his injuries in June of 2006.

But back to my initial thoughts – what to do this weekend. Ah, yes, the Fisher Cats.

Whether you like baseball or not, you can’t knock the Fisher Cats when it comes to being charitable. I often read about various charities benefiting from this team’s efforts. Earlier this year, they presented a check for $5,000 to the Corporal Bruce McKay Family Fund. The donation came from the $15,000 raised during a ticket fundraiser, game-worn jersey auction and sale of merchandise for the inaugural Officer Michael Briggs Night on May 21. Bruce KcKay was a police officer was shot and killed by someone he had pulled over. Micheal Briggs was shot and killed in the line of duty in a Manchester Alley. Both were horrific tragedies. It was generous of the Fisher Cats to help out with their fundraising efforts.

Hey, I have an idea. Maybe instead of a game, I’ll attend a fundraiser to support something I believe in. Anyone know of any upcoming fundraisers?

Ah, yes, there’s the now infamous Manchester Republican Committee Machine Gun Shoot. OK, so it’s not this weekend, it’s next Sunday, but as you can guess, I’m not really writing about my weekend plans anyways.

Yes, I’m planning on attending this particular fundraiser. I’ll attend partly because I know how important it is for local political parties to raise money to help elect their various candidates. And I'll attend partly because I like to shoot.

Oh no, not shooting.

Yes, I’m a gun owner and I like to shoot…..at paper targets and at empty cans. I prefer to shoot outdoors where the noise seems less deafening to me. I own a hand gun and a couple of rifles – no AK-47’s, no Uzi’s, no machine guns. But I wouldn’t mind seeing what it’s like to shoot a machine gun.

So, off I’ll go to Pelham Fish & Game with my $25 and money for ammunition, and I’ll take a try at shooting a machine gun. One of the best things, besides the fundraising aspect and the actual shooting aspect, is that I know I’ll be in a safe environment with instructors showing me how to properly shoot this particular firearm. Gun safety is very important to me, always has been, so it’s nice to know that Pelham Fish & Game, Manchester Firing Line and the MRC have made sure that this event is not only fun but very safe.

Believe it or not, guns in general are safe. They’re just inanimate objects, you know. They don’t actually do anything on their own. The person in possession of the firearm is who decides what they will do with it. Just like a person wielding a baseball bat. Most often it’s to hit that little ball. Sometimes, unfortunately, a baseball bat can be used as a weapon . Ask Stephen Raymond’s family.

Most gun owners only shoot to hunt or for sport like target shooting or skeet shooting. I also happen to have my handgun for self protection. Ironically, in addition to my firearms, I also own a baseball bat. I keep that bat in my bedroom as well. I thought of using it to fend off an intruder if someone were dumb enough to break into my home while I was there. There would be a chance that the baseball bat could be turned against me and used to harm me, as I’m guessing the intruder would likely be stronger than me. I thought about it though and have since decided that I will choose my hand gun instead if I were ever faced with an intruder. Trust me, he won’t have a chance.

I am by far not a violent person. I am also not naïve. I live alone and I fully intend to protect myself if I need to. That doesn’t mean I am reckless or any sort of criminal. I’d like to think I’m just being smart and being prepared. If I choose to also shoot for fun at a range, that also doesn’t make me reckless or a criminal.

This is why I am so befuddled about the clamor over this GOP fundraiser. There is nothing reckless, irresponsible or immoral about it. It’s target shooting. Yes, it includes firearms and yes, sometimes firearms are used in crime. So what does that say about those who go off to a batting cage and hit some balls? You know baseball bats are used as weapons sometimes, too. Ask Stephen Raymond’s family. Does that mean baseball bats are reckless, irresponsible or immoral? Of course not – to make such a correlation would be absurd.

What is equally as absurd is correlating law abiding gun owners getting together for target shooting. Yes, we’re using bigger bats than usual, but that’s all they are - bigger and louder. No one is any more inclined to commit a crime after attending this fundraiser than if they would be if we instead went to Mel’s in Litchfield to hit some balls.

Criminals commit crime. It’s as simple as that. Some commit crime with a gun, some with a baseball bat, and still others with their vehicle when they choose to drive under the influence. Crime is about the person not the item they choose to use as a weapon.

So, if you want to get out and go to a game, you should do so. You should do so not having to worry that there is anything wrong with supporting a sport that involves a large wooden club that some individuals have opted to use as a weapon. Go, have a hot dog and a beer, and enjoy the game.

Or, go out and go shoot a machine gun at that fundraiser. They’ll be serving hot dogs as well.

Sorry, no beer at the range, THAT wouldn’t be responsible.