Well, I have successfully beat up politicians a bit, touched on travel, now it’s time for a subject that’s really close to my heart, guns, weapons, boomsticks, heaters, gats, roscoes, pieces, hip tumors, etc.

You see, I’m a card carrying lifetime member of the NRA, I have held an Indiana CCW since the day I became old enough to secure one and I go armed whenever and wherever I’m permitted to do so by law. People sometimes ask why I, or anyone who isn’t in law enforcement would bother to go armed, carrying a firearm and making sure it stays concealed can be kind of a hassle.

The reasons for my decision are manifold and complex, it’s a moral position, not a man thing, it’s not machismo, or umbrage, or even disgust with the system, it’s a deeply held belief that I have the God given right to protect myself, my family, and my home, from anyone who would seek to do me harm. It’s an absolute refusal to be a victim or a headline.

I carry for a number of reasons, not the least of which is experience based knowledge that the world is full of people who prefer to prey on others rather than provide for themselves. Maybe they’re too lazy to hold down a job, maybe they are hooked on booze or dope and need money for the next bottle or fix or maybe they are just evil and enjoy hurting others. Rationale for being a thug aside, I know there are a lot of thugs out there walking the streets because I spent 18 years in clinical healthcare; a significant portion of those 18 years was spent in one emergency room or another. I’ve seen, time and again the things people do to one another for no good reason at all. I’ve seen it all and I have heard all the lame excuses the dregs of humanity make for their actions, in the end it all comes down to three basic reasons, I want what you have, I don’t like you, or I’m just a sociopath and I don’t care about anyone or anything but what I want right now.

The other important bit about carrying a firearm is the willingness to use it. Using a firearm on another person is a serious proposition for a number of reasons. Many police officers who are forced to kill in the line of duty have psychological issues afterwards, a small percentage of them are unable to return to work, or at least patrol work. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume a significant percentage of armed citizens who are forced to defend themselves with lethal force are going to have the same issues. I believe this is because most, not all but most cops are cops because they wish to help people and really believe in the job they are doing. Cops are people too, most of them are good people, and good people generally have strong feelings about right and wrong, most good people believe it’s wrong to kill, period. When good people are forced into a situation where they are required to take some thug’s life, it’s natural for them to feel grief. Along with the psychological consequences there are a host of potential legal ramifications. They run the gamut from having your firearm confiscated and never returned to facing a wrongful death tort by the thug’s family to being tried for murder or manslaughter. The point is that if you aren’t willing to use a firearm to defend yourself. If you haven’t looked down deep and found the resolve and the moral justification to defend yourself from predators, you are better off leaving it at home.

There does seem to be a rash of common sense breaking out across the country. May states are passing so called “castle doctrine” legislation, which removes the necessity of retreat from a threat in your own dwelling, basically stating that you have the right to defend your home from invasion. Additionally some of the better pieces of legislation also protect the homeowner from civil action by surviving thugs or the families of deceased thugs.

This is a good thing in my opinion. It’s obvious to anyone with two brain cells to rub together that the criminal justice system in this country is a failure, and that the rate of failure is accelerating. The last time I checked 30% or 40% of the thugs in the federal penitentiary system are recidivists, that is to say that they’ve been in the pen before. There are a million problems with the criminal justice system and that’s a book to write another day. Suffice it to say that the criminal justice system completely fails when it comes to deterring thugs.

So the question remains, if a million cops and ten thousand courts can’t protect you from the scum of the earth, who can? The answer is simple, you. You are responsible for your own safety, your own preservation.

I’m just your average guy, the thing that differentiates me from the folks who choose not to go about armed is the simple fact that I choose to take personal responsibility for my safety and the safety of my family. One other thing contributes to my decision to carry a firearm, I know, from experience, that guns deter criminals. I have used a gun for self defense, there weren’t any shots fired, the sight of a gun in the hands of someone who appeared to be willing to use it was enough to put four thugs bent on trouble to flight. It worked for me and Gary Kleck estimates that it works for about 2.2 million other folks a year.

Q