To Arms! To Arms!

     Another timely topic that has been bouncing around in my head for some time that I now feel inclined to write about due to some recent events. First, I want you to imagine a scenario.....A man that is coming down from a three day high and is in need of some quick money so he can fix his habit, decides to rob the gas station on the corner with little or no regard for the clerk or customers. As he starts to walk in he notices a sign on the door that says "No concealed handguns permitted on premises". At this point, what do you believe the reaction will be? "Darn, I cant rob this store, they don't allow guns in here!" Umm, probably not. No, he will enter the store and begin his 2 minute reign of terror just so he can get high again. The majority of these robberies are quick and no one gets hurt if everyone complies. There is a pretty good chance though of someone getting hurt or killed if one thing goes wrong. Say the man behind the counter is an owner/operator at this store and decides to resist the robber, so not to suffer any losses himself. A shot rings out and the owner falls to the floor...bleeding. Time stops for everyone in the store......the robber has now, in the blink of an eye, become a murderer. The stakes are higher, and there are witnesses. He stops and wonders if he should shoot the other two people in the store that can identify him. He can't reason because he is coming down off a high and decides to just shoot the other customers. One of the customers is a man that usually carries a concealed handgun, but has left it in his car because more and more businesses don't allow them anymore.

     A telephone rings...playing a familiar song. The woman answers only to be told by police that her husband has been killed in a robbery in town at a gas station. The woman weeps and falls to the floor as her two kids look on and try to figure out what is going on.

     This is a sad story, but one that is repeated everyday all across the country. The location may be slightly different, the details vary, but good people are killed by bad people all the time. It is very difficult for good, law abiding citizens to protect themselves today against the maniacs that enter stores, work sites, and schools in attempt to do harm to others. This is why it is very important for the administrators and law makers to understand how crucial it is that you do not disarm people who are qualified and trained to carry guns. I cant sit here and quote statistics and case studies in particular, but i can tell you there have been crimes stopped and lives saved by good people being armed in a crisis situation.

     I am a firm believer that when you start to regulate guns in The United States, only criminals will benefit. They think it would be great if we took all the guns away from the good people in this country. The second amendment of The Constitution of the United States guarantees the right of "a Well Regulated Militia" to keep and bear arms. George Washington interpreted that a "well Regulated Militia" consisted of every able bodied man in the country. The Supreme Court has often fought over the clash in terms and has never struck down any piece of legislation on second amendment grounds.

     In the state of Arkansas, to carry a concealed firearm you have to take the class from a qualified instructor, pass all kinds of tests and background checks,  and demonstrate your ability to handle the firearm. I have taken the class before, and all the situations in which lawmakers are weary of covered in the class. Believe me, people that have taken the class know what is and isnt expected of the responsibility of having a weapon. Its not up to the liberal government to tell us what we need to do to make it safe.

     Then why would the government not want us to have guns? Our forefathers ,in the infancy of this country, understood this perfectly. They were oppressed by an imposed military government that did not allow you to freely express yourself. In order to create the country and the government we desired, every man had to take up arms to resist and fight for the independence that we enjoy today. If the men of the time hadn't had weapons of their own, just try to imagine what direction this country might have gone. That being said, do you ever wonder what you would do if the government we have now grows to big and powerful and starts to put regulations and rules into place that we as citizens find to be intolerable? What if the majority rule starts to fail and a choice, small group begins to run the government as they see fit and democracy is overturned?

     As the world changes, and criminals are allowed to run freely among the good people of this country, I advise you to educate your family, especially your kids, on safety and self defense. The court system is failing right now due to being completely overwhelmed and the jails are too full. I have news for you people....you would not believe the amount of violent offenders being let out of jails now to save money or make room for the newly convicted. It is sad to have to be the harbinger of such news, but protect your family! The government wont do it. Law Enforcement is stretched thin. When facing a dangerous situation, and things seem bleak for you and death seems imminent, I promise, you are going to wish someone in the room had the means to stop it. I choose to rely on myself!