I carry my pistol always, whenever the law permits, inside or outside the
house; at night it goes under my pillow, where I have slept with one on
and off for 45 years. Am I utterly paranoid, do I feel that evil out to get
me is lurking everywhere, am I so ruled by fear that I must have my
security blanket at all times?
No. To think so would be to completely misunderstand the role of the
personal gun in my life. My pistol, combined with some competence in its
use, has indeed been a wonderful comfort in a few potentially unpleasant
circumstances, and the knowledge I can retain command of my immediate
environment does tend to encourage a calm self-confidence in everyday
life, while precluding panic in an emergency.
The chief virtue of the pistol is that I wear it; you do not have to go
and fetch it when criminal violence threatens with shocking suddenness out of
the blue, as can happen even in peaceful Llano County, Texas, where I
live. If you have time to fetch a gun, you would do better to grab a
shotgun, probably. Wear your pistol, keep all other firearms locked away. On you,
it is safe from kids and other unauthorized persons, you do not have to
remember where you stashed it or fumble with the combination lock of a
pistol safe. It is there, instantly ready to protect you and your
family. On the street concealed carry is usually required either by law or social
usage and has the advantage of protecting everyone, even antigun liberals,
because criminals cannot tell which of their potential victims might be armed.
Yet my pistol is more than just security. Like an Orthodox Jew�sh
yarmulke or a Christian cross, it is a symbol of who I am, what I believe and the
moral standards by which I live. It symbolizes the Social Contract between
myself and society and declares that I am no mere subject but a free and
independent citizen of the Republic who holds inalienable rights while
honoring the responsibilities that accompany those rights. My pistol
states that I will defend the common weal, that I will uphold what is right and
decent and that I am willing and able to protect myself and mine. (The
police cannot and are not required to protect the individual person or
family. They are spread too thin for that. When called they will do
their best, but all too often they can get there only in time to clean up the
aftermath. You are responsible for your own safety.)
My pistol is my family's shield, my guarantee that upon my life I will
let no evil touch them. When a malefactor demands, Your dignity and your
money, or your life!" my pistol introduces a very sobering third alternative: No
- if you persist in this criminal endeavor, it is your life that will be at
hazard."
Many people will suggest that the contents of your wallet are not worth
jeopardizing your life for, just hand it over to the thug and move on.
By doing so you are encouraging crime - success ensures the robber will seek
another victim. I consider it to be a citizen's duty (a hard word to the
me generation) to resist attempted violent crime by all means at his
disposal, even at considerable risk to himself. Remember, action is always faster
than reaction (unless your assailant has the reaction time of a Bill Jordan).
Dissemble, pretend to go along. 'I don't w-w-want any trouble, you can
have my wallet, I'm getting it out of my hip pocket now.' As your hand closes
on your gun, yell: "Look out, behind you!" Side-step as you present the
pistol, and when he turns back your front sight rests squarely on his
chest. With variations to suit the particular circumstances, this sort of ploy will
work far more often than most victims would believe. Statistics suggest that
an intended victim who resists with a firearm is by a good margin less
likely to be injured than one who does not resist at all. On the other hand, the
surest way to survive a gunfight is not to get into one. Stay alert and
avoid potentially bad situations if you possibly can.
Research by Professor John Lott, Gary Kleck and others into the effects of
concealed carry laws prove beyond quibbling that they reduce violent
crime quite considerably. Since it began to license responsible citizens to
carry arms, Florida's murder rate has sunk from 36 percent above the national
average to well below it, and overall the decline in violent crime in
states with concealed carry laws (compared to the others) runs at least 15
percent for murder, II percent for robberies and 9 percent for rape, according to
Professor Lott. Private citizens are said to use firearms in
self-defense as often as a million times a year. In the vast majority of these incidents
no blood is shed; the thug flees or surrenders. Nevertheless, it is claimed
that private citizens justifiably in twice as many criminals as the
entire law enforcement establishment in any given year.
Obviously, an armed and responsible citizenry is a very potent force in
keeping crime in check. In many nations where private citizens are
denied firearms - as most recently in Australia - violent crime is on the
upswing, whereas in the U.S. the rate is declining.
However, the right to be armed does not depend on these facts; it goes
way back to our very beginnings. Long before the Second Amendment and the
rights acknowledged by English Common Law traditions, the right of a free man to
bear arms was recognized by almost every culture or civilization that
comes to mind. Until well into this sorry century, free men were armed, and
like the yeomen of England and our own militia, they constituted the backbone
of their societies.
Every right includes commitments, not least the right to bear arms.
Anyone who carries a pistol in public has an obligation to society to be
reasonably competent with it, able to hit his target - under stress - rather than
uninvolved bystanders; he must know and abide by the laws limiting the
use of lethal force; he must avoid quarrels and altercations and understand
that he will be held to higher standards of restraint and responsibility than
an unarmed person. The course of instruction that is rightly required (in
addition to background checks) in order to earn a Texas Concealed
Handgun License teaches all this, and more, including conflict resolution.
Passing a shooting test is mandatory, but the class does not include shooting
instruction; you are expected to have arranged for adequate training
beforehand. It is a fine course; anybody who intends to go armed ought
to take a similar one.
My pistol has aided no evil, it has added not a tittle of gratuitous
violence to the world. On the contrary, its presence on my hip or on the
Land Rover seat very definitely defused a couple of dangerous situations
in the old days in Kenya. More recently, on a dark street, I am convinced
the mere suspicion of its presence, engendered by my alert, confident
demeanor, averted what could otherwise have been a nasty incident. Colt got it
right; a pistol in the hands of a decent, courageous citizen is a convincing
peacemaker. My pistol is a positive influence for stability, for
decency, for righteousness, for freedom from fear and violence, for all that is
right and proper. (If anyone can present a rational argument that factually
disproves this statement, I will discard the gun and never carry it
again.)
One's self-image matters a great deal; it is what charts one's course
through life. If I refuse to compromise my integrity, my self-respect
and what the Founding Fathers referred to as their sacred honor, it is
because my image of myself will not permit it. Self-images are complex, of
course. Basically I see myself as a sound and responsible citizen, a
scrupulously law-abiding, friendly, reasonable, middle-class, normally intelligent and
fairly well educated paterfamilias with some understanding of true
values who has been blessed beyond his deserts in this life and is truly
grateful.
At the very root and foundation of my being, though, I am a warrior - a
very mild one, but a warrior nevertheless - as any man must be to some
degree. My pistol symbolizes that as such I will not be coerced by fear or by any
political, social or physical threats whatsoever into doing anything I
consider dishonorable or unworthy of my self-respect. You can push me
only so far, but no farther. It symbolizes the positive side of the warrior
spirit, which is the one force that can maintain respect for the law,
stability, freedom, peace and decency in this world. Without it we are
done.
Warriors and hunters tend to be fascinated by fine personal arms and will
often cherish one above all others, far beyond its utility as a tool.
That is why embellished firearms are commonplace, while engraved carpenter's
hammers are not. I dote on my Colt Officer's ACP carry gun, and delight
in its presence on my hip. Now do you begin to understand what my pistol
means to me?
Be that as it may, our body of armed citizens has always been a potent
force for law and order, liberty and all that is good in the land. If we allow
the hoplophobic left to destroy it on an emotional whim, to make themselves
'feel good,' or in accordance with their unrealistic and failed
political philosophy, we will come to rue the day.
