by Riverheart

I'm not a nut; I am not a filbert, almond, peanut, Brazil nut, walnut, or pecan.

I'm not a "nut;" I'm not crazy. I'm quite sane.

At this point, I'm not even a gun owner. I insist on getting more training for myself in firearms safety before I become a gun owner.

What am I? What should you call me, if not a "gun nut?" Call me a civil libertarian.

I believe in the Constitution of the United States. I believe that the first ten amendments to that Constitution, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, are present in our Constitution for a number of very good reasons. I believe that they mean exactly what they say, without quibbling.

Does this make me a "nut?" No. It makes me a Constitutionalist, but not a "nut."

I believe that I retain all of the rights the Constitution either explicitly states or implies that I have, as an individual, the way the Founders intended the Constitution to be interpreted; I retain these rights even if I am not actively using them at a given point in time. For instance, under Amendment VI, I retain the right to a trial by jury, although I have never been accused of any crime.

This brings me to the Second Amendment. I have the right to keep and bear arms, whether I choose to exercise that right or not at any given time. I have the right to decide whether or not I will bear arms at any given time under this amendment. I am the only one who can make this decision for myself; no government has the right to force me to bear arms, and no government has the right to prevent me from bearing arms.

I have the right to decide what forms of arms I will keep and bear, if any. If I choose to arm myself with a broadsword, a squirt gun, or a pea shooter, that's my right. If I choose to protect my home from burglars with a shotgun or a handgun, that too is my right. No other person or agency has the right to make this decision for me.

With this right goes an attendant responsibility: I must not only make decisions for myself which fit my circumstances, but consider others in doing so. I must determine whether it is appropriate for me to bear arms in any given situation, and act accordingly as my good sense and my conscience dictate. No other person or entity can accept this responsibility for me; it is mine alone, and I am responsible for the consequences of my actions.

So don't call me a "gun nut." I'm a person who has rights, whether or not I am exercising them at any given moment.

And so are you.

Riverheart,

Thank you for taking a stand with gun owners on the side of freedom even though you don't currently (yet) possess a home invasion control device. I believe I speak for many gun owners in saying that your understanding and support are greatly appreciated.

And, tongue in cheek and in the interest of humor and lightness, here is my definition of a "gun nut": someone who doesn't own and know how to use a gun. :-)

If you would like to find someone locally to take you out to have some fun at the range with a few various self-defense tools, email me directly at [email protected] with a subject of KABA NEW SHOOTER IN (YOUR STATE OF RESIDENCE) and we'll find some good folks to put up a few guns and some ammo, along with good training and recommendations based on your specific goals and on-range experience. It's good to test drive several types and styles of firearms before you pick the tool that may one day be the only thing between you and imminent death, and plenty of our members and site visitors would gladly help you to that end, believe me. Gun owners - for the most part - enjoy helping people properly arm and train; they know that you being armed makes our collective back yard safer. And you'll be hard pressed to find a regular shooter who'd miss a chance to introduce you to his favorite self-defense device.

We look forward to your writeup of the experience of finally arming yourself through the assistance of a fellow American whose only real intention is to make sure you're capable of defending your own precious life, should that unfortunate (for the criminal) need arise.

Respectfully,

Angel Shamaya
Director, KeepAndBearArms.com