Can’t remember where I read it, but someone was asked if they carried a gun because they were expecting trouble. On the contrary, the vast majority of legal gun CHL/CCW owners would avoid trouble if they expected it and most often are much more apt to deescalate at a bad situation if caught in one. The reason they carry is for the unexpected trouble.
I personally carry a gun because I feel it’s a God-given right; just like going to Church on Sunday, traveling the CONUS without “permission” and enjoying all the other liberties we as Americans have earned. As a Soldier of more than 25 years, I’ve seen that those without firearms and the ability to defend themselves become targets of opportunity and victims of thugs, tyrants and criminals. Utopia is only evident to the ruling elite or the often-changing power of criminal king pens and terrorists, while the peasants and victims are subject to their dictates. The “gun” and armed individuals in conjunction with the rule-of-law and civil-rights maintains balance. You’ll never get rid of the criminal king-pens or self-serving dictators and tyrants…hence the common man/woman should never give up the right to defend one’s self or liberty.
Much the same, we have the Declaration of Independence which gives us the “unalienable rights” of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness; all are guaranteed, but must be protected and most citizens would agree that individuals must be vigilant at protecting those rights. The firearm provides individuals the ability to do that today; it might be light-sabers and lasers tomorrow, but this is a gun-culture but a culture of liberty with the understanding that it must be protected.
As to the gun culture specifically, America was founded with militia’s being the only means of defense and numerous communities and individual homesteads maintained arms for defense of property and life. Given that a bunch of “subjects” fought off the greatest military of the time using “modern” firearms owned by individuals, you can see where the culture of firearms garnered its reputation. Fast forward to the post-Civil War of the western expansion and how the rule of law was often assaulted and armed individuals supported small-town law enforcement you can only extrapolate that this “gun-culture” directly contributes to the individual responsibilities to the Constitution and enforcing a civil society.
I would also tie the positive aspects of the “gun-culture” to civil rights. Even after the Emancipation Proclamation, the old “black codes” continued up to the civil rights movement, specifically keeping Blacks from owning firearms and not allowing them self-defense from attacks spawned by bigoted racists.
Our “gun-culture” directly defends LIFE from law-breakers and tyrants. Our “gun-culture” is intrinsically tied to obtaining our LIBERTY, keeping that liberty intact and defending liberty the world-over; it’s not a government or military responsibility it’s an American individual responsibility. Our “gun-culture” is imbedded in numerous, often historical activities in the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS from historical reenactments, old-West (SASS) shooting sports, more modern shooting sports including hunting and target shooting (including the Olympics) and the sheer enjoyment of combining both the historical relevance of firearms design and firearm collections.
Just a few of my personal thoughts…
ROCK6
I personally carry a gun because I feel it’s a God-given right; just like going to Church on Sunday, traveling the CONUS without “permission” and enjoying all the other liberties we as Americans have earned. As a Soldier of more than 25 years, I’ve seen that those without firearms and the ability to defend themselves become targets of opportunity and victims of thugs, tyrants and criminals. Utopia is only evident to the ruling elite or the often-changing power of criminal king pens and terrorists, while the peasants and victims are subject to their dictates. The “gun” and armed individuals in conjunction with the rule-of-law and civil-rights maintains balance. You’ll never get rid of the criminal king-pens or self-serving dictators and tyrants…hence the common man/woman should never give up the right to defend one’s self or liberty.
Much the same, we have the Declaration of Independence which gives us the “unalienable rights” of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness; all are guaranteed, but must be protected and most citizens would agree that individuals must be vigilant at protecting those rights. The firearm provides individuals the ability to do that today; it might be light-sabers and lasers tomorrow, but this is a gun-culture but a culture of liberty with the understanding that it must be protected.
As to the gun culture specifically, America was founded with militia’s being the only means of defense and numerous communities and individual homesteads maintained arms for defense of property and life. Given that a bunch of “subjects” fought off the greatest military of the time using “modern” firearms owned by individuals, you can see where the culture of firearms garnered its reputation. Fast forward to the post-Civil War of the western expansion and how the rule of law was often assaulted and armed individuals supported small-town law enforcement you can only extrapolate that this “gun-culture” directly contributes to the individual responsibilities to the Constitution and enforcing a civil society.
I would also tie the positive aspects of the “gun-culture” to civil rights. Even after the Emancipation Proclamation, the old “black codes” continued up to the civil rights movement, specifically keeping Blacks from owning firearms and not allowing them self-defense from attacks spawned by bigoted racists.
Our “gun-culture” directly defends LIFE from law-breakers and tyrants. Our “gun-culture” is intrinsically tied to obtaining our LIBERTY, keeping that liberty intact and defending liberty the world-over; it’s not a government or military responsibility it’s an American individual responsibility. Our “gun-culture” is imbedded in numerous, often historical activities in the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS from historical reenactments, old-West (SASS) shooting sports, more modern shooting sports including hunting and target shooting (including the Olympics) and the sheer enjoyment of combining both the historical relevance of firearms design and firearm collections.
Just a few of my personal thoughts…
ROCK6