For those of you who say "Violence is not the answer", I say bullshit. I wrote something earlier, in response to a friends post that "Violence against women should not be tolerated". I agree wholeheartedly, and that it should be extended to all innocents.
The issue is that many are intent on violence, whether we like it, or there's a law against it, they will do it anyway. The only way to combat this violence is with violence. A righteous violence. The following is my comment:
"Violence is a part of our lives, from friendly competition to mortal danger. If you have the capacity for violence, you must choose how you will use it: Senseless, or righteous.
I would protect even my worst enemy from injustice. I live for the moment I might be able to protect someone... and I am prepared to do so with lethality if necessary.
The violence that I abhor is the very reason that I am capable of the exact same violence... and I guaran-damn-tee that my shot will be more accurate than any robber or rapists."
You must choose, whether to bury your head in the sand, pretending that bad things cannot happen, or to live with your eyes open, realizing that THERE ARE people out to cause harm, for whatever reason, and they choose to do it to innocent people, who want nothing more than to live their lives, go home to their families every night, and do right by everyone. It's not fair. The strong prey upon the weak, cowardly as it is.
So who stands in the balance? Who protects the innocent?
Those of you who know me know about my fascination with a particular essay, On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs, by LTC(r) Dave Grossman. If you haven't read it yet, please do so.
The Sheep, according to Grossman, are the innocents. This is not a slight, as we've seen used as an insult before. It is simply a description of peaceful people, simply living their lives. Most of them do not have the heart or stomach to harm another human being. This is a good thing.
Then, you have the Wolves. Obvious members of this category would include Ted Bundy, Timothy McVeigh and others, who could give a shit about hurting innocent people, and many do for fun. Some that are not so obvious petty criminals, politicians who oppose self defense law, rapists and robbers. All of these fit the description of the wolf.
The Sheepdogs, then, are those who stand in the balance. Again, the obvious ones: Police, Military and Firefighters who will, without hesitation, go into harms way to save someone else. Not so obvious here are law-abiding gun owners, specifically those of us, myself included, who carry a concealed weapon on a daily basis. There are millions of us, at the grocery store, the movie theater, the zoo and theme parks. Every day, I guarantee you, in the USA, someone near you has a gun... be it police or Concealed Carry.
We take this responsibility very seriously, and train constantly. We use the very best equipment, in most cases. I'm not fond of Glocks, or recently in the press, the Kel-Tec PF9. I carry a full frame 1911, shown here. It is more difficult to conceal, but I am far more accurate with it than with the other two I mentioned, and mine's prettier. We are ready, at a moments notice, to drop everything and draw our guns if necessary, and in one swift, fluid motion, my pistol is ready to fire. We are far more commonly around than police, and usually the first and best line of defense before things get out of hand.
I don't carry because I am scared. I carry because if I have to defend my family, my home, any other innocent life or even my own, I want to do so effectively.
Violence is not only a tool of the evil, it is a tool of the good. In order for there to be balance, both must exist. If there ever comes a day where violence is completely eradicated from our society, I will lay down my arms with gladness, and set aside my violent nature. Until then, I remain prepared, and willing to pay the ultimate price to protect those who cannot defend themselves.
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