Why our Second Amendment Rights are Important to Me

This one will probably be edited a few times as I attempt to put it into terms that I feel are appropriate. Please remember that I frequently need more than one try to get it right. In case you haven't noticed, some of these get several remakes before I move on.

The first thing that leaps to mind is the first rule of gun fighting. Bring a gun. Awful hard to obey rule number one without a firearm.

The next thing that leaps to mind is that I would never be able to live with myself were some violence to be delivered upon those whom I care about (myself included) and I was unable to respond for lack of a firearm or lacked the willingness / ability to use it.

Things are no longer leaping, but still moving.

I believe that people who understand that others around them may be armed behave much more politely than those who are oblivious. But then, that might just be profiling... oh well, so be it.

I believe that those who would attempt to remove our firearms are not anything more than afraid, or at the very least, distrustful of us. Never mind that, by and large, the only ones they know about are those of us who are law-abiding enough to register for permits and/or purchase firearms from an FFL source. Probably the demographic that they should look to befriend, not alienate.

I believe that firearms training should be both a Parental and Governmental function. Yup, just like math, science, history, etc are life skills lessons that are taught... so too, should proper use, storage, care and skill with firearms be taught as life skills. Oh, I can hardly wait for this one... funny how those who claim others are small-minded and ignorant usually display those qualities unabashedly?

For those who believe that an armed citizenry would harken us back to the Old West with all of its gun fights, need to know two things (among many) for certain. One... were it not for armed citizens taking up against the lawless, parts of the vast Western US might still be Robber's Roost. Two... the gun fights are much more common on film than they were in real life. Please, read and comprehend a little history.

I believe that in a world without guns, people would quickly relearn how to make black powder from scratch. Or, would just go back to clubbing one another to death. Yes, you do not get as many dead at once with a club, but those who are dead are just as dead had they been shot. And, if one is to believe all of the heart rending stories that we are bombarded with, even one dead is too many. Of course, were there armed and capable citizens available during say... oh I dislike choosing one, the Virginia Tech massacre... I still hurt for those who endured even though I did not know any of them... perhaps, there would have been few casualties. And, I have yet to see on the television a single story about someone who has averted disaster because they were armed. I get a new set of stories every month with my First Freedom subscription. I can only wonder why that is.

I believe that as long as I am not infringing on another, I have the right to do as I please. As long as no one knows that I am carrying, they would have no opinion on my level of infringement... hence, concealed carry. And, thank you to Alabama (and every other state with concealed carry permits) for allowing your law-abiding citizens to have that permitted option.

I believe that criminals would rather know that we are not armed. That probably speaks all of the volumes that it needs to.

This speaks volumes that I can not Xavier Thoughts: Mercilessly Plan, Relentlessly Prepare, Violently Execute.