"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."
- Thomas Jefferson's "Commonplace Book," 1774-1776, quoting from On Crimes and Punishment, by criminologist Cesare Beccaria, 1764

Check out and join the United States Concealed Carry Association.

Or, if you prefer,

Check out and join the Open Carry Organization.

I recently renewed my CCW for the fifth time, which means I have been "packing" for over twenty years. Back in 1986, I was supplementing my regular income as a so-called, "vest pocket" coin dealer and the briefcase I carried, most always, contained a considerable sum in cash and rare coins, something I couldn't easily give up to some strong arm scumbag. At that time, my carry gun was a Smith & Wesson, 25-5 in .45 Long Colt. I still own the gun and it is one of my favorite revolvers. Luckily, in those twenty plus years, I never had occasion to draw my gun. While I no longer carry a briefcase full of valuables, the world, in the intervening years, has become a far more dangerous place and I see many reasons to continue carrying.

I don't carry on a daily basis, because I am retired and home much of the time, but even then, there is always a gun close at hand. When I do have occasion to carry, I carry either a Springfield Armory 1911-A1 with a few nice enhancements in a Galco, Jackass rig, or a Smith & Wesson, .45 caliber model of 1989, which translates to a model 625 with a 3" barrel, in a belt holster. Both of these guns are fitted with "Crimson Trace" laser grips.

So, why do I still carry a gun? Well, there are many reasons: I carry a gun, because I can and because society is divided into the Three Ps, the Preditors, the Prey and the Protectors. So, like many others (the protectors), I feel that it is prudent to do so. There are evil people (the predators) in this world that most people (the prey) either fail, or refuse, to recognize. It is for this reason that authorities world wide, essentially treat their citizens as a herd to be kept under control. The majority accept being pushed around, because they are for the most part passive, compliant folks, who have little use for liberty and self-determination, and will do what they are told. Neither are they likely to accept the responsibility of defending themselves, or their families. They are natural born victims.

In the past twenty years, between 12-20 million criminals (illegal immigrants) have crossed our borders, primarily the southern border with Mexico. I call them criminals, because that is what they are. If you break the law, you commit a crime, plain and simple. These criminals have brought with them drugs, disease, mainly tuberculosis, poverty, ignorance and organized gangs, for the most part MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, and the 18th Street Gang, both well organized and powerful gangs that have spread like a cancer to at least 42 states and 3,500 cities across the U.S. These gangsters are responsible for numerous gang rapes and the numbers are increasing daily. The Violent Crimes Institute did a study of 1,500 offenders. The total number of their victims was 5,999, an average of four victims each. There were 535 child molestations, 358 rapes, and 617 sexual homicides or serial murders. There are a total of 240,000 illegal-immigrant sex offenders that currently reside in the United States. 93 sex offenders and 12 serial sexual offenders come across the U.S. border illegally EVERY DAY. And it continues, unabated. We don't need immigration law reform, we need immigration law enforcement.

Each day the chances of someone you know, perhaps even a family member, your wife, child, or even a grandchild, of being attacked, increase. Who is going to protect them, you? It's not likely if you are one of prey. Many new CCW holders are women. They have decided that they don't have to be victims and have taken steps to be proactive in their own defense. I applaud them.

You think that perhaps the police will protect you and your family. You better think again, the police are under no obligation to help you and are NEVER there when the crime occurs. You are on your own. Need proof? Here it is.

The incident related here goes back to 1975, but the court ruling (1981) is pertinent considering what is happening in this country today. (Warren vs. District of Columbia, D.C.App., 444 A.2d1, 1981) Two women living in Washington D.C. called " 911 " (twice) to report their home had been broken into and a roommate was being raped. Well, both calls "got lost" and no help arrived. Actually, two policemen showed up after the first call, but didn't even knock on the door. For the next 14 hours, all three women were held captive, robbed, raped and forced to perform other sexual acts.

The women sued the police department, but the court ruled there is a "fundamental principle of American law that a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any particular citizen." These women were robbed, raped and worse, and the police were not legally responsible to help them.

A second, and similar ruling, came down just a year later. In 1982, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (Bowers v. DeVito) stated that, "There is no constitutional right to be protected by the state against being murdered by criminals, or madmen."

This question therefore, shouts to be answered; Does a government, that has legally announced non-responsibility for protecting its innocent citizens, have a right to prevent them from doing what they can to protect themselves?

I'm doing what I can to protect myself, and my family. Are you?

The Second Amendment to the Constitution reminds our government that it is our natural (God given) right defend ourselves, our family and our country (" the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed"), which means the federal government cannot diminish this right in any way, but some keep trying. As a matter of fact, because this is a natural right, it exists even without the Second Amendment. Most people who are anti-gun are either misinformed and/or deluded individuals who think they are doing the right thing. They see the protectors in the same light as the predators, because they can't comprehend the differences. They focus on the gun, a simple tool, rather than the person behind the gun.

However, the elitist, anti-gun fascists, who lead the fight to take away our guns are not misinformed, or deluded. They know, that guns in the hands of law abiding citizens, reduces crime. Wherever, concealed carry becomes the law, crime takes a nosedive. Where gun ownership is highest, crime rates are lowest. They know that guns are used more often to stop crime, than in the commission of a crime. It is therefore, in times like this, that carrying a gun is the socially responsible thing to do and affords me the opportunity to thumb my nose at those such as George Soros, Sen. Charles Schumer, Sarah Brady, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sen. Diane Feinstein, Sen. Frank Lautenberg and all the other self righteous, anti-gun, hypocrites who would deprive us of our God given right to self defense. We should all be asking why these people, who know that guns are beneficial to a free society, who hire their own private bodyguards, or personally carry a gun, want to strip them away from us. Obviously they have a hidden agenda. I wonder what it is?

Things are slowly changing, but the fight, despite the opinions just below, will continue. While we can no longer be denied the right, restrictions will be piled ever higher, until we once again say "enough." However, before attempts are made to restrict our rights, those who would do so, should refresh their memories, with the following, additional SCOTUS rulings:

“No state shall convert a liberty into a privilege, license it, and attach a fee to it.”
Murdoch v. Pennsylvania, U.S. Supreme Court, [319 U.S. 105 (1943).]

“Where rights secured by the Constitution are involved, there can be no rule making or legislation, which would abrogate them.”
- Miranda v. Arizona, U.S. Supreme Court, [384 U.S. 436 (1966).]

“If the state converts a liberty into a privilege the citizen can engage in the right with impunity”
- Shuttlesworth v Birmingham, U.S. Supreme Court, [394 U.S. 147 (1969).]

Since the above memorandom was issued four years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States has ruled on the same issue. On June 28, 2008, the SCOTUS handed down the following opinion in a 5-4 decision, that the right to keep and bear arms is, in fact, an individual, civil liberty. Evidently four of the justices don't believe Americans have an individual right to self-defense.

A note of comparison here: The population of the United Kingdom just passed 60 million. The population of the United States is 300 million. So, while the population of the U.K. is only 20% that of the U.S.A., they have four times the number of violent crimes. Between 1999 and 2003, violent crime in the U.K. went up 118%. This is a fact, which the government of the U.K. is careful to hide from their people who are prohibited from owning guns. The same problem plagues Australia for the same reason. In the U.K. an act of self-defense is often considered an act of vigilantism and can be punished under the law.

Don't let it happen here. There are an estimated 70 million gun owners in America, only 4 million have CCW permits. If you are one of the 66 million who don't have one, and live in one of the 40 states that now have "shall issue" laws, allowing concealed carry, why not step up to the plate and become socially responsible?

The Declaration of Independence says that if a government is reduced to tyranny, it is the duty of its citizens to "throw off" that government and re-establish a government dedicated to freedom and liberty. Without guns this would be impossible and that is why the Second Amendment to the Constitution was put in place. Our forefathers somewhat naively assumed we would always be armed.

"The Constitution of most of the states (and of the United States) asserts that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed."
-- Thomas Jefferson

Note that Thomas Jefferson considered "to be at all times armed," not only a right, but a DUTY of each citizen and who should know better the meaning of those words than the author of the Declaration of Independence?

That having been said, it must be noted that carrying a gun is a responsibility, not to be taken lightly. It is perhaps the greatest responsibility one can have, because you now have the power to take a life, or to save one, with a simple flick of a finger.

Having the right to carry a gun does not give you the right to become a vigilante (in the American sense, not the British). A gun should be used only in a defensive manner, never aggressively, unless "THAT" moment has come and you have been forced by circumstances to draw your weapon. In that case, immediate, aggressive action can give you a winning edge. If you carry, you must be mentally prepared to use your gun. That means being prepared to take a life to save another. If you can't do that, then perhaps carrying a gun is not for you. If not already a requirement to receive your CCW, it would probably be prudent to take a handgun, self-defense course to better prepare yourself.

There can be no enduring freedom without personal responsibility. For that reason, it is important that everyone of us be aware, at all times, that we are not misusing our rights.

It is the irresponsible use of these rights that cause senseless laws and bureaucratic regulations to be enacted against them, but increasingly restrictive laws and regulations are not the answer to the problem. They are simply a quick cosmetic fix designed to calm the public outcry. The real fix, which requires education, cultural change, and standards of acceptable behavior instilled in our young people, is very expensive, difficult to achieve, and therefore, always the court of last resort.

If we don't bite the bullet and decide as a nation that the loss of our rights is far more costly than the fix, we will slide into an ever accelerating condition of more and more patches that do no real good. When this happens, we will be faced with the total loss of our rights and freedoms in order to restore the public calm. We will then have peace through tyranny rather than freedom through responsibility. The choice is ours. I made mine, why don't you join me?

Go here for a similar article on why "An Armed Society is a Polite Society."

"Self-defense is justly called the Primary law of nature, so it is not, neither can it be in fact, taken away by the laws of society."
-- Sir William Blackstone, 1765