Stability For Our Time

The news yesterday said that Handgun Carry Permits in Tennessee are way up, and that the city of Knoxville is the most heavily armed city in the state.

Finally, we're number one in a category we can be proud of!

I have an HCP, as does my wife, my brother-in-law, and my mother. My pastor, his secretary, and several members of the church board, as well as a substantial portion of the congregation all have HCPs.

Why do we all feel the need to carry a gun? Well, while I can't speak for all of them, I can tell you why I got a permit, and why I carry pretty much everywhere I go.

First, as a man, a husband, and a father, it is my duty to protect my family. And before you ask, no, it isn't the job of the police. Police don't prevent crime, they respond to it. Police come after the burglary, robbery, rape or murder, gather evidence and try to catch the guy who did it.

That's too late.

My job is to make sure the son of a bitch can't murder, rob, or rape any member of my family, and I will use any tool available to do so. While I agree with my non violent friends that evasion, distraction, and other less lethal means should be part of any defensive plan, I believe that it is also necessary to have offensive tools must also be a part of any strategy, and that includes weapons.

I have an HCP because while openly carrying a long gun is legal, it's bound to get you talked about. A handgun can be carried discreetly, which is not only a tactical advantage, but helps keep the sheep calm.

Second, if you read the second amendment, and place it into context, what it says is that not only do we have the right to arm ourselves, we have a duty to do so. When the Constitution was written, we had no standing army. The militia was the primary defensive force of the States, and was composed of all able-bodied male citizens. Members of the militia were expected to arm and equip, AKA regulate, themselves.

While I can and have armed myself with long guns, hand guns are an essential part of the package, as are various other weapons.

Third, one of the ironies of life is that an armed and prepared man is less likely to be attacked than an unarmed, unprepared man. The two walk differently, and carry themselves differently. Predators recognize victims; anyone who has gone to the trouble of arming themselves, and learning how to defend themselves no longer walks like a victim. Criminals will choose easier targets.

Finally, I have the right to defend myself. I was working the back shift in a Maryville convenience store when I was robbed by a guy with a gun. As I handed him the $40 in the register, all that kept going through my mind was that my life was in his hands, the hands of a doped-up two-bit thug.

Folks, that's not a happy realization.

Now there are some who would focus their fear on the gun, but I'm smarter than that. The gun was just the tool; the threat was the zombie behind the gun.Fortunately for me, whatever passed for a brain in this guy's head forgot how to pull the trigger, and he stumbled off into the night, leaving me with an empty register and full britches.

Needless to say, I left that job.

And the britches.

I didn't get a carry permit right away, but I knew I would never allow myself to get into a position where some random thug could hold my life in his hands.