Opus 2026-045: Rebranding

I recently wrote a post titled “Gun Requirement Zone”.  It occurred to me that a better title might have been “Victim Free Zone”.  I think it is a bit more pithy.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-584: Gun Requirement Zone

I would suggest that perhaps Americans should start avoiding places that don’t allow them to go armed.  In a typical Texas crowd the classroom at Brown University where the shooter went in and just started popping off rounds would’ve had a number of people able to draw their weapons and neutralize him.  I can remember other examples of this avoidable tragedy.  Sadly that does not happen in “Gun Free Zones”.

Why are some people so afraid of responsible citizens being able to respond to criminals?

If we cannot get a nationwide movement with large print signs saying, “Guns Welcome” or ‘No groups allowed without at least one firearm in their midst” then we might at least make it happen on an individual basis.  We have a grocery store called Sprouts in our area.  I used to stop by for coffee or fruit when it was on sale.  I like to walk around and see what the tree huggers were buying and occasionally try something new and strange.  One day as I was entering I noticed a sign on the window saying that firearms were not allowed, concealed or open carry.  I don’t think my pocket was heavy that day but I decided that as a matter of principle, I would not shop at that store any more.

I doubt that my decision did much to their bottom line but if enough people took that stand they would eventually notice.  Of course to make it really effective we would need to send a note to management about our decision.  If they were really committed it might not make any difference but when they had to close that location it would certainly make the neighborhood safer.

One of the sad truths of our culture is that there seem to be a lot of people who pontificate but few who will change their behavior.  If everyone who claimed Jesus as Lord would stop doing anything that directed money toward Disney and would drop them a line to that effect they would know why their revenues were falling. 

It might be that they are a lot like many Christians, their bottom line is more important than their values.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-146: Warsaw Lessons

I was reading today an article about some of the Jew hatred going on in the city of New York.  I got to thinking about how Hitler rounded up the Jews in Germany and Poland.  One of the things that he did before rounding them up was to disarm them.

I am guessing that most of the atrocities that we are seeing today filled with hatred towards Jews are taking place in areas where guns are banned.  New York is obvious.  Most of the other variant examples of hatred are on college campuses, which also tend to ban guns.  Once again, American Jews are following the path of their European Brothers.  They are living in areas where they cannot defend themselves.  They do nothing in order to try and defend themselves.  It may be that they forgot the lesson of the Warsaw ghetto.  In that place a small group of Jews withstood the might of the German army because they fought back.  This is probably a bit of a stretch, but I would say that those poorly armed Jews in Warsaw withstood the Wehrmacht better than the nation of France.

Is Jew hatred on the rise?  Yes.  Will we see more of this?  Yes.  Is there an antidote?  Again, yes.  It won’t even require violence, at least not much violence.  Keep in mind that terrorist, and their cronies tend to be cowards.  What is one of the big statements of the gangsta groups, “You better watch your back”.  In other words, they are afraid to face your face.  You might hurt them. All that will be necessary to stop a lot of this nonsense is to convince them that there might be some genuine repercussions coming their way.  If the courts won’t do it, then the citizens must.

The magic of firearms is that they often don’t have to be used in order to be effective.  A hammer in the hardware store will not fix the siding on your house.  A screwdriver in the warehouse will tighten your loose doornobs.  However, a revolver in the drawer will discouraged thugs from coming in your front door.

Abracadabra.  It is magic

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-145: Bumpers and Plates: Danger

Today I saw a bumper sticker that said, “Actually, guns do kill people.”  I had nothing to write on so I was not able to respond. I wanted to leave him a note under his wiper and remind him that car bumpers kill people too.  To that list I could have added ladders, bathtubs, vaccines, and even water can kill you.  I don’t think he would read the whole thing.

I also did not want his death on my conscience.  Once he realized that water could kill you he might stop drinking and die of thirst.  Whoever drives the car is probably a very nice person and since I believe in liberty, I would not want him to hurt himself because he has no sense of humor.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-243: Prophet’s Hat: A Window into the Future

The world is watching Israel.  Some are looking on with horror.  Some are dancing in the streets.  I am going to recommend that we all clean our guns and keep them handy.  This attack on Israel could simply be a dry run on what we can expect in the United States.

Can you say illegal aliens?  Can you say predominately young men?  Can you say where are they?  I don’t know what details to believe but there seems to be a consensus that our southern border is being flooded with large numbers of invaders.  In the past it was assumed that they came looking for economic windfalls.  We don’t see them at work.  They must be somewhere.  

One speculation is that they are being brought in to swell the ranks of Democratic voters.  You may have seen the Babylon Bee piece that said the National Guard was being sent to the border to register people to vote.  Being the Babylon Bee, it was prophetic satire based on knowledge of how things work, not of facts.

A more sinister explanation is that they are the army Biden’s handlers are bringing in to start an insurrection.  Since the deplorables have not risen to the bait the Democrat overlords probably figure they are going to need to prime the pump, so you import a ready made army.  Can you picture what would happen if we suddenly had pickup loads of Socialist soldiers riding around firing fully automatic weapons at anything that moved.  You get an early look by watching what is happening in Israel.  Of course the picture you would see in NYC would be totally different than in Dallas.

I thought the citizens of Israel were well armed.  Why is no one shooting back?  If they bring it home to America will we be better armed and prepared or run screaming to General Milley to save us?

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-242: Nomination for Gun Salesman of the Year

Hamas.

If people are paying attention this may cause a greater increase in sales than the actions of Barak Obama, a previous winner.

I thought the citizens of Israel were well armed but it looks like an illusion.  I did not watch many of the camera shots but in the one I did watch someone was on a balcony recording a pickup load of terrorists in their ninja wannabe outfits shooting all over the place.  No one seemed to be returning fire.  In true millennial fashion they were risking their lives to be it to post to the internet.

I wonder if the murdering thugs had done a study to figure out where the gun free zones might be.  I didn’t think Israel had such place but it looks like I was wrong.

It may be time for you to consider how to shoot back if all you have is an I-Phone.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-252: Assault on Common Sense

I just saw a brief snippet of President Biden sharing his goal about getting rid of all assault weapons in this country.  He is actually doing a good job if I understand the multiple reports about raiding America’s defense stockpile to send our “reserves” to Ukraine.  I would guess that he included all of our assault weapons for the Ukrainians to lose to the Russians.

Actually what got my attention was that he is not after our privately owned assault weapons.  That would be like appropriating our own personal IRS agents.  You see, what Americans own are not assault rifles but defense rifles.  When I went through basic training we learned how to use the M-16, an assault rifle.  When in Vietnam I was issued an M-16, an assault rifle.  There are significant differences between an M-16 and an AR 15.  It goes beyond the black color and hand grips.

It is comforting to know that when they come for us most of the competent warriors will have been driven out of government service.  We have these nightmares of Seal Team Six showing up at our front door.  In reality it will be more like the Keystone Cops or Gomer Pyle and friends.  If there are enough of them they could do some damage but it is a good bet that they will get lost on the way to your house.  

I hear there are pink stocks you can get for your long guns.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-196: Headlines: Lessons from Japan

Shinzo Abe was been murdered after a speech.  He is an ex-Prime Minister of Japan.  All that I know about him was positive so this is a double tragedy, personal for him and his family and consequential for the world at large.  

A couple of thoughts.

Gun control did nothing to protect this man.  Japan is an unarmed country.  You can get a permit to own a rifle but it is very expensive and I think you are required to keep it locked up at the shooting range.  It is the kind of culture where shootings are not supposed to happen.  It did.

World leaders are concerned, as they should be.  What happens in Japan can happen in any country of the world.  If it could happen to a popular figure like Abe then what is the likelihood of it happening to the tin pot dictators of the world or the well dressed elites of Davos?

Be careful what you believe.  Keep in mind that the media kneads the message to achieve the desired results.  Abe was reported to be a popular Prime Minister.  That is possible since he was the longest serving Prime Minister in Japan’s history.  The social media released a picture of the home-made shot gun used by the murderer.  That will probably be covered up.  So far we know nothing of the killer’s background and associations.  I am guessing that we never will or what we “learn” will be all wrong.

Watch your back and keep your hand on your wallet.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-316: Why Carry?

You should be aware that reality as it is portrayed in movies and such is not.  In spite of the great graphics X-wings cannot do barrel rolls in a vacuum.  I don’t care what the politically correct want to tell you, as a general rule slender, sexy women cannot swing a heavy sword all day.  And the point I am going with today, everyone in the wild west did not pack iron.  You may not have noticed but when you see pictures from those days with a group of working cowboys, you usually don’t see any guns.

On the other hand if you see a working farmer on the frontier there is a good chance he had a rifle within reach.  The farmer knew he was alone and that there were many sources of danger from wild animals to wild people.  Being by himself might look like a weak target.  He had to take precautions.  

So, is it a good idea to carry?

Look at the world we live in.  We are used to Mayberry.  My family was blue collar but I had no problem relating to Leave It to Beaver.  In 1950 I would have said it was not necessary.  Things are changing.  What we are coming to is the first few minutes of The Walking Dead.  In Mayberry it was humorous that Barney was allowed one bullet.  In the movie every step presented a zombie that wanted to eat your brains.

Sometimes a meme makes sense and one that does is, “It is better to have a gun and not need it than need one and not have it.”  With the leaky southern border and a federal government headed by Joe Biden actually flying illegals around the country you might want to at least go as far as Barney.  Add the thousands of unvetted Afghans that are being given free trips to the land of the Great Satan and you might want to consider your options.

It is up to you.  Remember that an armed society is a polite society.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-108: An Experiment in Printed News

I have told people that the reason print newspapers are dying is not because no one wants them but because they are all left wing rags.  I have also said that if I could find one that was reliable I would subscribe.  I am going to give the Epoch Times a shot.  I see them advertising everywhere.  I got several mail flyers and a free copy before I started to give it a try.  So far it has been in interesting experiment.  I originally signed up for three months and am going to renew for a year.  

A recent article I read was “Nigeria’s Hybrid Threat: Terrorists Allied With Bandits” in the March 3-9 weekly edition.  I went to see if I could find it on line and the original date was March 2, 2021.  One disadvantage of the print is it is slow to arrive.  However in an article like this a week does not make any difference.  One of the things I have a hard time finding is news about the world that is not US focused or the latest nonsense on the China virus.  There are many things going on that we need to read about.

The article dealt with the local issues but also reflected the kind of thinking that Americans need to be reminded of.  On page A11 I found this quote,

“Any clashes between the semi-nomadic Fulani terrorists and local farmers are entirely one-sided. Strict gun-control laws in Nigeria prevent civilians from buying firearms except on the black market. While the majority of citizens in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are unarmed, those restrictions haven’t stopped thousands of Fulani herders from carrying assault rifles.”

If that is not a reminder about the importance of our Second Amendment, I don’t know what is.  It also speaks to the recent moves by the Biden administration to take away the guns of America.  The message is, “Beware”.

You can read the article on the Epoch Times web site.  In an  ad on another podcast I was watching, they pointed out that one of the advantages of printed media is that it arrives at your door saying what it said when it was printed.  It cannot be changed without it being pretty obvious.  

Since I am a subscriber I have access to everything.  I noticed that one article I read on line about the deaths being caused by the vaccines was labeled “premium”.  It looks like you can read it for free but you need to register.  That is usually enough to stop me.  You can make your own decisions.

We will see how this goes.  At present I would recommend you subscribe and make your own experiment.  We need to support the good guys.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-083: Choice of Options Narrows

There are really only two reasons to resort to arms:  To impose your will on an unwilling target or to resist someone trying to impose their will on you by force.

Which are we?

The imposition is one sided.  It has only one measurement, success.  

The resistance is limited.  It is limited by timing and methods.  By timing I mean that the use of force to a person of conscience is always a last resort.  Conservatives believe in reason and the rule of law.  Thus we start by trying to discuss issues and use facts in a logical way.  Progressives* have done everything they can to shut off our freedom of speech, press and assembly.  

We have resorted to the courts.  The courts present two problems.  The first is the nature of the legal system and due process.  They take time.  When the Progressives* are on the march they are aware that time is their enemy so they use the delays to destroy.  There is a saying that evidently dates back to Plutarch and was translated by Longfellow as,

    Though the mills of God grind slowly; Yet they grind exceeding small;
    Though with patience He stands waiting, With exactness grinds He all.

I got this from Wikipedia so you can take it or leave it.

When you try to get justice in the courts it can take years before you even appear before a judge.  The left knows this.  They also know how certain judges will deal with things.  Which leads us to the second problem of the courts.

It seems to me that the courts have be suborned by the left.  Judges appointed by Progressive* presidents seem to have no regard for the letter of the law.  Those appointed by more conservative presidents have a long history of drifting toward the Progressive.  What that means is if you know your judge and can arrange to have them in charge, they will find for you no matter what the facts.

Which eventually brings us to the court of last resorts.  In our republic this is a relatively rare eruption.  We started our road to independence at Lexington and Concord with a last resort.  We fount the Civil War, or the War for Southern Independence, when states felt they had no resort.  We saw it during the different labor struggles.  Generally up until recently in the political arena both sides have been willing to not cross certain lines.  With the one sided censorship of social media and the tech giants, manipulation of information by the media and abuse of government power we see going on the question becomes:  What are our options?

I continue to urge people to use the powerful tools of boycott and speaking out.  Violence looks romantic in the movies but historically it tends to lead to even greater tyranny.  In terms of history you might ask yourself was Cromwell really and Improvement over Charles I?  

*(Liberals, educators, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, MSM, etc.  Another word for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-252: On the Street: Ready When They Are

I have been doing some volunteer work at our county Republican headquarters.  In the process of getting donations for signs, T-shirts, masks, flags and whatever else they can come up with I get a chance to talk to some people of character.  Since I am by nature a recluse this is a change for me.  I can enjoy talking to people, it just is not necessary.

We had an old man of character come in a few days ago.  He was barely mobile.  First he tried to con me into giving him a hat.  Eventually he had his wife spring for it.  What was fun was that during the conversation the antisocial behavior of Antifa, which Joe Biden informed us is just an idea,  came up.  He said they better not mess with his car.  At that point he patted his pocket.  I assume that meant he was packing.  His point was that if they thought they could get away with their rioting in his neighborhood he was ready to debate the issue with them.

He could hardly get around.  He had two canes.  He had to leave his oxygen in the car.  He still wasn’t willing to be messed with.  

Welcome to Texas.

homo unius libri

On the Street, Second Amendment, Terrorism

Opus 2020-225: The Return of the Boston Massacre

He was on guard duty.  He was attacked by a mob.  He fired into the mob.  He was accused of murder but John Adams stepped up to defend him.  Wait.  You thought I was talking about Kyle Rittenhouse.  No.  I have been relating what happened at the Boston Massacre.  It was a little more straightforward than our current situation but the basics were the same.

In case you didn’t pay attention or you had a Progressive* teacher, the Boston Massacre is the name attached to an event that took place before the American Revolution.  A British soldier was on guard duty and a rowdy bunch of drunks decided it would be fun to throw snow balls at him.  What was he going to do, shoot them for snowballs?  Then they decided it would be more fun to put rocks in the middle of the snowballs.  Eventually the soldier called for back up and when it arrived a shot was fired, more shots followed and deaths resulted.  The soldiers were put on trial for shooting unarmed civilians.  One of our Founding Fathers and later president of the United States, John Adams, saw that the soldiers had done nothing wrong and took on their defense.  He won.

Fast forward a couple hundred years.  You have a young man on guard duty who is attacked by a bunch of violent thugs.  They chase him down the street.  They club him with a skate board.  One of them pulls a gun.  He fires four times and brings down three street criminals.  He should be getting a merit badge for marksmanship.  Instead he is on trial for murder.

Will we have a John Adams step forward?  Will we see justice done?  Are we at the place where armed thugs are free to roam the streets, burn other people’s property, kill policemen, beat up old ladies using walkers and generally try to destroy society without any fighting back?

The justice system in Wisconsin and the rest of the country needs to understand that the real defendants here are the judges and district attorneys who are tasked with seeing that justice is done.  If this turns into another Progressive* lovefest and we see a young man who was exercising his rights to defend himself go to jail, the results will be on their heads.  Antifa and BLM are doing everything they can to generate an uncontrolled violent response.  It is possible that where they have failed, liberal judges will step up to the plate and swing for the fences.

Pray for justice.

*(Liberals, educators, socialists, communists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, etc)

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-215: 3006 Criminals and Psychopaths

I won’t go to 3006 restaurants if I can help it.  Texas has two signs that are required to be posted if an establishment wants to ban firearms from their business.  A 3007 sign says you can’t come in practicing open carry.  A 3007 bans concealed carrying of a firearm.  If there is no sign you can theoretically do either.

I avoid 3006 businesses because they make me feel insecure.  The knowledge that I have entered a gun free zone just reminds me that the only people paying attention are the sane, law abiding, gun owners.  Psychopaths and criminals will be psychopaths and criminals.  It is what they do or they would not be psychopaths and criminals.  When I sit down to dinner knowing that there is a good chance that a level headed, law abiding citizen near me is armed it gives me greater peace of mind.

It is funny how the snowflakes turn the reasoning around even after repeated school shootings, mall massacres and such, all in gun free zones.  There are a lot of reasons why those things don’t happen at gun shows.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-210: Serious Thoughts

When I was teaching history I liked to throw in events that might be overlooked but would have the potential to generate some interest.  One of the inventions I brought up was the revolver and I told the kids it was called “The great equalizer”.  I would then explain how it leveled the playing field giving an old woman the ability to stand up to a young male bully.

I have a movie memory that I would try to describe.  The scene was set in the day of the single shot Kentucky rifle.  The bad guy had taken his best shot and missed.  At the point the good guy, who was unarmed, started running toward him as fast as he could.  His hope was to reach the shooter before he had a chance to reload.  It was a dramatic moment that illustrated the point.

As we look at the violence being dumped on us by the Marxists in Antifa and BLM, we also see record gun sales.  I have read that 40% were first time buyers and that women also made up 40%.  What is interesting is that liberals who used to be anti-gun are also buying.  I like the idea that an armed society is a polite society.  If the old six gun was a great equalizer then just imagine what a modern pistol with 15 rounds of 9mm could be called.

But there is still a problem.  It only works when it is used or the thugs believe it will be used.  Just waving a firearm around will work a few times but eventually you will need to pull the trigger.  Some people only learn by experiencing pain. 

Carrying a firearm is a serious responsibility.  Some don’t understand that.  Many come down with the Rambo Syndrom.  You may have read about the shooting in Austin where a rioter pointed his rifle at a guy sitting in his car.  He thought he was hot stuff.  He had a rifle.  Too bad for him that the guy in the car was an 8 year military veteran, had a handgun and, unlike the Rambo Rioter, knew how to use it. 

I hope that I never need to defend my home or family.  If it comes, I hope I rise to the occasion.  If you have not acquired a means of protection all I can recommend is learning a lot of new swear words.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-195: Headlines: Texans 1, Rioters 0

I don’t know if your sources of news have covered the situation in Austin recently where a BLM rioter, armed with an AK 47, was shot and killed by a motorists.  What has been fascinating to me is the way in which the media seems to be covering up the facts.  This includes the conservative sources I have.  They keep saying that the rioter only pointed his rifle at the car but did not shoot.  The motorists did, and the rioter went down.  The media then says the motorists sped away.  Evidently some of them also claim that he was racing through the crowd.

They leave out some important details.  Some are omissions, some are outright lies.  The lie is that the driver was racing through the crowd.  The omitted fact is that the guy with the AK fired five rounds at the guy in the car, or if he didn’t fire them, someone did.  They also seem to skip the fact that, as soon as he got away from the mob, the driver called the police and reported he had shot someone.  You will find a couple of videos that back this up at Natural News.  I found the link to this site on Free North Carolina.  Go to the second one with the guy in the mask first.

The driver was released after being questioned by the police.  That should tell you something.  We will see if we still have the right to defend ourselves in Texas or not.

Stay tuned.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-130: Headlines: Remember Rodney

As I sit on my hilltop in semi-rural Texas and watch the Democratic citadels burn I wonder if the savages are going to be coming for the rest of us.  It is strange how we never learn.

I remember the riots that erupted after the police who beat Rodney King were acquitted by a jury.  I watched in amazement as the police went for coffee and doughnuts and the violence spun out of control.  A simple strong response early in the rioting could have brought it to a halt without destroying a major part of the city.  I remember watching the fires move from liquor store to liquor store.  It was an obvious plan.  The entire city did not burn at first.  It was an organized group going for the expensive booze and setting fires to distract the authorities.  You could see the pattern.

I remember the concern that we felt twenty miles outside of town.  I won’t say fear because the communities the rioters would have needed to come through to get to us would have stopped them cold.  A real mob may be stupid but rioters tend to know what they are after:  The most they can get at the least risk.  A witness to that is the Roof Top Koreans.  The criminals in the street left them alone.  The guy waiting for the police to respond got burned out.

I see the same thing happening in Minneapolis.  This whole thing could have been stopped after a few hours if the police had been serious about stopping it.  If the police in other Democratic strongholds don’t wise up we will see the party continue at other venues.  In Texas we have the right to defend our homes and families.  It is one of the reasons I moved here.  Because we have that right and the thugs know it they will probably hop on a plane and head for greener pastures.

The right to defend yourself usually means you don’t have to.  As someone said, “An armed society is a polite society.”

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-243: R.O.E.

In regard to latest terrorist shooting at Pensacola, I pick up that the guards were not armed.  In fact, like all military bases within the United States, firearms are not allowed.  This is why we had the tragedy at Fort Hood and other shootings on bases that have highly trained warriors in residence.  I am not sure what the logic is except for misplaced political correctness that has reached the level of the absurd.  Maybe it is from misplaced fear of a military coup or some such nonsense.  This is a recurring problem in our military.  You can’t protect yourself from a guy with a gun if you only have a smile.  We see the same type of thinking in our schools.

It comes down to a problem with ROE or rules of engagement.  Soldiers, marines and airmen have carefully worded rules and parameters that determine when they can respond with force and how much force is allowed.  Police have the same restraints.  Notice I said “carefully worded” not “carefully thought out”.  They are not carefully thought out.  Usually they are political statements of convenience. 

When I was in Vietnam, we were not allowed to load our rifles on guard duty.  If we were caught with rounds in the gun the best we could expect was what was called an Article 15.  This is the lowest level of court marshal.  Understand, we were in a war zone.  We were on guard duty.  We were not allowed to load our weapons.  In fact our ROE started off with calling the command bunker if we were being attacked and ask for permission to load and fire a few rounds into the air.  I remember toward the end of basic training I was assigned guard duty at an all night laundromat that had a machine that vended candy and snacks.  My orders were to keep anyone from using the machine after 10:00 at night.  That is 22:00 for you military types.  Really?  Really.  I dealt with this threat to national security by walking around the corner any time someone approached the candy machine.

Or take Iraq.  We hear a lot about the surge and how that changed everything.  It certainly helped but even more important was a change in the ROE.  Our soldiers were suddenly allowed to defend themselves.

Pensacola was a tragedy that did not need to happen.  It was terrorism by invitation.  It is the result of the forces of the progressive, anti-gun culture.  It will happen again as long as our military bases continue to be gun free zones.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-184: Headlines: Colt Conforms

As I was looking through posts on various web sites I came across one that said Colt was going to get out of the civilian AR-15 market.

If it is a simple business proposition then well and good.  Free enterprise is a feature of liberty.

But notice they were only going to stop making rifles for the “civilian” market.  At first I thought that meant they would continue making them for the military but that is not what it said.  The military does not use the AR-15.

What they mean is that they will continue to make them for the police.  So the SWAT teams that will be breaking in your front door can get them but you can’t if you decide to defend yourself.

I read a couple of articles and there was a lot of boiler plate that they had copied from some source and a lot of virtue signaling about Sandy Hook.  They also said sales were low so they were cutting their losses.  I don’t own any Colt products so I can’t really stop buying from them.  We have some friends that named their newborn Colt.  Maybe they will go back and change his name.

Might I suggest this would be a good time to sell your stock in Colt?

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-178: Liberal Logic, or Not

I keep looking for blogs that are gems out in the rough.  So many people who once expressed interesting points of view have stopped writing.  When I have time I will click on posts listed in the sidebar of a blog and see where it takes me.  One of those was Bearing Arms that had an article on a psych prof who was trying to be rational about the debate on gun ownership.

He seemed to be sincere but he used the same circular reasoning that confuses the issue.  When looking at the views of gun owners he admits that they are responsible and no danger to him or anyone else.  So far, so good.  Then he goes to explain his position.

‘I do not own a gun but I feel safe at home. As violent crime rates decrease, the likelihood being a victim of a personal crime that a gun could prohibit is very small, Most people will never find themselves in this situation. In addition, my personal freedoms are not infringed by gun regulation and I too recognize that illegal guns are a problem. If I generalize from my experience, I may have difficulty understanding why people would need a gun in the first place whether for personal protection or for a vaguely defined “protection from tyranny”.’

Notice that he admits violent crime is decreasing.  He feels safe.  Somehow that leads him to think that we need more gun laws.  If we have a situation where more people are owning guns and he does not feel they are threat to him and life is getting safer, why would he want to turn the clock back to the days of fewer guns? 

He does not understand “why people would need a gun in the first place”.  Fine.  I don’t understand why people feel they need to wear a lot of gold jewelry.  I don’t understand why people eat sushi.  I don’t understand why people build houses in areas with high fire, flood and landslide risks.  That does not mean that I improve society by passing laws to keep them from doing these silly things.  But then, I am a conservative who believes that you should have all the liberty you want as long as it doesn’t cross over into my space.

As for not understanding why we need guns for protection from tyranny, he obviously had a liberal teaching him history.  Tyranny thrives on a population of unarmed serfs who know their place and can do nothing to change it.

Don’t confuse a position on a college faculty with wisdom.

homo unius libri