Choosing the Right Firearm for Personal Defense: A Comprehensive Guide for New Shooters

Happy New Year!  Welcome to 2024.  With the new year, I know folks are thinking about what the new year has in store, especially with all of the uncertainty and increases in crime rates in metropolitan areas.  Personal safety has become a paramount topic for many.  So I wanted to start out the new year by revisiting a topic that might be top-of-mind for many: purchasing a firearms for self-defense. 

Selecting a firearm is a pivotal decision that carries significant weight. For individuals new to the world of firearms, this choice represents a unique blend of excitement and overwhelm. The prospect of owning a firearm introduces a sense of empowerment and responsibility, yet the multitude of options available in the market can make buying decisions difficult.

Embarking on the journey of firearm ownership requires a thoughtful examination of personal needs, preferences, and intended use. The excitement stems from the potential for increased personal safety and the opportunity to engage in various shooting disciplines. However, the overwhelming aspect lies in the vast array of choices, ranging from different types of handguns to various long guns, each catering to specific needs and preferences.

Newcomers must navigate through considerations such as firearm size, caliber, and features, all of which contribute to the overall suitability for personal use. Seeking guidance and education in this initial phase is crucial to making an informed decision that aligns with both safety and personal comfort. Therefore, while the decision to choose a firearm is indeed critical, it is also an exciting entry point into a world of responsible gun ownership, self-defense, and the development of valuable skills.

In essence, this comprehensive guide serves as a compass for those new to firearms, empowering them to navigate the exciting yet complex terrain of firearm choices. By understanding and weighing the factors of caliber, size, and personalized features, beginners can embark on their firearm ownership journey with confidence, safety, and a sense of responsibility.

Understanding Caliber: Striking the Right Balance

One of the first considerations in choosing a firearm is selecting an appropriate caliber. Caliber refers to the internal diameter of the gun's barrel, and different calibers offer varying levels of power and recoil. For novice shooters, it's crucial to strike a balance between stopping power and manageable recoil.

Common calibers for self-defense handguns include 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. The 9mm, in particular, is a popular choice due to its manageable recoil, wide availability, and the ability to carry more rounds in a magazine. Novice shooters often find the 9mm a good starting point for developing proficiency without sacrificing stopping power.

There are numerous well written books that explore the topics covered in this article and can help you with the self-defense firearms buying decisions.

Size Matters: Choosing a Firearm Proportional to Your Needs

The size of the firearm plays a pivotal role in both concealability and ease of use. For those new to firearms, a compact or subcompact handgun is generally recommended for personal defense. These sizes are easier to handle, especially for individuals with smaller hands or those who plan to carry concealed.

Consider the dimensions of the firearm concerning your body size and clothing choices. A firearm that is comfortable to carry and easy to conceal is more likely to be carried consistently, which is paramount for personal defense.

Features Tailored to Individual Needs: A Personalized Approach

Every individual has unique preferences and needs when it comes to firearms. Features such as the type of action (semi-automatic or revolver), sights, and safety mechanisms should align with the shooter's comfort level and intended use.

Semi-automatic handguns are prevalent for personal defense due to their magazine capacity and ease of reloading. However, some shooters may prefer the simplicity of a revolver, which typically has fewer controls and is known for its reliability.

Consider the type of sights that come with the firearm, as they greatly influence accuracy. Novice shooters often find three-dot sights intuitive, providing a clear sight picture. Additionally, some firearms come with integrated accessories like rails for attaching lights or lasers, enhancing their versatility for personal defense scenarios.

Safety features are paramount, especially for those new to firearms. Look for a firearm with user-friendly safety mechanisms, and always prioritize adherence to the basic rules of firearm safety.

Shopping by Test Firing: Finding the Right Gun

Moreover, an integral step in the decision-making process is the practical experience gained through test firing several models. Many shooting ranges offer the opportunity to rent firearms, allowing individuals to try out different options before making a purchase. This hands-on approach is invaluable in determining a firearm's comfort, recoil management, and overall suitability for the shooter. 

By test firing various models, newcomers can assess how different firearms feel in their hands, how they handle recoil, and which features resonate with their preferences. This trial-and-error process not only contributes to the informed selection of a firearm but also enhances the shooter's confidence and proficiency, fostering a safer and more enjoyable journey into responsible gun ownership.

Train Often: Stay Proficient Through Regular Practice

The commitment to responsible firearm ownership extends beyond the selection process. Once a firearm is chosen, ongoing training becomes paramount. Regular trips to the shooting range are essential for honing skills, familiarizing oneself with the chosen firearm, and maintaining proficiency. Participation in IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association) and USPSA (United States Practical Shooting Association) style shooting matches offers practical scenarios, fostering real-world application of skills. 

See my Amazon Affiliate Link For Dry Fire Training Equipment

Additionally, incorporating dry fire practice into one's routine enhances muscle memory and reinforces safe handling habits. Continuous training not only refines marksmanship but also ensures that individuals are well-prepared for various self-defense situations. By staying involved in consistent and diverse training activities, new firearm owners cultivate a heightened sense of awareness, responsibility, and competence, contributing to a safer and more secure firearms ownership experience.

Conclusion: Empowering New Shooters with Informed Choices

Choosing the right firearm for personal defense is a significant step on the journey of responsible gun ownership. By understanding the factors of caliber, size, and features tailored to individual needs, novice shooters can make informed decisions that enhance both their safety and confidence.

Remember, education and training are key components of responsible firearm ownership. Seek out professional instruction, practice regularly, and stay informed about best practices within the firearms community. By doing so, you'll not only choose the right firearm for personal defense but also embark on a path towards becoming a responsible and proficient gun owner.

Refuse To Be A Victim - Awareness, Avoidance, Confidence

Knowing how to defend yourself is great, and it is something that everybody should learn how to do. Avoiding being attacked altogether, however, is even better, and of course, it is safer.  When it comes to potential crime there is one essential rule -- refuse to be a victim. The fact is that if you look like a victim, you are more likely to become one. So, how can you avoid looking like and becoming a victim?

Many of us spend our spare moments looking at our tablets and smartphones, talking on the phone, or even relaxing with our MP3 players and headphones. While all of these devices are wonderful, they can distract us from what is happening around us. When you are out and about, your surroundings need your attention more, and if you have headphones on, you won't hear any "out of the ordinary" noises. Put off using these devices until you are in an area where you really are safe and can relax.

Changing a few habits, and doing without distractions can save your life!  Awareness, avoidance, and confidence are a few of your best self-defense tools that you already have and won't cost you anything except time to adapt and let them become your second nature.  Here are some additional tips to help you to avoid becoming a victim:

First, avoid places where an attack may occur without notice by others. This includes dark streets and alleys, abandoned parking lots, and other under-populated areas. If you must venture into such areas, make sure that you do not go alone.

Be aware of your surroundings, and listen to your gut instincts. Safety is not always convenient.  Criminals don't like to be noticed, and if they realize that you are paying close attention to your surroundings, they are more likely to go away and look for another victim. If you must go out of your way to avoid putting yourself in danger -- do so! No appointment or destination is more important than your safety and your life.

Women: If there is a great deal of walking involved to reach your destination, wear shoes that you can run in, and carry those slingback heels in your bag. It's hard to get away from an attacker in high heels.

Avoid flashing things that may be of great interest to a thief. This includes electronic devices, purses, wallets, and jewelry. This doesn't mean that you can't carry these items; it just means that you should be discreet with them. You don't want these items to attract unwanted attention.

Look people in the eye and acknowledge them. Again, criminals don't want to be noticed. If you've looked them in the eye, they know that you can identify them, and they are most likely not going to attack. Furthermore, when you look someone in the eye, you have a better perception of what they are looking at themselves.

Always have a destination and a purpose in mind -- or at the very least, look like you do. Those who display self-confidence and purpose, instead of walking obliviously along and looking down at their shoes,  are less likely to be attacked. Walk with your head held up -- not looking at the ground.

Always know your options. While you don't want to look like a victim, you can't ever really let your guard down. When you are walking along, always have an escape plan in mind.

Trust your instincts. If your instincts tell you that danger is near, it most likely is. Never ignore your gut instincts or assume that you are just being paranoid.

By changing a few habits and being more aware of your surroundings, you can avoid being a victim.  Overall, use your common sense. If you feel like you are venturing into dangerous territory, turn around and go back. If you feel like you are being followed, get to a safe place as fast as you can. If you are being watched, call for help or change locations. Don't feel like you are being paranoid or foolish. You are simply trying to avoid being attacked!

Who's At The Door?!

Awareness is especially important at night, and particularly when you have "visitors" coming to the door at odd hours.  Those hours that you relax from a hard day before you turn in for the night is not the time to let your guard down.  We live in an ever-changing and dangerous world, and the criminals are not taking a break or finding ways to let their victims off the hook.

As shown in the video below, a lone female coming to the door can be as innocent as someone needing your help, to a setup for an ambush and home invasion by armed thugs.  Take a look...

Some things that you can do to prevent this type of situation:

• Beef up your entryway hardware.  Have good deadbolts, hinge guards, and bolt guards.
• Always be thinking ahead.  Be that "Wargaming Sheepdog" who thinks about all the possibilities and then has already thought of how to deal with those possible scenarios.
• Never open the door to unexpected strangers, especially late at night.  Look through the peep-hole and ask who they are and what they want.
• Consider a door-bell style or porch mounted security camera that allows you to see them and ask who they are.  Turn the camera's record feature to "on."
• Consider having pepper spray or even a firearm close by or preferably in hand.  At the very least, have a powerful tactical flashlight in hand.
• If you have an alarm system, consider mounting a panic button near the entryways.  Most alarm entry keypads have a panic button built in.
• There is no law stating that you have to answer the door.  Just don't answer.

Armor Concepts

Be aware, be cautious and think before opening your door at night, and have a plan for how to deal with a potential home invasion.

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Paintball Guns as a Training and Self Defense Tactic

Let me just say up front:  Colorado law gives me criminal and civil immunity from prosecution should I decide to use deadly force in the event of a home invasion.  In a home invasion scenario, I will take full advantage of the legal protections afforded to me by law.  The main objective of any self-defense method is to stop the attack, and my philosophy is to stop the attack and protect my family by the most effective means available to me at the time.  For me, that method of self-defense includes having ready firearms, being trained to use them, and then employ them where needed. 

But not all people are comfortable having firearms in their homes, and not everyone is comfortable shooting firearms.  That is fine.  The methods that are right for me are not necessarily the methods that are right for others, and I respect that.  I wrote an article a while back on "Principles versus Tactics" to explain that you have to decide what you are willing to do in a particular situation, then for you to decide how you will accomplish that.

It is also important that I maintain my training and proficiency in my primary self-defense tool as well as a variety of other self-defense methods that I may need to employ to stop an attack.  It is not always time or cost effective to schedule trips to the range to expend live ammunition.  There are a variety of training methods out there that I use, including dry firing with the LASR App System, and using non-lethal projectile shooting tools such as paintball to help build the muscle memory involved in firearms operation, and that allows you to actually practice tactics with moving targets in a safe environment.

There are many other self-defense and training tools out there, but in my testing, I have found one in particular that I am writing about today offers both a good training tool and a good home defense tool, especially for folks who just aren't comfortable with having firearms in their homes.

Paintball as a Training Tool:

When it comes to training for tactics, having the ability to shoot at moving targets, and in return being shot at by moving targets offers more realism into actual scenarios that you may encounter.  This is a type of training often referred to as "force on force" training and is more effective at helping you to learn tactics and gun handling skills under pressure than simply shooting at static targets.  The type of training tools to achieve the desired proficiency outcomes is an important aspect to consider, however.  Whereas airsoft tends to use guns that emulate actual weapons functionality, such as forcing you to perform magazine changes, they offer little, in comparison to paintball, in the "pain" incentive to force you to be more tactfully minded to prevent from being shot.  While I have found airsoft to be a great training tool for indoor close quarters training, paintball offers a more fast-paced alternative to outdoor and longer range scenarios.  Since the incentive "not to get shot" is higher with paintball, the "stress inoculation" component obtained provides a more realistic force on force training as well.

Paintball as a Group Bonding Tool:

Putting on my prepper hat for a moment: Being able to train with your family, members of a team that you are prepping with, or even just the people you work with has its benefits also.  Paintball fields seem to be popping up all over the place.  Here in Colorado, "woodsball" is a very popular activity, as we have our beautiful mountains and forests in which to play games, and those areas offer a wide variety of terrains and scenarios.  Grab your bio-degradable paintball ammo and head for the hills!  Paintball has become very popular for families and groups to include as part of a camping trip, as well as for groups of co-workers to plan team-building events. 

Paintball as a Home Defense Tool:

In my recent testing, I have been quite impressed with the types of non-lethal self-defense paintball ammunition on the market today.  In addition to regular paintballs, you can also purchase pepper balls that contain pepper spray, hard rubber balls, PVC nylon balls, and even glass balls containing iron dust for use in paintball guns as a self-defense tool.  In my testing with various materials used as targets, I have seen the PVC Riot Balls, for example, cause enough damage on multiple thicknesses of heavy cardboard and drywall to be very plausible as a self-defense method.  I am awaiting a shipment from Bulls Breaker Balls in South Africa so that I can test their latest product, but my research so far indicates that that product has promise as a self-defense ammunition as well.

Paintball Gun Recommendations:

Hands down, the Tippmann A5 is my personal recommendation.  The Tippmann A5 is sort of the "Ruger 10/22" of the paintball gun world in that accessories, modifications, air supply variations, upgrades, and spare parts are so plentiful and widely marketed, that this gun can be personalized very easily.  This gun is extremely easy to work on and maintain, and there are a plethora of YouTube videos out there to give you advice and instruction.  I also prefer the Tippmann A5 simply because of the "Cyclone" feed system that has shown to be extremely reliable, and saves the expense of having to buy an add-on electric hopper, or some other feeding system, ta make the gun run consistently and reliably.  The Tippmann A5 also uses the larger 20+ oz CO2 and 3,000psi High-Pressure Air (HPA) supplies, which allows for larger capacities and more shots.  Reusable CO2 canisters are relatively inexpensive to purchase and fill, and fairly easy to find refill stations.  HPA refill equipment is becoming more readily available and inexpensive, and HPA is said to actually be better on paintball gun internals and more consistently shooting in a variety of environmental conditions (temperatures) than CO2.

My home-defense Tippmann A5 is modified with a buttstock, red dot sight, Vortex magazine conversion kit, and Flatline Barrel.  The magazine conversion is inexpensive and was very simple to install.  Instead of a hopper that is now in the way, I have the ability to load 20-round magazines with a variety of ammunition types.  I have the red dot sight set up for very close engagements, zeroed for 21 feet, a typical distance of encounter within my home.  I have the velocity set at around 300fps, which is enough velocity to be effective, but yet low enough to help prolong the life of the gun internal valves and o-rings.  The CO2 supply is a 24oz external cylinder that is screwed in, but not fully, so as to prevent leakages, but still be on the gun so that it can be quickly screwed in the remaining turn or two to fully charge the gun when needed.  The ready condition of this gun also includes a fully loaded magazine in the gun and four spare fully loaded magazines nearby. 

For those of you who prefer more of a "handgun" type of platform, there are two front-runners out there.  The Tippmann TiPX, and the Tiberius T8.1.  In fact, the Tippmann TiPX is used as the manufacturing model for the SALT Supply Pepper Gun, as those models are actually manufactured by Tippmann, and then sold as a self-defense weapon.  Both the Tippmann and Tiberius are .68 caliber paintball guns, an important factor when choosing a caliber for your paintball ammunition.  68 caliber is the most readily available when choosing actual self-defense rounds, and it has more capability as a self-defense caliber (in my humble opinion) than the smaller paintball calibers.  Both also use the smaller 12-gram CO2 cartridge for the air supply.  These cartridges are very inexpensive to buy in large quantities but have very limited capacity when shooting.  I recommend the handgun platform as a backup, but not as a primary defense tool.

My personal preference (for the handgun platform) is the Tiberius T8.1.  The main reason I chose the Tiberius model is because the CO2 cartridge and the paintball rounds are both contained within the magazine.  That means that will very magazine reload, you are getting a fresh CO2 canister as well as more ammunition.  These paintball pistols only fire 10 or so rounds per paintballs CO2 cartridge, so being able to quickly reload both ammunition and CO2 quickly is extremely important in a self-defense scenario.  I also chose the Tiberius model because it comes ready to go out of the box with the ability to load and shoot the new "First Strike" shaped paintball rounds, which come in both paint and solid self-defense rounds.

A Word on Airguns/Airsoft for Self Defense:

Airsoft guns are NOT self-defense tools.  Period.  They may offer a half-second distraction so that you can flee and go find another weapon, but they will not stop an attack.  There is a chance that brandishing that airsoft gun will give the bad guys pause, but they will soon see that orange tip and know that you do not have the ability to do them any harm at that particular moment. Other air guns, such as pellet guns, may have the ability to cause minor injury or a momentary distraction, but again (in my humble opinion), pellet guns just are not made to be self-defense tools.  There are varying opinions about that out there, certainly, the video below explains some ideas on the subject.

Wrapping It All UP!

I believe in firearms as the most effective defensive measure in the event of a home invasion. Period!  Violent criminals only understand one thing: Force.  Speed, surprise, violence of action, and a determination to win will help you prevail against evil.  I always have a firearm at the ready at various places in my home and am ready to employ the firearms as a defensive measure all the time, but I also have non-lethal tools such as pepper spray and paintball guns that I see as viable options in home defense scenarios.  

Not everyone is comfortable with having firearms in their homes and would like a non-lethal measure to stop or at least slow down an attack.  Paintball guns offer a viable self-defense alternative, in my opinion.  There are a variety of inexpensive and reliable paintball guns out there, including the Tippmann A5 and Tiberius T8.1 guns, that can easily be adapted and customized for home defense use.  But whatever tool or tactic you choose, you must be familiar with the operation and maintenance of that tool, be familiar with its capabilities, and above all practice using them in order to be effective.

Designed to Kill Large Numbers of People Quickly?!

This NRA-ILA article speaks to the rabid and incredible misunderstanding (and fear) possessed by the left of firearms. It also speaks to their complete lack of knowledge about firearms and their refusal to understand firearms usage facts, which leads to their inability make sound decisions when it comes to the legislation of firearms.

In the article, the lawmakers of Wisconsin say they want to ban so-called "assault weapons" and most other types of firearms because they deemed them dangerous because they are “designed to kill large numbers of people quickly.”

 In fact, it appears they are taking a shotgun approach (pun intended) to just ban any and all firearms they can think of. I am not sure they even know enough about firearms to know what kinds of guns can perform what actions, to be honest.

Hmmm.... well what d'ya know? I looked through all of the owner's manuals for all of my firearms, and in NOT ONE of these documents does it say that the firearm was designed for the explicit purpose of killing large numbers of people quickly.

A firearm has one, and only ONE purpose: To allow an operator to pull a trigger that actuates a firing pin that activates an ammunition cartridge and sends a projectile out of the barrel towards an intended target. THAT'S IT! That intended target may be a piece of paper, game being hunted, a home invader, or an invading enemy.

Killing large numbers of people is the intent of the heart of the operator of the firearm. The state of the heart may be that of a deranged and criminal mind who wants to kill as many innocent people as possible. Or the state of the heart may be a law abiding and decent citizen who wants nothing more than to protect loved ones and other innocents from a home invader or active shooter. Perhaps it's the heart of a hunter who wants to put food on the table. Or even just the heart of a sportsman who is competing in a shooting match.

The firearm itself does not have the ability to make these decisions, nor was it designed explicitly for any of these purposes.

Now I will tell you also what the 2nd Amendment was designed to do: It was designed to protect the individual RIGHT to own firearms for the purpose of protecting them from tyrannical governments and invading armies. And if it ever came to this, a firearm of the same type and action of those possessed by the invading entities was the idea of the framers when they wrote this amendment. In other words - possessing military style weapons was the intent of the framers, and is the RIGHT of individuals.

I'm not sure we're dealing with people of stellar intellect in these attempts to ban guns based solely on their perception (not knowledge) of the firearm's appearance, use, or purpose. The only thing I see in play here are people who act based on "feelings" (not knowledge) and the need to show others that they "are doing something."

The Aurora Massacre: The Case For Armed Citizens

(And Why Gun Free Zones Don't Work)

This past week has certainly been one of tragedy.  My heartfelt prayers and thoughts certainly go out to the victims, the families and the people of my home town of Aurora, CO.  I was in high school when the Aurora Mall, where the theater is, was brand new. And the apartment of the alleged gunman is just down the street from where I went to junior high school.  The apartment evacuees were relocated to my old high school.  But what really is disappointing to me (not surprising, but disappointing), is that the gun control wonks are coming out of the woodwork to use the blood of these innocent victims as a means for forwarding their agenda.  So, since everyone else is “Monday morning quarterbacking” this massacre, I thought I would jump on the bandwagon as well. 

That theater was a “gun free zone.”  More massacres have been successfully carried out in gun free zones than at places where good people were allowed to carry their gun.  Virginia Tech, the 2008 Chicago Mall shooting, and Fort Hood, just to name a few, are stark examples of this point.  On the flip-side, just take a look at the New Life Church incident in Colorado Springs a few years ago.  The gunman was armed similarly to the Aurora shooter.  But an armed woman was present and took him down before he could cause more than only a few casualties.  I carry all the time for that very reason.

Without an armed person present, those people had ZERO chance.  With an armed person present, their chances sure as heck would have been greater than zero!

On a Facebook discussion thread there was a comment made that one armed person in that theater could not have stopped the gunman. That's a perfectly valid point.  While it may be true (that one armed person may not have stopped the gunman), one armed person would have distracted the gunman long enough to allow more people to escape, or for others to take action.   It doesn't take much to distract a gunman who is as narrowly focused as this guy was. He was focused on killing as many people as he could. What I am talking about here is the concept that I wrote about in a previous article of getting off of your "X" and putting the bad guy on his "X." The other concept alluded to here is what we in armed self-defense circles call “gaining the half-second advantage.”  If you can distract the bad guy for even half a second, you can at least do something to take swift action and change the outcome - hopefully to a good outcome.

Yes, he had body armor. But, as the media likes to spin things, they called it a "bullet proof vest."  There is no such thing.  Different levels of body armor can protect against certain levels of ballistic performance, but no body armor is completely bullet proof. And depending on what he had, it is quite possible that he only had a low level of ballistic protection.  This guy didn't seem to know a whole lot about guns, to be honest.  So it isn't a far leap to say that he probably knew even less about ballistic protection.  An armed person would have tried to at least penetrate the body armor, and if that didn’t work try for a more vulnerable area.  At that distance (within that theater - a movie theater is way less than 25 yards), a head shot with a handgun is not out of the question. A proficient person with a handgun could have stayed concealed just long enough to un-holster and get a well-aimed shot off, then move to become a huge distraction to the shooter and attempt to take him down.  Either way, if the gunman had someone shooting back at him, he wouldn’t have been trying to shoot the people who were trying to escape.  

This why I am an armed citizen

The bottom line here is that the gun control crowd has got to finally realize that gun-free zones DON’T work, and allowing citizens to practice their right of self-protection DOES work.  This has been proven time and again.  Most sheepdogs I know are well trained to keep moving, and find shots that have a low perceived penalty for a miss. The shooter's main threat at that point would be the moving sheepdog with the gun that is shooting at him, so he wouldn't dare turn his attention to anyone else. Many more people would then be able to escape.Top of Form

Bottom of Form

So what can you do to be more prepared?  Take some form of “Active Shooter Response” training.  Even if you don’t carry a gun, this type of training will give you a good foundation of things to think about to increase your chances of survival.  I took some of my training through the FEMA Independent Study Institute, and I refresh the training annually.  For those of you who do carry a concealed handgun, I also encourage you to keep up on your live-fire training and keep those skills sharp.  See my previous article about the need for continuous training to learn more ways to stay polished.

This was a horrible event.  But let’s not continue to enable future similar events with more criminal enabling “gun free zones” and this insane insistence on taking away people’s rights to self-defense.  If guns were banned, he would have found another way to cause harm.  As Charlton Heston once said:  

"Here's my credo. There are no good guns, There are no bad guns.  A gun in the hands of a bad man is a bad thing.  Any gun in the hands of a good man is no threat to anyone, except bad people."

 

Principles versus Tactics

In order to know what you want to do (or are willing to do) in a given situation, you need to know which aspects of your strategy for doing it are absolutely non-negotiable, and which aspects are subject to flexibility.  Which aspects are you not willing to compromise?  And which aspects will you have to adapt to your abilities, resources, and practicality?  Ask any "sheepdog" about their willingness to step up and help others, and he or she will tell you that there are just certain things in our lives that are non-negotiable. 

One of the important things I have learned in my recent tactical firearms skills training at Makhaira Group is the concept of principles versus tactics.  A principle, as our instructor drilled into us over and over, is something that you are absolutely not willing to negotiate.  It is the “what” of your belief system. Tactics, on the other hand, are the “how” of your strategy to adhere to that belief system, the specifics of which may vary from time to time, but they still enable you to adhere to your principles.  These are the “enabling objectives,” if you will.  

The fact that I must eat to survive is an example of a principle.  But when I go to the cafeteria to eat, I am free to pick and choose what specific items I want to eat at that particular time.  But there is no more appropriate a place to discuss principles and tactics, in my opinion, than in the realm of self-defense and the defense of your family and others.

prin·ci·ple

  /ˈprɪnsəpəl/ [prin-suh-puhl]

noun

an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct: a person of good moral principles.
 

a fundamental, primary, or general law or truth from which others are derived.

a fundamental doctrine or tenet; a distinctive ruling opinion.

principles, a personal or specific basis of conduct or management: to adhere to one's principles.

guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct.

tac·tic

   /ˈtæktɪk/ [tak-tik]

noun

a plan, procedure, or expedient for promoting a desired end or result.

Here’s an example of a self-defense principle and its accompanying tactics:

Principle:  I will provide multiple layers of protection for my home and family against criminal invasions.

Tactics: An alarm system, a big dog, strong door locking hardware, and firearms in the hands of a proficient home owner, are all things that I might employ to provide my home protection.

Explanation:  The fact that I will protect my home and my family from criminal invasion or attack is not open for discussion.  It is non-negotiable.  And I don’t care what any one else's opinion is about whether or not I should be doing this.  But how I do it is a matter of which tools I wish to employ, and may be based on my personal preferences and/or the opinions and experiences of others.  

Let’s take the above tactics one at a time:  

The alarm system:  What if I don’t want, or can’t afford the alarm hardware and the monthly fees?  What if I am renting and the home owner will not allow me to install an alarm system on the premises? I can get simple alarm-like devices that make a loud noise when a door or window is opened, and mimics an alarm system.  I can post alarm signs in my yard that warn potential intruders that I have an alarm system installed.  The criminals don’t know the difference.  Criminals will select the easiest targets.  If your home offers even a hint of being more difficult to break into, they will move on to an easier target.  That psychological effect in and of itself is yet another tactic that I can employ.

The dog: What if I am allergic to dogs or just don’t want the responsibility?  What if my present dog is a small dog and I don’t want a larger one?  I can still put large dog bowls in plain view.  Anyone who looks in my windows sees a set of large dog bowls, but has no idea whether or not I have a dog, or what kind it is.  I can also get a motion detecting device that lets out a loud dog bark if anyone approaches the house. Again: criminals will select the easiest targets.  If your home offers even a hint of being more difficult to break into, they will move on to an easier target.

Door hardware: Do I use a deadbolt that requires a key on both sides, or one with a key-less knob on the inside? Do I also augment that with a hidden chain lock?  I didn’t say how many or what brand.  You can put 15 deadbolts on each side of your doors if you want.  But honestly, this is one place not to skimp.  Get good locks, install longer screws in the hinges and strike plates, and keep the doors locked at all times.  This is a simple tactic to employ.

Firearms: I may choose to use a shotgun for home defense today, but decide to use an AR-15 tomorrow.  Someone else may choose a handgun for their home defense.  I choose to keep my home defense firearms loaded all the time, but the state you live in may not allow that.  Your tactics for deploying will then be different.  But in choosing that a firearm is part of my tactics, I also know that the choices are virtually unlimited.

There are still other tactics not mentioned here that I can choose, or I may choose not to employ some of the above. But the important thing here is that you know what principles you are not willing to negotiate, and what tactics you select to meet those principles.  Principles helped found our country, and tactics helped win the wars.  Stick to your principles and don’t allow others to force you to compromise.

The Decision to Become an Armed Citizen

Choosing to be an armed citizen takes a lot of thought and preparation, not to mention the right equipment:

Why are there no mass shootings at firing ranges?

What is it that makes a normal, every day computer geek who lives in a small town decide to carry a concealed weapon? After all, the town I live in is not an extraordinarily high crime area. I live in a good neighborhood and work in a fairly secure building. I have a family, two dogs, a bunch of mundane hobbies, and I don’t purposely hang out in dangerous areas. I have never personally witnessed a crime, and have never been the victim of an armed criminal. Although I have noticed that the local mall, even in this small town, seems to attract the dregs of society that hang out there with nothing to do except size up other people and decide who to harass – but that’s another part of the story.

A decision to carry a concealed weapon, after all, carries with it an awesome responsibility – why would I decide to be responsible for the myriad of issues that comes with it? By deciding to carry a concealed weapon I have decided that I am willing to take a human life if necessary. I have decided that I am willing to be put in the position to quickly decide in an emergency situation whether or not to run, shoot, or even if my decision will be the correct (and legally defensible) one. Finally, this decision carries with it a notable change in lifestyle.But despite all that, I made a conscious decision to carry a concealed weapon. In this article, I would like to document and share my decision making process with you to help you understand what makes a normal citizen make such a potentially life changing decision. This article will chronicle the decision making process, the social responsibilities of carrying a concealed weapon (as I understand them to be), and the significant lifestyle changes that one goes through once getting the permit and carrying a firearm.

Making the Initial Leap:

First, I’ll tell you a little bit about the “how” of my decision making processes. This is not, or certainly SHOULD not be an easy decision. In my case, it took a great deal of thought, prayer, research, and certainly training. Thought and prayer in this decision were the easy part. I felt that if I placed my trust in the Lord’s hands, that He would guide me toward the answers – and I believe He did. Faith that God designed us to be responsible for certain aspects of our lives, self defense being one of them, led me to what I believe is the right conclusion about carrying a weapon during my daily life.

For the research, I consulted many sources, among which being the National Rifle Association, the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, and various other Internet discussion forums. Then, there are numerous blogs, discussion forums, and news sources documenting the many instances where an armed citizen was able to save themselves and others around them by carrying and calling upon their weapon.

For the training, I relied partly on my prior experiences handling firearms, which told me that constant training is always needed. It started out as a venture to take my spouse to a basic pistol course, to get her familiar with firearms, and to pick up new insights on concealed carry for myself. From there, training evolved into regular visits to the range, getting involved in competitive shooting events, and constantly reading articles and books from noted authors on concealed carry and self defense. Training and gaining new knowledge about firearms and self defense is a daily part of my routine these days.

Now for the seemingly more philosophical yet most important part - the “why” part - of this whole decision process: It has become painfully clear to me that even in a small town like the one in which my family and I live, there are still bad people who wish to do others harm. We still hear about home invasions, store robberies, people getting robbed in their own driveways, and various other violent crimes, right here in our part of the state! A major city with noted gang activity is not far away – it is only a matter of time before the criminals get bored and decide to take their show on the road. And because I have a spouse, children, and two dogs, all of whom I love very much, I am willing to protect them. My willingness to protect them includes using deadly force if necessary.

 

The Philosophy and the Reasoning:

My willingness to protect my family goes beyond a mere philosophical need to prove that I am a good person and provider, however. I believe that I have a personal responsibility to protect them and provide for their safety. This responsibility is found in Biblical teaching, and further rooted in my own beliefs. The Supreme Court has made it perfectly clear that the government and police have no obligation to protect us as individuals (a noteworthy example being the 2005 case of Castle Rock versus Gonzales).  In a more recent case in Madison Wisconsin, a young woman (student) was slain.  She had called 911 but her call for help was ignored, the 911 operator hung up, and police were never called to investigate.  So I am responsible for myself as an individual, and for my family as individuals. I accept this. I am perfectly willing and able to take on this obligation and do my part.

Why do I carry a concealed weapon? THIS is why!

But I feel this obligation even transcends my obligation to just my family. Research has shown that areas that have more armed citizens experience fewer violent crimes. The more armed citizens there are the more uncertainty the criminals have. Who is carrying a weapon and who is not? This dramatically increases the criminal’s risks of being stopped, injured, or even killed during the commission of their crime. Studies by people such as Dr. John Lott have shown that an entire community is safer because of the population of people who carries concealed weapons. In fact, even noted anti-gun advocate and University of Pennsylvania professor David Mustard has had to admit that citizens who carry do not add to gun violence and do in fact make their communities more safe:

"When I started my research on guns in 1995, I disliked firearms... My views on this subject were formed primarily by media accounts of firearms, which unknowingly to me systematically emphasized the cost of firearms while virtually ignoring their benefits. I thought it obvious that passing laws that permitted law abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms would create many problems. But research has convinced me that laws that require right-to-carry permits to be granted unless the applicant has a criminal record or a history of significant mental illness reduce violent crime and have no impact on accidental deaths."

Source: "Culture Affects Our Beliefs About Firearms, But Data Are Also Important," 151 U. Penn. Law Review, 1387, 2003
 

I want my family to be safe, but beyond that, I want my entire community to be a good and safe place to live.  If my carrying a concealed weapon contributes to the uncertainty and uneasiness that the criminal vultures feel about committing crimes in my community, then I am not only perfectly happy with that, but I feel that I am part of the solution and not just a passive bystander to a greater threat.

The Practical Side of Carrying a Weapon:

By the way - this isn’t by any means meant to be a recipe for others to follow. My strategies won’t work for everyone. And there are far greater numbers of experts out there who can tell you more about tactics, training, and self defense than I could ever hope to. Rather, I hope to give some examples of some things that have helped me, and to help you decide for yourself what will work best for you.

So now that I have made this decision, how does it affect my daily life? Surely, one doesn’t just strap on a gun and go walking around. There are certain places an armed citizen can and cannot go, and certain things an armed citizen has to do a bit differently than before. As I mentioned before, the decision to be an armed citizen affects not only the person who is armed, but practically everyone around them. There is still a lot of fear and apprehension about guns out in the community. Some people believe in the right to be armed, but simply choose not to be. Then there are others who don’t believe that citizens should have guns at all, as well as those who are morbidly afraid of firearms. The latter is a result of lack of education (about firearms) and misinformation from a biased media in my opinion, and I will speak more to that in a later segment in this series.

Oh, What to Wear:

A recent cartoon I saw on the Internet depicted a person who was carrying a concealed weapon making the statement: “Having a concealed weapon is like wearing Power Rangers underwear; both are very cool, but you don’t dare show anybody.” There is a lot of truth to that. Having a concealed weapon, in my opinion, means that it stays concealed – period! There are a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that we keep our handguns concealed primarily because it keeps the bad guys guessing and gives us the element of surprise. Secondly, quite a few states have “shall issue laws for concealed carry permits, but not all of those states have “open carry” laws. This means that if you have a concealed firearm, it must stay concealed, lest you be arrested for public menacing. And finally, firearms just make some people frightened. I submit that those fears are irrational, but those fears are very real to those people; why put them through needless worry and stress? They have every right to feel as comfortable in their surroundings as we do. And their worry and stress tends to lead to unwanted attention drawn to yourself, and perhaps the requirement to explain yourself to law enforcement when those more frightened people freak out and call the police.

Wardrobe decisions are just something that has never plagued me before. I was in the Navy for twenty years – my daily attire was chosen for me. After leaving the service, I have been mostly a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy. Even when I am at work, jeans and a decent sport shirt or polo shirt are considered appropriate for my office. But carrying a concealed weapon means that your attire has to support concealment. Flaunting a weapon for the reasons that I have already discussed is just not something that I want to do. Colorado is an open carry state, and I have a permit, so either way I am covered. But the fewer people who know I am carrying the better. In fact, when I took my daughter to the mall recently, she had no clue I was carrying my handgun. Concealed means concealed – it’s as simple as that for me.

The particular handguns that I carry at the moment both seem to be most conducive to being holstered. They are fairly small (compact, but not sub-compact), but I feel I can retrieve them from a paddle holster on my hip better than some of the other types of holsters I have tried. And I tried several holsters before making this decision. I have a few other holsters that I try from time to time. As moods change and clothing changes, so too can the holster if needed. 

 

My main carry gun, the Bersa .45 UC, is large enough, however, that an in-waist-band holster scheme doesn’t seem to feel very comfortable at all. The paddle holster keeps it fairly high on my hip, but I still need to wear a long shirt or sweat-shirt to keep it concealed. I just bought some long shirts and leave them un-tucked – voila! Seems to work well in cooler weather, but in the summer I have to change that strategy a bit. Concealment vests are a good idea, but the looks of some of them on a person seems to scream out “Hey! I’m carrying a gun!” I found that a photographer's vest is a good choice as photography is a popular hobby in these parts. A small fanny pack works well when I go to the gym or am wearing sweats for a long walk or something.  Sweats and exercise shorts don't usually have pockets, so it is perfectly normal to see someone in such attire wearing a small fanny pack for carrying wallet, iPod, keys, etc.

What About Other Gear:

The type of holster and how to conceal were really the biggest decisions I had to make. Once I chose the best way to conceal my firearm so I could comfortably carry it around, the big issues were over. Beyond that, however, there are other things that I feel are necessary. Being in the information security biz, the term “defense in depth” is a large part of my daily vocabulary. Securing information takes a variety of tools to keep networks, computers and data safe. Self defense is really no different. A firearm is not always going to be the best or only method for defense from an attack. 

There are many types of attacks, and there are many types of defenses. Criminal attacks are not the only attacks. And certainly there are people who feel bold enough to get in your personal space because they are angry for whatever reason, but they aren’t really intent on committing a violent crime. I live in an area with lots of wildlife. We have foxes in the neighborhood regularly. Bears and mountain lions have been known to come down out of the mountains, as have coyotes. There are stray dogs as well. For example, at least twice in recent weeks while walking my dog, some stray dogs have attacked me and one other person near me while I was out. My dog is small, so I picked him up, and kicking the attacking dogs was enough to send them off. On a walk the other day, a gentleman and his dog were attacked by a large dog, and the dog drew blood. If I had not turned around to retrieve a forgotten item from the house before the walk that would have been my dog and me getting attacked. But had that happened to us, would drawing my weapon and shooting the dog been a viable solution? Certainly not! It was simply a case of a large, strong dog getting away from its owner. A good shot of pepper spray would have likely turned the dog away, and the dog would have lived. The owner would have been upset, but that would have been their problem. When animal control showed up, I think they had enough to worry about explaining how their big dog got away and attacked someone.

The point is that a firearm is not always the best or even most responsible defense. Shooting a dog or their owner, or even just shooting an obnoxious jerk that is getting in your face, for example, will probably land you in jail. But using the amount of defensive force commensurate with the attack is usually considered reasonable and prudent. If someone refuses to get out of your face and is getting close enough to be a threat, a shot in the face with pepper spray may do the trick. A potential attacker approaching in a dark parking lot may be scared away when a tactical grade flashlight is shined in their eyes, temporarily blinding them. I don’t care how “bad” you think you are – someone flashing a tactical grade flashlight in your eyes gives you pause to think about what else that person might also be carrying. So carrying other defensive tools might also serve as a deterrent in that it says that you are prepared and willing to act – and escalate your actions if warranted.

Having multiple tools at your disposal is a wise decision. So for that reason, besides the firearm, I carry other items such as a cell phone, pepper spray, a knife, and a flashlight. I consider these items the absolute minimum. And the beauty is that these additional items are relatively small, and I don’t have to feel like I am carrying a hardware store around in my pockets. Even if I am in a place where I cannot carry a gun for legal or other reasons, the other items are usually acceptable and legal.

By choosing the right types of self defense items, you will also have useful tools to deploy in multiple ways. For example, a good defensive flashlight and certain types of pepper spray come in the same shape and size of a kubotan stick. These can then be easily used to jab into bony or fleshy parts and inflict a great deal of pain in a close-in encounter. Surefire, for example makes flashlights which have a crenellated strike bezel which can also be used as a close-in striking tool to inflict injury and pain. A good tactical flashlight will help you look inside and underneath your car in a poorly lit parking lot, and will also temporarily blind someone who is approaching you.

Having defense in depth provides a greater deal of security than simply replying on one single tool – just as you have many tools to do all your household chores, so should you have many tools to provide for your safety.

The Mental Side of Being an Armed Citizen:

And NO – I am not referring to anything even hinting of those of us who carry having mental illness, being a mental defective, or any such nonsense.  In fact, all of the gun owners and CCW permit holders I know are at the top of the list of the most mentally and emotionally stable people I know.  Having acute awareness and mental abilities is a key factor in the persona who carries a concealed weapon.  Mindset is an important ingredient in self defense, and being mentally prepared for the worst is a part of my strategy.  Thinking about the various scenarios and knowing what actions I will take is one of my most valuable weapons.

In the following sections, I would like to focus one of the most valuable self defense weapons available – the human mind.  And while I am by no means a psychologist or expert of emotional well being in any way (I am a computer geek, after all), I do know that being aware, mentally prepared, and decisive in action is a key ingredient to survival.


Situational and Environmental Awareness:

In all honesty, I feel that a significant part of our society is made up of unaware, self consumed individuals.  For example, I ride a motorcycle – and I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I have been cutoff and almost hit by people on their cell phones or engaging in other activities while driving which distracts them to the point that they can’t even pay attention to what is going on around them.  These people can’t stop for simple stop-signs, and even by one woman I observed was eating a bowl of cereal (I’m not kidding) while driving her minivan.  Some people seem to always be on their phones, and the funny thing is, they don’t really seem to be talking about anything earth shattering.

Then there are just those who seem to be looking at their shoes all the time, or are obviously in another place while they are out and about.  I have a name for these people:  they are simply the “unaware” of our society.  Unfortunately, the criminal element is aware of these people as well, and they have their own name for them:  “Victim!”

In my refusal to be a victim or to allow myself to be caught unaware by some piece of street scum who is looking for his next victim, I am chosen instead to be aware of what’s going on around me.  I wish I could offer some advice on how to train yourself to do this, because for me it just comes naturally.  I was in the Navy, and spent a great deal of my time on the flight deck, and working around aircraft.  Our saying was:  “Keep your head on a swivel.”  To this day, I find myself being aware of everything around me.  I was fortunate; this is part of the incidental training that I received due to my profession.  For those of you who need some training in this arena, I suggest you read “How to Win a Gunfight:  Gaining the Half-Second Advantage” by Tony Walker (ISBN 0-7414-4341-4.  This wonderful book is full of insights on how to become more aware, and how to practice some of the other elements of self defense.

  

Stress Relief and Physical Fitness: 

I read somewhere that anger has no place in the life of someone who carries a concealed weapon.  That really struck me as profound.  One of the wildest stereotypes that the anti-gun people have of us is that we will get angry and go on a wild shooting rampage.  Well for one thing, multitudes of studies have shown that the “wild west” and “road rage” aspects of regular citizens carrying concealed weapons has never come to pass.  In fact, the more articles I read, the more I am convinced of something I already believed; law abiding citizens who carry weapons tend to be more polite and avoiding of situations that would illicit an armed response.  If someone is unhappy with me, I simply nod and walk away.  They may call me names, and they may insult me.  But that is just something that I have learned to live with over the years.  Getting into any type of altercation, armed or not, has just never been worth the outcomes.

So what does one do to get rid of the stress and anger?  We all get angry, we all get stressed.  And in the case of having to walk away from a situation, it is likely that pride and dignity will suffer to some extent.  For me, physical fitness plays an important part of that stress relief.  I’m not a spring chicken any more, so going to the gym regularly helps to relieve stress, but it also helps to add longevity and quality to life.  In fact, one of the other aspects of self defense is agility, stamina, and the ability to gain (as Tony Walker puts it) that “half-second advantage.”  An hour in the gym and I feel totally different and recharged.

But since I’m mentioning stress relief, there is another technique that my wife and I use for stress relief:  going to the range!  And no, I’m not talking about taking along effigies of our most hated co-worker or anything like that.  We participate in a weekly shooting league at our favorite indoor pistol range.  Each week, the targets are varied, the distances of the targets are varied, and the scoring is varied.  For about an hour a week, we go to the range, the shooting scenario unknown to us until we arrive, and we spend that time concentrating on those targets and getting the best score that we can.  During that time, we are thinking of nothing else!  All thoughts of our hectic work day have literally vanished, and we are all consumed in having fun at the range.  We share ideas on shooting techniques, we meet new people, and we enjoy talking with the proprietors on the gun shop.  This relates to physical fitness also because we are practicing new and varied ways to shoot, different types of targets, and shooting at different ranges.  In other words, we are getting a frequently changing look at the dynamic of shooting and practicing with our weapons.  We go home and talk about the evening at the range and just enjoy the fact that we have yet another activity that we enjoy doing together.  Having that aspect of my life in solidly good shape allows me personally to put everything else into place as well.
  

Thoughts While Out and About:

So what am I thinking about while out there running my daily errands?  Mostly on my minds is how to be as completely invisible as possible.  I want to be the person that no one notices.  So to that end, I don’t go out of my way to attract attention, and I certainly don’t go out of my way to give any clue that I am carrying a weapon.  What this means is that I am careful about how I get out of my car, lest my firearm be exposed, and I am aware of what other types of people are in the area.  For example, if a mother and her young children are in the area, I especially don’t want the youngsters seeing my gun.  I know that some people are afraid of guns, no matter how much we have proven that there is nothing to be afraid of, and I don’t want anyone needlessly feeling afraid or uneasy around me.  So for those reasons alone, I am very cognizant of making sure that my concealed weapon is just that:  concealed!

A very important part of my thought process is in knowing where I can or cannot go if I am carrying a firearm.  I know that some establishments don’t care either way, while still others adamantly refuse entrance to holders of valid CCW permits if they have weapons.  So essentially, I do the best I can to know who has what policy, and to respect their wishes.  But I will say this about the establishments who refuse to allow law abiding citizens to carry their concealed weapons into their businesses:  I won’t give them my business period.  But it’s not because I think they possess some liberal, anti-gun mind-set.  It is specifically because they have made the statement that I am not welcome to use my chosen method of self defense while on their premises.  If I or my family were to be in one of these types of places, and an armed gunman appears, they are disallowing me the means to defend myself.  They have no intention of providing for my protection while I am there, however, as seen by the lack of armed guards in any of these places.  Additionally, my state law makers have made it clear to me that I cannot hold them legally liable for damages, death, or injury if I or my family is harmed in their “gun free” zone.

Constantly on my mind when I am out and about is an awareness of other people, particularly who are the “good guys” and who are the “bad guys.”  I try not to be judgmental, but let’s face it:  you can just tell sometimes, who are the average citizens walking around, and who the lower forms of human existence are.  Going to the mall, for example, it is painfully obvious who the vultures are because you can see them sizing up everyone, following people around, and in general looking like they have no purpose in life other than to find their next victim.  This is the same behavior seen on nature channels when the jackals are sizing up their next meal.  It is just obvious, sometimes, that they aren’t there to do their shopping and leave – they just seem to be there perpetually as if that is their place of employment.  Well, perhaps it is.  I’m suspicious of everyone, and I spend a lot of time observing people.  Unless you are completely unaware of your surroundings, you kind of have an idea who you can (mostly) ignore, and who you need to keep your eye on.  Being aware is to be prepared, and being prepared means you are watching them more closely than the rest.  The best thing I try to do is just avoid the places where these maggots seem to congregate the most, but sometimes what you need is at the place where the vultures hang out:  The shopping mall and Wal-Mart seem to be the two most likely places where the dregs of society can be found here in my small town.

Wrapping It All Up:

So for these reasons, and more, I have decided to become an armed citizen. As you can see, such a decision requires a lot of thought, and for many people like me, is not an easy decision. But now that I have made the leap and obtained my permit, I have now stepped into a new life. In the next article, I will talk about how some of my daily wardrobe habits have changed to accommodate my carrying a concealed weapon, and the types of other things that I have to think about carrying. But as you will see, I don’t look on any of this as a burden or an inconvenience. I look at this as a necessary part of life as an armed citizen.

To me, carrying concealed means just what it implies. I don’t want anyone to know I am carrying a firearm, or any other weapons for that matter. It is important to me that the bad guys don’t know who is carrying – it keeps them guessing. And I know that there are a lot of frightened people out there who freak out at even the mention of firearms. Why put them through undue stress? In fact, as I am sitting here typing this from a public coffee shop, none of the people here have a clue that there is an armed citizen in their midst – and I intend to keep it that way. I’m not going to change their minds about the benefit of being armed in the time of our brief encounter – so why try? Why go through having to explain to them that their fears are irrational and that they are safe as kittens around me? It just isn’t worth it, but it is worth avoiding the situation altogether.

Beyond the act of concealment, I consider self defense to be a matter of employing the right tools for the job. That is why I carry a variety of self defense items such as cell phones, a knife, tactical flashlight, and pepper spray, and of course - my wits.

As you can see throughout this article, I have tried to illustrate that I do indeed consider being an armed citizen to be a serious and awesome responsibility.  These aren’t the ravings of some “gun nut” who just wants to be able to carry his “toys” everywhere.  This is the mindset of a free man who values his and his family’s safety above all else.  Self defense is a basic human right.  I owe it to my family to live a long life and provide for their well being and safety.  This is my responsibility, not that of the government.  I don’t want to rely on anyone else to carry out those responsibilities which are mine alone, but at the same time I don’t want anyone thinking that they have the right to take my abilities to perform my duties as a responsible citizen away from me.  The founders of our country made it clear that we were endowed these rights by our Creator, and that idea is still valid today.  Technologies have changed, and the population of criminals has increased from their day, but what was spoken then is still valid now.  My right to defend myself and my family is absolutely and unequivocally non-negotiable!

"The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible to live without breaking laws."

- Ayn Rand