A Dilemma

     My previous post ventured into the controversial topic of allowing law-abiding citizens to carry weapons for protection or have a gun in the house.  I don’t want to beat this topic to death, but it is indeed a sad commentary that the moral breakdown in America requires citizens to resort to arming themselves in order to protect their families and themselves.

            Law has replaced morality as the determinant of right and wrong. The game then becomes how to get around the law. When enforcement and punishment are lax, naturally crime increases.  But laws only put restrictions on the law-abiding. Criminals don’t obey laws.   

            Generally speaking, the liberal philosophy would have all guns banned.  Even in the military, rules of engagement restrict our soldier’s use of weapons in combat, which has resulted in many America deaths that could have been avoided if our soldiers were allowed to fight.  For a lesson in lunacy, check the “rules of engagement” that hamstring our military. 

            The Canadian guard who was killed recently carried an unloaded gun.  Islamic radical Nidal Hasan killed 13 people and injured 32 on a military base where people trained in the proper use of weapons yet were prohibited from carrying loaded weapons.  This Islamic terrorist act is called “workplace violence.”  To imply that this had a tie to Islam would be politically incorrect and threaten the administration’s suspected affinity with the Muslim Brotherhood.

            Gun-free zones are politically correct, but children are murdered in school shootings because schools are “gun free zones.”  I would like to see someone who endorses this policy put a sign on their home that says, “This is a gun-free home.  Welcome.”  

            The United States is ranked 3rd from the top in Murders throughout the World.  But if you remove just 4 cities from the statistics: Chicago, Detroit, Washington, DC, and New Orleans, the United States would then rank way down to 4th from the bottom in the entire world for murders. 

            It is significant that these 4 cities also have the toughest Gun Control Laws in the United States.  I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but these cities are also run by liberal Democrats.  Ooops.

            But we never hear the statistics that demonstrate the large number of potential victims whose lives were saved through the defensive use of a firearm.  We’ve seen several high-profile cases recently where lives were saved by someone with a gun, but that point is lost on the media.

            Some places in the U.S. are starting to “get it.”  Since Illinois began issuing concealed carry permits to law-abiding citizens, Chicago’s violent crime rate has dropped significantly.  Robberies are down 20% since last year, motor vehicle theft is down 26%, and burglary down 20%.  Even in Orange County in loony California, the Sheriff has issued 700 permits to carry in the past 6 months.  This seems to be a growing trend across the country.

            There’s something wrong when parents can’t allow their children to play outside unguarded; where homes need alarm systems, where college girls are subjects of rape on campus, where mini-marts consider robbery the cost of doing business, and on and on.

            Look at the irrational hysteria surrounding a young police officer in Ferguson, Missouri who was attacked by a huge man who had just committed a strong-arm robbery, physically assaulting the store manager.  The officer was himself assaulted and beaten when this so called “gentle giant” reached through the squad car window punching him in the face and reaching for his gun. 

            Evidence so far indicates that the officer fired in self defense, but, like wolves attacking a wounded animal, everyone including the President, the Attorney General, and that paragon of virtue, Al Sharpton, rushed into town to stir up racial animosity and threaten riots.  Whose side would they take if the races were reversed?  This young officer’s career in law enforcement is most likely over, if they don’t jail him for defending himself.

            With pressure from the United States Attorney General and the President, it would take a Grand Jury of immense courage and integrity to conclude that this was a case of self defense by the police officer.  The minority community is poised and ready to burn down the city if the verdict is in favor of the policeman.  Burning down cities is always productive and a lot of fun.  They can’t wait and will probably burn it down regardless of the decision.

            In my previous post I indicated that there is a serious responsibility attached to gun ownership and concealed carry licenses.  As I said, the law and the legal system jump at the chance to hang you even if you used a weapon for self defense, but more and more people are taking that risk. 

            If you don’t protect yourself, do you have confidence that the police will protect you?  And if you do protect yourself and your family, do you also have confidence that the government and legal system will stand by you?  You can’t win, but you can cut your losses.

            It’s a serious dilemma, but conditions in our society require a decision.