Responsible Firearms Ownership 

                  
                              Responsibly Armed

                                 by Finn Aagaard

 I carry my pistol always, whenever the law permits, inside or outside the house; at night it
 goes under my pillow, where I have slept with one on and off for 45 years. Am I utterly
 paranoid, do I feel that evil out to get me is lurking everywhere, am I so ruled by fear that I
 must have my security blanket at all times?

 No. To think so would be to completely misunderstand the role of the personal gun in my life.
 My pistol, combined with some competence in its use, has indeed been a wonderful comfort in
 a few potentially unpleasant circumstances, and the knowledge I can retain command of my
 immediate environment does tend to encourage a calm self-confidence in everyday life, while
 precluding panic in an emergency.

 The chief virtue of the pistol is that I wear it; you do not have to go and fetch it when criminal
 violence threatens with shocking suddenness out of the blue, as can happen even in peaceful
 Llano County, Texas, where I live. If you have time to fetch a gun, you would do better to grab
 a shotgun, probably. Wear your pistol, keep all other firearms locked away. On you, it is safe
 from kids and other unauthorized persons, you do not have to remember where you stashed it
 or fumble with the combination lock of a pistol safe. It is there, instantly ready to protect you
 and your family. On the street concealed carry is usually required either by law or social usage
 and has the advantage of protecting everyone, even antigun liberals, because criminals cannot
 tell which of their potential victims might be armed.

 Yet my pistol is more than just security. Like an Orthodox Jewísh yarmulke or a Christian
 cross, it is a symbol of who I am, what I believe and the moral standards by which I live. It
 symbolizes the Social Contract between myself and society and declares that I am no mere
 subject but a free and independent citizen of the Republic who holds inalienable rights while
 honoring the responsibilities that accompany those rights. My pistol states that I will defend
 the common weal, that I will uphold what is right and decent and that I am willing and able to
 protect myself and mine. (The police cannot and are not required to protect the individual
 person or family. They are spread too thin for that. When called they will do their best, but all
 too often they can get there only in time to clean up the aftermath. You are responsible for
 your own safety.)

 My pistol is my family's shield, my guarantee that upon my life I will let no evil touch them.
 When a malefactor demands, Your dignity and your money, or your life!" my pistol introduces
 a very sobering third alternative: No - if you persist in this criminal endeavor, it is your life
 that will be at hazard."

 Many people will suggest that the contents of your wallet are not worth jeopardizing your life
 for, just hand it over to the thug and move on. By doing so you are encouraging crime -
 success ensures the robber will seek another victim. I consider it to be a citizen's duty (a hard
 word to the me generation) to resist attempted violent crime by all means at his disposal, even
 at considerable risk to himself. Remember, action is always faster than reaction (unless your
 assailant has the reaction time of a Bill Jordan). Dissemble, pretend to go along. 'I don't
 w-w-want any trouble, you can have my wallet, I'm getting it out of my hip pocket now.' As
 your hand closes on your gun, yell: "Look out, behind you!" Side-step as you present the
 pistol, and when he turns back your front sight rests squarely on his chest. With variations to
 suit the particular circumstances, this sort of ploy will work far more often than most victims
 would believe. Statistics suggest that an intended victim who resists with a firearm is by a
 good margin less likely to be injured than one who does not resist at all. On the other hand,
 the surest way to survive a gunfight is not to get into one. Stay alert and avoid potentially bad
 situations if you possibly can.

 Research by Professor John Lott, Gary Kleck and others into the effects of concealed carry laws
 prove beyond quibbling that they reduce violent crime quite considerably. Since it began to
 license responsible citizens to carry arms, Florida's murder rate has sunk from 36 percent
 above the national average to well below it, and overall the decline in violent crime in states
 with concealed carry laws (compared to the others) runs at least 15 percent for murder, II
 percent for robberies and 9 percent for rape, according to Professor Lott. Private citizens are
 said to use firearms in self-defense as often as a million times a year. In the vast majority of
 these incidents no blood is shed; the thug flees or surrenders. Nevertheless, it is claimed that
 private citizens justifiably in twice as many criminals as the entire law enforcement
 establishment in any given year.

 Obviously, an armed and responsible citizenry is a very potent force in keeping crime in check.
 In many nations where private citizens are denied firearms - as most recently in Australia -
 violent crime is on the upswing, whereas in the U.S. the rate is declining.

 However, the right to be armed does not depend on these facts; it goes way back to our very
 beginnings. Long before the Second Amendment and the rights acknowledged by English
 Common Law traditions, the right of a free man to bear arms was recognized by almost every
 culture or civilization that comes to mind. Until well into this sorry century, free men were
 armed, and like the yeomen of England and our own militia, they constituted the backbone of
 their societies.

 Every right includes commitments, not least the right to bear arms. Anyone who carries a
 pistol in public has an obligation to society to be reasonably competent with it, able to hit his
 target - under stress - rather than uninvolved bystanders; he must know and abide by the
 laws limiting the use of lethal force; he must avoid quarrels and altercations and understand
 that he will be held to higher standards of restraint and responsibility than an unarmed
 person. The course of instruction that is rightly required (in addition to background checks) in
 order to earn a Texas Concealed Handgun License teaches all this, and more, including conflict
 resolution. Passing a shooting test is mandatory, but the class does not include shooting
 instruction; you are expected to have arranged for adequate training beforehand. It is a fine
 course; anybody who intends to go armed ought to take a similar one.

 My pistol has aided no evil, it has added not a tittle of gratuitous violence to the world. On the
 contrary, its presence on my hip or on the Land Rover seat very definitely defused a couple of
 dangerous situations in the old days in Kenya. More recently, on a dark street, I am convinced
 the mere suspicion of its presence, engendered by my alert, confident demeanor, averted what
 could otherwise have been a nasty incident. Colt got it right; a pistol in the hands of a decent,
 courageous citizen is a convincing peacemaker. My pistol is a positive influence for stability,
 for decency, for righteousness, for freedom from fear and violence, for all that is right and
 proper. (If anyone can present a rational argument that factually disproves this statement, I
 will discard the gun and never carry it again.)

 One's self-image matters a great deal; it is what charts one's course through life. If I refuse to
 compromise my integrity, my self-respect and what the Founding Fathers referred to as their
 sacred honor, it is because my image of myself will not permit it. Self-images are complex, of
 course. Basically I see myself as a sound and responsible citizen, a scrupulously law-abiding,
 friendly, reasonable, middle-class, normally intelligent and fairly well educated paterfamilias
 with some understanding of true values who has been blessed beyond his deserts in this life
 and is truly grateful.

 At the very root and foundation of my being, though, I am a warrior - a very mild one, but a
 warrior nevertheless - as any man must be to some degree. My pistol symbolizes that as such
 I will not be coerced by fear or by any political, social or physical threats whatsoever into
 doing anything I consider dishonorable or unworthy of my self-respect. You can push me only
 so far, but no farther. It symbolizes the positive side of the warrior spirit, which is the one
 force that can maintain respect for the law, stability, freedom, peace and decency in this
 world. Without it we are done.

 Warriors and hunters tend to be fascinated by fine personal arms and will often cherish one
 above all others, far beyond its utility as a tool. That is why embellished firearms are
 commonplace, while engraved carpenter's hammers are not. I dote on my Colt Officer's ACP
 carry gun, and delight in its presence on my hip. Now do you begin to understand what my
 pistol means to me?

 Be that as it may, our body of armed citizens has always been a potent force for law and
 order, liberty and all that is good in the land. If we allow the hoplophobic left to destroy it on
 an emotional whim, to make themselves 'feel good,' or in accordance with their unrealistic and
 failed political philosophy, we will come to rue the day.

                     Finn Aagaard passed away April 20, 2000