Posts
If Not Now...WHEN?
BY TIM SCHMIDT - USCCA FOUNDER
We need to talk about Paris.
But first, we need to talk about the anti-gunners...because they're "angry."
Get this:
The anti-gunners are angry because, in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks, responsible gun owners want to talk about evil...and violence...and how to stop the bad guys from threatening the innocent—both overseas and in our own communities.
I'm not kidding.
They are sad about Paris and they are angry at people like you and me for wanting to do something more than just be sad about Paris.
They've made claims that responsibly armed Americans are using Paris as a platform "for their own gain," that we're "unfeeling" or not "compassionate" because we believe that those innocent people who lost their lives deserved a whole heck of a lot better.
Well, let's get something straight right now:
My heart absolutely breaks for the people of Paris.
But I also understand that sadness won't bring anyone back to life.
And being angry at the good guys won't stop the bad guys.
Do you know what DOES make a difference at a time like this?
Not "half measures and rhetoric," as Bill O'Reilly so aptly labeled President Obama's response to last week's attacks.
Action.
Action makes a difference.
Ensuring that the bad guys won't get the chance to perpetrate another evil act.
Ensuring that the bad guys, at the very least, won't get the chance to perpetrate another evil act against you or your family.
So yes, we need to talk about Paris.
But we also need to talk about Chicago—where, in late September, eight people were killed and more than 45 were injured in "the most violent two-day weekend in the city since Father's Day of 2013."
Unlike anti-gunners, who only seem to pay attention when a "Paris" happens, people like you and me are aware that violence is all around us: in our cities, our streets, our own backyards.
We can't ignore over 100 dead in Paris last week. We can't ignore over 400 dead in Chicago so far this year. We can't ignore one single death that results from any evil person carrying out his or her evil deeds.
We must accept that violence exists. But we must not accept hope as our only chance of survival.
In a quote stolen directly from Concealed Carry Magazine Executive Editor Kevin Michalowski, he urges: "Don't count on the ability of the police to respond in time and certainly don't count on the mercy of criminals. Count on your own preparation."
Remember what Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, Jr. said?
"You can beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back. You have a duty to protect yourself and your family."
I couldn't agree more with both of these men.
Luckily, people like you and me HAVE accepted responsibility for our own safety and for that of our loved ones.
But for everyone else out there, I ask: if not now...WHEN?
Take Care and Stay Safe,
BY TIM SCHMIDT - USCCA FOUNDER
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We need to talk about Paris.But first, we need to talk about the anti-gunners...because they're "angry."
Get this:
The anti-gunners are angry because, in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks, responsible gun owners want to talk about evil...and violence...and how to stop the bad guys from threatening the innocent—both overseas and in our own communities.
I'm not kidding.
They are sad about Paris and they are angry at people like you and me for wanting to do something more than just be sad about Paris.
They've made claims that responsibly armed Americans are using Paris as a platform "for their own gain," that we're "unfeeling" or not "compassionate" because we believe that those innocent people who lost their lives deserved a whole heck of a lot better.
Well, let's get something straight right now:
My heart absolutely breaks for the people of Paris.
But I also understand that sadness won't bring anyone back to life.
And being angry at the good guys won't stop the bad guys.
Do you know what DOES make a difference at a time like this?
Not "half measures and rhetoric," as Bill O'Reilly so aptly labeled President Obama's response to last week's attacks.
Action.
Action makes a difference.
Ensuring that the bad guys won't get the chance to perpetrate another evil act.
Ensuring that the bad guys, at the very least, won't get the chance to perpetrate another evil act against you or your family.
So yes, we need to talk about Paris.
But we also need to talk about Chicago—where, in late September, eight people were killed and more than 45 were injured in "the most violent two-day weekend in the city since Father's Day of 2013."
Unlike anti-gunners, who only seem to pay attention when a "Paris" happens, people like you and me are aware that violence is all around us: in our cities, our streets, our own backyards.
We can't ignore over 100 dead in Paris last week. We can't ignore over 400 dead in Chicago so far this year. We can't ignore one single death that results from any evil person carrying out his or her evil deeds.
We must accept that violence exists. But we must not accept hope as our only chance of survival.
In a quote stolen directly from Concealed Carry Magazine Executive Editor Kevin Michalowski, he urges: "Don't count on the ability of the police to respond in time and certainly don't count on the mercy of criminals. Count on your own preparation."
Remember what Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, Jr. said?
"You can beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back. You have a duty to protect yourself and your family."
I couldn't agree more with both of these men.
Luckily, people like you and me HAVE accepted responsibility for our own safety and for that of our loved ones.
But for everyone else out there, I ask: if not now...WHEN?
Take Care and Stay Safe,