Why I armed

I have always been an advocate for the right to keep and bear arms. Always.  As a kid growing up in DC, I had a lot of friends to the left of me who saw it otherwise, and we would argue for hours about it, but it was one of those arguments where an hour of debate would net a single iota of agreement at most. Nowadays, I feel more prepared for such an argument than I was at 16, but I think the results would be the same. My parents believed in the right to arm, which was a nice balance. The thing is that I found fewer flaws in my parents' logic. For the better part of my life, I have believed in the right to arm. At 17 I was issued an M-16A2 by the Marine Corps. Later they gave me an M9. I carried an assault rifle before I was old enough to vote, and a pistol before I was old enough to own one. Even so, It was not until recently that I armed.

For years I relied upon my physical prowess to carry me through violence, and it worked. Although I have been in more than my fair share of  "altercations," I have managed to come out on top by using my brains to avoid situations which were excessively dangerous, and my training to get me through the regular street fights and bar brawls. Fight smart. As I have grown older, my blind trust in my martial abilities to carry me through to safety has waned. I do carry a knife with me at all times. It is legal, but easily accessable, and I know how to use it. However, the reality has been setting in that I cannot guarantee that it will be enough in every situation. Yet still I did not arm.

There are a number of reasons for this; first, it costs money. Second, it is a bit of a hassle. Third, my wife, though a suprisingly good shot (thanks to the soviet education system) is not comfortable with the idea of guns around. I understand her concerns. Arming carries with it certain risks. There are no two ways about it. That there are stories of accidental shootings (even among the well trained troops in Iraq) leaves zero room for argument on this point. Guns are lethal tools that do not discriminate between when the wielder intends to fire and when they do not; once the conditions are met, the weapon fires, and goes in the direction it is pointed until it strikes whatever it first encounters. Once that round is fired, only God can check it's trajectory, and I have never heard of that happening. There is the political argument that arming frustrates tyranny. This is true, but this was not the prime reason for me arming due to what I consider, correctly or not, the remote possibility of coming to pass; it is a beneficial side effect.

The reason why I armed was due mostly to a lawyer I play hockey with. We were getting out of our garb in the locker room, and speaking about having weapons. After some discussion, the lawyer stated that if a man has a family, he should be armed. The reason for this, he explained, is that the physical security of the family is the responsibility of the man of the house. You can talk about equal rights and the sexual revolution all that you want, but this statement is true. The wife is not expected in any culture on earth to go investigate the "I heard something" in the middle of the night. Women are not expected to protect their spouse using their own body as a shield. Women are not expected to leave the relative safety and comfort of a broken down vehicle and expose themselves to the elements and goblins in order to go get help.

But men are. It is our responsibility, and it cannot be delegated. Any male who says otherwise is not really a man. Any woman who says otherwise has an inflated sense of their own importance. There may be exceptions, but if so, they are rare. It is my responsibility to ensure the physical security of my family, and mine alone. It is not the responsibility of the police, my neighbors, or my fellow Americans; it is mine. When this hockey playing lawyer said this, I instantly knew that he was right and that there was no sophistyry that could change that fact. Since it is my responsibility, I am honor bound to take those measures which will provide for the execution of my responsibilities. 

As I said before; being armed assumes risk. You run the risk of something going wrong, and actually causing the death or injury of those who you are obligated to protect. At the same time, being unarmed assumes the risk of being easy prey for the goblins of this world. The difference is that being armed is a manageable risk. With proper training, education, and most importantly good judgement, the risk to yourself and those in your care by a weapon you own is virtually nil. There is no managing of the risk of random violence; it strikes at the careful and the reckless, the rich and the poor, the stupid and the smart... even if not equally. Most importantly, the initiative is held by the bad guys. They choose whether to go after you or not. I can control access to the weapons in my possession, but I cannot control access to the weapons that are not.

For this reason primarily, despite the discomfort of my wife, the hassle, and the monetary cost, I decided that in order to fulfill my responsibilities to ensure the physical security of those in my charge as well as myself (whose life is not entirely his own, but is also in service of his family) I armed.

Being armed is not a panacea; you assume more responsibility. You still must be smart, and exercise good judgement. The wolf is always at the door. I support the Texas requirements of qualification for the right to carry concealed weapons; the power of stupidity to invite catastrophe increases exponentially when the stupid are armed. If you do not wish to arm, then that is fine; You are responsible for your own decisions, and must decide how to discharge your responsibilities. Just do not hamper my efforts to discharge mine. It is also my right. It is my right to protect myself, and not leave my safety to the mercy of other individuals or the state.

I view the relationship between a weapon and it's wielder as symbiotic. The weapon would be an absolute parasite if it were never used. A weapon requires energy and attention. It requires cleaning and maintainance. It requires thought and awareness. It requires training and practice. The return is made when it is needed. When that happens it is your premier tool in safegaurding your life, and the lives of those closest to you. You give it your time and energy; it gives you a not inconsiderate amount of security. It is not a toy. It is has not the power to transform you into a man, or even a tough guy. It is a tool. It is a tool that closes the gap between a 70 year old retiree with a failing strength and a twenty year old thug with the body of an athlete. It brings a 110 lbs. woman closer to parity with a 250 lbs. rapist.

I help ensure the safety of me and mine. I also help ensure the safety of my neighbors. I am the fear of tyrants, murderers, thieves, rapists and thugs made flesh.

I am armed.

Respectfully submitted,

doc Russia

UPDATE: Apparently I am not the only one who considers this line of logic