I’ve had the privilege of living a safe, protected life. When I was little, I grew up in a safe neighborhood; free of worry from violence, absent of gunshots at night and I never had to worry about harm.
That same safety net has been with me for most of my life, and I have admittedly lived absent of fear that bad things would happen to me or my family.
Oh hey, 2023…
Now, things are different. Very different.
The last few years have had a widespread rally that cried for governments to ‘defund the police’ and in many cities, this happened. Portland, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin and New York City, specifically.
Well, what happened in those cities that adopted “compassionate” policies against crimes, including drug possession, theft, assault and carjackings. Perpetrators for these crimes may be taken in to a police station to sit in a cell for a few hours before being released back to the same streets where they committed their crimes.
San Francisco, as an example, decided that any thefts under $900 would simply be punished as a misdemeanor. As a result, widespread retail theft skyrocketed and it’s the innocent people that now pay the price for the crimes of others, with simple items in grocery stores now under lock and key – or all of them.
Source: https://sfstandard.com/2023/06/12/heres-how-long-it-took-to-buy-locked-up-basic-items-in-san-francisco-stores/
I read a recent article that showed the wait times required to get basic food items. Imagine having to wait 3 minutes for a staff member to show up and unlock your toothpaste…and then another few minutes when you need your detergent…
Macaroni and cheese? Press the button and wait for the employee to unlock the freezer.
You know where else you have to wait for your items behind locked doors? Prison commissary. Welcome to America. How is it that now the innocent are forced to be treated like criminals, because of the crimes that others have committed?
Beyond the wait times, the removal of criminal punishment for crimes has resulted in a simple message to those who commit crimes:
It’s ok.
You aren’t a thief or a violent offender; you’re a victim of society and your actions are justified. At least, that’s what seems to be the case.
As a result, the amount of crime in these cities has skyrocketed. It started in retail stores. Now, home invasions in ‘safe’ neighborhoods are happening on the regular.
https://abc7news.com/oakland-home-invasion-robberies-crime-break-ins-police/13784259/
“The latest figures show that, as of this past Sunday, there have been 63 home invasion robberies like this one I showed you last month — an 80-year-old man and his 69-year-old wife are caring for their grandchildren when robbers break in a second floor window. The men held the couple at gunpoint for nearly 40 minutes — a terrifying ordeal, their daughter told us.”
“Hey, it’s ok! They’re white! They deserve it!”
Right? Wrong.
In Austin, there was a recent PSA that stated that people who were robbed at an ATM should use the 311, non-emergency line, to report their robbery. No police are involved. It simply connects the victim to a local ‘community ambassador’ that does little more than take the details.
911 lines have been largely tied up, down, or give no response to crimes in these major cities, and innocent people are now finding themselves lacking the protection their tax dollars are supposed to provide.
What do you do?
Well, after many years of internal debate, I made the decision to buy a Glock 43x handgun, and it never leaves my hip when I walk out the front door. When I am home, it immediately goes into a biometric safe so that there’s no chance for any sort of accident.
This is a rule I do not break. If I do, the results could be devastating and I take it very seriously.
Before buying my Glock, I shot hundreds of rounds at the gun range and learned how to accurately hit my target. There’s no point in owning a gun if you don’t know how to operate it, or learn how to keep cool when there are dozens of rounds being shot by your range ‘neighbor’.
Do our current laws prevent criminals from committing crimes? No.
Why would gun laws work, when anybody with a few hundred bucks can go to their local streets and buy an unregistered gun?
The truth is that gun laws will never prevent criminals from obtaining and using guns, and that’s exactly why we need trustworthy, responsible citizens to consistently arm themselves.
See, I will never use my gun for a crime. However, I carry it because there are criminals on the streets that give no regard for my life or much care for breaking into my home and potentially committing acts of violence, or homicide.
Even if the US banned all guns, do you honestly think that would get rid of them? No. It would just take them out of the hands of those who follow the law. Those that don’t; the criminals, will still carry their weapons.
There is one instance, and only one instance, where your gun should rightfully be drawn and used – and that is in the case where your life (or those around you) is in danger. The moment your life isn’t in danger, the trigger cannot and should not be pulled.
I hope there’s never a case where I have to use my gun. I truly don’t. However, I do not have enough faith in our current police system and the rampant rise in crime to feel that police will be there to protect me in the event of a crime.
As a human being, you have a right and obligation to defend yourself from harm. Bad things happen when good people do nothing, and helpless sheep will always be targeted by wolves until the sheep learn how to bite back and send the wolves packing – or met with a hollow point round.
I would encourage you to do your own soul searching, as well as analysis of the world we live in, and make your own decision as to whether or not you will arm yourself.
As a Dad, I have a responsibility to keep Atlas safe. Every night as I kiss him to bed, I tell him this:
“Atlas, Dad will keep you safe tonight – with my very life.”
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