Gun ownership in America – basic skills, how and when to use your firearm – used to be as American as apple pie. Then, for over 50 years, liberal politicians, media, and anti-gun activists harangued against guns. The tide is again turning. Americans are getting back to owning and understanding guns’ goodness.
In the 1970s, three-quarters of Americans owned a gun. Growing up in Maine, our living room had a gun rack, hunting rifles, and shotguns. Like most around town, we had snow shovels, rakes, and guns. On weekends, friends and I shot hand-slung clays with a shotgun, or cans, bottles, and junk with a .22.
In Boy Scouts, every summer camp – and boys’ camp in my town – had a sand-backed rifle range. It was standard fare. We learned how to be safe, capable, and proud of getting better with .22s. We liked it.
As kids, we got a driver’s permit at 15, a license at 16, and suddenly got real about responsibility behind the wheel, graduating from dirt roads and lake ice. Most also learned to be responsible with firearms. It was like learning to cut away from you with a knife, use the parking brake, respect double yellow lines.
Then the world became anti-gun. We forgot guns are fine if you learn how to use them properly, practice, think, act as you care. City dwellers, liberals, and know-it-all media thought guns were bad, made lots of noise, killed animals (which we ate), and could be dangerous in untrained or stupid hands.
They were not wrong about the power of a gun to kick, create food, protect the family, deter bad things, or create a mess if used by a reckless person. But anything in the hands of such people is problematic.
Weapons could be anything, a car, truck, boat, ax, maul, knife, letter opener, slingshot, broken bottle, or a rock. In the hands of the wrong person – people not trained to respect – anything is a weapon.
The thing is, lots of things are not good for hunting, protecting the family, deterring bad guys, target shooting, or doing good things by practice and training, with purpose and intent. Guns are. That is why guns came into being, and 50 years ago were owned by everyone, with not a lot of attention.
So here is the deal. The Supreme Court – and average Americans – are rethinking the value of owning a gun. Last year, a record-breaking 20 million guns were sold; within that number a remarkable number to law-abiding, well-trained women and minorities. See, e.g., The New Face of American Gun Ownership Black women are pushing against the (white, rural, and male) stereotype.; Gun sales surge among women, certain minority groups; Record number of Blacks buy firearms, boost overall gun sales during COVID-19 pandemic; U.S. Bought Almost 20 Million Guns Last Year — Second-Highest Year On Record.
That is good news, not bad. Communities where gun ownership and training are high, as before, are safer. Bad guys hate good guys – and good women – who know how to handle a gun. Bad guys fear the citizen marksmen – and markswomen, so they steer clear. That is how it should be.
Two weeks ago, I took time to refresh my skills, put 1200 rounds on paper targets, and remembered how to do basic things – in my case learned in rural America, Boy Scouts, and the Navy. I felt great afterward, how you feel after a refresher in CPR, remembering how to do something you once knew well, and don’t do enough.
This is how America should be, confident in skills that make us more secure, safer, competent. This is why renewing a driver’s license, private pilot’s license, or continuing education in your profession is important. This is not rocket science but is what keeps us on our toes and the nation strong.
Funny enough, as a historical fact, General Omar Bradley in WWII was once asked how American boys did so damn well against the highly trained German army in WWII. He was reminded that when that war began, America had one kid-rich division, while German had 60 battle-trained divisions.
Bradley did not miss a beat. He said American kids learned to shoot young, in their backyards, squirrels, birds, tree branches, bottles, anything. They knew and were confident with firearms, easy as that. He just had to train them for combat.
WWII ended the way it did, in part, because kids self-trained with guns, defending freedom, their brothers, girlfriends, and families on foreign soil, were way ahead of mere goosestepping soldiers. The boys of Pont de hoc, Normandy, Anzio, Guadalcanal, Okinawa, and a thousand other places, were ready.
So, stepping back 20 paces and forward 75 years, some lessons are worth relearning. Americans have a bit of the pioneer in them, readiness to be self-sufficient, self-reliant, and unapologetic about what they do and know, the rest of the world notwithstanding. And we are relearning how to handle firearms.
This is today’s lesson. Do not be afraid of firearms or of learning how to manage one, care for, maintain, and shoot one with focus and ease. Like learning to drive a car, use a knife, chop wood, shovel snow, and hunt, getting good on a gun is a good thing.
Our countrymen knew how to be smart, sharp, and confident with firearms; we should be too. The world is a dangerous place; face it. But if you know how to handle, keep safe, draw, aim, fire, and protect lives, you are smack in the center of American tradition. Don’t apologize; just keep it fresh.
Socialist democrats have taken control of the American press–TV, newspapers, and a lot of radio, although radio many places the last source of broadcast truth (One America News is another…best $5 a month I spend.) All the low information public knows is what the left wants them to hear. Occasional shooting sprees are big news, while the news of 2-3.5 million times a year armed citizens stop or prevent crimes (according to two CDC studies) is suppressed.
The left is scared to death of armed Americans, and that’s mostly because of one of the reasons behind the 2nd Amendment. Noah Webster: “Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword, because the whole body of the people are armed and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States.”
Private citizens in the U.S. own 70 times as many guns as the U.S. military and all police forces combined. We are the Militia.
Guns are a tool designed to ensure the freedom, liberty and safety of all Americans. Authoritarians, of any stripe, are terrified by the idea of an armed citizenry capable of standing up for themselves against any enemy foreign or domestic. Just as criminals fear confronting a possibly armed citizen. Guns tilt the odds in favor of the citizenry instead of the criminal or authoritarians.
Guns prevent authoritarians from imposing their will on a population without encountering meaningful and substantial resistance. Thus, the incredible PR push over the last 50 years by the MSM and many in the Democrat Party to demonize the ownership and possession of guns by the American public. You can look at what has happened to dozens of countries over the last 100 years, once their citizenry has been effectively disarmed by their governments. It’s the same picture over and over again.
When millions believe a bandana or a paper mask can protect you from a virus because the government says so, hold tightly onto that gun if people are so easily manipulated to obey and comply without question.
“A FREE PEOPLE OUGHT NOT ONLY BE ARMED AND DISCIPLINED, BUT THEY SHOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT ARMS AND AMMUNITION TO MAINTAIN A STATUS OF INDEPENDENCE FROM ANY WHO MIGHT ATTEMPT TO ABUSE THEM, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT.”
-GEORGE WASHINGTON-
“FIREARMS ARE SECOND ONLY TO THE CONSTITUTION IN IMPORTANCE; THEY ARE THE PEOPLES’ LIBERTY’S TEETH.”
-GEORGE WASHINGTON-
MY RIGHT TO PROTECT MY CHILD AND FAMILY WITH MY GUN TRUMPS YOUR FEAR OF MY GUN.
-U.S. AMERICAN CITIZEN-
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. What a great nation we had. Time to get back to Greatness!!! Go Trump
“LET US NOT BE DRIVEN BY FEAR INTO AN AGE OF UNREASON. “REMEMBER WE ARE NOT DESCENDED FROM FEARFUL MEN.”
-EDWARD R MURROW-
“A FREE PEOPLE OUGHT NOT ONLY BE ARMED AND DISCIPLINED. BUT THEY SHOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT ARMS AND AMMUNITION TO MAINTAIN A STATUS OF INDEPENDENCE FROM ANY WHO MIGHT ATTEMPT TO ABUSE THEM. WHICH WOULD INCLUDE THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT.”
-GEORGE WASHINGTON-
“FIREARMS ARE SECOND ONLY TO THE CONSTITUTION IN IMPORTANCE; THEY ARE THE PEOPLES’ LIBERTY’S TEETH.”
-GEORGE WASHINGTON-
Self defense Needed
Guns don’t kill people, it’s evil people using guns to do evil that kill people!
Too many people have a simple and basic misunderstanding about “gun control.” “Gun control” is not now, and has never been, about crime or criminals. Quite frankly, the Left couldn’t give a rat’s behind about crime or criminals. Gun control is, and has always been, about disarming the citizenry so they cannot represent a threat to the government once the Left establishes the dictatorship they have been working toward for well more than half a century and, thanks to the stolen elections of November and January, are now in the process of consolidating. The key word in the term “gun control” is not “gun” – it is “control.” A quick study of basic world history will show that one of the first actions taken by every Communist government upon their takeover was to go to all of the local police stations, get the lists of gun owners, and then go door to door and disarm everyone. That is why the Communists – er, I mean the Democrats – want a national gun registry. Is there really anyone at this point in time who still does not understand this?
And by the way, it is way beyond disingenuous that the Left always speaks of “we need gun control” as if there were currently no laws concerning firearms. There are now more than 24,000 gun control laws in effect at the federal, state, and local levels in this nation. Every conceivable aspect of firearm purchase, ownership, and use is covered dozens of times over. Firearms are by far the single most regulated and restricted consumer product in this nation. The only ones who are impacted by all these laws are the law-abiding. Criminals very rarely (check the FBI data on this) even attempt to obtain firearms through legal channels, and are thus unaffected by “gun control.” As I stated above, “gun control” has nothing to do with crime or criminals.
And finally, I have this to say. If it weren’t for 100+ million firearms owners in this nation in possession of somewhere north of half a billion firearms, we would by now be the same as Red China, and the word “freedom” would be long gone from this planet.
Back in the day, every pickup truck had a rifle or two in the gun rack in the rear window.
We didn’t have uncontrolled, government assisted violence like we see today.
Record gun sales indicate we might be returning to the 60’s, a chicken in every pot and a gun in every hand.
The only power a bad person has over a victim is the weapon in his hand and your hands empty.
It would take a real idiot to rob a business or break into a home knowing either is going to be filled with armed citizens, trained and ready to defend themselves..
Cain killed Able with a rock. Ban rocks!
When Yamamoto was asked if he was making plans to invade the U.S. he said “No. Behind every blade of grass will be an American with a rifle!” Smart guy.
Great article! Firearms are but a tool, it’s the nut on the trigger that causes the problems.
thank you!
My father bought me a gun when I was 5, taught me how to shoot and be safe with a gun, he also informed me that he would not tolerate me being stupid with it, I was never restricted access to the gun, the best days of my life were spent going hunting with my dad, i only missed one Elk hunting season, from the time I was old enough to big game. In High School on Friday’s, I would take my hunting rifle to school and leave it locked in my pickup and after school would drive up to where my dad had setup Elk camp. My was raised in a home that did not have guns, but I taught her to shoot, and we both shot competitively.
There is not a gun problem, there is a crime problem, you do not solve the crime problem by disarming LAW ABIDING CITIZEN. You solve the crime problem by punishing the criminals until they learn that society will not tolerate their behavior.
How does taking guns from good people stop crime, it only makes it worse, because they are now easy targets to victimize.
Taking guns from law abiding people is not about crime, it’s to make big government a dictatorship,
PEOPLE WHO BEAT THEIR SWORDS (GUNS) INTO PLOW SHEARS, PLOW FOR THOSE WHO DON’T
The elimination of private ownership of firearms is the last stumbling block in the lefts path to total control. They’ve succeeded in undermining the family, education, media, entertainment and many churches. Theyve convinced half the country that the earth will be underwater in ten years if we dont give up petroleum, that children should decide which sex they are, that a fetus is basically a tumor and that deficit spending will bring prosperity. Yet theyve failed to even reduce gun ownership. Still, they never give up; never rest. Dont ever believe them when they pick out one type of firearm for demonization and swear thats all they want, even if you dont own that type. They will try to separate us into segments to chip away at any gun ownership. Right now is the golden age of firearms, with a dizzying array of great choices. The parochial attitudes among gun store employees and shooting ranges is largely gone. You can learn, practice and perfect skills without being looked down on. As well, women make up a sizable percentage of new gun owners. Its easier than ever to reach basic competency.
i agree completely with Morbius. The true definition of ‘gun control’ is hitting what you aim at, not the disarming of our citizens. Disarming citizens is the path to total control and despotism.
Places where there are fewer gun laws and more guns per person have less crime. End of argument.
AND it has been reported that one reason Japan never invaded the lower 48 states in WWII was because “The citizens have guns!”
Socialist democrats have taken control of the American press–TV, newspapers, and a lot of radio, although radio many places the last source of broadcast truth (One America News is another…best $5 a month I spend.) All the low information public knows is what the left wants them to hear. Occasional shooting sprees are big news, while the news of 2-3.5 million times a year armed citizens stop or prevent crimes (according to two CDC studies) is suppressed.
The left is scared to death of armed Americans, and that’s mostly because of one of the reasons behind the 2nd Amendment. Noah Webster: “Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword, because the whole body of the people are armed and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States.”
Private citizens in the U.S. own 70 times as many guns as the U.S. military and all police forces combined. We are the Militia.
Guns are a tool designed to ensure the freedom, liberty and safety of all Americans. Authoritarians, of any stripe, are terrified by the idea of an armed citizenry capable of standing up for themselves against any enemy foreign or domestic. Just as criminals fear confronting a possibly armed citizen. Guns tilt the odds in favor of the citizenry instead of the criminal or authoritarians.
Guns prevent authoritarians from imposing their will on a population without encountering meaningful and substantial resistance. Thus, the incredible PR push over the last 50 years by the MSM and many in the Democrat Party to demonize the ownership and possession of guns by the American public. You can look at what has happened to dozens of countries over the last 100 years, once their citizenry has been effectively disarmed by their governments. It’s the same picture over and over again.
When millions believe a bandana or a paper mask can protect you from a virus because the government says so, hold tightly onto that gun if people are so easily manipulated to obey and comply without question.
“A FREE PEOPLE OUGHT NOT ONLY BE ARMED AND DISCIPLINED, BUT THEY SHOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT ARMS AND AMMUNITION TO MAINTAIN A STATUS OF INDEPENDENCE FROM ANY WHO MIGHT ATTEMPT TO ABUSE THEM, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT.”
-GEORGE WASHINGTON-
“FIREARMS ARE SECOND ONLY TO THE CONSTITUTION IN IMPORTANCE; THEY ARE THE PEOPLES’ LIBERTY’S TEETH.”
-GEORGE WASHINGTON-
MY RIGHT TO PROTECT MY CHILD AND FAMILY WITH MY GUN TRUMPS YOUR FEAR OF MY GUN.
-U.S. AMERICAN CITIZEN-
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. What a great nation we had. Time to get back to Greatness!!! Go Trump
“LET US NOT BE DRIVEN BY FEAR INTO AN AGE OF UNREASON. “REMEMBER WE ARE NOT DESCENDED FROM FEARFUL MEN.”
-EDWARD R MURROW-
“A FREE PEOPLE OUGHT NOT ONLY BE ARMED AND DISCIPLINED. BUT THEY SHOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT ARMS AND AMMUNITION TO MAINTAIN A STATUS OF INDEPENDENCE FROM ANY WHO MIGHT ATTEMPT TO ABUSE THEM. WHICH WOULD INCLUDE THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT.”
-GEORGE WASHINGTON-
“FIREARMS ARE SECOND ONLY TO THE CONSTITUTION IN IMPORTANCE; THEY ARE THE PEOPLES’ LIBERTY’S TEETH.”
-GEORGE WASHINGTON-
Self defense Needed
Guns don’t kill people, it’s evil people using guns to do evil that kill people!
Too many people have a simple and basic misunderstanding about “gun control.” “Gun control” is not now, and has never been, about crime or criminals. Quite frankly, the Left couldn’t give a rat’s behind about crime or criminals. Gun control is, and has always been, about disarming the citizenry so they cannot represent a threat to the government once the Left establishes the dictatorship they have been working toward for well more than half a century and, thanks to the stolen elections of November and January, are now in the process of consolidating. The key word in the term “gun control” is not “gun” – it is “control.” A quick study of basic world history will show that one of the first actions taken by every Communist government upon their takeover was to go to all of the local police stations, get the lists of gun owners, and then go door to door and disarm everyone. That is why the Communists – er, I mean the Democrats – want a national gun registry. Is there really anyone at this point in time who still does not understand this?
And by the way, it is way beyond disingenuous that the Left always speaks of “we need gun control” as if there were currently no laws concerning firearms. There are now more than 24,000 gun control laws in effect at the federal, state, and local levels in this nation. Every conceivable aspect of firearm purchase, ownership, and use is covered dozens of times over. Firearms are by far the single most regulated and restricted consumer product in this nation. The only ones who are impacted by all these laws are the law-abiding. Criminals very rarely (check the FBI data on this) even attempt to obtain firearms through legal channels, and are thus unaffected by “gun control.” As I stated above, “gun control” has nothing to do with crime or criminals.
And finally, I have this to say. If it weren’t for 100+ million firearms owners in this nation in possession of somewhere north of half a billion firearms, we would by now be the same as Red China, and the word “freedom” would be long gone from this planet.
Back in the day, every pickup truck had a rifle or two in the gun rack in the rear window.
We didn’t have uncontrolled, government assisted violence like we see today.
Record gun sales indicate we might be returning to the 60’s, a chicken in every pot and a gun in every hand.
The only power a bad person has over a victim is the weapon in his hand and your hands empty.
It would take a real idiot to rob a business or break into a home knowing either is going to be filled with armed citizens, trained and ready to defend themselves..
Cain killed Able with a rock. Ban rocks!
When Yamamoto was asked if he was making plans to invade the U.S. he said “No. Behind every blade of grass will be an American with a rifle!” Smart guy.
Great article! Firearms are but a tool, it’s the nut on the trigger that causes the problems.
thank you!
My father bought me a gun when I was 5, taught me how to shoot and be safe with a gun, he also informed me that he would not tolerate me being stupid with it, I was never restricted access to the gun, the best days of my life were spent going hunting with my dad, i only missed one Elk hunting season, from the time I was old enough to big game. In High School on Friday’s, I would take my hunting rifle to school and leave it locked in my pickup and after school would drive up to where my dad had setup Elk camp. My was raised in a home that did not have guns, but I taught her to shoot, and we both shot competitively.
There is not a gun problem, there is a crime problem, you do not solve the crime problem by disarming LAW ABIDING CITIZEN. You solve the crime problem by punishing the criminals until they learn that society will not tolerate their behavior.
How does taking guns from good people stop crime, it only makes it worse, because they are now easy targets to victimize.
Taking guns from law abiding people is not about crime, it’s to make big government a dictatorship,
PEOPLE WHO BEAT THEIR SWORDS (GUNS) INTO PLOW SHEARS, PLOW FOR THOSE WHO DON’T
The elimination of private ownership of firearms is the last stumbling block in the lefts path to total control. They’ve succeeded in undermining the family, education, media, entertainment and many churches. Theyve convinced half the country that the earth will be underwater in ten years if we dont give up petroleum, that children should decide which sex they are, that a fetus is basically a tumor and that deficit spending will bring prosperity. Yet theyve failed to even reduce gun ownership. Still, they never give up; never rest. Dont ever believe them when they pick out one type of firearm for demonization and swear thats all they want, even if you dont own that type. They will try to separate us into segments to chip away at any gun ownership. Right now is the golden age of firearms, with a dizzying array of great choices. The parochial attitudes among gun store employees and shooting ranges is largely gone. You can learn, practice and perfect skills without being looked down on. As well, women make up a sizable percentage of new gun owners. Its easier than ever to reach basic competency.
i agree completely with Morbius. The true definition of ‘gun control’ is hitting what you aim at, not the disarming of our citizens. Disarming citizens is the path to total control and despotism.
Places where there are fewer gun laws and more guns per person have less crime. End of argument.
AND it has been reported that one reason Japan never invaded the lower 48 states in WWII was because “The citizens have guns!”