Tactical Firearms, Ammunition, Optics, and Concealed Carry Training
The gun in civilization
In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some. When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force.
The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gang-banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a
defender.
There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a [armed] mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat - it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed.
People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.
Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser. People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level.
The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weightlifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable.
When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of
those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation... And that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act.
-
Comment by Eric S on June 20, 2011 at 8:41am -
well put.
-
Comment by Caleb Davis on November 6, 2011 at 11:09pm
-
VERY well put! Here is a responsible firearms owner at their best, and (for lack of a better word) knowing what the hell they are talking about. Thanks for posting!
Featured Offer
Featured Tactical Book of the Week
Gun Digest Book of The Tactical Rifle
From AKs to M14s, from AUGs to SCARS, author Patrick Sweeney gives practical, real-world advice on tactical rifles from around the world. It's a great go-to book for shooters, collectors and hobbyists in fact, for anyone with an interest in tactical rifles and their uses. Learn more »
Badge
Tactical Gear 2012 Expo!
June 8-10, 2012
Cobb Galleria Centre
Atlanta, GA
The 2012 Tactical Gear Expo is not only located under the same roof as the BLADE Show, but entry is FREE with a BLADE Show ticket. Learn more
Premiere 2011 Tactical Gear Digital iPad App!
Join Now to Download this Issue
Already a member? Sign in and click "Members Only Downloads."
Video: Tactical Gear iPad Demo
The Tactical Gear Magazine iPad app takes full advantage of the suite of features available to iPad users, provides an engaging way to interact with and learn more about tactical firearms and gear for self-defense, concealed carry, law enforcement and military use. Watch Now »
Become a VIP and SAVE!
The total value of this top-notch collector package is more than $200, but when you sign up to join the Gun Digest VIP Club you get everything for just $49.95.
* One year subscription to Gun Digest the Magazine
* Gun Digest 2012 - The World's Great Gun Book!
* 1944 First Annual Edition - The Gun Digest Download
* Gun Digest 2011 Collector's Guide Download
* 10% off all purchases at GunDigestStore.com
* Plus, preferred access to special sales, early notification of new products and exclusive benefits gained through partnership programs arranged by Gun Digest Learn more »
© 2012 Created by Corey Graff.
You need to be a member of TACTICAL GEAR to add comments!
Join TACTICAL GEAR