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To Gun or Not
to Gun??
By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! Another reader had a couple of questions regarding guns...
being allowed or not being allowed to own one and such. I found the
whole idea of guns, owners' rights, our constitutional guarantee, etc
highly interesting. I submit the following for you readers to consider
and digest. Ya'll are responsible for toothpicks!
Lt Col Ret David Grossman wrote a book entitled "On Sheep, Wolves, and
Sheepdogs." The following is a compilation of excerpts from the book.
You can read this online free. I googled David Grossman.
"Honor never grows old and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so
because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy
things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our
time that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship,
persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains:
What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living
for?" - William J. Bennett....in a lecture to the United States Naval
Academy, November 24, 1997.
One Vietnam veteran, an old, retired colonel, once said to me (to
David Grossman): "Most people in our society are sheep. They are kind,
gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident."
"Most of our society are sheep. Many violent crimes are committed by
repeat offenders; the actual number of violent crimes is
considerably less than you would think."
"There are wolves," the old veteran reflected, "and the wolves
feed on the sheep without mercy" From Grossman: "Do you believe there
are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? They are
there. There are evil men in this world who are capable of evil deeds.
The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep.
There is no safety in denial."
"Then there are sheepdogs," the old veteran went on. "I'm a sheepdog. I
live to protect the flock and confront the wolves." From Grossman: "If
you have no capacity for violence, you are a sheep and need to be
protected. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your
fellow citizen, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf.
If you have a capacity for violence and a deep love for your fellow
citizens, you have a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking into
the heart of darkness, into the human phobia and will walk out
unscathed."
Grossman expands: "Sheep live in denial. The idea of someone coming to
harm them or their child it too hard so they choose denial.
The sheep do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He
has a capacity for violence. The difference in thinking is that the
sheepdog must not, can not and will not harm the sheep. The sheepdog is
a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land.
The sheep pretend the wolf will never come. The sheepdog lives for the
day to be able to make a difference and protect the sheep. There is
nothing morally superior about the sheepdog. He has only one advantage:
He is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys
others."
In my personal firearms training was first and foremost: You maintain
control of your emotions and responses - both verbally and physically.
If you let another goad you into an action - a gun will not help you be
"right." Secondly: If you can not aim the gun and kill - you do not
need to own a gun. Thirdly: You fire no "warning shots." This alerts
the enemy to your position and gives the "split second" for you to be
over-powered and harmed or killed with your own weapon.
Another side to this is: Some say that if a person truly wants to kill
they will use a rock, a knife, a cast iron skillet, ect to do it. So -
if our right to own a gun is taken away from us - do we pick up a
knife, rock, etc? Another angle to this is: Don't be confused about
your ability to shoot to kill and being upset that a "right" might be
taken from you. If you want the "right" to be available - even if you
are a sheep...do something productive and get behind the NRA. If you
are afraid the government will get the list of NRA members and come
looking for you...donate money to them. The NRA is our largest
organized group of activists not afraid to make a stand or show to
protect the constitutional right to bear arms.
Read David Grossman's book. It is very thought-provoking and a good
read. The whole "own a gun/own not a gun" is not a black and white
issue.
Remember the kiddies and our service people. Take good care of the
furry and feathered ones out there. Be safe and healthy. See ya next
time. Ever Toodles!! MONA
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