Phoenixphire
Campaign Veteran
imported post
I origianlly posted this in the comments section of a editorial in a Michigan university student newsletter. This editorial was about the Hastings get-together, and expressed a strong anti-firearm position.
I wanted to post it here as well, just to share my thoughts with you guys as well, and to let everyone know where I stand:
I would like to tell you why I support the Right to Keep and Bear Arms: I am a free man, living in a free society.
Before you think that this is the "I do it because I can" position being repeated, I recommend that you take a moment to think about what being a free person really, truly means.
Having a free society is not about being able to go on a vacation to a neighboring state without a travel visa, or to start a website without first getting a Media Permit from the Department of Journalism and Information.
Those things are part of a free society, yes, but they are the benefits of it.
What people have forgotten are the responsibilities of being a free citizen. A free citizen realizes that he bears a burden to himself, his family, and his community. He or she knows that they are, ultimately, INDIVIDUALLY RESPONSIBLE for the security, preservation, and perpetuation of these entities.
A free citizen does not depend on others for his safety, his well-being, or his substance until he is no longer able to provide these things for him or herself. A free citizen also recognizes his obligation, as a member of a free society, to provide those things, to the best of his or her abilities, to those who can not provide for themselves.
I do not allow my fear to override my responsibilities. And yes, I am afraid. The nightmare is that I might actually have to use my firearm one day. However, I would much rather be prepared. The alternative is to find the nightmare become a reality, and not be armed, because I let my fear control my actions.
In the end, the reason I bear arms is that I am a free citizen. I accept my responsibilities to stand and defend myself, my family, and my community against those who would harm them.
I origianlly posted this in the comments section of a editorial in a Michigan university student newsletter. This editorial was about the Hastings get-together, and expressed a strong anti-firearm position.
I wanted to post it here as well, just to share my thoughts with you guys as well, and to let everyone know where I stand:
I would like to tell you why I support the Right to Keep and Bear Arms: I am a free man, living in a free society.
Before you think that this is the "I do it because I can" position being repeated, I recommend that you take a moment to think about what being a free person really, truly means.
Having a free society is not about being able to go on a vacation to a neighboring state without a travel visa, or to start a website without first getting a Media Permit from the Department of Journalism and Information.
Those things are part of a free society, yes, but they are the benefits of it.
What people have forgotten are the responsibilities of being a free citizen. A free citizen realizes that he bears a burden to himself, his family, and his community. He or she knows that they are, ultimately, INDIVIDUALLY RESPONSIBLE for the security, preservation, and perpetuation of these entities.
A free citizen does not depend on others for his safety, his well-being, or his substance until he is no longer able to provide these things for him or herself. A free citizen also recognizes his obligation, as a member of a free society, to provide those things, to the best of his or her abilities, to those who can not provide for themselves.
I do not allow my fear to override my responsibilities. And yes, I am afraid. The nightmare is that I might actually have to use my firearm one day. However, I would much rather be prepared. The alternative is to find the nightmare become a reality, and not be armed, because I let my fear control my actions.
In the end, the reason I bear arms is that I am a free citizen. I accept my responsibilities to stand and defend myself, my family, and my community against those who would harm them.
