Many of us grew up believing the old adage, “A man’s home is his castle.” We even took that to mean that our home was sort of a sanctuary from all of the troubles of the world. Of course, we know that that is not the case. In fact, it has probably never been the case. Mostly just wishful thinking, I guess.
Just a couple of days ago, I learned that a friend had been murdered in his home, the victim of a home invasion. My friend was found lying in front of his locked gun safe, shot in the back. My friend was not armed.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that things happen pretty fast during a home invasion. The crooks make a dynamic entry and get on top of you just as fast as they can in order to gain control and compliance with a minimum of danger to themselves. Crooks like it when you have all of your guns locked up in the gun safe, or stashed in a closet in the back bedroom. To put it bluntly, when the door flies open, if you can’t put your hand on a defensive firearm, you are probably going to lose.
The only real value of a handgun, over a rifle or shotgun, is that it is far more portable. We can have it on our person and still be able to handle our daily chores. What I have trouble getting my head around are the people who go to the trouble to get licensed and trained and then don’t carry that defensive firearm. Right in line with that are the ones who say that they have their handgun to carry when they need it. “When they need it?” They clearly think they can predict the future better than I can.
And then there are those who just hate the fact that we have to consider protecting ourselves in our own homes. Well, I couldn’t agree more; it makes me angry. But, it is a fact of life. You and I are not safe anywhere. To be informed and prepared is to be alert in all places, at all times.
And so, yes, I live my life being able to put my hand on a defensive firearm at all times. I wish my friend had chosen to live that way. And I hope that you do, too.
