An Interesting Question

The meme below posits an interesting question for which the anti-gun forces have no answer. I assume most of them will say that you will be protected by the government which any rational person knows is a fallacy.

While any weapon can be abused by those with evil intent, these same weapons can and are used by good people to protect themselves and their families on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about an AR-15, a baseball bat, or a knife. All can be used for defensive purposes.

Against Guns, Against Self-Defense, or Both?

There was a shooting at the Greenwood Park Mall in Indianapolis, Indiana area on Sunday. Reportedly, the killer had hidden in the bathroom adjacent to the food court with a number of firearms in his backpack. As the mall was preparing to close, he entered the food court and killed three individuals as well as wounding two others. He might have killed more but he was stopped by 22 y.o. Elisjsha Dicken who was legally armed. Mr. Dicken was legally carrying concealed without a permit as was his right under Indiana’s recently passed permitless carry bill.

While the mall was posted as a so-called gun free zone, they have no force of law in Indiana. It would only be an offense if the carrier was asked to leave and refused. In that case, the concealed carrier could be arrested for criminal trespass.

Even though the mall was posted against carry by its owners the Simon Property Group, they had this to say about Mr. Dicken.

We are grateful for the strong response of the first responders, including the heroic actions of the Good Samaritan who stopped the suspect.

Contrast this dignified response with that of two of the leaders of the gun prohibition industry: Shannon Watts and Kris Brown.

First, Mrs. Watts who resided in the Indy area for many years until she left for more progressive pastures in the People’s Republic of Boulder and thence to California. She later deleted it.

And now Kris Brown, president of Brady United, who referred to Mr. Dicken as a “vigilante”.

Many on the progressive Left believe that government should hold the monopoly on violence. In other words, self-defense on behalf of yourself or others would be against the law and that any defense of a person should come from agents of the state, i.e., the police. If you respond like Mr. Dicken, then you are just as culpable in the eyes of the law as the killer.

Michael Bane discussed this at length in his MBTV On The Radio podcast last week. His example was that of the bodega worker who was being charged with first degree murder for protecting himself against a felon out on parole. This episode is well worth a listen.

We know that Mrs. Watts and Ms. Brown are anti-gun. It also appears that they are against self-defense. I am of the belief that as elitists, they fear firearms in the hands of the great unwashed. In other words, thee and me. They want the monopoly of violence – and the tools with which to secure it – to be in the hands of the state. This fits in directly with what Chairman Mao’s speech to the Chinese Communist Party said in 1938.

Every Communist must grasp the truth, “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” Our principle is that the Party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the Party… All things grow out of the barrel of a gun.

The founders of the United States, by contrast, were greatly influenced by the works of English philosopher John Locke. He was a proponent of natural law. One tenet of natural law is that you have a natural right to life and you have a right to defend this life.

From Locke’s Second Treatise on Government, Chapter II, Section 16:

 it being reasonable and just, I should have a right to destroy that which threatens me with destruction: for, by the fundamental law of nature, man being to be preserved as much as possible, when all cannot be preserved, the safety of the innocent is to be preferred: and one may destroy a man who makes war upon him, or has discovered an enmity to his being, for the same reason that he may kill a wolf or a lion; because such men are not under the ties of the commonlaw of reason, have no other rule, but that of force and violence, and so may be treated as beasts of prey, those dangerous and noxious creatures, that will be sure to destroy him whenever he falls into their power.

Most countries of the world, whether they be communist, socialist, capitalist, authoritarian, democratic, or some other variant, do not recognize the individual’s right to self-defense. It doesn’t matter whether you are in China or Canada, the monopoly of violence remains in the hands of the state.

The United States, however, does recognize an individual’s right to self-defense. Whether by common law or codified law, it is a right recognized in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. This is true even in the most progressive of states.

That Mrs. Watts and Ms. Brown reject the right of self-defense puts them, not us, outside the mainstream. It is a right that must be defended at all costs because without it we are slaves.

Quote Of The Day

The Quote of the Day comes from the White House website that has been revamped with the change of administrations. The Trump Administration explicitly considers citizen self-defense as part of law enforcement.


Supporting law enforcement means supporting our citizens’ ability to protect themselves. We will uphold Americans’ Second Amendment rights at every level of our judicial system.

What a change a few days make.

“I’m Older Now And It’s Very Scary”

WTSP Channel 10 News did a report a couple of days ago about the growth in Florida senior citizens applying for and getting the concealed carry permits. The report notes that over 350,000 permits holders in Florida are over the age of 66.

I’m glad to see these people taking the responsibility for their own self-defense. With regard to the disparity of force argument, most senior citizens would be at a disadvantage against a younger attacker. I’m not a senior citizen (yet) but I would feel at a severe disadvantage if I were attacked by an attacker in his 20s or 30s.

I like the tone of this story. It isn’t “this is dangerous for Grandma to have a firearm” but rather an honest report on how senior citizens are taking the initiative to protect themselves. I hope the trainers in Florida and elsewhere recognize this and develop classes aimed directly at this demographic.

I would embed the video but I can’t get it not to autoplay. Bummer. Here is the link.

H/T Laura Carno

“You’re not supposed to shoot so many times”

Dr. Michael M. Baden is the former Chief Medical Examiner for the City of New York. He was hired by the family of Michael Brown, the teen shot by police in Ferguson, Missouri, to provide a private autopsy.  I’m not going to get into the whole sordid mess surrounding the shooting and subsequent unrest in that St. Louis suburb.


The majority of the private autopsy results were released to the New York Times. It appears that Mr. Brown was shot in the front of his body by the Ferguson officer six times. What caught my eye was this statement by Dr. Baden:

“In my capacity as the forensic examiner for the New York State Police, I would say, ‘You’re not supposed to shoot so many times,’ ” said Dr. Baden, who retired from the state police in 2011. “Right now there is too little information to forensically reconstruct the shooting.”

I have always been taught as well as read in reliable sources that you shoot until the threat has been stopped. There is no magic number. Bear in mind that Mr. Brown was reported to be 6’4″ tall and weighed 292 pounds. According to the autopsy, it also appears the first four shots hit Mr. Brown in the arm and not center mass. While that would have hurt like hell, they were not sufficient to stop the threat. (This, of course, presumes that the officer involved perceived Mr. Brown as a deadly threat.)

I think the good doctor needs to reevaluate his statement and remember that there is no magic number when it comes to stopping the threat.

A Sheriff That Gets It

This is a story that we discussed on The Polite Society Podcast a few days ago. It involves Harnett County, NC Sheriff Larry Rollins (R) who is forthright in his advice to residents to arm themselves.

For those not familiar with North Carolina geography, Harnett County is located between Wake and Cumberland Counties or, in other words, Raleigh and Fayetteville. Its two “major” towns are Lillington (the county seat) and Dunn. I put major in quotes because the population of both of these towns is less than 10,000 residents. The county is undergoing a growth spurt due to its location along Interstate 95 and its proximity to Raleigh and Fayetteville. Along with the growth has come crime.

Last Monday, residents held a community meeting at the Spring Hill United Methodist Church to discuss the rising crime in the western part of the county. Among the speakers was Sheriff Rollins who blamed the rise of crime on drugs and gangs. Sheriff Rollins was also blunt about what he thought residents should do – arm themselves.

“When I am out with my family, even though I am a cop, I don’t go anywhere without a gun,” Rollins told the crowd. “I mean it’s sad we have to have that attitude, but I am going to protect myself and my family. I want my deputies at your house just as fast as they can when you got a problem, but you better be able to take care of business until we get there if you have to protect your family.”

Sheriff Rollins gets it – the real first responders are you and me and not his deputies as good as they may be.

An Armed Barista Is A Safe Barista

JitterzJava in North Spokane, Washington was robbed three times last month. Owner Sara Chapel said enough is enough and has begun encouraging her employees to be armed at work.

Security footage from the latest robbery attempt Sunday night shows a suspect holding what looks like a weapon trying to enter the shop through the drive-thru window. The employee was able to put down a block to stop the entry and grab her gun, but by then the suspect left. Chapel is making sure her employees can defend themselves if it happens again.

“A couple of them bring handguns every day, no matter what shift it is. There is always a gun here now,” she said.

Ms. Chapel also makes sure there is a firearm present at the coffee shop at all times. Many of her employees have their Washington State carry permits.

Local police have no problem with the employees of JitterzJava being armed so long as they are 18 years old and have a clean criminal record.

Owners such as Sara Chapel should be applauded for being concerned enough about their employees to encourage them to take their self-defense seriously.

H/T Polite Society Podcast

An Idea That I’d Like To See Spread

My friend Rob at the SlowFacts blog had a story Sunday about a trainer in Reno, NV who provides free firearms training classes to anyone who has a signed protective order.

Actions speak volumes about a person, and that is why I’m impressed with Vicki Kawelmacher. Vicki is a firearms instructor in Reno, Nevada. She specializes in teaching women. She offers free classes to students who have a signed protective order. A protective order, also called a restraining order in some other states, means these students convinced a judge there is a serious threat to them or their children. These students to learn self-defense right now. Vicki has been in that position with an attempted abduction of her daughter. Vicki knows that a piece of legal paper is ineffective without a means to back it up.

He proposes that local gun clubs, ranges, and other such organizations establish scholarship funds for those in immediate need of training and who have limited means. I agree fullheartedly with Rob that this would a charity I’d love to support. As Rob say, ” If we really advocate responsible self-defense, then we should donate and volunteer to make that happen without asking instructors to teach for free.” It’s great that Vicki Kawelmacher is doing what she is doing but we as a community should make it so that she and others like her don’t have to assume the burden.

I think Rob’s idea is one that we should encourage.

Or You Could Just Allow Campus Carry

TV station WAVE-3 in Louisville, Kentucky ran a story this week on self-protection for women. They wanted to know if some of the “secret weapons” for women were worth the money and they asked a University of Louisville police officer for his opinion. Some he liked and some he didn’t.

I do agree with his suggestion to be aware of your surroundings and to avoid getting into risky situations. That is good advice for anyone. However, neither the story nor Officer Graham mentioned the one thing sure to make a rapist think twice – a legally concealed handgun.

An Unarmed Populace Will Find A Way To Defend Themselves

British laws virtually outlaw armed self defense with a firearm. Not only are their firearm restrictions draconian but armed self defense is quite often prosecuted as was the case of British farmer Tony Martin. Mr. Martin served almost four years for defending himself in his own home from intruders with his shotgun.

Riots which began on Saturday night and continue today have left one man dead, many homeless, and innumerable shops, pubs, and other business establishments looted and destroyed. As Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit, has commented, ” Unlike L.A., there are no Korean shopkeepers with AR-15s to help contain the looting.”

With the police response under great criticism and politicians being heckled over their inability to stop the thugs, looters, and other miscreants, people are starting to take matters into their own hands with what is available.

In the sports and leisure section of Amazon’s UK site
, the biggest percentage movers for the past 24 hours have been “aluminium” baseball bats. The Rucanor Aluminium Baseball Bat, Silver – 60 cm, has shown an 52,211% rise in sales. Previously, it was 8,893 on the list and now is at number 17. The number two bat is now sold out and it is unknown when it be back in stock. I wouldn’t be surprised if old cricket bats and field hockey sticks stuffed in the backs of closets or buried behind years of Christmas decorations in the basement are not suddenly being remembered and located.

Some shopkeepers are saying enough is enough especially those of Turkish and Kurdish extraction. In the Kingsland Road and Stoke Newington sections of London, the knives used to cut the meat for doner kebabs have been put to use.

Across the road, I ask another shopkeeper if what I’d heard is true, that the Turkish men in Kingsland Road and Stoke Newington were arming themselves to protect their shops, to protect their own. “Is true. Police no use, government too soft.” He frowns: “So they had knives.”

Turkish and Asian shopkeepers in the Dalston area were determined to protect their shops.

Some were seen carrying tools to protect themselves and their businesses, as police officers were scarce in the area late on Monday night.

When suspected looters were seen in the area, the shopkeepers and their families ran shouting after them up the main road, Kingsland High Street.

Jerry Keshin, who runs Jerry’s Food and Wine on Stoke Newington Road, said: “I shut early because I heard they were coming. I went down to Hoxton to get my boys and we drove back up and saw a group of about 10 rioters who were on their way into our area. We chased them into one of the estates and had it out.

“Then we came back to the corner of Shacklewell Lane to keep the area safe. A load more of them came through at about 11.40 but the whole community was out to chase them away.

His friend Aykut Boyraz said: “The community is close and we all know each other. We’re not going to have any riots around here. It doesn’t matter if you’re Turkish, if you live round here we’ll defend you.”

It is interesting that those most likely to protect their shops and livelihood are from the immigrant population. I guess they haven’t gotten used to living on the dole yet.