"PACKIN' HEAT"

THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS

The U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788, and the first ten amendments were added in December of 1791. These ten amendments codified many of the rights of the people, and they became known collectively as “the Bill of Rights”. The Second Amendment established the right of private individuals to own and carry firearms—a right reaffirmed as recently as 2008 by the U.S. Supreme Court in its District of Columbia v. Heller decision.

I grew up around firearms. The gun cabinet in our old log farm house contained three 12-gauge shotguns, a .30-30 carbine, a .30-40 Krag, a .22 caliber rifle, and a .22 revolver. My Dad and older brother were avid bird hunters. I had my own shotgun and went out with them sometimes, but never really got into hunting the way they did. The ring-necked pheasants introduced to our northeastern Oregon valley had done well, and we were also on the migratory waterfowl flyways. So game was plentiful, and I grew up dining on pheasant and roast duck.

I think what really triggered my renewed mature interest in firearms and self-defense was the George Floyd protests during the “Summer of Love” in 2020. Those “protests” turned into riots fomented by Marxist groups like Black Lives Matter. And because local law enforcement was told to stand down by feckless Democrat mayors, by the time it was all over a couple of dozen people had been killed—not to mention about two billion dollars’ worth of property damage. These riots seriously undermined law and order, and led to an ongoing movement to defund the police.

And to make matters worse, all of this civil unrest was taking place against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic! Were we under attack by the Chinese? Were we all going to die? How were we going live if there were permanent supply chain interruptions? (Remember how you couldn’t even buy toilet paper for a while?) And then there were all of the confusing, not to mention contradictory (and sometimes downright capricious) “official” regulations about masking, social distancing, and vaccinations. Blah, blah, blah. . .

Well, COVID eventually subsided—pretty much on its own. But the experience left a lot of us painfully aware of multiple vulnerabilities we had barely considered before the riots and the pandemic. What if things did go seriously sideways at some point in the future? If the law enforcement system was not working, how could I defend myself and my home against the threat of assault? How about all of those gang members who slipped across our open borders during the Biden years? What if there was a global event or war that disrupted normal supply chains and we couldn’t find food? Could I live off of the land if I had to? Could we survive?

And even though there are lots of perils in life over which you have no control, I decided that it would be prudent for me to at least acquire some firearms and a stock of ammunition. Just in case of. . . whatever? So, accordingly, I got a pistol permit from our county sheriff’s office, and started looking at firearms. The first pistol I bought at a gun show was right out of a Raymond Chandler novel: a Smith and Wesson Model 10 snub-nose .38 special. The classic plain-clothes cop revolver! But unfortunately, at 3 ½ pounds, it was too heavy for daily carry.

What I was really looking for was some inconspicuous portable protection because I was doing ride-share driving at the time. So I traded my bulky classic in on a new Smith and Wesson Model 442 .38 special: a hammerless revolver which weighs only about a pound. I took the concealed carry class—highly recommended training!—and got my permit. I now carry in a soft holster in my front pants pocket for immediate access. The perfect concealed carry!

My little revolver is strictly a close-range defensive weapon for emergency situations—accuracy beyond 20-30 feet is pretty iffy. While I was thinking about firearms, I also decided to pick up a .22 caliber pump action rifle for some longer range. That—along with the old shotgun from my youth—could put food on the table if things ever came to that(?). Like the old saying goes: it’s better to have a gun and not need it than it is to need a gun and not have it.

In passing, let me share a few general observations about firearms and self-defense. As a matter of law—including natural law—each of us has both the right and the duty to defend ourselves if an assailant tries to hurt us or take our property. Nature already has us hard-wired for this whether we use our fists, grab a club, or draw a gun. But within the framework of the law, it is critical to determine who the aggressor is—that is, who made the first threat, threw the first punch, or fired the first shot—and then to consider the proportionality of the response.

And the threshold of when a person can legally employ deadly force against an assailant is determined by statute, and varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction (the standard is most commonly the threat of death or imminent bodily harm). That determination can also be affected by regulations like the “castle doctrine” or “stand your ground” laws. For example, here in North Carolina, if I shoot an intruder within the walls of my home it is legal because I have been assaulted in my “castle”. However, I can’t legally shoot that intruder on the front porch outside of those walls because it doesn’t meet the “fear of bodily harm” threshold. If you are going to be armed, you need to know the law to protect both yourself and those around you.

On a personal level, the other reason I decided to buy firearms is simply because I still can. There are a lot of folks out there who are adamantly anti-gun. I am a Constitutional conservative, and exercising my Second Amendment rights helps to ensure that this important right will always be ours. I don’t consider myself a gun rights “activist”, but the Second Amendment does give citizens the means to defend all of the other amendments in the Bill of Rights. It also serves as a backstop against government overreach.

I carry fairly often these days—especially when I drive over to the city, or into a shopping mall setting (that Walmart parking lot is a jungle!). No sane person wants to shoot another human being. And fortunately—in one study I read—in 90% of the assaults where a target victim suddenly produces a concealed firearm, the tactical element of surprise usually resolves the situation in the victim’s favor without a shot being fired. Everyone walks away. And of course that’s the outcome I’m really shooting for. . .

GDK 08/22/2025