Good Men With Guns

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• Tags: CCW, Concealed Carry, Criminal, Featured, Firearm, firearms, Gun Control, Guns, Hawaii, Self Defense

                I love guns.  I love sporting guns, I love military guns, I love antique guns, heck, I even love crazy guns like the one I saw on TV that used triangular cartridges instead of round.  Some would say that this passion for firearms borders on an obsession, and recently, I started thinking that maybe they’re right.  I’ve often pointed out to opponents of gun ownership that guns are inanimate objects like any other collection of steel, plastic, and springs.  They are a tool designed to accomplish a task, and should be afforded no special contempt.  Even so, I find comfort in knowing I have them if I ever need them.  I started to ask myself, “Why do you place such high value on a simple tool?  Isn’t that emotion opposite but related to the emotions espoused by proponents of gun control?”  After all, I certainly don’t assign any special value to my circular saw or any of my hammers.  What’s the big deal about guns?

                As I pondered this question, I started to think about other things that make people feel safe.  One of the first things I thought of was a police officer.  I’m sure most readers have found themselves stranded in a bad part of town, and had their anxiety quelled somewhat by a passing patrol car.  Similarly, other than college fraternities, few people would be unhappy to find that the new next-door neighbor was a cop.  People like having the police around, because a police officer means that they are relatively safe from harm. 

This US Army soldier exemplifies the concept of a good man with a gun

                The perceived safety found in the presence of a peace officer doesn’t come from his uniform, however.  Nor does it come from his radio, or his car, or his badge; it comes from his gun.  His presence is calming to law-abiding citizens because he represents the concept of a good man with a gun.  He is trained and competent to use his firearm, and will do so in defense of law and order.  A good man with a gun is as beneficial to society as a bad man with a gun is detrimental, because the power of the gun to disrupt law and order is equaled only by its power to restore and preserve it.

                That led to a bit of an epiphany.  The physical object itself is not what puts me at ease in my home.  Because I own firearms, and I am proficient in their use, I am empowered to be my own “good man with a gun”.  I can preserve the safety and tranquility of my home and my loved ones without being dependent on a police officer who may be delayed by rain, traffic, or more pressing problems elsewhere.  A good man with a gun stands between my family and potential harm, and he does it for free, including nights, weekends, and holidays; that man is me.

                Some of the resistance to CCW in Hawaii is due to the fact that society has largely forgotten the concept of a fundamentally good man with a gun.  In our modern culture, even the heroes in movies use their guns in a manner that cuts against the instincts of decent people.  TV detectives use their guns to extract false confessions, soldiers use them to torture enemy POWs, and everyday citizens use them as a device to exact revenge for past wrongs.  Unsurprisingly, the motivations and actions of TV characters bear little resemblance to those of real people, and the carrying of firearms is no exception.  Hawaii gun owners don’t want CCW permits so we can become vigilantes, exact revenge, or prove our manhood.  We simply want to have the necessary tools available if we should ever be called upon to stand between our loved ones and a dangerous criminal, outside the confines of our homes. 

                We want to be good men with guns.

Photo by: Oleg Volk