woman gun range pistol
Bigstock

Like it or not, there is no gun-free life. Why? Because there are bad people in the world. And because, simply put, life is worth protecting. You can choose to be oblivious and irresponsible. Or you can choose to be informed and trained. I choose the latter. And so do people all around us.

That father of four? He carries. That elderly woman? She has a gun. That store clerk, pastor, lawyer, nursing student, single mother, construction worker?

They all carry for personal protection. And I believe our lives are all the better because of it. Not because of the potential for danger or the thought that something bad will happen but because of the opportunity to even the playing field and the ability to protect myself and the ones I love.

– Beth Alcazar in There Is No Such Thing as a Gun-Free Life

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

34 COMMENTS

    • Maybe so. Lets hope for her sake she doesn’t get socked in the forehead. Still I recall once reading about a small woman, perhaps 110 lbs., who had no problem firing from the shoulder a .375 Holland and Holland Magnum rifle. She was able to roll with the recoil, whereas the same rifle may have whacked a big overgrown macho man. Who knows?

      • It’s all in the technique. Solid in the shoulder, fluid in the waist. Roll with the recoil.

  2. A great article that explains, in a not so liberal friendly way, what self defense is and why it’s so uncommon for today’s majority to be comfortable with.

    https://www.eaglegunrangetx.com/endangered-dangerous-men/

    I choose the latter as well. While I don’t train all day everyday, I still consider myself far more “prepared” than most. A little can go a long way in today’s society.

  3. I am living a gun review free life, thanks to you guys.

    Seriously can you start publishing some goddamned reviews again? Please?

      • I do find it odd that people click on something called the ‘Quote of the Day’ looking for gun reviews.

        • Yeah, you would think they would get a clue and look on readersdigest.com or something….

    • Yes please, if I want it’s a gun life I will wander over to the NRA website

        • I think there are a very few gun owners who just won’t/can’t handle the gun-politics/harsh-truths of owning a gun, so they go to TFB. I’m not bashing TFB; they do though reviews and remind us of the fun, enjoyable side of shooting paper/steel. It’s ok to take a break from gun politics once in awhile, but those few gun owners cannot run away from it, we must all have those uncomfortable conversations to preserve and fight for our 2A future.

    • The internet is full of gun reviews, but very few pro gun, pro 2A and other positive articles. I appreciate being able to read articles like this one.

      • I’m not saying they are mutually exclusive, TTAG has always been a wealth of content. But they have also always provided quality, clearly unbiased gun reviews and touted their own impartiality. It has always been a huge selling point for the site. But it can’t be denied since the giant shift in writers occurred and RF said adios that the content has shifted away from the reviews that a lot of us hold so dear.

  4. One day I’d like to clink on the link to a pro-gun article and have it take me to a mainstream media publication, not a “specialty” site like USCCA. That will tell me we’re starting to win the culture war.

    Aan can dream…

    • Define ‘mainstream media’. Fox News gathers more eyeballs than CNN and MSNBC combined. A couple years ago the owners of Newsweek sold it for one whole dollar. The New York Times would have gone under several years ago if not for the infusion of cash from a Mexican billionaire and they’ve still been laying off people. Same with the Washington Post being bought out by Jeff Bezos. The mainstream media is the old media, the left wing media and it’s the dying media.

      • It’s still the main frame of cultural reference and is likely to remain so for quite a long time…no shortage of wealthy leftists (who also own most of the new media) willing to buy some virtue by throwing money at them.

        • With an ever shrinking audience of hard left wingers who get triggered by reality.

  6. Fortunately for residents in Massachusetts. Depending on your locality. Your local police department makes that determination for you. Since THEY have full control over “who” receives a police issued privilage…So your 2nd amendment “rights-lol” are completely safe! Because you most likely won’t be exercising them anytime soon….

  7. …Not to worry folks…Massachusetts has RED FLAG LAWS, so if a family member, or police department has a personal or political axe to grind…Look out, if you don’t “behave” someone might be knocking on your door…

  8. Years ago I ran into a guy in an armed guard class who didn’t pass because when it came time to shoot he was afraid the .38 wadcutters were going turn the gun around and bite him. Around the same time, I had a friend who wanted me to teach him how to shoot. The same thing happened to him and I couldn’t convince him otherwise even after I shot a .44 Dan Wesson holding the gun with just a thumb and forefinger. Yeah, it jumped more than normal but was still under control. That was single action by the way. Guns aren’t for absolutely everybody. These were grown men. One was short and slightly heavy the other was about 6 feet and 200 pounds.

  9. Here’s a sad fact for us to ponder. There are those among us who will not EVER defend themselves. They need protectors on THEIR terms! What I mean by that is they don’t agree with guns and beyond that they are total pacifist. My mother was one. She was a classic example of a pacifist that didn’t believe there was any justifiable reason for violence or war. She didn’t believe in guns. She could be in a bank during a robbery where the guy is killing people and she’d try to reason with him. I once saw her decades ago in Salinas jump out of the car and try to stop two drunken transient bum Hispanic men from fighting because they might “knock their teeth out” She inserted herself into a dangerous situation and tried to reason with the unreasonable. To this day I have no idea what she was thinking.

    Most of the readers here are cut from a similar piece of cloth. Sure sure there are the trolls that have Bloomberg sh– on their nose, but we recognize them a mile away. What I’m talking about is at one degree or another, most here are the type that carry and would if the situation arose, defend themselves, their home, or those around them with the means at their disposal.

    We have to recognize that there are people out there including men two that don’t have that chemical makeup, they simply don’t posses that defensive violent ability and all the knowledge in the universe, all the facts and common sense presented to them will NEVER change their mind. At some point, it’s better to recognize it and move on.

    My father was just the opposite. He was a big man and golden gloves boxer with some crazy stirred into the mix. I inherited my mothers smaller stature and my fathers “kick their teeth in and send them to hell” philosophy. It has served me well, I’m a survivor.

    • Agreed. Some people simply lack a survival instinct. Most are hypocrites to boot. As soon as their life is in danger, they have no problem calling 911 to come send an armed guy to save them. Their virtue is worth more than the guy they call into harm’s way to protect them.

      Pacifism isn’t just stupidity, it’s immoral.

      Back in the days we didn’t really have to deal with people like that too much. They just died off early. Modern society has gotten so safe that we’re effectively subsidizing shitty instincts.

  10. My mother pulled a guy with a knife out of the driver’s window of an automobile and then stomped him till he dropped the knife and begged for mercy. The neighbors all peeking out of their windows were talked about it for years. She was a small woman, about 125 lbs and about 45 at the time.

  11. There’s plenty of people who live their entire lives without needing to touch a gun. Most people never face an attempt on their lives in the US. So that’s just overblown.

    Now, those people do depend on other people with guns. They call 911, they rely on a robust military, etc…

  12. The nice thing about anti gun types is they are easier to rob. Like a sign warning of an alarm system a bumber sticker, t shirt, or yard sign proclaiming you are a liberal peace type will get you targeted. Feeds the vermin.

  13. Beth should settle down. You decide your own level of involvement in Project Gun.

  14. Can I lead a gun free life? I don’t know if I can but I sure don’t want to. Guns are fun!

  15. Been there, done that. Grew up in gun-free, Soviet Russia, back before it fell in 1989. I know first-hand what it is like to survive in a place where only the criminals are allowed to be armed. Gun-free countries mean everyone unfortunate enough to be “living” there (save for the crooks and politicians) are nothing more than serfs and slaves.

  16. Lady Beth clearly has no situational understanding.
    Some have STRONG SURVIVAL INSTINCTS AND CHOSE TO LIVE GUN FREE.
    My wife bought a house in one of the 100 safest towns in the country that just had its first murder since 2012. The HOA pays for roving renta-cop patrols and the biggest threat are car break-ins in areas close to the freeway.
    It is a Republican Area, but virtually no one owns guns and most parents make sure their kids NEVER play in the house of someone who owns guns. The sight of someone loading a gun into a trunk caused a SWAT-ing and the gun turned out to be AirSoft.
    To survive, one does not keep a gun in the house and needs to ensure other parents that no guns are present anywhere.
    I go to the range and rent because I enjoy guns I have a Ring door system, cameras all over, a vicious dog, and emergency service is less than 500m away (paced it) and I feel very safe.
    People CHOOSE guns because they enjoy them, but few people live in neighborhoods that are so dangerous to NEED a gun. (Used to live in a rough Bay Area neighborhood for 10 years and NEVER needed a gun because no one tried to attack me or any other male that goes to the gym). Also, lived overseas in neighborhoods far safer than any in the U.S. where no-one (even regular cops) had guns.
    Beth, please don’t resort to hyperbole and ridiculous claims to make your point. We still CHOOSE guns in our lives for the heritage and entertainment they provide.

Comments are closed.