Yes, I’m a firm believer in everyone being armed and trained to use a firearm against another human being when warranted. I’ve had people try to talk me out of this time and time again, for some reason, yet I don’t budge on this. Why?

The Loadout Room actually has a post today that illustrates exactly why I don’t. Two different mothers and different times, one had options the other didn’t.

Throughout the video captured on the home nanny cam, the violent burglar can be seen walking in and out of the living room. Each time he returns, he resumes attacking the mother. The woman does nothing in her defense, not even after being kicked in the face and thrown down a set of stairs. Miraculously, she survived the beatings with only a concussion and needing several stitches in her mouth and the large intruder made off with some of her jewelry, including her wedding ring.

In her explanation of the events, the woman (who chose to remain anonymous for the interview) felt her best chance of surviving was to do nothing, for fear that if she started crying and screaming that it would upset her daughter and draw the attacker’s attention to her.

A Texan mother, attacked by a carjacker after purchasing groceries with her two young sons (two and five years old), had a different response.

In Dorothy Baker’s situation, a man who had hidden in the back seat of her unlocked vehicle climbed up behind the driver’s seat, placed a knife to the woman’s throat, and told her to follow his instructions if she didn’t want any harm to come to her sons. He told her to drive up to an ATM to withdraw money. Baker refused, and he responded with violence, cutting her across her chest. She struggled with him, grabbing the knife away, and he bit her hand. She intentionally drove into a telephone pole, in the hopes of sending her assailant through the windshield (as he was the only vehicle occupant without a seatbelt) and away from her children. She also hit him in the face and told him to get out of the car.

…

Both mothers had the goal of protecting their children, and each responded according to their own natural instincts. In this case, the New Jersey mom froze, and the Texan mom fought. After the incident, the family in the invaded New Jersey home had a security system installed. However, getting self defense training and [home or concealed] carry can also be significant weapons in one’s self defense arsenal, and could have helped in the case of home invasion in NJ as well as the carjacking in TX.

Exactly.

Fighting is always, in my opinion, preferable to simply withstanding being bludgeoned. The most efficient means of fighting back, however, is a firearm. It negates any size or strength advantage. In many times, the mere presence of a firearm is enough to end a crime.

No, having a gun doesn’t guarantee victory. Nothing does.

What it does do, however, is give you options. It gives you alternatives to being a victim and being hurt or worse, alternatives you don’t get without a gun.

Whenever you see a politician talk about how people don’t need guns, that the police will protect them, remember that they are telling you to be a victim. They want you to rely on the mercy of the merciless.

Yes, every police officer I’ve ever met has been willing to put their lives on the line to protect people, but like the old cliche says, when seconds count, the police are just minutes away.