A friend who rarely goes out unarmed was relating the attitude expressed by some in a hiking group of hers. Me, carry a defensive weapon??? Why should I, Jane has my back? (not her name)
The question then becomes who has Jane’s back?
Many of us are defensively armed for more than personal preservation. It is a civic duty, and obligation we feel for our community – both large and small.
Could I watch a handful of thugs beat somebody to death? … and live with myself???
I know the answer is a lifetime of nightmares and recriminations about what I should have done. Yet I have no hopes of ever becoming a martial arts master … other than that particular martial art utilizing the greatest equalizer available to modern man.
Am I looking for trouble? Most definitely NOT. But I sure as heck don’t want my last conscious thought in this world to be, “I should have brought my gun.”
While I may be over the hill for karate or mixed martial arts, throw a firearm into the mix and I can handle self defense for quite some time to come and cover Jane’s back while she covers mine.
In the culture I still inhabit, that is called responsibility.
I share three quotations from Jeff Cooper:
An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it.
If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his victim.
Fight back! Whenever you are offered violence, fight back! The aggressor does not fear the law, so he must be taught to fear you. Whatever the risk, and at whatever the cost, fight back!
Quite some time after running for Ada County Sheriff, I participated in an Idaho Open Carry event where a couple hundred of us filled the Idaho State Capital Rotunda to remind the politicians and others of our rights and responsibilities.
Following the scheduled speechifying, a video producer interviewed me for his channel, covering related topics including defense with and without firearms. If you watch closely, you will find that my sidearm was on the milder side of things. Plenty of participants came with long arms slung over their shoulders.
An armed society is a polite society
Interview with Oath Keeper Ted Dunlap at an Idaho open carry event from Ted Dunlap on Vimeo.
I was not quite as electable-looking this time (above) as I was during my sheriff campaign (below) where representative Elizabeth Hodge interviewed me. My platform was based on being a Constitutional Sheriff rather than a thug with 29 years experience working for the politically powerful. With almost no money or support in my campaign, the final numbers for Ada Sheriff were:
.. Gary Raney .. [R] .. 118,723 .. 74%
.. Ted Dunlap .. [L] .. 41,014 .. 26%
representative Hodge interviews sheriff candidate Ted Dunlap from Ted Dunlap on Vimeo.
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