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Category Archives: It Can’t Happen Here

Why do you carry a gun?

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Recently an individual asked me why I carried a firearm in little old Pullman.  He was an elderly gentleman and I went through the standard statements:

  • No where is safe, I probably wont need it but it’s better to have it.
  • It’s like a fire extinguisher or first aid kid.
  • It’s a lighter burden than regret.

He made a comment that a fire extinguisher was safer than a firearm.  At which point I chuckled and said, CO2 in a confined space in a basement can easily kill you.  It’s just that the fire can kill you just the same.  My firearm has never jumped from its holster or magically discharged without my somehow being involved.  Though fire extinguishers if not properly maintained can burst on their own.

I bring this up because I saw this come across my news reader:

Police Chief David Duke said employees inside the restaurant were confronted by a man with a handgun wearing a mask and dark hoodie after responding to a knock at the door around 10 a.m. The man forced the four employees into the walk-in freezer and locked them in without saying anything, said Duke. One employee used their cellphone to contact law enforcement while another notified the manager of the Pullman restaurant.

Now why would an individual rob Pizza Hut?

Pizza Hut made the most money in its history Monday night when it hosted the The Sonia Todd FUNdraiser Day. Todd is a mother of two who was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer.

So here’s the deal folks.  There is evil in the world.  There are those who would hurt others merely for the thrill of doing so.  These people don’t just exist in particular geographic or social areas, they can be found anywhere.  This incident occurred earlier this year in Pullman.

The bottom line is the real world isn’t wrapped in bubble wrap.  Sometimes evil shows up not just in your neighborhood but on your very doorstep.  Some would rather not worry about self-defense and consider the probability of evil finding them so small it is not worth the effort.  That is their choice and their choice alone.

My issue with that choice is that the effort to prepare for a fight against evil isn’t that difficult a task, recovering and becoming whole again after encountering evil is a mountain.  That mountain is even more treacherous if you were un-prepared to begin with.

As Sean said,

When I reach the Pearly Gates, I want the first thing I will hear to be “Unload and show clear.” I don’t ever want to hear, “Why weren’t you carrying your gun?” Or worse “Because you weren’t carrying, your wife will be along as soon as her killer finishes up.”

So why do I need to carry a gun?  Because I want to stack the deck in my favor as much as I possibly can.  I will do this so I can fight every last step of the way against anyone that would bring violence to my door.

Why?  Because I am worth it.

Be Prepared…

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For what? Oh any old thing.

So far it’s not clear why the man police say is Joel Neveraz, a wedding guest, encouraged his pit bull to attack the bride and also attacked the woman himself.

I had a two fold protection for that at my wedding.  One, I was strapped.  Second I had a tiger pit at the reception.

Just because it is supposed to be a happy day, and it should be dream like, not everyone may be sympathetic to your view.  Carry your guns and be prepared, you never know when trouble will come to your door step.

ICHH – The Kind I Hate

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Normally TMW does these posts, she hasn’t been as active about it lately though.  Also when we do them it focuses on people’s belief that it can’t happen here.  Usually someone says a variant of the following, “I never thought it could happen here.”

Well this one close enough to home for some of us that it should drive the point home.

Everything that has just occurred took place, not in minutes, but seconds.  From the initial observation of the man… to his strange question… to the attack… and finally to the assailant running off took a total of maybe less than ten, not more than fifteen seconds.  The sheriff’s department was called… the young gal… all of sixteen… was taken to the hospital for treatment… and the assailant was caught… found lying on the ground under another camper not far away… apparently under the influence of drugs.

Go read Dann’s post, seriously, it is a prime example of how quickly the world can change, and no place is safe.  This particular incident occurred at a County Fair, with her parents close by and a friend sitting next to her.

Many of us exercise risk management and the thing is, like firearms, “Is Life, Is not Safe.”  Everything in life has risk, some things are lower risk that others.  Ultimately though your number can be called.  It may be an unlikely event, but it very well could be called out.  It can happen without warning and without cause.  It can happen there, it can happen here.  It can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

I carry a gun, among other tools because I won’t get a warning if my number is going to be called.  I could very well only have seconds to identify my number is up and to react.

WSU Hate-Crimes and Forced Victimization

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This morning on the radio it was announced that recently there have been hate crimes on the WSU campus. What I heard was “Forced disarmament ensures victims for hate crimes!” Many would look at the geographic location and figure that it’s because we’re “rural” and don’t like people who are different. The fact is though, this is actually pretty far off and one hell of a stereotype. The same crap happened while I was at UW in Seattle. This same stereotype is often used against gun owners. This is even more of a slap since many gun owners view firearms as a line of self defense that EVERYONE has a right to. It is the universal leveler than ANYONE can use to defend themselves.

The fact that the University forces everyone, including those who want and have more need than normal to provide for their own personal defense, to be disarmed is disconcerting.

“I would never have thought this would happen on our campus and I think it shocks the overwhelming majority of campus,” Scheller said.”

While I most certainly agree that it is shocking, as well as saddening. The idea that she believed that it couldn’t happen on the WSU campus was her first mistake.

“We are disturbed and saddened by the recent events,” she said. “Of course we want all our students to feel safe, secure and respected.”

What people do not realize is that the biggest reason for concealed carry is not to “shoot” but to provide a deterrent. No attacker wants to end up in the hospital at the hands of his “victim”. Disarmament serves as an illusion of safety and security. However, when you are attacked while disarmed, how can you effectively fight back, especially when outnumbered or over powered? Besides, these people already are breaking the law, what’s to stop them from using weapons? Another disturbing fact however, is the fact that it appears that the attackers are casing their victims by finding them at the GLBTA sponsored events.

“Hogan, a junior French and Spanish major, said he didn’t recognize the man, but the man recognized him from an event sponsored by the GLBTQ community.”

This shows premeditation in their actions and is quite disturbing.

For those at the University of Idaho or at Washington State University that feel affected by this, please feel free to contact the Palouse Pink Pistols, or myself or anyone else. No one has to live in fear, and no one should!