I’m a former law enforcement officer for 20 years and a former U.S. Marine who served for four years. I had the luxury of being trained on several different weapons and firearms. I am not only an advocate for the Second Amendment but am very familiar with training and firearm safety. First, one should be knowledgeable of local, state, and federal laws pertaining to your firearm. Paramount is the specifics of when you can use it to protect yourself and your loved ones. An educated, law-abiding gun owner and one who practices with their firearm at a range are better prepared to face the dangers lurking in our society. I’m comparing this to someone who just goes into a gun store, buys a firearm, and doesn’t take the time to educate and practice with their firearm at a gun range. 

Wayne Kyle, a father of former U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, said, “There are three types of people in this world: sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. Some people prefer to believe that evil doesn’t exist in the world, and if it ever darkened their doorstep, they wouldn’t know how to protect themselves. Those are the sheep. Then you’ve got the predators who use violence to prey on the weak. They’re the wolves. And then there are those that are blessed with a gift of aggression, an overpowering need to protect the flock. These men are the rare breed who live to confront the wolf. They are the sheepdog.” We, the American citizenry, have the right to keep and bear arms per the U.S. Constitution, but we also have a God-given right to defend ourselves from the “wolves.” The Bible states in Exodus 22:2, “If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him.” Also, in Luke 11:21, it says, “When a strong man fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe.” 

Time and time again, the liberal media loves reporting about murders committed with a firearm. They fail to mention this person, at least most of the time, obtained the firearm illegally. One just needs to look at liberal-run cities across America with the strictest gun laws to see they have a higher murder rate. The left claims we need more gun laws, and that will save lives. Not so! More laws are not what we need. Instead, district attorneys need to prosecute these criminals who illegally obtain and use firearms, and our judges also need to sentence them accordingly. 

Why does the liberal media not promote more stories of law-abiding citizens who used a legal firearm and, by lawful means, to protect innocent lives? For example, Jack Wilson, a churchgoer and a member of the West Freeway Church of Christ security team in Texas. Wilson shot an assailant who had just shot two church members. Out of the 240 people in attendance, how many lives would have been lost if Mr. Wilson had not been there that day? A 12-year-old boy in Goldsboro, North Carolina, shot and killed one of two intruders who broke into his grandmother’s home and shot her. Due to the bravery of this pre-teen, he saved the lives of several family members, including himself. 

This vignette hits close to home. My parents were leaving the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh one late Friday evening several years ago. As they were walking to their car together, my dad walked to open the door for my mom. Ever alert, he noticed a man walking toward my mom. My dad quickly told the man to stop, but the man did not. He either did not hear or care. In response, my dad reached and drew his firearm. My dad presented his firearm at low ready. He never pointed it at the man. The man stopped, looked at my dad, slowly turned around, and walked away. If my dad did not have the right to own a firearm and legally carry his firearm, this story would not have been a happy one. 

If those of us who are responsible and law-abiding gun owners do not take a stand to protect our Second Amendment rights and our God-given rights, then George Mason would be right when he said, “To disarm the people; that is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.” 

William Allen is a former law enforcement officer with close to 20 years of service and experience. He joined the United States Marine Corps at 30 years of age and served as a reservist for four years. Allen is currently an intern with the John Locke Foundation for the Spring and Summer of 2022. He is a senior at Liberty University and will graduate in the Fall of 2022 with a degree in political science.