First Aid Kits & Fire Extinguishers...

For most Americans, there are only three reasons to call Emergency Services 911:
A medical emergency
A fire
A crime
Either recently discovered/survived, or in progress.

Now, as an American (Pronounced "Wal-Mart Customer"), I have several options to help allay some of the immediate effects of two of these issues: A well stocked first aid kit, and a fire extinguisher being among those options.

I keep these with me, by way of having multiples in the house, and a set of each in the car. I even carry some adhesive bandages in my wallet. (Boy Scout training, rearing it's head, again!) And I know how to use a fire extinguisher of any sort.

Now, lets face it, folks. The Fire Department/EMS will be storming up your front steps in under 5 minutes (or at least that's the estimated/published response time around these parts. I've seen them beat that time. A lot.)

The Police, on the other hand...

In fact, once, I had an act of violence perpetrated upon me, in my own home, by a person who was neither invited, nor welcome, but still thought they had some right to be there.

I called the police, then ordered a pizza for my children, whose supper had been destroyed.

The pizza got there first...

In America, we have a document that people reference a whole heck of a lot when they want to rant about this or that, or, pray to a Deity of one sort or another, or keep from incriminating themselves during a criminal investigation, etc.

You guessed it. The Constitution. A document of some importance, right? A Founding Document, right? A Document that has been the whole of the reason for some of the wars we've fought in, as a nation, right? We've even fought in wars in order to let OTHER nations have the same sort of thing, right?

Right? (There's a pun there. Really. There is. As well as some serious foreshadowing.)

There is one particular part of that document that seems to be pretty contentious these days: The Second Amendment.

For those that can't be bothered to either remember it, or look it up, here it is, in its entirety, as originally written, as passed by the Congress:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

As ratified by the individual States:

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.


There are those that believe that the Right to Keep and Bear Arms doesn't apply in today's American Society. And that there are certain aspects of the *inherent implications* of the second amendment that don't apply anymore, through the fault of a government that listens to lobbyists, rather than actual voters.

We'll cover those at a later date. Remind me, would you?

Today, we'll look at how an armed society could be likened to keeping band-aides in your wallet, or a fire extinguisher in your trunk/kitchen.

Recently, there have been some pretty horrific things happening in the world when either criminals, or mentally unstable persons get a hold of a gun, and use it with criminal, or mentally unstable intent.

Some of these events may not be all THAT recent, but they are so horrific that they have made it into the lexicon: Columbine. Virginia Tech. The Norwegian Youth Camp shootings.
These are just some of the most famous/infamous.

These... Events? Tragedies? They have some things in common.

The biggest thing they have in common, to my mind, is that none of the victims, nor the people responsible for the care and safety of the victims, were in a position, nor equipped, to provide ANY resistance to the threats.

None. What. So. Ever.

Another, rather significant thing they have in common is that Emergency Response arrived either too late, in the case of the Norway shootings, or in a mode of operation that kept the well armed responders well away from any of the gun fire, as in the Columbine and Virginia Tech massacres. (It *was* "To Protect and Serve", right? Right?) The death tolls rose, and rose into the double, and triple digits.

What was the mentality? What was the rationale for not going in, and stopping the killing?

Don't mistake my intent, here. I will always honor and respect the police and fire that gave their lives on the off chance of saving a life or two during the 9/11 attacks. That is true heroism. But, often ignored are the citizens who did the same. There were only a handful of them, as First Responders tried to usher all citizens to safety, but there were some.

But what kept the police from being effective in the prevention of further deaths in the previously mentioned attacks on children? Lack of intel? What?

Now, in a lot of states here in the U.S., in order to carry a weapon, you need to show proficiency. This is in order to prove that you can be trusted to not hit a bystander due to lack of ability. This is also, a Good Thing.

Imagine, for a moment, please, that the people responsible for the care and safety of the young victims of these shootings had, in fact, been armed, and had been able to respond "in kind" to the threat. How many children in Norway could have been saved? How many students at Columbine, or Virginia Tech could have been saved?

Would the Attackers have even begun the atrocities, knowing that the law allowed for an immediate armed response by almost anyone?

How many of these schools and campgrounds had fire extinguishers? Emergency Defibrillator Kits? First Aid stations?

My Town's elementary schools (grades K-6) have the defibrillators every 50 feet in the hallways. As well as a Nurse's Office, with enough equipment and supplies to deal with more than just basic first aid.

Why is it so hard, then, in my state of residence, (and harder in others) to acquire a permit to carry a firearm? (The local police refer applicants to the Attorney General's office, which then requires them to take a Psych Eval exam at a particular local university, to be paid for by the applicant. Oh, and the university no longer offers the exam. Effectively making it impossible for anyone that does not have employment that requires a firearm to get a permit to carry, despite the written laws to the contrary.)
(several lawsuits are pending, but the court systems being what they are, and judges having more important cases to try... Cases that if delayed, would infringe on the Sixth Amendment right of the defendant...)

While I agree that a gun can certainly cause a lot more damage than a bandage, it must be pointed out that, in the right hands, so can a fire extinguisher.

But, in the hands of a citizen trained, and prepared to be effective, a gun can save lives. Before the Authorities can even be made aware of the situation.

As both a Cub, and Boy Scout, I got yearly training and testing in firearms "care and feeding". Constant refreshers, just like we got in First Aid, and Basic Firefighting. The older we got, the more detailed, and expansive the training got, up to, and including qualifying for and receiving a Hunter's Safety Certificate, or "Orange Card". The State issued document that confirms that you have shown sufficient proficiency, and knowledge in firearms and hunter's safety to get a Hunting License every year, as well as having had sufficient training to be allowed to purchase a handgun in this State, if the card was acquired prior to 1981, and you were 21 or older at the time of purchase. After 1980, a separate "Blue Card" must be presented at the Gun Shop. It's the same course of training, but, still...

It wasn't until I was 16 that we got to actually handle a firearm in a "weapon's hot" situation. The local Police Firing Range. Boy Scouts. Good Times.

Mind you, my Grandad, and his nephews, thought it was great fun to take the Little Guy of 8 out plinking. Especially when I could Bullseye a tobacco can at 25 yards using the iron sights on a Remington bolt action .22 Sportster. (For those interested, it was a large can of Captain Black, Gold Blend.)

Then there were my days in Junior ROTC, and the Rifle Team. A short lived experiment in Intramural Sports for my school...

Suffice it to say that I have had experience. Lots of it. Ongoing, for many years. I can even take a firearm that has never been fired, and set it up so that the first shot will be "on paper". Not bad, for a "duffer", right?

But, since I choose to work in a certain field that I take great joy in, I am not allowed, by my state, to be able, and empowered, to defend myself, or others, from a mugging, or during a carjacking.

My state has the Castle Doctrine in effect, and case law shows that it applies even to my wallet. The one with the bandages. But it's sort of moot, unless I am at home, since only off duty police/prison guards, Private Investigators, and police Detectives are allowed to carry firearms outdoors while in civilian clothing.

Maybe. Just maybe, my stubborn desire for self-reliance is a "Down East" thing. Maybe I live in a place that would prefer to be "late to the dance" and do Janitor Duty, rather than have to do the paper work needed for a Citizen's Arrest...

Personal feelings on the topic aside, the facts can not be denied. In States and Nations that allow citizens to be armed, violent, invasive crimes are fewer, per capita. And, as trite as it may be to say; a criminal, with criminal intent, will be able to get, and has already gotten his hands on a firearm. No matter WHAT the laws are.
Do you suppose that carrying it concealed is that much different to a criminal?

I might be mistaken in this one basic premise: The Laws are supposed to protect the law abiding citizenry, and not give unfair advantage to those who consciously decide to ignore those laws.

I leave you with the following, intentionally provocative questions:
What's it to be, folks? Tie the tourniquet yourself, or just wait for the guys with the mops? Are we going to grab a garden hose, or just wait for the backhoe and dumpsters?

And now, perhaps the most important part of this post: Do Not function outside the laws. Do Not. If you disagree with a particular law, strive to change it. Do Not break it. Please.

NOTICE: The preceding post was inspired by the writings of Mas Ayoob Handgun Instructor to Private Citizens, and Law Enforcement, and 2nd Amendment Advocate.