If one is to believe the media and the political left (which some would say are the same thing), America has a gun culture, and they would say that is a problem.
My response to that is that they are partially right.
Much of America, typically those who actually care about America and the Constitution, has a gun culture. That’s true.
I disagree about the problem part. That is only partially true. And I say that because the gun culture here in the U.S. has two parts. One part any sensible person would say is not a problem. The other part? It isn’t necessarily a problem, but it may not be helping, either.
I know that can sound confusing, but Alex Ooley has some thoughts on this subject. Ooley writes,
American gun culture is often reduced to a debate over rights. Who has them, who shouldn’t and where may the government draw lines … if anywhere? But, historically, rights were only half the equation. The other half was responsibility.
Early Americans were not merely expected to own firearms. They were expected to know how to use them, maintain them and exercise judgment in their use. Gun ownership was active not passive. Competence was assumed. That tradition deserves revival.
Ooley goes on to say, “Gun culture [in early America] emphasized readiness not symbolism.”
And I think that’s worth reading again. Gun culture emphasized readiness not symbolism.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. I like symbolism as much as the next person. I may not put up a “Forget the dog, beware the owner.” sign with a hand holding a pistol (after all, I don’t want to alert would-be thieves that I have guns in my home that they may want to steal). But I appreciate a pro-2A coffee mug as much as the next guy.
And I advocate for educating people about both the importance of personal gun ownership and, also, of safe gun ownership.
More important than symbolism, though, is the responsibility side.
Many gun owners take that responsibility seriously. They train. They go to the range. They practice situational awareness and carry daily.
But many gun owners just have their guns locked up and never used in a gun safe (or worse, just laying around the house). Never cleaned, oiled, and maintained. Never trained with.
And I get it. Life gets busy. You have to make time to train and go to the range.
But this is important. Because your life and the lives of those that you love are important. And if you aren’t training regularly, you aren’t ready to do that.
So, let this be an encouragement to you: make time to train today, and get to the range soon and regularly.
If you’re looking for gun training, book a free call with Patriot Training Center to see if our training is right for you:
https://link.patriottrainingcenter.com/aff_c?offer_id=1550&aff_id=2897&url_id=12444&source=yt
And as always, the best way to practice your skills is with dryfire. That’s why we’re giving away a FREE 30 day dryfire program that only takes 10-minutes per day here for you: http://freedryfire.com/YT