On January 8, the Brady Bunch suggested a lighting of a candle as a protest to gun violence.

Awww…how sweet.

The 8th, of course, was the one year anniversary of the grotesque mass murder in Tucson, Arizona by Jared Lee Loughner.  His most famous victim, left brain-damaged for life, was Arizona Congressman Gabby Giffords.  She was clearly his intended target.

The gun-banners made much of the fact that Representative Giffords was shot with a Glock 19 9mm pistol.  They neglected to mention that Gabby Giffords had, prior to the shooting, proudly stated that she owned and had a license to carry a Glock 19 of her own. The mass-murderer was put to the ground and captured by courageous citizens, including ARMED citizen Joe Zamudio, who was carrying a pistol of his own at the time, a Ruger P95 9mm.

But lighting a candle will prevent the Jared Loughners of the world from carrying out their monstrous deeds?  Good Lord…it’s like the candlelight vigils from the Take Back the Night Movement.

It’s nice to know that people care. Hell, I care. I’ve spent an adult lifetime learning how to ward off monsters such as Loughner, and sharing that knowledge with others.

Some pro-gun bloggers got together and did their own January 8 counterpoint to the Brady thing.  I wish I had contributed more to that: all I did was take a picture of some strong women with candles and nine millimeters at a Glock match in Clearwater, Florida on the 8th. (Great match, by the way, and kudos to the Wyoming Antelope Club in Clearwater for putting it on.)

The decades have taught me that women won’t take back the night by marching with candles. They’ll take it back when those who prey on them learn – some the hard and final way – that their intended victims can be more dangerous to them, than they are to their intended victims.

Those you see below have it right.

If some monster tries to rape or murder a woman I care about, I don’t want him to see the flickering light of a candle.

I want him to see a muzzle flash, from the front.

I hate to paraphrase Al Capone, but a candle and a Glock will earn women more safety than just a candle. From left: Gail, Kitty, and Lisa Marie of the Alabama Holster Company’s all-girl pistol team, January 8, at Glock match in Clearwater, FL.

And here, more guns n’ candles…

1 COMMENT

  1. The Antis are throwing fits about the pictures and just foaming at the video. But do not think for one nanosecond they feel we are disrespecting the victims; they hate the fact that they are being mocked and that they are sliding into oblivion at an accelerated pace. In years past, their candlelight vigil would have been the major news story in all Media outlets, but on Jan 8th they were just a 20 second spot at the most., if that.

  2. I’m nearly a gun blog nobody, but I’m going to make a post here that I take issue with Massad. You said:

    “If some monster tries to rape or murder a woman I care about… I want him to see a muzzle flash…”

    I carry a gun to protect my wife. I will protect her from these monsters. If I’m with a female friend, I will do the same. But it isn’t just women that I care about.

    I carry a gun to protect my young son. I carry a gun to protect myself. To protect my friends.

    I will protect those I care about, male or female. I also encourage gun purchase, training, and carry for friends female or male.

    Otherwise, well, spot on like usual…

  3. WOW thanks so much for your Kind words Mr. Ayoob! I’m a huge fan of your work and your contributions to shooting and safety.

    This really means the world to me, the response to this little event wa simply overwhelming, and humbling.

    -Weer’d

  6. Thank you for jumping in on this! It is wonderful to see the kind of support this community has for one another.

  7. Glad you spread this one out for those of us who don’t watch TV (or keep up with anti-gun news). I’ve already embedded the video in my latest entry for more to see.

    Great sentiment, great execution, great job all around on everyone’s part!

  8. Well done. I picked up your link on Weer’ds’ blog. I’d like to link it on mine. Please let me know if you object…

  9. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” This phrase, attributed to many fits this article well.

    I’ll also blatantly, and badly, paraphrase another. Something along the lines of, “it is somehow morally superior for a woman to be found raped and bound with her own pantyhose than to find her standing over her attackers dead body with a firearm in her hand.”

    All these candle light vigils are very touching, but they don’t change the facts on the ground. The video highlights this exactly. Every one of the actors “DROPPED THE CANDLE” to deal with the target.

  10. It is good to see these ladies acquire the proper training and confidence should it ever be needed to send a psychopath toward the light.

  11. Hi Mas, I made my own protest against violence last week- bought another gun. You aren’t going to believe this- plastic! and in the wee 9mm.
    That sweet young lady in Ok. didn’t need a candle. Thanks for the link to the bank.
    stay safe, let the brady bunch hide behind wax and ignorance.

  12. Mas – You don’t know where one could find where Gabrielle Giffords made the remarks about owning a Glaock?

    Googling has given me Gabby Giffords: “I have a Glock 9 millimeter and I’m a pretty good shot” in the NYT, but that just references an interview in the NYT with accessing the actual interview.

    Nice posting of yours btw.

  13. Fruitbat, Giffords’ ownership of a Glock is also confirmed in Paul Barrett’s new book “Glock: the Rise of America’s Gun.”

  14. Thanks, Mas.
    Though we don’t always see eye to eye about issues, this is one where we are in accord, and I appreciate all you’ve done for Gunnies the world over.
    Again, thank you.

  17. Antis responses to any kind of violence make me think of Bart Simpsons classic line. “Why am I scared, murder is illegal in this state.”

  18. Antigun lobby’s no longer “news” – and that’s its biggest downfall. Long gone are the days when its grossly-overhyped events such as the “Million” Mom March (actually no more than 20,000; I was there photographing) got days of publicity in the daily papers nationwide in advance and then after.

  20. “women won’t take back the night by marching with candles”. No kidding! Who comes up with this moronic stuff? Worse yet is that people actually fall for this nonsense. Reminds me of the “slut walks” which were somehow supposed to prevent rape(?) The level of disconnect with reality is astonishing!