The rationale of the armed citizen is not easy to explain to people who haven’t grown up with it or studied it.  The eminent police psychologist Dr. Alexis Artwohl was kind enough to send me this article which sums it up pretty neatly.

21 COMMENTS

  1. The linked article is excellent. It points out the success achieved by the “Rooftop Koreans”. That is a good metaphor. However, the article still does not get to the underlying issue of why the Koreans stood strong while so many others just ran and hid.

    The article makes the point that: “There are two models to which Americans can aspire. One is to be citizens, armed and sovereign. The other is to be serfs, disarmed and obedient to their liberal elite overlords. Choose wisely.”

    Unfortunately, there is a significant minority (at least I hope it is still a minority) of Americans that seem to be willing to embrace the “disarmed serf” option. What the article does not address is just why this would be true?

    I think that at least part of the answer can be found in the following quote:

    1 Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.”

    There is a part of the human mind that longs for Utopia. It is part of what is sometimes called the “Inner Child”. Children want to be loved, to be protected, to be provided for, to be cared for by adults. Childhood should include at least a little piece of Utopia.

    I think that a significant portion of the current American population has had a good, sheltered life. A life where Mommy and Daddy was always there to lend a helping hand. A life free of harsh disappointments where everyone received a trophy just for participation. This has created generations which refuse to “put aside childish things” and become adults.

    The American Left desires and encourages such dependency. They don’t want American citizens. They want children who look to the Government to manage everything. The Leftist elites see themselves as the true “Adults in the Room”. They see themselves as pulling the strings of governmental power and reaping the resulting wealth and status.

    The American Left has gained control of the Education System and have designed it to keep the children dependent rather than to education them into independent, responsible adults. As a result, we have large numbers of Americans that may be in their 20’s or 30’s, by the calendar, but (emotionally) are still only 10 year’s old. Still thinking like children and still wanting to be protected and cared for, not by Mommy now, but by Uncle Sam.

    Only adults can be “Rooftop Koreans”. So, the true choice is to be either an adult and accept the duties of citizenship or else remain children and put your trust in the government to take care of you. Those that choose dependency and childhood, however, should be warned that the true goal of the Leftist elites is to enhance their own wealth and power. When they promise to take care of you, to give you “free” stuff, and to hand you a piece of Utopia, THEY ARE LYING! In the end, they will hand you just another version of Socialist Venezuela while they bank millions of your dollars in the Cayman Islands. When the country goes to ruin and the SHTF, they will just fly off in their private jets while sipping champagne. If current trends continue, that will be the cost of clinging to childhood!

    • Ken,

      Besides these articles, Kurt Schlichter is the author of several books. Some deal with political topics but at least a couple of his books are adventure novels. These novels are very, very entertaining reading. I especially recommend his Kelly Turnbull novels. These are named “People’s Republic” and “Indian Country”. Both of these novels are available through Amazon.

  3. Who pays for welfare, to sustain the broken “families?” Taxpayers. Who pays for liberal indoctrination in public schools? Taxpayers. Who pays for all the handouts to the illegal immigrants? Taxpayers. Illegal immigrants should not be processed, then should be turned back, and told to make their countries decent again.

    Taxpayers are paying for their own destruction. Wouldn’t it be great to starve the federal government of money, to make those who live in the District of Columbia poor?

    I guess I’m just a hater. It’s true. I hate evil.

  4. I wouldn’t want to take on the ROK Army, even Kim seems unwilling to do so. Yet, some of LAs Lowest did it anyway, some for the final time. There are lessons here, and IMO those Korean defenders are the epitome of what a well regulated militia is all about, and what we are supposed to do if called upon as a free people. Thanks again Mas!

  5. There is something else to think about.

    Riots in the US, whether they stemmed from Rodney King-type issues, political disagreements, or even sports team championships tend to be local, limited in scope, and generally small in size. Even so, normal criminal justice systems cannot handle the disruptions, and anarchy runs amok.

    Further, the participants in these disruptions have all been fed. They’ve had a place to sleep, have been warm, and have had enough water.

    Imagine what might happen if Americans hadn’t eaten in a week or two weeks? Didn’t have any water? Were cold, or overtired. What if something disrupts the transportation system that keeps the fuel oil, gasoline and grocery stores stocked?

    Those riots would be state or country wide. And the justice system would dissolve in seconds.

    Do liberals really want to be in the middle of a complete breakdown with nothing to protect their families, their businesses or their own lives?

    • Chris S.,

      Many pampered liberals can’t imagine themselves ever being in a dangerous or hostile situation. They have lived in a safe bubble protected by the US military, local cops, our law and order society, and wealthy neighborhoods. Heck, even I have had a soft life and I served in the USAF and I’ve been overseas. I was in the Middle East, but it was not during wartime. Nothing happened. Nothing happened when I traveled in Europe in 1989, in the spring. I’ve always had great health care, don’t know what hunger is, and the medical community can take away any pain through medication. Some Americans never experience real suffering because of modern conveniences and first responders. Americans are over-blessed compared to the rest of the world.

      If a liberal imagined themselves being the victim of a violent crime, the thought itself would be too painful for them to keep in their heads. They might have nightmares. No, that thought is put out of their mind immediately, and the vacuum filled with pleasant thoughts. As for guns, some liberals can’t ever see themselves touching one of those icky, icky dangerous, loud, intimidating things. In their minds, guns are only for big, strong, adventurous macho men. Guns are not one of the topics to be discussed in polite society. Gentlemen don’t need guns. Guns are only seen in movies, and movies are fake, so we don’t have to fear them. Bad things only happen in other countries, or maybe in an American inner city.

      Remember the power and destruction of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans? Well, 1,833 Americans died, in a major city, surrounded on three sides by water. Now, put Hurricane Katrina in India, and how many Indians die? 18,000 maybe? See, America is special, but how long can the good times last?

    • Chris S, I agree 100%. When arguing for the right to keep and bear arms with the uneducated or liberal, I have found the best success with just this sort of reasoning. A liberal former co-worker and friend of mine in San Diego had for years advocated against the need for firearm ownership. Then he had a daughter and I sensed an opening. After watching the chaos that ensued following hurricane Katrina, I asked him “What would you do if a mob like that showed up in your neighborhood after a big earthquake? Starving, desperate people can get nuts pretty quick and your fashionable neighborhood would be a tempting target” He became quiet and thoughtful and I let the conversation drift elsewhere. About 4 months later he called me to say “You’ll never guess what I did today… I went to a shooting range and fired a gun for the first time in my life. It was fun!” People tend to see the light when they are responsible for protecting a family and you use this argument.

  6. There’s a story that an NVA sniper whacked one of the South Korean army units that was serving alongside American troops in Vietnam. American troops would pretty much ignore the attack, but the South Koreans weren’t like that. The South Koreans dropped what they were doing, and took off after the sniper. When they eventually caught up to him, they stripped him, tied him to a tree, and skinned him alive. They left the body for the NVA to find.

    The attacks against the Koreans stopped immediately thereafter.

    They are serious mofos.

  8. A sobering reminder. As much as I cannot understand the absolute primative mindset of roiting -Why, why, why do politician refuse to learn from the past.

    • We saw localized riots in Boston when the Sox won the World Series. One week without food would turn the country into a war zone.

  9. Hmm. Sage advice for the majority. I live in the minority, BLUE STATE Maryland. Unfortunately, this common sense approach to the threat we are confronted with would be deemed as the original aggressor, simply by the display of the firearms.

    My state, the rooftop protectors would have been required to retreat to the inner walls of the establishment.

    Amuse yourself or convulse in revolt, but his is how Maryland treats the “Why we are armed”. Link attached: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2001-03-20-0103200197-story.html

  10. There are a disturbing number of people in this world who are both shockingly naive and voters. They have somehow managed to make it to adulthood still believe in what one might refer to as a Mayberry (Ozzie & Harriet to some of us old coots) world. They may honestly believe that firearm controls will, in fact, keep them safe. They’re wrong.

    A lot of politicians share in that belief and expect that when they raise the mob, they’ll be recognized as the natural leaders they think they are. They’re generally wrong. If you’ve ever seen one-larger than the average biker bar brawl-they have a mentality of their own. If you’ve ever actually seen one, let alone have the unenviable task to trying to stop it, you’ll know better. If you’ve ever been a target, it changes your world view forever.

    • I forgot to add this to the post above: On a related note, on the S&W Forum there’s a post in the Other Firearms area on one of the Swiss Shooting Sport Federation qualification days. The Swiss citizen soldiers(most every male over 18) have to qualify with their firearms a certain number of times a year (rifles at 300 meters and handguns at 25 meters) and specific days are posted. The event is not limited to the military, anyone can come and shoot. People strolling to the range with rifles slung over their shoulders is a common sight.

      All those actual assault rifles and no humans shot, just paper. Naturally, this sort of thing goes unreported here. Detracts from the desired narrative that the problem is a thing, not the criminal holding said thing.

  11. Liberals are either stupid or evil.

    When one seriously thinks about it, there are no other choices. They are either too dumb to know what’s right or wrong and easily influenced, or they are smart enough, but just don’t give a crap and look out for themselves to the detriment of others, which is what most liberal politicians are.

    Conservatives want to be good citizens and liberals want to be loyal subjects or the kings/queens.

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