The printing press freed the minds of the people of the world, and firearms freed their souls.
Before the Gutenberg press, books were handwritten and too expensive for the common man, and literacy was impractical. With his genius invention of moveable type, Johannes Gutenberg made books affordable for the commoner and rendered literacy useful by default. This was the beginning of the freeing of the minds of the people. They need no longer rely on higher authorities (whether church or state) for information or knowledge, and these authorities could no longer control to the same extent what the masses felt and thought. Thus began the free exchange of philosophies and ideas.
The age of the common man began with the firearm. With any other form of combat, stature and strength matter; whether it be fists, swords, or phalanx. But with firearms this is not the case: it is just as effective when held by a small man or woman than a large strong one. This is the beauty of it.
There is no coincidence that the great revolutions of history all occurred after the invention of the firearm. For the first time in history, an armed citizenry could oppose the oppressive powers of government and stand a chance. Beforehand, making plowshares into swords was not very effective. A weak underfed peasant with no training in swordsmanship stood no chance against a strong knight who had trained since birth; but with firearms, an army of unsophisticated farmboys could defeat professional soldiers.
As much as Marxists hate to admit it, Marxism and socialism rely upon guns: It is the equalizing power of the firearm that allows for the proletariat to rise, and the common man to rule.
There is nothing more feminist than a firearm. A gun is just as effective in the hands of a woman as a man. Again, this is not the case with other forms of combat. Gun rights are women's rights.
As Courtney Kirchoff puts it:
I carry a gun to protect myself from creeps who won’t take no for an answer. I carry a gun to protect myself from sick bastards who think my fervent, clear, zero-nuance “NO!” is a challenge, some kind of feminine game of hard to get. I carry a gun to protect myself from weird, mentally incapacitated nuts who, though stupider than a screen saver of pixelated goldfish, are still strong enough to get past both my icy glare and slammed door.
I carry a gun so I don’t have to tell my tale of assault.
I carry a gun so I can protect myself from a man who could physically overpower me in a few seconds or less if given the chance.
I carry a gun so I don’t need to use a hashtag on Twitter, to warn other women of how quickly a bad situation can become life-shatteringly tragic.
I carry a gun so I don’t have to say “Me too.”
Everyone calling for “gun control” or when they’re being honest, a gun ban, puts my safety at risk. I don’t “march for my life.” I carry a gun for my life. I understand that despite all the wonderful men in the world, it only takes one violent pervert to ruin my life. March or no march.
People who march against guns are marching against my right to protect myself. They’re trying to infringe on my right to choose. To choose to keep my body protected with a firearm. The right to keep and bear arms is the most feminist issue there has been: to protect ourselves from dangerous men.
“Male privilege” ends at the barrel of my gun. “Rape culture” cannot survive the spread of my double ought buck. The “patriarchy” cannot outrun my hollow-point rounds.
A hashtag will not protect anyone. A rapist was never stopped by a viral speech. A bumper sticker from Everytown USA will not prevent a member of the sex doll manufacturer’s target market from committing a felony sex crime.
A gun, however, gives women like me a fighting chance. I won’t give up that right to a bunch of whining protesters exploiting a tragedy. I won’t be made a victim simply because others were made victims.
So screw your solidarity. I’ll keep carrying my gun.
Firearms don't just ensure women's rights. They level the playing field of self-defense for everyone.
In the heat of a debate on social media, a man said to me, "Keep your guns if it makes your dick feel bigger."
The man was implying that I need a gun to feel strong, or protected.
He's not wrong.
I'm not a big man. I'm 5 ft 9 in tall, 180 lbs. I have no illusions of being able to defend myself against a man twice my weight with only my fists. I do need the equalizing power of a firearm to be protected.
I also believe the man was implying that gun owners suffer from some sort of delusional inflated egos.
The truth is, those who feel that they do not need guns are the ones with inflated egos.
I am humble enough to know that I am small and not invincible. I do not suffer from some hypermasculine delusion that I can "hold my own" against any threat. I have done my fair share of martial arts training, but I understand that no matter how much I learn about control points, leverage, and weak spots there is a point where the strength and size of my opponent will outmatch that. Even if I am larger than my enemy, I am humble enough to realize that there is always a chance that I will lose that fight, and I'm not willing to take that risk.
And what happens if I am attacked by two or three individuals? What then?
Anyone who feels that martial self-defense techniques alone will suffice when threatened is either delusional, egoistic, or both. There is always someone bigger, stronger, and more skilled than you; and you have no idea if they will be the one to threaten you or your family.
Guns are one of the most democratic inventions of all time. For thousands of years, genetics allowed those of larger size and strength to rule and take advantage of those who happened to be born with smaller stature. This has not been the case since the invention of the firearm. If you are smaller than Andre the Giant, you need a gun to defend yourself.
This is part of a series on firearms.
"The gun has been called the great equalizer, meaning that a small person with a gun is equal to a large person, but it is a great equalizer in another way, too. It ensures that the people are the equal of their government whenever that government forgets that it is servant and not master of the governed." --Ronald Reagan
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