When he was a teenager living in New Hampshire in the 1940s, a man broke into the Herman house. He brutally raped Mrs. Herman and her daughter, and then strangled them both to death.
The worst part of the story is this: Mr. Herman was home. And whilst the stranger was violating and killing his wife and daughter, he was cowering behind the couch.
Mr. Herman had to leave town after that. The people of Jaffrey, New Hampshire didn't want someone like that living in their town.
I agree with the people of Jaffrey. I cannot respect a man that is not willing to do all that it takes to defend his family.
I quite honestly do not understand the air of moral superiority that "anti-gun" advocates have. If it came down to you and your family, and you decided not to shoot the person breaking into your home, and someone in your family died even though you had the power to stop it, would you really feel better about yourself? Would you really feel morally superior for not using a gun; not defending your family? Really?
I don't interpret the scriptural commission to defend ourselves and our families, "even to the shedding of blood" (Alma 48:13-14) as merely granting permission; I believe it is a commandment.
I believe if I do not do all in my power to defend my family, I will be held accountable before Almighty God.
I cannot do so if I rely on the police for protection. The average police response time is 18 minutes. If an armed individual enters my home, my entire family could be dead before the police arrive.
People always retort "what's the likelihood of that?" It doesn't really matter to me as long as the chances of my home being invaded are higher than the chances of the police arriving in time if it does.
But just to humor you: There are 3.7 million home invasions per year. There are 126.22 million homes in America. That gives a 3% chance of my home being invaded. Much too high for my comfort.
But again, the chances don't matter; as long as there is any chance at all that my family could be in danger, I have the right to defend myself and my family by any means necessary.
I am a short and physically unimposing man. I need the equalizing power of a gun to ensure that my family is protected. And because I can never know whether my home will be invaded by 1, 3, or 10 men, I need semi-automatic weapons designed to kill many people in a short amount of time.
To me, the owning of such a firearm is religious. It allows me to fulfill a commandment from God to protect my family, by any means necessary.
No, I do not worship my guns. I worship God and place great stock in the stewardship he has given me over my family.
As unpleasant as the Herman story is, it is necessary to consider the question: are you willing to arm yourself so that you are empowered to defend your family, or are you going to cower behind your couch and wait for the police to do it for you?
This article is part of a series on firearms.
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