I want you to think of this for a minute, "A well regulated militia, being necessary of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." This of course are the words that our founding fathers ensured was cemented in ink on the paper of liberty as the 2nd amendment of the United States Constitution. Now I know there is a lot of political and personal opinion of what it means in the 21st century. But, why do we discuss just this Amendment as being the one that is "out dated" and not the others? That should be the question posed to everyone who says it, so that they should pause and understand the discussion isn't about arms nor weapons but the actual rights and liberties we have.
Now, I want you to think of the time when the founding fathers wrote document of liberty. Did they not understand the value of personal protection and having the ability to defend oneself? I believe they did, and with that wanted to cement the right to the people. We all know that with rights come responsibility. A great many people will try and define the meaning to you, such as, "keeping it locked up", "keep ammo separate" or "you can't carry here". Well, before we get into the overall responsibility, we have to think what has changed? The over all culture of the country has changed about firearms. This is nothing new, many civilized societies, have grown to forget or loose touch with the very tool that has created or assisted building the fabric of it.
When did it change? I am sure we could break it down into a gradual time period, but that is not what this post is for, as much as, what has changed. It was understood by everyone in that house hold that a firearm was a tool to provide life. It provided food, provided defensive protection, and built a tied that bound them. It required a respect, which also meant practice. It was never taken lightly, and always known, that once the projectile left, that the effect was forever. I am not just talking of the 1700's, I recall when I was a young man, I would go HUNTING with my elders and observe. It took patient's a demonstration of respect and maturity to even get to hold or carry the firearm, and one slight blemish of the rules they had was swiftly enforced with a slap and scolding. Did I think it was cruel at the time, yes I did. But, as I matured I understood that it needed to be strict and enforced, because a slight breach would mean a result that was not forgiven forever. This developed to a respect of the tool and understanding, as well as, some pretty great memories I will have forever. This is a big part of what is missing in our culture today, the time to be mentored and hunting was the classroom. So, we loose a great many things, and one is the very understanding and passion for the Constitution of our rights.
As I have said we know that with Rights come, Responsibilities, What are they? There are a few book's and article's that are good. But for the most part, they are not laid out in black and white for all to see and read. What I will try and do is high light the one's that are important and should be taken in:
Knowledge- Understand the right's (all of them) you have and what they mean, both on Federal and State level. Yes, you should have a good understanding of the law's that you will be held to. You should understand the Constitution (frame work of all our laws). You should have an understanding of how to legally and ethically own, posses and carry a firearm in your area. This takes sometime and effort, but what you learn will last your lifetime, along with the length and pleasure of it. Always use and carry legally!
Education- I am amazed at the number of people who put this last if not at all on the list. Take either a basic firearm class and/or a personal protection in the home class. This will give you the structured knowledge of the firearm that you will need. Before spending your hard earned money on a firearm, learn about them, to make and educated decision on which is right for you. I have a great many people who purchase a firearm that is not right for their physical make-up. Also a quality course should teach you not only the parts, and how to shoot, but also how to store and/or clean your firearm. This is why State's require people to take these classes to ensure that they are educated. Keep your certificate's, talk of this later.
Security- It is your responsibility to keep the firearm from unauthorized people! Before you purchase your firearm some thought should be taken in as too how you are going to accomplish this. Not just in your home, but on your person (if you choose to carry), and your vehicle (unless you are lucky enough to have a range on your property). You need to have a plan of how you will keep it safe. There is a great many options, that you can make it adjustable to lifestyle. It is Federal law that every firearm come with a locking device.
Control- It is your responsibility as a firearm owner to maintain control of that firearm. Be it on your property, your vehicle and/or your person, keeping the firearm under your control at all times.
Safety- It is your responsibility to ensure at all times that using the firearm is done in a safe manner. The firearm does not go off on it's own! If you do something that is not safe with the firearm it means you are negligent. This must be adhere to at all times, a slight lapse will be all it takes.
Usage- Once a firearm is in your hand's, you are the only one who can control it. It is up to you to understand how it works and/or use it. This is where a great many accidents happen, as people violate the safety rules, by trying to figure out how to unload a firearm. Always refer to reading the owners manual and/or ask someone how it works. Before using any firearm, I always recommend dry fire practice and/or mimic the actions, so understand them.
Documentation- "Why would I need this?", I get asked often. This is something I recommend people do, that I do myself. I have a list of the firearms I have with caliber, serial number, date of purchase and/or sell and any modifications done to it. No, I do not do this for the government, I do it for me. In the slight chance that one or all all stolen, I want my local law enforcement to have the information to get them back after I report them stolen. Which by the way is your responsibility to report if they are, so law enforcement can recover them and protect you in case used in an crime. I also do this in the rare chance if I have a fire, this way I can get them replaced. I also keep a running total of ammunition for each firearm, so I know when it needs to get checked out by gunsmith. What about training certificates? You want to have copies of these placed somewhere protected as well. Training is good for life, so later on you may want to demonstrate you have taken a certain course, for some reason. One of the big one's for my students of concealed carry is that the training is discover-able evidence!! Which will demonstrate to the jury and/or Judge, why you acted the way you did.
Ammunition- Many people loose sight of this part of the pie, because how good is a firearm with out ammunition. You have the responsibility to know what ammunition your firearm uses. You also should understand the law's around when and what ammunition to use. Is it okay to use buckshot in a firearm for personal protection or no? What about reloading and/or making your own ammunition, is there law's around it? You need to know about storing it in safe place from unauthorized people too. Is placing a material that explodes in a locked steel box the right way? Would a young child find a cartridge and with there friends and take it apart? Ammunition is part of firearms.
I hope that some of these helps you understand and prepare for you to act on your Right to firearms. I hope that it better assist you in accepting your responsibilities around them. No, one wants to look 5 minutes in the past and say "if only, I". Firearm's are great tool's for recreation, food provider and protection and should always be respected and treated with care they deserve.
Train as if your life depends on it,
Todd R. Mendenhall
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