That's what the NYPD officer said this week when I was on a panel being interviewed on the i24 News channel. I know that's the attitude of many police officers (and at the same time, other officers feel the exact opposite), but it was surprising to hear him say that private citizens should not be allowed to own guns. "Only the police," he said.
This was one of the many interviews I did following the murders in El Paso and Dayton last weekend. Honestly, I wasn't familiar with i24 News, but the host, Michelle Makori, kept a three-guest panel on topic, but also didn't allow this officer to throw off that incredible statement without a response.
"Tom, how does that make you feel?" she asked.
I knew that I had about 20 seconds to get in my answer, so I shrugged and said, "I have a problem with giving the government a monopoly on force. We might as well burn the Constitution. The Second Amendment says the people have the right to keep and bear arms. The Supreme Court has supported that. You know, 6000 times a day in America -- every single day -- people use guns to protect themselves and to stop crime. That's not my number. That's the Centers for Disease Control's number. Six thousand times a day people use guns to stop crime and protect themselves. And what he's saying is no, you shouldn't have the right to do that. Only the police should be able to do that. That's absurd!"
You can see that interview HERE.
Evil and Crazy Is Everywhere.
While those on the political front parade their cultural agendas following the most recent murders, we should be doing something else. We each should recommit to being prepared. Know the color code. Never slip in to Condition White when outside of your home. Get into better physical condition. Train with your gun as though your life and the lives of your loved ones depend upon it. And commit to carrying on your person at least one tourniquet and knowing how to use it. I just ordered several CAT tourniquets as well as hemostatic gauze (it increases clotting, which helps stop bleeding.). TIME is the critical element. A person can bleed out in two to five minutes. If you can stop the bleeding, you can save a life.
Yes, all this takes a much greater commitment. So I ask myself ... What else is more important?
Be safe. Prepare. Get your mind right. Protect your family. ~ Tom
If you'd like to add a few more tourniquets to your gear check out the below outfits.
Amazon - Great prices on CAT tourniquets and other necessary medical supplies.
Brownells - Currently out of stock on CAT tourniquets, but they do offer other options.
Tom Gresham
Author, outdoorsman, gun rights activist, and firearms enthusiast for more than five decades, Tom Gresham hosts Tom Gresham's Gun Talk, the first nationally-syndicated radio show about guns and the shooting sports, and is also the producer and co-host of the Guns & Gear, GunVenture and First Person Defender television series.
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