I support college and open carry, though I am not in school, nor will I open carry. In my opinion, a more valid need exists for 2A support: DoD carry.
I am an older white male. A non-denominational Christian, I have been married to one woman for 30 years. We are still raising children and have more grandchildren than I would like to admit (I’m not that old!). I have over 20 years military service and still serve in the Reserve. My civilian job is in defense and requires clearance. I have no criminal record—my last ticket was over 30 years ago. I have qualified on numerous weapons in the service, have a CCW, carry and practice regularly. This is probably the most I have ever written about myself beyond a resume, but it’s not about me; it about everyone who works in the DoD, with the exception of security and law enforcement forces.
We are all prohibited from exercising our Second Amendment rights simply because we work on Federal property. In other words, because we work to provide for the National Defense; we are excluded from protecting ourselves or those around us, even though we have been subjected to the most comprehensive checks that the nation can devise.
Not only can I not carry to work, I can’t even carry on my way to work. Essentially, I am forced to go without protection for the majority of my workday. When I travel, even in my own car, I cannot carry. For the entire length of the trip, I am disarmed. It has bothered me for years, but it was violently reinforced last weekend.
Having missed the deadline for billeting, I was staying at a motel in the local area for my Reserve weekend (I travel over 400 miles one-way—without reimbursement). Saturday evening, I was watching the tube when I heard a woman screaming for help. Quickly throwing on some clothes, I ran out to help. Another man in his 50s responded as well.
A young woman (20s) was running down the parking lot screaming and crying while her ‘boyfriend’ ran off in the other direction. The girl was bleeding profusely from what turned out to be a small wound on her chin—facial wounds bleed like crazy. I escorted her to the office, staffed by a young ME male to get her cleaned up and call LE. I asked for hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound, but he said all he had was alcohol. The motel had no first aid supplies, not even a band-aid (made me realize I need to carry at least an IFAK in the car). She was bleeding enough that the clerk didn’t want to let her in the office, but I asked him for a towel and ice. I had the girl sit down and apply pressure and the bleeding subsided enough to let her in the office. I asked him to call LE, and spoke with the girl.
She told me that she was only in town because she had just bailed her scumbag boyfriend out of jail that very day! He was in jail for assaulting her and she refused to press charges, and bailed him out. In payment, he assaulted her again, slamming her face into the counter or bath tub. Anyway, I counseled her to press charges and went back to my room, wondering again about the state of our country and saddened to see a young woman so willfully stupid. Then I though about what could have happened had the boyfriend remained to fight.
I am not in bad shape for my peer group, but I am not a match for a high-test, raging juvenile delinquent. I imagine that combined with the other older man, we may have been able to hold him, or at least prevent him from hurting anyone else, but what if he was armed?
To tell you the truth, had I been carrying and he attacked, my only thought would have been the 3-shot mantra: two-to-the-chest; one-to-the-head. As it turned out, no one was killed and the blood was limited to a girl who probably won’t learn anything from the whole situation. My wife reminded me that had I shot the perpetrator-even if attacked-I would be in court, probably facing charges. I am not sure, given the locale and circumstances, but I do know one thing for certain. I was in a dangerous situation without a weapon simply because I was on duty for the weekend.
The first lesson of carrying is that it does you no good to have the perfect weapon if you don’t have it with you when you need it. It really grates on me that I am prevented from self defense simply because I provide for the nation’s defense. I think we need to pass a bill requiring federal installations follow the same laws as everyone else. I don’t want to carry at work. I simply want to be able to secure my weapon in my vehicle so that I am not defenseless for the majority of my week.
Think how Ft. Hood would have ended if our military had been armed.
“It really grates on me that I am prevented from self defense simply because I provide for the nation’s defense.”
That sure is ridiculous. Plus, Nidal Hassan.