A Few Of FR's Finest....Every Day....01-17-03....Armed Females and the Second Amendment

dansangel; Billie

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest.....
......Every Day

FR is a Treasure Trove of talented, compassionate, patriotic, wonderful people who gather every day to discuss the latest news and issues; salute and support our military and our leaders;  tell a few jokes;  learn a new word;  write poetry;  pray for those in need;  and congratulate those who are deserving. Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us the vehicle in which we can express ourselves.

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   I can remember lurking when there were only a few regulars who posted, and now there are over 60,000 who have registered for posting privileges. The forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest November 11, 2001

So many people have written me since my original Veteran's Day Tribute, asking how they, or a loved one, could be included in that tribute. Since I can no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I've been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that doesn't seem to be enough. I think there's never been a better nor more appropriate time to keep the faces of our own Veterans and Active Military in front of FReepers--every day! That's why I wanted to do yet another Daily Thread .....ABOUT FReepers .....and FOR FReepers. But not only about our Military FReepers; for all FReepers! Wouldn't it be nice to get to know a few of the other FReepers as well? That's why, in addition to seeing FR's Finest Military Personnel every day, I thought it might be fun to feature a different FReeper (or FReepers) each day. If you would like to be pictured, or know someone who would, please FReepmail me and we'll turn the spotlight - on YOU - for the day!

And do let me know if you'd like your picture added to the groups of Veterans/Active Military below. I will keep this page updated, and continue to add them to the comment section of the original Veteran's Day thread as well.

<

TOP:  g'nad, AgThorn's son Justin, SLB, AgThorn's son Brett.
MIDDLE:  fish70, razorback-bert, CheneyChick,Leroy S Mort, Mark17.
BOTTOM:  Terry's Take, Taxman, DinkyDau.

TOP:  ValerieUSA's son Grant, SK1Thurman, kd5cts, RangerVetNam,
dansangel and .45man's son-in-law Tony
BOTTOM:  rangerX, Old China Hand, Trish, Howlin's dad, Mustang

TOP: ohioWfan's son, MamaBear's father-in-law, MamaBear's dad, ladtx
MIDDLE:  The Mayor's niece, M.Kehoe, Beach_Babe's son-in-law
BOTTOM:  deadhead's dad, HiJinx, Severa's hubby, viligantcitizen's granddad.

TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68.
MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797
BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack

We now have eleven groups of veterans/active military; we will post each group of three or four twice a week, with thumbnail/links of the remaining seven or eight groups on each thread. Click on any of the thumbnails below to see the group full-size.

         

GROUP 1A: TOP: Logos, SwedeGirl's hubby, Neil E Wright, FallGuy, 1John, Sneakypete MIDDLE:  T'wit, COB1, LadyX, Dick Bachert, 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub BOTTOM:  YankeeinSC, Delta21, JoeSixPack1

GROUP 2A: TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

GROUP 3A: TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

GROUP 4A: TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, TheMayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

      

GROUP 9A: TOP: Q6-God, Scan59, Mama Bear and JKPhoto's son, ofMagog. MIDDLE:  Big'ol_freeper, JustAmy's great uncle, Prodigal Son. BOTTOM:  JustAmy's husband, JustAmy's brother-in-law, JustAmy's brother.

GROUP 10A: TOP: dakine's wife, MeeknMing's dad, Auntbee's nephew, MilitiaMan7, AlasBabylon. BOTTOM:  Joe Brower, Temple Owl, Temple Owl's wife, dutchess' dad, Aomagrat.

GROUP 11A: TOP: ladtx #2 son; DiverDave's twin Don; petuniasevan and husband poorman; Mustard; ladtx #1 son. BOTTOM: AlamoGirl's brother Floyd; AG's dad; AG's brother Jim (inset); WVNan's husband; ladtx' Aunt Eva.

                     

Armed Females and The Second Amendment

"A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Anyone who has gotten to know me on Free Republic knows that I am a staunch defender of the Second Amendment. Along with that, I am very vocal when it comes to women defending themselves by training with firearms and carrying concealed.

My Beretta 9mm Custom Carry

My Taurus PT111 Millenium

It is a well-known fact that women are typically attacked and harmed by males in greater numbers than by other females.*

*US Department of Justice Criminal Victimization in the United States, 2000 Statistical Tables, Table 38. Personal crimes of violence, 2000 Percent distribution of single-offender victimizations, by type of crime and perceived gender of offender http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cvus0002.pdf

It is also a well-known fact that women, due to physiological differences, are not as strong as men. Women have attended personal defense classes in droves in order to protect themselves against assaults by men and in many instances these skills have paid off. It is quite common to read stories in the newspaper or hear stories from acquaintances affirming that competently trained women have successfully defended themselves against rape or bodily harm.

dansangel at the rifle range (first time!) with FreedomPoster's Mini-14

There are several points to consider, however. What if the intended female victim is elderly and in frail health? What if the intended female victim suffers from arthritis, multiple sclerosis or some other condition that compromises strength and agility? What if the attacker comes armed with a knife or, more importantly, a gun? All of the hand-to-hand combat types of self defense techniques in the world will not help such a female victim.

This is where access to "the great equalizer," also known as a handgun, comes into play. What the gun-grabbers do not want you to know is that in many circumstances, merely brandishing a handgun has stopped an assault from happening. The reason this is not common knowledge is because the "Brady Bunch" along with the liberal media strive to keep it from public knowledge. Just knowing this, however, could convince a woman that having access to a gun in the event of an attack is not such a bad idea.

An armed female, however (or anyone for that matter), needs to understand that although one may not need to fire a gun, one must be ready, willing and able to do so in a situation where imminent bodily harm exists. This is a rule of gun ownership that goes hand-in-hand with the cardinal rule: "A gun is ALWAYS loaded. If you point the barrel of a gun at something you must be willing to destroy it."

Returning to the issue of women arming themselves for self-defense, a common argument that is heard during discussion of this is that "women are nurturers, not killers." This is true. No argument there. Following this line of thinking, however, is it not "natural" for a woman to want to preserve life? In a situation where a woman's child, spouse, sibling, friend or parent is in grave danger, wouldn't that woman want to do everything possible to preserve the life of a loved one?

FreedomPoster (foreground) with .45MAN who is trying out the Mini-14, too!

Being a woman, I can safely say that if an attempt was made by an armed assailment to harm my daughter, my husband or any loved one, I would be 1) very grateful for the fact that I have my gun at my disposal and 2) would not hesitate to use it. Likewise, if my own life was at stake, the same two previous conditions would apply.

Another common and credible argument that can be heard is that it is dangerous to have a firearm in a household where there are children. This is true when the household contains children that have not been educated to understand and respect guns. Paxton Quigley, author of "Armed and Female" has several viable suggestions for the safety and education of children.

One of the suggestions she makes is to take a child to an outdoor range and set up a plastic gallon jug full of water. Tell the child that the gallon jug represents a human head. One very well-aimed shot center mass from a medium caliber handgun or rifle will make the jug explode. That is a visual that is bound to leave a lasting impression on a child as to how lethal a gun really is.

In addition to taking the first step to becoming armed, it is absolutely essential that a woman take a gun safety course as well as an armed self-defense course. .45MAN and I took a personal armed defense class run by David Blinder here in Atlanta this past November. It was by far the most valuable practical training that either one of us has had. Not only was there plenty of range time in which defensive skills were learned and practiced, there was classroom time in which the local GA laws governing the taking of a life in self-defense were thoroughly discussed by an attorney who was once a Florida State Trooper.

It is my hope that if you are a woman who is contemplating becoming armed for self-defense, this thread will help to convince you that it is the right decision. No matter how you were brought up, the facts are out there to support the validity and practicality of being armed and female. I was brought up in a liberal, gun-hating home. During my conversion to conservatism, I became the victim of a crime against property. That was all of the convincing that I needed to decide that becoming an informed and trained gun-owner was a natural extension of my conservative conversion.

I have never looked back.

The following links are just a handful of Websites available for insight and information:

Armed Females of America
Keep and Bear Arms
Second Amendment Sisters
Liberty Belles
Women Against Gun Control
A Guide To Concealed Carry Laws in Participating States

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 01-13-03 tgsltakoma 01-14-03 Name That FReeper 01-15-03 Pippin 01-16-03 JohnHuang2 Essay

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
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4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[dutchess]

All you wonderful DC Freepers...major good lucks tomorrow...we'll be praying and asking the good lord to look out after you....(plus we're jealous as hell that we are't there) Stay warm and we are all looking for your after action report! Love you!

[WVNan]

Sorry I had to skip out on everyone. The snake stories are "blood curdling". I've chopped a few of them to pieces with my hoe in my time, but I prefer not to have to. I guess there may be a few timber rattlers in W.Va, but I've not heard of any Copperheads. Those are nasty things we had so many of in Tenn. Cottonmouths too. I once had a tug of war with a rat snake over one of my chicks. He had it and I wanted it back. I got the chick but he got the leg. Had to dispatch the wee peep.

[WVNan]

dutchess, I think we are being encouraged to become "pistol packing mamas." You seem to be better set up for that than I. I can inquire around, but I don't know of any firing ranges close by. There are some outdoor shooting ranges here, but I'm not comfortable about those. One man went out to one of them a few years ago and was murdered by some nut.

[LadyX]

Hi, Nan! Just checking back before shutting down, in time to se your post.
I forgot to mention the cottonmouth mocassins in Florida. Our neighbor's teenage son died of the bite of one.
Had copperheads galore in North Carolina, one biting my cousin's husband thumb from under a hay bale.

Wanna change the subject?..:))

We, too, can pray for the D.C. Freep tomorrow ~ ~ ~

[LadyX]

Father, we ask Your watchful eye upon our friends tomorrow as they act on behalf of our sons and daughters.
Grant them tolerable weather - safety from disrupters - good television coverage so viewers may see how strong is our support of a just cause.

We know you admonish us to not 'murder,' but You know our purpose is to prevent a tyrant from performing more and greater evils upon many around the world.

You sent men forth in Your Holy Name to go into battle, and we ask Your protection of these who do so in these times.

Strengthen them and hold them in Your hand, Lord.

Cover our friends tomorrow as they stand in the gap with them.
We ask in the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

[LadyX]

Turning it over to you, Nan, if you return.
See you tomorrow, hopefully.

God bless you and Jack.

[Aquamarine]

Amen.

[FreeTheHostages]

Grant them tolerable weather - safety from disrupters - good television coverage so viewers may see how strong is our support of a just cause.

Amen.

The weather is always tolerable. We're tough. We had our pre-rally dinner tonight. The vets came and ate with us -- great Marine guys. We'll be safe from disruptors -- our rally site is right near the Vietnam Memorial, and the US Park Police ain't gonna do less than protect that whole area thoroughly.

As to good media coverage, our pre-rally dinner was covered by the local Channel 9 tonight and the McNeil/Lehrer report and others will be filming tomorrow. The Washington Post is going to have some kind of live photo feed, I don't understand the details. But I'm sure the DC Chapter will have a live thread to keep you all updated.

Pre-rally preparations are complete. Kristinn and Angelwood and Sauropod and Doctor Raoul and everyone have been working very hard. God helps those who help themselves.

There are going to be lots of veterans with us there, and frankly God's already answered my prayer. I'm more interested in showing the vets that I care than the media, which doesn't get it. The media just broadcast comment from Tony Murphy tonight, calling him a spokesman for the peace movement and failing to mention that he's a member of the Worker's World Party. Blech. Bet the vets could have spotted that just looking at him!! LOL. They're my kind of people. It will be a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Aquamarine, I'll try to do something along the lines you suggested for a write-up.

[FreeTheHostages]

I almost forgot! Wait, I have ten more minutes to post this!!

[Aquamarine]

I know you'll do a good job of documenting this event.

God bless.

[FreeTheHostages]

LOL!! Yes, I definitely definitely quilt! And my cats love to help me when I lay it out my floor too! I've just gotten used to tolerating it. :)

My sister gave me a t-shirt that says: "To quilt is human, to finish divine."

[GailA]

This should be fun with Rocky doing his best to EAT my batting. I am continually pulling something from his mouth that shouldn't be there. He is forever snatching my quilt pieces and running off with them. Loves to raid the laundry basket too. I've had to take to putting in in the tub.

[Dubya]

GOD BLESS THE USA

[Mama_Bear]

It's "The Week In Review"
Over HERE. Come on over!