Mormon Self Defense

I had an LDS member ask me one time: “How can you, a member of Christ’s church, a holder of His priesthood, and a follower of Christ, rely on a gun for protection?”
I’ve thought and prayed long and hard about this. I mean, even our prophet has armed guards protecting him. There is more to it than that. The scriptures speak of protecting our families and our liberty. How can we do this? Do we rely on government, who we know through scriptural revelation are going to have a problem dealing with their power and authority (D&C 121:39)? I don’t think so. I believe that the United States has the best law enforcement in the world. I think they are smarter, more honest, and better trained than any other police forces in the world. But they will even tell you that when seconds count, the police are minutes away. It’s a fact. The police clean up and take reports. Now, do they stop crime? Yes they do. I’d hate to see this country without them. What about the U.S. military? They are second to none. I served and trained with members of every branch of the military, except maybe the Coast Guard. I can say that all branches of the military are excellent. This world would be a different place without them. But the military is subject to that same government that can have evil creep in. So who is to protect us from evil men who we know go too far with their authority? Is this something that will happen in the last days in which we live? Of course! So who will protect your family? You must. (see blog 4/29/14 Right and Responsibility) The head of each household, the priesthood holder in particular, is charged with this security. If parents are to care for and provide for their children, it stands to reason that security is not given to anyone else either. Americans can live in a false sense of this security. This is why 9-11 was so devastating. Satan is having his way with this world and crime is a big part of that evil. If crime has not touched your life, it will probably in your future. You can change crimes impact on your life by being security minded. Just as you safeguard your personal information on the internet, you should make your life a “hard target” rather than a “soft target”. This is why I practice self-defense on different levels. This is why I carry a weapon. (see blog 3/4/14 Should You Carry?) But a gun is just a part of this personal security we should practice. There are less than lethal weapons and tactics that can keep us safe. I justify these things because like other things in my life, I can’t in good conscience think someone else is responsible for me and my family. We home school our kids for many reasons. One of them is I don’t believe the state is responsible to educate my children. Yes I pay taxes and we follow the laws of our state, but we choose to take care of ourselves. When it comes to security, you’d better take care of yourself, because no one else will. Violence is something most Americans are not exposed to. That is a good thing and a bad thing. I’ve told this story a million times but it illustrates my point perfectly. I came across a accident out in the middle of nowhere. I drove passed it because there were about 8 people who had already stopped. The Spirit told me to turn around and check it out. This group of Americans were just standing on the side of the road. They were able, but no one had called for help. They were kind of in a daze of shock. I would guess none of them had been this close to a bad accident. They were not accustomed to violence, even if it was accidental violence. All of them stopped out of concern for their fellowman. They wanted to help but couldn’t get past the violence. I don’t like violence myself. But I’ve had enough experience with it that I want to prevent it happening to me and my family. I have car and life insurance. I use seat belts, smoke alarms, and dead bolts. So why wouldn’t I want to take steps to ensure the security of my family? I’m sure our ancestors that crossed the plains would think we were crazy to not have a gun for protection. It was common in their time but we think we’ve evolved past that. Obviously we have not. When I was in Junior High school my friend and I got mugged leaving a school activity. We both got hit a few times but fought back. It was 5 against 2 so you can imagine how two skinny, 12 year olds did in a rumble. Later that evening the police came by with some thugs for me to identify. My Mother was afraid to let me do it but I wanted to. Hope those kids learned their lesson, but somehow I think one or two continued along that career path. Ever since that experience I’ve had “opportunities” to be exposed to violence. If you’ve never been exposed to violence count your blessings. But I think there will come a time when you are exposed in one form or another. You can choose to be a sheep or a sheepdog. (see blog 4/9/14 OPR Philosophy) I choose to not be a victim or a sheep. This is why I rely on a weapon and training. But this is not all, after all I can do, I try to remain worthy of the Spirit to lead me away from danger and to keep my family safe.
Self-defense is our responsibility. Don’t be deceived that a criminal can be reasoned with. Some people try and make excuses for the violent people in our society using excuses as a reason why we should not "resist" them. They are more concerned about why they act like they do than the fact that they are evil violent people. They have their priorities all wrong and thus have a very hard time getting in the proper mindset to survive. The "black box" concept might help to set them right.
For those of you not in the engineering business, the famous black box works like this. You have a black box, with certain characteristics. Say, you throw a switch and it produces 1.5 Volts Direct Current. What's in the box? Maybe a battery. Maybe a fusion power generator. Maybe a hamster on a treadmill running a generator. It doesn't matter. Click the switch, get 1.5 V.
So, now you have someone trying to kill you. What's inside? The Devil incarnate? The product of a broken home? Someone who forgot to take their medication? Who cares! The important point being, that unless you switch them off, they will produce your death. They are evil and produce evil results. When it comes to personal safety, that's what is important. Not why they are so.
“Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: You didn’t bring your gun; you didn’t train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by fear, helplessness, horror and shame at your moment of truth.” Lt Col Dave Grossman
(see blog 3/4/14 Threat cons and Training)
Faith, without all we can do, will not sustain us. Faith is coupled with action. Get trained. Do your part to protect yourself and your family.
Semper Paratus
Burn