"The best way to stop a bad man with a gun, is a woman with a gun."
"The best way to stop a bad man with a gun, is a woman with a gun." This is what Wayne LaPierre, NRA CEO said in front of 1,000 Conservative women at TPUSA's Young Women Leadership Summit. Obviously, that statement applies to both men and women, but LaPierre was speaking directly to women at that time. Something that defines Conservatives is their devotion to the Second Amendment. We strongly believe in our right to defend ourselves; something that seems absolutely essential now, considering the outpouring of violence across the world.
Even though I wouldn't consider myself a "gun person," I respect their right to carry concealed because it gives them security. Sometimes, it’s scary to think about criminals possibly getting access to guns. However, I think it’s even scarier coming face to face with one of those criminals and possibly not having a firearm to protect yourself, when it potentially could’ve saved your life. I had the pleasure of listening to Kristi McMains share her story of how her concealed firearm saved her life. She was attacked in a parking garage by a man with a knife. He had severely cut her legs, tearing her ACL in two places. Fortunately, she had a gun in her purse and could shoot her attacker, preventing him from killing her. She explained to us how pepper spray wouldn’t have helped her in that situation; her only option was to shoot him. It’s easy to say there are other means of defending yourself, but in many situations, whether or not you have a gun decides your fate.
Why does the Left want to take that option away from us? Their response to that question usually includes examples of school shootings, or other instances in which innocent lives were taken by someone with a gun. Although, it's not like everyone is legally allowed to get a gun. Most states require you to be 21 to be eligible for a concealed carry permit. You also have to pass a background check. As long as the black market exists, there will be some instances where guns fall into the wrong hands. However, liberals are missing one single piece of common sense: Guns don’t kill people. People kill people. Therefore, we need to focus less on guns themselves, but more on the mental state of our nation. The United States is one of the most mentally unhealthiest countries in the world. Why should one of our most important rights be taken away if it’s not even a solution to the real problem?
Frankly, all the violence that is going on right now really sucks. However, a lot of it is fueled by hateful political rhetoric in a country where we have people who can’t even respect the office of the President. I believe that we need the Second Amendment now more than ever. I live on a campus with peers who told me to “go f*** yourself,” when I wore a Students for Trump shirt after the election. I live in a country that jokes about beheading the President. In August of 2016, a Trump supporter in New Jersey was attacked with a crowbar on the street. Conservatives are threatened all over the country on a daily basis. With all that being said, I’d like to challenge any Liberal in telling me why I shouldn’t be allowed to carry a gun.
The United Kingdom has very restrictive gun laws and they are currently experiencing some of the worst attacks on their people. I believe there is a correlation between the two. A gun can’t necessarily stop a large-scale terrorist attack, but it can stop individuals from carrying out a deadly attack on a group of people. Unfortunately, many countries lack the general knowledge of how to protect their people. They seem to be too busy letting all the refugees in, that they neglect to tend to the safety and security needs of their own people.
The United States is great because it gives off the, “Don’t mess with us,” vibe. However, once we take the guns out of the hands of our people, we are cutting off a line of defense and opening ourselves up to a new world of hurt we haven’t experienced before. Carrying concealed is an effective type of self-defense, and self-defense is a human right. Disarming me will not protect me.