Some people don’t like legally armed South Africans carrying guns. Just casually browsing the comments sections of various news media websites attests to as much. Most of the time when I try and converse with the people holding these sentiments, I find it difficult to get a comprehensive or reasonable answer from them as to why they feel this way.
Generally they explain that it makes them uncomfortable thinking about thousands of their fellow citizens carrying concealed firearms around them as they visit the shops, pick their children up from school, and go out to watch a movie or catch dinner.
What is harder for them to explain, is why exactly this makes them feel so uncomfortable.
The answer to this question remained elusive until a friend had a similar discussion with one of his associates about this very subject a few days ago. The person in question felt uncomfortable with legally armed citizens carrying to the mall, because they are afraid that the citizen would start a gunfight should a robbery occur.
A valid concern, but this definitely isn’t something that anyone should be worried about.
Should I find myself in a shopping centre that is currently experiencing a robbery, I am not interested in investigating and potentially becoming involved in a shootout with armed robbers. If I hear shots being fired, my primary interest is making my way to the nearest available exit and getting the heck out of there. This is incidentally the same answer my friend gave to his associate, and I reasonably believe it to be an attitude shared by gun owners in general.
None of us are remotely interested in putting our lives on the line to save the iStore’s stock.
Our firearms are not there to protect the commercial interests of others: we carry them for use as a last resort should our or our loved ones’ lives come under threat. If a criminal attempts actively to murder me, somebody I care about, or another person’s child or loved one, would it not be reasonable for me to intervene under such extraordinary circumstances in order to preserve the life of the innocent?
I hope your answer is a resounding “Yes!”
Such extraordinary intervention does in fact happen; I spoke about it extensively in two previous articles. Suffice to say, good people with guns stop bad people with guns all the time…without resulting in extended Hollywoodesque firefights in crowded public places. The greatest threat to citizens are from robbers shooting random people, as happened during the Bedford Centre robbery in January, and not from lawful firearm carriers protecting themselves.
You see, when citizens defend themselves or others with a firearm, they don’t really have a choice.
We do not carry our guns to the mall, or anywhere else for that matter, because we exclusively expect to be attacked there. We do know that violent crime is omnipresent, and as people who take our own personal safety very seriously, we understand that we are the first responders to our own personal crime scenes. We cannot expect the police or security companies to keep us safe at all times; doing so is unreasonable and foolish.
Any person who has nearly run out of petrol on the N2 between Cape Town and Somerset West will very clearly understand the feeling of helplessness experienced only by people fully dependent on the State for protection.
So to those who are concerned about us concealing firearms on us as we go about our daily lives I would like to say, fear not. We are not the gung-ho action heroes you think us to be. We have no interest in being them, either. And we are not going to shoot you while you drink your cappuccino.
But if our lives are imminently threatened by a dangerous criminal, we will not willingly accept their bullet to our brains because we don’t want to offend you.
Ludwig
•4 years ago
Thanks for expressing my own personal viewpoint succinctly and eloquently. Here is a real question for those feeling uncomfortable, as I am also feeling uncomfortable. When driving past Cape Town international, and having to stop to fix tires damaged due to rocks being placed on the road, Being attacked by knife wielding thugs. Would you :
A) Phone the police and wait in vain.
B) Defend yourself by pulling out your own personal knife and fight of three knife wielding attacker’s
c) Say No thank you to a person who is caring a licensed firearm, and wanting to save your life?
My option is C.
Now what is the answer of those that feel uncomfortable.
Yes I would really like them to inform me which of the above options they would choose, and why.
Please, I ask nicely.
Peter Moss
•4 years ago
Oh! Dear. Well it is not surprising I spent 15 years trying to educate firearm owners and failed. Why does this almost crazy belief exist that the citizen gun control support has made and informed decision. What is it that compels otherwise intelligent people to ignore all the unmistakable clues and indicators that no such informed reasoned decision was made. They therefore cannot answer and will not accept the answer even if it is given as it is COUNTER to their BELIEF.
Beliefs are instilled, inculcated or indoctrinated not reasoned.
Some day a light may go on in firearm owners minds. It will take a few more decades before firearm organisation officials see this light many of which have deliberately chosen to ignore what they cannot refute. Members of this sight are party to that information.
This is not anything other than a propaganda war. Until such time as firearm owners fight it as such they will like all others who have been so stupid as to hang on to traditionalists and fools lose and end up with a ban they begged for. SAFF was started with that education and direction in mind and had 600 members. there is no other firearm organisation that can claim the public impact a handful of the best there is – SAFF members achieved. Not one is even on the same planet. Not one can claim not to know this. They grew tired of talking to the brick walls, tin ears and arrogant stupidity of firearm organisation officials who knew better. Collectively they sunk this ship. Some day I’ll write how they did that.
Say thanks to the guys of SAFF who worked unsung heroes behind the scenes to give firearm owners a voice that was heard. Now gone thanks to…. They know who they are.
Ludwig
•4 years ago
Dear Peter Moss. Which of the 25 Peter / Pete Moss are you on Lindekin? The lauded SAFF do not appear to have a website? You do want to know what I am doing, that I am not sharing with you don’t you? Dream on.
Brendon
•4 years ago
I read Peter’s whole post… twice… and for the life of me I still cannot fathom what the F$%k he was actually trying to say?
Someone, please enlighten me.
Ludwig Churr
•4 years ago
I think that he is a spoof.
Rick Afonso
•4 years ago
I think that Peter Moss must be a GFSA troll – and a troll who doesn’t speak very good English either! – What the hell was that long winded “text vomit” about?
And who the hell is the SAFF?? The “South Asian Football Federation” according to Google – what do they have to do with anything discussed here?
tom
•4 years ago
South African Firearm Forum ?