MORE ON GUN CONTROL

When I was seventeen years old and still awaiting graduation from high school, I joined the Army. They allowed me to stay on in school until I graduated.

Within days of my induction, and still a seventeen year old kid, I was assigned a weapon. It was an M1 rifle. We were required to take our rifle with us wherever we went. At night our weapons were stacked up in formation for easy and rapid reach in the event of an emergency. The fact that this was peacetime made no difference.

Again, within days of my being assigned a rifle, I began my training in the use of this rifle. There were endless hours of training in care and cleaning of the weapon as well as hours of “dry firing” to get used to the trigger pull and the proper stance when firing. I listened and I paid attention to the instructions. Also during my eight week basic training I was required to learn and shoot many other types of weaponry such as .45 caliber handguns, machine guns of several calibers as well as hand grenades.

Next we were taken to the gun range where we were finally allowed to actually shoot the weapons. Some days we had firing line duty where we shot the targets and some days we had target duty where we erected the targets and repaired them after the shooting. It was hot, June at Ft. Benning, Georgia, and it was tiring.

But, because I had paid attention as well as having been involved with hunting most of my life, I was a very successful shooter. I qualified as, what the Army designated, “Expert.” I was awarded a medal to affix to my uniform. Later on during my service, I was assigned to a military rifle team where I was involved in shooting competitions. It was great duty.

In addition to the above military training I also have attended and graduated from the NRA gun safety school as well as a sixteen week civilian police academy where I was trained in police tactics and weapon use.

Now why am I telling you all of this? The first thing I want you to know is this. I am qualified to carry and operate weaponry of many kinds and calibers. The second thing is that there are literally millions of us in this country with similar experiences. Many if not most of us are armed. Many if not most of us would be ready and available to take up arms to defend this country and our way of life at a moment’s notice.

When some little slick haired, “metrosexual” politician with shiny manicured nails tells me that I shouldn’t have the right to carry or use guns, I am insulted. Most of these so-called leaders in office today have never had any kind of military service. Many are  protected by armed bodyguards. Our own President doesn’t have a clue and even worse than that, he refuses to listen to the military experts who are there to advise him. There is no one at any position in life or office who is qualified to tell me that I should not be allowed to carry and use guns.

The Second Amendment guarantees my right to have guns. That right is there to protect me and this country from our own government and from these little politicians who think they run the show.

Since the shooting in Orlando, the noise has gotten louder. The liberals are screaming for gun control. They can’t stand the fact that I have the right and the weaponry to defend myself. To them all I have this to say. You better hope that I and others like me will be there to take care of business should the need ever arise. You cannot have my guns. I will never allow you to take away my ability to defend myself. So, get over it.

Ron Scarbro