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I thank God for the freedoms that we still enjoy in America. I appreciate the fact that our Constitution recognizes our God-given right to "bear arms."
Notice that we have the right to "bear arms." We do not merely have the right to own firearms. We do not just have the right to hunt wild game. We have the right to carry guns and use them for defensive purposes. It is not just our right. It is your right and my right.
Over the past few years I have taken "heat" from some Christians because I own guns. One of these guns is obviously for the purpose of self-defense. It is a .357 Magnum Ruger Police Special.
Some have asked me, "Doesn't that demonstrate a lack of faith in God?"
I always reply by pointing out that Abraham was a man of great faith and yet he had in his hire a band of 300 armed men! David is another great example. He is listed in Faith's Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11, and yet he stayed very close to the sword and used it when necessary.
I accept that it is my God-given duty for me to provide for my family. This provision involves the duty of defending them from harm and providing safety for them.
As of now, I do not carry my gun with me on my person. My pistol usually stays in a safe location in my home. I have always hoped that I would never be forced to use it or even produce it. But, last night I was, and I thank God that I was able to, and that a very dangerous situation was avoided.
My wife and I had arrived home from church at about 8:00 p.m. The night was dark, foggy, and rainy. It was a typical New England fall evening. We had forgotten to turn the porch light on (very unwise) when we left for the meeting, so we did not see the stranger on our neighbor's dark porch until we were all out of the car.
By the time we noticed this man who was just a few yards away we were all at our door, and he was coming at us. He was moving slowly at first and did not respond when I said, "Hello." By looking at his appearance and mannerisms it was obvious that he wasn't a salesman or the neighborhood Mormon missionary!
My dear wife began to get very frightened as I searched for the house key. I was praying, trusting God to protect us, and also trusting Him to enable me to deal with the situation that I was facing as His man.
Just as I found the key this obviously drunken man got within a few feet of us. I faced him and told him to "beat it." The key went in the lock, the door swung open and my dear wife grabbed the kids and ran in the house. By this time the man had stopped about two feet away. I held my ground between him and our apartment. Then, I heard my sweetheart's footsteps and I put my right hand inside the door just in time to feel the cold steel of that .357 slide into my hand.
"I've got a gun," I said.
"I've got one too," he replied.
The situation looked very, very bad. I immediately swung mine up and when he saw it he knew I wasn't just blowing hot air.
The sight of that .357 made him begin to sober up in a hurry. He looked like he had seen a ghost. He did not have a gun, after all. But, he was a drunken criminal with evil in his heart and the devils of hell in control of his mind.
I was glad for that equalizer that I had bought at a local pawn shop. You see, at that time I had no idea what was on his mind, who he was, or what kind of weapon or fighting capabilities he possessed.
In the meantime my wife had called 9-1-1 and the police promptly arrived. After they spoke with him they apparently turned him loose because fifteen minutes later he was back trying to get in our door and window. This time I called the police, opened the door, sweetly and kindly put the fear of God in his heart, and detained him with the same pistol until the good officer arrested him and took him "downtown."
I thank God I did not have to shoot that man. That is the last thing I wanted to do. But, if necessary, I would have harmed him severely so as to prevent my family from being harmed.
I'm glad I had the option and that we were not at the mercy of a demon-possessed maniac.
I thank God that I've got enough sense to own a gun and that I was able to use it to prevent a possibly serious crime against my family. Every day there are crimes averted in America because law-abiding citizens own and are able to produce a firearm when danger threatens.
Call me whatever you will and mock me for taking precautions. Accuse me of being "extreme" and paranoid if you wish. I still believe a man ought to protect his family and I still hold to our second amendment.
After last night I am more convinced than ever that I am right in how I think about guns. Just like I thank God for my home, my car, my computer, my piano, my food, my clothes, and all of the other blessings that God has blessed me with in the material sense, I also thank God for my gun. It sure came in handy last night!