It’s been an unprecedented few weeks, as we’ve seen peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd be overshadowed by violent riots and mass looting.
And let’s be clear: There is an absolute difference between peaceful protesters, violent rioters and looters. The video below, as an example, is completely incorrect with labeling the people walking by ‘rioters’. They are protesters, plain and simple.
A funny thing happened when rioters walked past ARMED HOMEOWNERS… nothing.pic.twitter.com/W1iwHCyr1Q
— Carolina Opinion (@CarolinaOpinion) June 2, 2020
The media is always going to display the most shocking content, and eyes on legitimate protests were turning away and instead paying close attention to the people who were simply opportunistic criminals, making their way from store to store in an attempt to claim as much stolen merchandise as they could. City blocks were burned to the ground, and no one could look away from their TV’s and phones.
We did the same thing. While we couldn’t look away, we were also reporting almost exclusively on the riots and looting. Why? Because it ties into self-defense in a scarily perfect fashion. The first nights were intense, and that was from watching it all unfold a thousand miles away. Imagine being there, in Minneapolis or St. Paul. Imagine living there, scared of the state of your community, wondering if you’d need help from police and not being able to receive that help.
There was a time when the Minneapolis Police Department was told to stand down. 911 calls weren’t being received, and everyone was literally on their own. Reports came in that rioters were attempting to make entry into occupied structures, although those reports turned out to be false.
Luckily.
But what of the good people who live there? Or anywhere else in the Country that was experiencing dangerous riots and multi-million dollar-loss looting? The millions of Americans who were terrified for their lives; what if they were placed in a situation where they had to defend themselves? The police couldn’t be called. Well, they could, but it’d take some time for them to get there — if ever.
It was the first time in modern American history where mass amounts of citizens realized, without question, that no one was coming to save them. And if they were coming, they wouldn’t make it in time.
The gun control movement died in this weekend’s riots. Its grave is always shallow, but it will take years to claw itself out. Too many people understand exactly why the 2nd Amendment is crucial now. It will take a while for them to forget again.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) June 1, 2020
The two best firearm salesmen this year: Coronavirus and Rioters. If the system went down, it couldn’t save people. There was quite a bit of fear that was generated from both of these events. But even more, I believe that people finally understood the important saying: When seconds count, help is just a few minutes away.
This year has seen incredible numbers when it comes to new gun owners, and purchases of firearms and ammunition. So much, in fact, that businesses are having a hard time keeping things in stock.
Being a concealed carry website, we’ve focused on self-defense related stories to come out of the chaos. There hasn’t been any shortage, either.
Just yesterday, we had a discussion about a man who shot a protester. We still don’t know the details, but it was either one of two things: The man was defending himself, or he wasn’t. In either case, the use of lawful self-defense is justified. If he were defending himself against a threat, that’s a case for armed citizens. If he was the aggressor, it’s still a case for armed citizens. In this particular case, an entire line of police was close by, but still too far away to have done anything in either case.
Again, no one is coming to save you.
In Philadelphia, an opportunistic criminal thought it wise to break into a gun shop. The owner of that shop was ready, and obviously armed. He shot and killed the intruder, and has since been deemed justified in his actions.
Some locations want to disband entire police departments. How that makes sense, I’m not sure, but it’s even more reason for citizens to take their personal safety a little more seriously.
From the business owner perspective, they have not only their lives but their livelihoods to defend. Small business owners, in this example (and this example, and this one, and this one), have taken matters into their own hands.
Sometimes, armed citizens will dispatch themselves to locations in order to help, but that also can’t be counted on. In the end, it’s still you –and you alone– who is ultimately responsible for your own safety. And really, it’s the best way in the majority of cases. Who is able to be there quicker than yourself, at the moment you need help the most?
And that’s why we do what we do. We promote, above all, responsible concealed carry. Along with that, we teach people the basics of firearm ownership, self-defense, and how to be an overall responsible member of armed America.
Others are taking note of the volume of armed citizens, who have already made the decision to take control over their safety. They own firearms, they train with them, they refine their mindset to ensure that they’re safe, and they take it seriously.
It’s not just the recent riots and violence, either, from our perspective. We’ve covered self-defense and tragedy, among other things, for nearly 8 years now. We know what’s out there. We know that many home invasions happen each year. We know that many law-abiding citizens defend themselves, successfully, with firearms each year.
People are waking up, and they’re serious about self-defense, many for the first time in their lives. We’re here to help.
