My dad was a badass.  An old-school badass.  He could back it up.  He’d seen the freakin’ elephant and he’d taken it out with his bare hands.

He didn’t often talk big, but when he did, you knew you had to take him seriously.  One topic he talked big on was what the world has now come to know as the Constitutional Right and Social Obligation to Carry a Gun.

Recently in the news this natural right has been questioned again because of the poor judgement of one George Zimmerman.  If my father was alive today, he would have some stern words for the Media, Mr. Zimmerman and America regarding this Zimmerman/Martin fiasco.  They would be similar to the admonition he wrote in Chapter 20 of Living with Glocks.

Carrying a loaded gun with the ability and will to use it is not a casual fling meant to bring some excitement into your boring life. It is an all-embracing lifestyle and must take precedence over your respect for law, your fear of social criticism, your love of humanity, your wardrobe and your drinking habits.

You can never be unaware of the weight you carry on your hip or under your arm. You can never forget your responsibilities. You must wear your Glock with the same allegiance as your wedding ring. If you’re not married, your Glock is your wedding ring. Wear it for life. Don’t even think about leaving home without it. Be prepared to use it at a moment’s notice. Carry it all the time. And shoot to kill.

“Liberty or death,” the meaning of which is clear and absolute, is but a trivial phrase if you do not carry a gun. For freedom-loving Americans, the five most important words in the English language are, and always have been - from my cold dead hands.

This Zimmerman/Martin case may be the moment that what my father called “Crime Facilitators” or gun control advocates have been waiting for.  Watch out for similar stories popping up.  Think about it.  Should we prohibit everyone from driving cars because your brother-in-law once got lost?  Should we scrap all shoes because a bully in elementary school wrongfully kicked an innocent nerd?  These instances suck, but just like guns, cars and shoes save many more lives than they screw up.  Technology is dangerous because it is so powerful.

Over the years there have been many who have taken my father’s big talk about the Natural Right to defend oneself with a gun very seriously.   Tim Schmidt, who started the United States Concealed Carry Association was directly inspired by my father’s writing.  Everywhere, you will find Robert Boatman’s thoughts quoted and discussed.  Check out some of these influential examples.

Law Officer.com

The Political Crucible

Free Liberty Writers

Utah On Target Defensive Training

The Mental Militia 

Pennsylvania Firearm Owner Association

Urban Grounds

Nevada Firearms Academy

Guns.com

If you read a quote of my father’s (credited or not) in someone’s blog, forum post, sig line or description of how they feel about the Second Amendment, you can bet they “Get it.”

If you want to support suppressors, think about becoming a fan of Facebook Silencer Fan Page

Tim discusses his inspiration for creating Concealed Carry Magazine: Chapter 20 in Living with Glocks by Robert H. Boatman

I’d like to tell you a story. I hope it will inspire you. It all started for me about four years ago. It was a sunny, yet cool, October morning. I was sitting on an airplane reading an article called The Constitutional Right and Social Obligation to Carry A Gun, by Robert Boatman. A good friend of mine had given me the article and said, “Tim, you just have to read this!” I wish you could have been there with me. I couldn’t’t believe some of the things that I was reading. This Boatman guy had written words that were going straight to what matters most to me. His words were inspiring to say the least. You see, I was a new father at the time and the responsibility of taking care of my wife and new child were weighing heavily on me.
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair as I continued to read. Boatman wrote,

“Carrying a gun is a social responsibility.”

A social responsibility? Come on. I always thought that only cops were supposed to carry guns. Heck, I grew up around guns. My Dad had me shooting is .357 Magnum when I was 10… but carrying one everyday? Now that seemed a little intense. Well, I kept on reading.

Boatman:  “A citizen who shirks his duty to contribute to the
security of his community is little better than the
criminal who threatens it.”

Wow. What he was saying was astounding. I had never really thought that carrying a gun was really that important. And now this guy was telling me that I am “shirking my duty” if I’m not willing to arm myself? Hold on for just one second… Could It Be True? No one had ever told me I wasn’t responsible. Could it be? Was it possible that Boatman was pulling my head out of the sand? Heck, I live in a small town with almost no crime. We sometimes forget to lock our front door! The article went on to cite many interesting statistics regarding the effects of “good guys” carrying concealed guns.

Boatman:  “Even though most people do not carry guns, the
mere possibility that an intended victim could be
armed with a handgun eliminates millions of crimes
every year” “According to the FBI, states with “shall-issue” right-to-carry laws have a 26 percent lower total violent crime rate, a 20 percent lower homicide rate, a 39 percent lower robbery rate and a 22 percent lower aggravated assault rate than those states that do not allow their citizens to legally carry guns.”

“Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at
Florida State University, Gary Kleck, in Point
Blank: Gun Violence in America found that ‘robbery
and assault victims who used a gun to resist were
less likely to be attacked or to suffer an injury
than those who used any other method of self-
protection or those who did not resist at all.’”

I sat in my chair utterly dumbfounded. The harsh words from Boatman, coupled with the mind- blowing statistics, had really opened my eyes. I’d always been fond of saying, “You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution.” It was pretty clear to me what side I was on.

Learn more about Living with Glocks.