No desire to be a victim

There is disturbing news about Middle Eastern men surreptitiously videoing the major churches in town, including our Catholic Church, coupled with a police officer confirming that the FBI investigated the local imam and Saudi students at Arkansas State University - he said about two dozen Saudi students vanished in one day, presumably heading home, as a consequence of the probe. And there are reports of about 1,000 Middle Eastern "refugees" arriving in Jonesboro last week.

This got us thinking about our responsibility as gun owners to protect ourselves and our neighbors - something that requires getting concealed carry permits. I had a permit when I lived in Indiana, but it lapsed a long time ago and I never bothered to apply for an Arkansas permit, partly because it requires a day-long course and a few other hoops to jump through. I've had a 1911 Colt Combat Commander .45 for more than thirty years or so, but rarely carried it because of its bulk and weight, even after I upgraded it a few years ago with a Crimson Trace laser grip.

So I bought a very carry-friendly Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield semiautomatic Friday evening and, wonder of wonders, discovered early Saturday that the Black Iron Shooting Range near our house was conducting a CCW class starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday. As we were leaving our house, Maria called Morgan to see if she would be interested in the course and the next thing we knew all three of us were sitting in the classroom listening to instructor Jim Magee.

There were 39 of us in the class, ranging from teenagers to senior citizens. The common thread was a realization that we are all responsible for defending ourselves, our families and our neighbors from whatever lawless threat might appear. I don't think any of us is eager to shoot anyone, but neither are any of us willing to become helpless victims like those poor bastards in the rock concert venue in Paris last year.

Terror attacks and a clear signal from the White House that our government won't protect us and is probably on the side of the enemy have spiked gun sales and concealed carry permit applications all over the country and Maria and I are proud to be part of the hardening of American targets.