Gun Control - A Study in Duality, by Skip Coryell
Exclusive commentary from one of Michigan's prominent writers.
In 1886 one of the greatest authors of the Victorian era, Robert Louis Stevenson, wrote a novella about the duality of man. It soon became a bestseller in both Great Britain and the United States. The story centered around two characters called Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, who, in reality, turned out to be the same person. It is the classic tale of a split personality.
Here in present-day America, the anti-gunners would have us believe that anyone wishing to carry a firearm also suffers from a split Jekyll-and-Hyde type of personality. In Stevenson's story, the beastly Mr. Hyde is unleashed from within Dr. Jekyll by drinking a potion. Conversely, according to anti-gunners here in America, the evil, dark side of humanity is supposedly unfettered, not by a magic potion, but by the simple presence of an inanimate object called a firearm. Hmmm, could that be true? Are guns magic talisman's of evil (like Frodo's ring) capable of perverting the hearts and minds of the best society has to offer simply by their presence?
There's just one problem with that assertion: it's all fiction. Robert Louis Stevenson got his story line from a dream he had one night. On the other hand, I have no idea why the antis believe that guns are evil tools like magic potions, hell-bent on controlling and consuming us. But one thing is certain, in both cases, with Stevenson's story and with the antis, we are dealing with make-believe, imaginary creatures. Do they also believe in elves? How about aliens from outer space? The Lochness Monster? Maybe Bigfoot is packing heat too and no one has gotten it on film yet? I wonder, does Sasquatch carry a semi-auto or is he a traditional wheelgun man?
In short, for anyone to believe that 158,000 CPL holders here in Michigan have fragile, dual personalities, and are ready to magically transform into raving, violent monsters at the first sign of conflict, just by the mere fact that we carry a firearm for self defense is in itself illogical and patently absurd. According to them, when we are unarmed and defenseless, we are kind, rational and loving members of society (sheep). However, let us strap on a firearm, and the evil Mr. Hyde breaks free from the darkness of our souls to rape, pillage, and plunder the innocents around us!
When someone cuts us off in traffic, the antis are convinced we're going to chase them down and kill them. When our spouse makes us angry by burning dinner, they're afraid we're going to pull our pistol out and shoot them in a fit of rage. There's just one problem with that view of CPL holders: it's not real and it exists only in their own imaginations. By and large, we are all sane, rational, honest, law-abiding citizens who go out of our way to protect and defend our families and friends and neighbors from the worst that society has to offer. And that has been proven over and over again since our CPL law went into effect in 2001. When you look at the facts, we're just not that scary.
I submit to you that the opposite is true: we're not the scary ones - they are. After all, they are the ones being paranoid, believing that something that has never happened before is going to occur en masse the moment we don our holsters and guns. But don't take my word for it. Here it is straight from the American Heritage Dictionary.
Paranoia: Extreme, irrational distrust of others.
Don't like that one? Try the Random House Unabridged version:
Paranoia: baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.
Or how about a more scientific definition?
Paranoia: a mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions and the projection of personal conflicts, which are ascribed to the supposed hostility of others.
Do any of these definitions describe CPL holders? In a word - no.
On the other hand, do any of these definitions describe the anti-gun community?
Let's break it down. Are they extreme? Yes. Are they irrational? Yes. Do they baselessly distrust us and suspect us? Absolutely! Let's be frank here. If they're really all that terrified of us, then why do they insult us at every turn? They claim that we're lunatics with guns, so if that's true, does it really make a lot of sense for them to slander our character at every turn? I don't think so.
What have we done to merit their hostile treatment? Not a thing. In fact the opposite is true. We are men and women (sheepdogs) dedicated to protecting ourselves and other innocent people from the predatory wolves in our society. We love our children. We love our spouse. We even go so far as to put our own lives in danger to protect the innocent and weak among us. How does that work? When a mugger pulls a knife on someone I love, I discourage his action with 85 grains of high-velocity lead clothed in a metal jacket. When a rapist attacks my wife - I shoot him.
Call me crazy, call me Mr. Hyde, but I'm not about to stand idly by while some lunatic kills my wife and children simply because a few extremists are paranoid. Likewise, I'm not about to stand quietly by while an overzealous politician tries to disarm me and my family. It just won't happen. I think we've been passive and polite long enough. I think we've turned the other cheek more than we should have. After all, a person only has two cheeks. In my opinion, it's time we started fighting back!
So the next time an anti-gunner starts calling you paranoid, delusional, or just flat-out crazy because you carry concealed for family defense, I want you to turn it right back on him. Don't play defense and don't be shy. Because you're not the crazy one. He is. After all, he's the one who believes that a piece of metal and plastic can turn an otherwise loving, honest person into a murderous, maniacal monster! He's also the one running around unarmed in a dangerous world. Only a lunatic would do that. Reason and sanity are on our side. We have the moral high ground. Don't ever give it up!
Skip Coryell lives with his wife and children in Michigan. He is the author of five books including Blood in the Streets: Concealed Carry and the OK Corral, the hunting novel Bond of Unseen Blood, and the Second Amendment novel We Hold These Truths. He is an NRA Instructor and co-owner of Midwest Tactical Training, teaching CPL classes in both Michigan and Iowa. To find out more about Skip, his classes and his writing, go to www.skipcoryell.com and www.mwtac.com
In 1886 one of the greatest authors of the Victorian era, Robert Louis Stevenson, wrote a novella about the duality of man. It soon became a bestseller in both Great Britain and the United States. The story centered around two characters called Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, who, in reality, turned out to be the same person. It is the classic tale of a split personality.
Here in present-day America, the anti-gunners would have us believe that anyone wishing to carry a firearm also suffers from a split Jekyll-and-Hyde type of personality. In Stevenson's story, the beastly Mr. Hyde is unleashed from within Dr. Jekyll by drinking a potion. Conversely, according to anti-gunners here in America, the evil, dark side of humanity is supposedly unfettered, not by a magic potion, but by the simple presence of an inanimate object called a firearm. Hmmm, could that be true? Are guns magic talisman's of evil (like Frodo's ring) capable of perverting the hearts and minds of the best society has to offer simply by their presence?
There's just one problem with that assertion: it's all fiction. Robert Louis Stevenson got his story line from a dream he had one night. On the other hand, I have no idea why the antis believe that guns are evil tools like magic potions, hell-bent on controlling and consuming us. But one thing is certain, in both cases, with Stevenson's story and with the antis, we are dealing with make-believe, imaginary creatures. Do they also believe in elves? How about aliens from outer space? The Lochness Monster? Maybe Bigfoot is packing heat too and no one has gotten it on film yet? I wonder, does Sasquatch carry a semi-auto or is he a traditional wheelgun man?
In short, for anyone to believe that 158,000 CPL holders here in Michigan have fragile, dual personalities, and are ready to magically transform into raving, violent monsters at the first sign of conflict, just by the mere fact that we carry a firearm for self defense is in itself illogical and patently absurd. According to them, when we are unarmed and defenseless, we are kind, rational and loving members of society (sheep). However, let us strap on a firearm, and the evil Mr. Hyde breaks free from the darkness of our souls to rape, pillage, and plunder the innocents around us!
When someone cuts us off in traffic, the antis are convinced we're going to chase them down and kill them. When our spouse makes us angry by burning dinner, they're afraid we're going to pull our pistol out and shoot them in a fit of rage. There's just one problem with that view of CPL holders: it's not real and it exists only in their own imaginations. By and large, we are all sane, rational, honest, law-abiding citizens who go out of our way to protect and defend our families and friends and neighbors from the worst that society has to offer. And that has been proven over and over again since our CPL law went into effect in 2001. When you look at the facts, we're just not that scary.
I submit to you that the opposite is true: we're not the scary ones - they are. After all, they are the ones being paranoid, believing that something that has never happened before is going to occur en masse the moment we don our holsters and guns. But don't take my word for it. Here it is straight from the American Heritage Dictionary.
Paranoia: Extreme, irrational distrust of others.
Don't like that one? Try the Random House Unabridged version:
Paranoia: baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.
Or how about a more scientific definition?
Paranoia: a mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions and the projection of personal conflicts, which are ascribed to the supposed hostility of others.
Do any of these definitions describe CPL holders? In a word - no.
On the other hand, do any of these definitions describe the anti-gun community?
Let's break it down. Are they extreme? Yes. Are they irrational? Yes. Do they baselessly distrust us and suspect us? Absolutely! Let's be frank here. If they're really all that terrified of us, then why do they insult us at every turn? They claim that we're lunatics with guns, so if that's true, does it really make a lot of sense for them to slander our character at every turn? I don't think so.
What have we done to merit their hostile treatment? Not a thing. In fact the opposite is true. We are men and women (sheepdogs) dedicated to protecting ourselves and other innocent people from the predatory wolves in our society. We love our children. We love our spouse. We even go so far as to put our own lives in danger to protect the innocent and weak among us. How does that work? When a mugger pulls a knife on someone I love, I discourage his action with 85 grains of high-velocity lead clothed in a metal jacket. When a rapist attacks my wife - I shoot him.
Call me crazy, call me Mr. Hyde, but I'm not about to stand idly by while some lunatic kills my wife and children simply because a few extremists are paranoid. Likewise, I'm not about to stand quietly by while an overzealous politician tries to disarm me and my family. It just won't happen. I think we've been passive and polite long enough. I think we've turned the other cheek more than we should have. After all, a person only has two cheeks. In my opinion, it's time we started fighting back!
So the next time an anti-gunner starts calling you paranoid, delusional, or just flat-out crazy because you carry concealed for family defense, I want you to turn it right back on him. Don't play defense and don't be shy. Because you're not the crazy one. He is. After all, he's the one who believes that a piece of metal and plastic can turn an otherwise loving, honest person into a murderous, maniacal monster! He's also the one running around unarmed in a dangerous world. Only a lunatic would do that. Reason and sanity are on our side. We have the moral high ground. Don't ever give it up!
Skip Coryell lives with his wife and children in Michigan. He is the author of five books including Blood in the Streets: Concealed Carry and the OK Corral, the hunting novel Bond of Unseen Blood, and the Second Amendment novel We Hold These Truths. He is an NRA Instructor and co-owner of Midwest Tactical Training, teaching CPL classes in both Michigan and Iowa. To find out more about Skip, his classes and his writing, go to www.skipcoryell.com and www.mwtac.com
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