GUNS
With Love
By Pastor Estaban Ronoldian
Editor: Steve Van Nattan-- I have heard many stories just like this one. The reason I heard them is because the teller had a gun and survived the confrontation. In about 99% of the cases, no one was hurt of killed, just like in this story. I also encourage you to understand something very important-- most police are no longer competent. They let this criminal go, and the gun was needed twice. The cops were not convinced until they had two dealings with the criminal. You are on your own in many respects in the USA and the world. You better decide how you will defend yourself when the need arrives. By the way, do you REALLY love your family?
Thank God For My Gun-- I Needed It Sunday Night.
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 some "heat" from some Christians because I own guns. One of them 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 neccessary.
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. Please don't ask me to disobey the Bible by refusing to defend my wife, my two-year-old son, and my beautiful little red-headed girl! I must obey God rather than man.
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, Sunday night, September 15, 2002, 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! Daynna 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 Daynna 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 Daynna'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 cabapilities he possessed.
In the meantime Daynna 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 praise God I did not have to shoot that man. That is the last thing I wanted to do. But, if neccessary, I would have harmed him severely so as to prevent my family from being hurt. 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 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. "Safety is of the LORD," and I thank Him for wisdom, safety, protection, boldness, and my gun! It sure came in handy Sunday night!
A reader sent this item
Editor: Steve Van Nattan
I suggest you get a revolver. A .357 or 45 are minimum to stop a doped up attacker. A 38 is useful, but it will not always stop an attacker on drugs. An automatic pistol can be complicated, it can be shot almost effortlessly, and it reloads quickly if you have a second clip. A revolver must be cocked, cannot be fired as easily by accident, does not jam as easily, even when dirty, and it is ugly and ominous. I believe a revolver is the best all around weapon. If you buy a used gun, take someone along who is savvy about them. You do NOT want a gun with a worn out barrel or loose moving parts. It could shave lead and shoot in three directions at once, or blow up in your face.
If you load a gun, make sure it is not where kids can get at it. Remove the ammunition from the gun, or the clip, when you store it or leave home. Why give a thief the means to welcome you home with it. Keep it locked in a safe when not in use. What ever you do, practice shooting it. In your practice sessions, include your wife and grown kids learning to shoot, so that none of you are learning how to shoot while the adrenaline of confrontation is flowing. If you live in an area where you can do so, shoot it near your home for target practice. This sends a message to lawless neighbors that you are armed and ready. It encourages the righteous. It will worry the space cadets, but they will run to your house when they are attacked. :-)
Do not shoot at long distances. Wait until the intruder is near, about 8 to 12 feet away. If you must shoot, aim for the center of the body to knock them down. Take cover, especially if there is any chance the attacker has a gun also. Expose as little of your body as possible as you prepare to shoot. Shoot under attack with the same body position as when target practicing. Do not empty the gun if possible. Over kill will not look good in court, and the attacker may have a friend in the background counting your shots.
No matter how open and closed your situation is exonerating you in court, if a bullet goes astray and hits some innocent bystander, you will go to prison. So, move to a position that prevents such a potential.
Yell at the attacker. Tell them you would love to kill them. Scream it at them. Invite them to keep coming so you can kill them. These are not true I am sure, but they terrify an attacker, making you sound like you are about to go bonkers with rage. This I learned from a Newark, NJ cop. Just don't start believing your own editorial. But, if the attacker keeps coming, kill him.
Never shoot an attacker in the back who is leaving. You will go to prison. If you are at the door of your home, try to back into your home, and if the attacker follows you, shoot him until dead. Once in your home, the attacker has lost all his rights. If you have a fence and locked gates, and a dog, and the attacker gets past them, killing him in the yard may pass in court if you can prove he climbed the fence. Just make sure he is stone dead when the cops arrive. Dead crooks cannot take the witness stand against you. And, stupid jurors like to believe crooks on the witness stand. Also, if you have to shoot someone, the fewer witnesses who see you do so, the better. Just be VERY sure you are under attack and have no recourse.
If a woman attacks a man, then what? Kill her. If the attacker is Black and you are White, then what? Kill him. You are not solving social issues, you are protecting your family. What if the attacker is a church member from your church, or a family member of yours who has gone mad. Kill him, even if it is the preacher. If the unrighteous had more fear in them, I would not have had to write this sort of thing. Guns make fear. Guns save lives. Until the Messiah is here with His rod of iron, guns will have to pick up the slack.
Do not make yourself a victim so you can use the gun. That is insane. Put up motion detector lights. Point one down the driveway so that anyone trying to drive up quickly will be blinded. If you have problems with wandering drunks or illegal Mexicans, put up a chain link fence, and get a dog. These precautions cost a fraction of attorneys fees after you dispatch some attacker and the courts want to make you the bad guy. Leave lights on outside at night every night, not just when you are away.
If you live in a state that makes the gun owner the enemy, carry pepper spray or mace. If you have to use it, and if you stop the attacker, leave the scene at once. Do not call the police. If you live in a state where criminals have the rights and the guns, and you cannot defend yourself, why don't you move to Arizona or Tennessee? After your daughter is raped, your good job won't matter much anymore. If you can get a permit to carry a gun by taking a class, take it. Stop worrying about the Feds knowing you have a gun. The mugger is not a bit interested in the opinion of the Feds. Why are you?
What about using a gun to defend other people?
1. Did they get themselves into the mess? If so, keep moving my friend. Breaking up domestic fights is also suicide if guns are involved. This is the most feared call a cop gets. Ask a cop if I am right.
2. If you believe the victim is without fault, and if you would shoot to defend yourself in the same situation, you have the moral option. If you defend them, you may be prosecuted, even though the defended party needed help. That is how the soft minded juries think these days.
So, think about this before you commit yourself so that you do what you BELIEVE is right if a crisis comes. If you save someone from attack by killing or maiming an attacker, and if the victim is safe, get out of there. Do not identify yourself. Most cops are not interested in who you are if they cannot find you. The scene will usually explain itself.
If an attacker gets the drop on you, you are not Michael the Archangel, you cannot walk or talk your way around the attacker, especially one with a gun. You have to comply. If the issue is rape or murder, you must defend your wife and kids. If the issue is your car or cash, you are a fool to resist and get yourself killed. I suppose a good Calvinist would take some chances, but I get real Arminian when it comes to staying alive.
I heard of a Jewish man in Chicago who carried $300 with him all the time in case he got mugged. His idea was to offer the mugger the cash if he would leave him alone. The amount now should be about $500 I think. It might work. That will buy a lot of pot, and getting away "clean" may appeal to the mugger.
Do not display and brag about your guns to people not in your inner circle. Anyone who knows you have guns could betray you one day and report you as dangerous. Even your best friend does not need to know. It may not be long before we will be called on to testify in court about one another. It is historic, and the US Government is rapidly moving toward a Nazi form of control. When I see Christians flipping knives around at the church house, or when the men get into discussions of their guns at church dinners, I join in, but I only talk about their guns, not mine.
If you buy a gun used, tell the seller that you will be running a check with the police on the serial number. If the seller knows the gun is "hot," that is, it has been used in a crime, he will back out and you will avoid trouble. Do not hesitate to check a used gun. It is a lot better to seek this information willingly than to use the gun in self-defense and find out later from the police that your gun was "hot."
Obey the gun laws as to transporting and carrying a gun. If guns are ever made illegal, you will need to decide what is more important, keeping a law that makes you vulnerable, or finding another way of self-defense. There is a time to disobey Caesar's law, that is, when Caesar makes it easy for evil men to rape your wife. But, if you end up being "caught" with an illegal gun, you cannot make a big fuss if you end up serving time. You made the choice, live with it.
Antique guns are often looked on by the authorities as benign if they really look like collector items. So, an old gun in good condition is a consideration if you wish to avoid suspicion. You may also want to defend yourself with a rifle or shot gun. They are not nearly as useful for self-defense, but they are accepted as harmless by law enforcement.
If you want to get rid of a gun that is troubling you, give it to a cop you trust. He will run a check on it, and he may add it to his own collection. Cops love guns :-) Do not get into the insane avocation of buying and selling guns privately. One day you WILL end up with a killer's weapon in your hand, and you may think that is no big deal, but it is deadly. Find some other way to make money.
BIBLE
TEXTS TO CONSIDER
REGARDING SELF-DEFENSE
This is not my idea of fun writing and reading. It is ugly, but it is necessary. I have the words of my Lord to prove it:
Luke 22:36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
Verse 38 And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.
The point was self-defense after Jesus returned to the Father. Two swords among eleven were enough. This shows we are not talking about lust for collecting guns and eagerness to use them. Just be ready to defend yourself on the road down to Jericho.
Get a sword. Better yet, get a gun.
1 Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
Paul said, under inspiration, that if you do not do what it takes to provide safety for your family, you are a devil, an unbeliever. You could go to hell for intentionally refusing to defend your wife and kids.
"If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him," we are told in Exodus 22:2.
In 1 Samuel 25:13, we read: "And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff." Every man had a sword and every man picked it up when it was required.
Judges 5:8 reminds us of what happens to a foolish nation that chooses to disarm: "They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?"
"Blessed be the LORD my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight," David writes in Psalms 144:1.
"They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon," we're told in Nehemiah 4:17-18. "For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded."
Let us get this clear-- Defending your family and loved ones is the biblical issue, not guns. Guns just happen to be the most effective way to defend oneself, and guns are symbolic of defense prepared. Now, if you have some other very effective way to defend yourself and family, fine. I do not want to give the impression that guns are sacred. And, I do not care what my Constitutional rights are. That has no bearing on the subject.
So, how do you plan to defend your family?