Summer Challenges

You might think that when the weather is around 105-110 degrees F, (In excess of 40 degrees Centigrade or more) that criminals might have the sense to stay indoors in air conditioning, or at a pool somewhere. Apparently, things are so difficult financially even for them, that they are out en force, even in the terribly hot weather.
This week a man in camoflage clothing who claimed to be from the Tax Assessors Office, entered the a neighbor's farm seeking an access to yet another property, which borders our own. Because a court case will follow,I can't go into too much detail here. Suffice it to say that criminals are out, they are casing areas with intent to steal or pillage whatever they can. We are a large county and so our sheriff cannot always get out easily to all the farms which might need help quickly. In addition, we have a number of wild animals here, and rabid animals are often a problem. Wolves, bobcat, bears, poisonous snakes, and even the rare cougar are found here, For this reason, most everyone is armed. For years we have always had rifles, but a few years ago we realized that we needed some handguns for use on belt holsters while working on the farm,especially when our work entails having our hands free. This week I was never so glad to have been armed. In this era in our world it can be easy to count up the number of people who have been killed with firearms. What happened in Norway is incredibly sad and egregious. However, we must remember that arming rational law abiding people, saves lives, and we must remember to count those as well. A firearm is a tool, much like a hammer, a car, or a steak knife, and most tools handled improperly can be quite dangerous. Owning and using guns comes with significant responsibility to understand the operation and proper use of your weapon. One must clean it following each use, and target practice safely in order to be proficient. There is also the significant task of ensuring that your weapon not be stolen from you, or grabbed from you while you are using it, and used on you and on others My older sons all can safely manage guns as can my husband. I was late to the game, but began to train about five years ago when I realized the need to protect myself and my family. I completed proper and continued training and I am specially licensed as well. I don't begin to train our kids to use firearms in target shooting or for defensive purposes until after 14, so Daniel never had a chance to fire on the practice range with me. I am grateful for the chance to be armed in order to protect my family from criminals who would invade the farm, and from rabid animals. Although I have personally owned guns for many years, I honestly did not fully appreciate this right, until recently. I took for granted that anyone would see the need for proper protection of property and lives in a rural place.