We're Armed to the Teeth

This post is prompted by the recent debate over gun control. I suggest that you do not visit or move to Fannin County if the knowledge that there are people around you who are carrying concealed weapons makes you nervous or you believe you are safer in a place where guns are highly regulated.

It probably doesn’t surprise you that the Second Amendment is an article of faith here in the North Georgia hills. In fact some school children around here believe the Second Amendment is one of the Ten Commandments. There are adults who think we should we throw out the commandment against adultery in favor of one that says the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be abridged. You have to admit that would kill two birds with one stone.

Local politicians may get confused occasionally about the First Amendment but they have the Second Amendment down pat. As for the general populace, it’s fair to say that God, guns and limited government pretty much defines the prevailing political views of most people around here.

Here are some examples to give you an idea of what I’m talking about.

• At a recent citizens’ law enforcement academy class put on by the Fannin County Sheriff, the Sheriff urged everyone to get a concealed weapons permit and to carry a concealed weapon. That’s my kind of law enforcement officer. 

• For entertainment the men’s group at our church went to a gun range and blasted away at targets one afternoon. We’re also arranging a shooting class for the women of the church. So much for turning the other cheek. 

• This is the only place I know of that has a drug store that sells guns and ammunition. I just wish they would expand the idea to supermarkets, fast food restaurants and ATM machines.

• There is a gun show in Blue Ridge every month.

• During the Georgia primaries I attended a candidate forum. Some candidates for statewide offices and Congress were there. To a man (and a woman) all of them were staunch supporters of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. A couple of them went so far as to suggest there should be no restrictions whatsoever on an individual’s rights to buy and carry weapons of all kinds. Even I thought this was a little (but not a lot) extreme. Then it occurred to me that the forum was sponsored by the Fannin County Tea Party. I imagine that more moderate conservative candidates didn’t bother to attend and that liberal candidates were afraid to attend.

• Rarely does a day goes by when I do not hear the sound of gunshots. Some are far off in the hills, and some are much closer. In that respect it’s a lot like living in Detroit or Chicago from what I hear.

Most folks in these parts have a whole different attitude towards gun ownership and the right to self-defense than many urban dwellers. Around here guns are viewed as protection rather than threats. The average person on the street believes that he or she is safer with a gun than without one and that the proper response to an active shooter situation is to fire back and make the active shooter inactive. You have to admit there is a certain logic to the idea.

It’s fair to assume that in any gathering in these parts there are several people with the means and the ability to return fire if someone is intent on mayhem and destruction. So while it’s not impossible that some nut job or deluded terrorist could pick Fannin County as a place start to start shooting, it’s virtually certain that if it did happen some of the would-be victims would start firing back. Nut jobs and terrorists hate when that happens. There’s a reason why most mass shootings occur in gun-free zones.

(Gun-free zones should be called something else. The idea of a gun-free zone is that no one has a gun in the zone. But that assumes that everyone will respect the rule that no guns are allowed. We know by now that bad guys don’t follow the rules. So the only way to make sure that a gun-free zone is gun free is to have people with guns there to enforce the rule in which case the gun-free zone is not really gun free. If you have a gun-free zone where there is no one with guns to enforce the rules we should call it a helpless victim zone.)

Though I cannot attest to it, I would not be surprised if people in most rural areas in this country have the same attitude toward gun ownership and gun rights as the majority of the people in Fannin County.

The point of this post is not to debate gun control or the Second Amendment. I happen to like weapons and I enjoy shooting. I view with distrust government attempts to limit my right to own guns. And yes, I believe that I am safer owning and carrying a gun than not owning and carrying one. My response to the recent renewed efforts to ban assault-style rifles will be to go out and buy one. I guess in that respect I’m not much different than most people in Fannin County.

If it makes you nervous that there are plenty of people in Fannin County who own guns, carry guns and have attitudes similar to mine then you may want to reconsider moving here or visiting here. That’s the point of this post. Consider it a public service.