What is the motivation for the surge in firearms purchases in recent years? Some of it is motivated by fear, mostly due to politicians threatening to restrict civil rights like the Second Amendment. Another aspect though is the realization that an armed representative of The State will not be around to protect you. After all, bad things happen…especially when guys like this show up.

A while back, I read an account by a recent gun owner. His story is a haunting one because it is one that can be told my millions of other people. The author wasn’t a “gun nut” or firearms aficionado, he was a small business owner who lived a fairly normal life. This means a simple life that didn’t involve interaction with criminals, until one encounter changed that. Read the whole article but here is the key point….

I had no “real” recognition of the dangers in the world around me. It wasn’t until unspeakable evil stepped into my life that I recognized my failure to accept the world for what it is, not what I wished it to be. Bad people are out there, and they do bad things—things that you and I can never understand with a rational thought process.

For a new gun owner, part of the motivation in purchasing a firearm is the realization that bad things can happen without warning at unexpected times. What you think is Somebody Else’s Problem (SEP) suddenly becomes your problem and you have to handle it with the tools at your disposal. Being unarmed against a ruthless criminal is a bad option, so regular people are opting to arm themselves.

Think about recent events for a moment, would the situation have ended differently if people were armed (and trained) to deal with a maniacal attacker? It’s worth thinking about but more importantly, it’s worth acting on. My suggestion is to prepare for the worst now so that you will be ready in the unlikely event that something bad happens to you.