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A classic letter about CCW...

3K views 28 replies 24 participants last post by  Bob O 
#1 ·
If you've never seen this, you are in for a good read... The last time I "hung up my gun" (gave up my CCW, a personal permit, and I gave it up because the Sheriff had restricted it to use while I held a particular job) was in 1981 about in about April... Back then, you had to show a reason for needing a personal permit.

Anyway, this "Angry Letter" came out in Esquire magazine in September of '81... I used to have a copy of the mag, but it was destroyed in a house fire some years back... And, at the time it came out, I shared it with all my new co-workers in my new job... IMO, this letter answers all the questions antis ask about why anyone would need a gun...

This is the only link I have ever found to the letter, I have it saved as a "favorite" and have a copy on my pc... I won't lose it again.

ENJOY!

and, if it's a repeat, that's okay, I hope... otherwise... move it or discard it (mods).
 
#5 ·
Different times... Different mindset (he didn't shoot to "stop the threat" like we would now)... And, his reasoning was right... and remember: No (or darned few?) cel phones back then. What's he gonna do.. knock on a door and have someone call an ambulance?
 
#6 ·
Exceptional letter. It's amazing how many similarities still exist between then and now.

My family fled California in the 1970's as well, when I was 4 years old, due to the growing violence problems of the time. I was told that one of my sister's friends was raped and left for dead, a girl of eleven or twelve if I remember the story right, and that was the final straw. My mom & dad packed us up, headed east, and decided on Tennessee. We lived in a "good" neighborhood, my mother worked in real estate and my father sold BMW's, even in the kind of upscale neighborhood we lived in, the gang and crime problem was horrible. Anyone who believes "Oh, I live in a good neighborhood, that kind of thing doesn't happen here" is a fool or ignorant.

Once again, that was an excellent letter. Thanks for sharing it. :congrats:
 
#8 ·
Great read! :hand10:

This really resonates with me:

The play's premise is that what we call human values are actually luxuries qualities that only emerge and exist under the best and calmest of conditions.
Biker
 
#9 ·
Excellent read. So sad but so true. It is hard to believe that anyone, even back in the 70's could have grown up, gone to college and worked in the real world yet remained so naive. I grew to adulthood and finished college in the 60's and still was well aware of the dark side of life in the real world. From teenage on, living in Chicago, in a good neighborhood, still slept with a cocked and locked Colt .45 1911 in the top drawer of my night table. My mother kept an old, Spanish-made, S&W clone .38 on top of the T.V. set in the breakfast room. It wasn't loaded and had a broken firing pin but it somehow made her feel safer when she was home alone.

I guess my upbringing taught me early on that I will not be a victim and as such, I will not be without a means of defending my life and my property regardless of how our naive, liberal do-gooders tromp on our 2A rights. My wife, on the other hand grew up in a very small town in central Wisconsin, the daughter of a dairy farmer, who hunted and fished and never gave a thought to owning a short gun. She is a good Christian and believes whole-heartedly that if it is God's will that she be robbed, raped or assaulted, so be it. I would defend her with my life but I also find it necessary to respect her faith. I would prefer that she learn to shoot and carry for self-defense, but that's not likely to happen.

I honestly don't think today is that much different than those of the letter writers except that there are many more people now, both good and bad. Mass communication has made people more aware and better informed than ever before. Bad things that happen anywhere in the country or the world are old news shortly after they occur. There have always been those who think their rights extend to taking from others what they want, by threat or by force, and that is not likely to change. There will always be those who will be victims, martyrs if it sounds more comforting, and likewise there will always be those who are ready to defend by equal or greater force that which they have earned legally and rightfully. To rely on the police is futile. There would have to be a cop for every person to protect everyone in every situation.

We simply need to elect representatives who would insure our equal rights under the law to defend ourselves, without strings, without constraints and without loopholes. Otherwise we are left helpless and at the mercy of the merciless.
 
#10 ·
Best part about it, for me, was that this guy and his wife would seem to fit a classic liberal stereotype -- writer, shrink, probably flower children to a degree, and yet they came to a wonderful conclusion that they can't live without.
 
#15 ·
A fantastic read. It is interesting to see that not much has changed. If the dates had been in the 2000's I would have not thought twice about it. Thanks for posting!
 
#19 ·
I'm really glad everybody's enjoying it as much as I did! I've liked it since I first read it....

And yes, it has nothing to do with anything... but they certainly did fit the mold of a liberal, nearly hippie, couple... I think they probably considered themselves Yuppies...
 
#20 ·
I think things have changed, and for the worse. Sure, what happened to the letter writer did happen back then, but it was not as wide spread. Many places in America in the 70's were very safe and rarely had problems with violence. Today, the violence has spread all across the landscape to even the smallest and quietest of places. In the 70's we lived in a small town and never locked our doors unless we were away for days at at time. Now I would never leave my house unlocked. The same thing with cars. Used to go in the store and leave the keys in the ignition because it was more convenient, and the car and contents would be there when I came out of the store. Today, I lock the care every time I get out, even in my own driveway or simply to go in and pay for gas.

Yes violence and evil have always been with us, but today it IS worse because no place is safe today. EVERYWHERE is dangerous today, and that is a sad thing.
 
#25 ·
Good letter and thanks for the post.
I bookmarked it for later reference.
:hand10:
 
#26 ·
Bookmarked and sent to friends and family. I love this part"
So you can fuss and *****, Adam Smith, all you like, and you can rail at the hillbillies in the NRA, but the next time someone breaks into your house or your apartment, the next time someone busts the window of your car and rips off your FM radio and your thirty-five millimeter camera, the next time some woman you know gets raped and busted up and you have to visit her in the hospital and try to cheer her up, the next time you are totally freaked out after coming up against a gang halfway between the restaurant and the car, sit yourself down and do some serious considering about who has the right to do what to whom. Often this stuff has to touch people personally before they think about self-protection, and often by then a tragedy of far more epic proportions than getting knocked off for a Sony stereo receiver has occurred. I hope that doesn't happen to you. You have a right to carry on merrily with what you're doing.
 
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