Who I am
Saw this linked quote posted over at The Highroad and had to go read the entire text. This pretty well sums up my thoughts exactly.
Quote: Yet my pistol is more than just security. Like an Orthodox Jew’s yarmulke or a Christian cross, it is a symbol of who I am, what I believe and the moral standards by which I live. It symbolizes the Social Contract between myself and society and declares that I am no mere subject but a free and independent citizen of the Republic who holds inalienable rights while honoring the responsibilities that accompany those rights. My pistol states that I will defend the common weal, that I will uphold what is right and decent and that I am willing and able to protect myself and mine. (The police cannot and are not required to protect the individual person or family. They are spread too thin for that. When called they will do their best, but all too often they can get there only in time to clean up the aftermath. You are responsible for your own safety.)
My pistol is my family’s shield, my guarantee that upon my life I will let no evil touch them. When a malefactor demands, Your dignity and your money, or your life!” my pistol introduces a very sobering third alternative: No – if you persist in this criminal endeavor, it is your life that will be at hazard.”
For the full text, go read Responsibly Armed by Finn Aagaard over on the Texas State Rifle Association’s Website.