Piers Morgan: "Why would any American need an AR?"

A couple weeks ago, CNN's Piers Morgan made headlines when he started his anti-gun rampage.  Since then, he has asked many famous people on his talk show exactly why any American would need such a gun as an AR-15.  I would like to give my reasons as to why they should not be banned.

1.  Great home defense weapon.  Many, if not all, of you know that one of the biggest focuses in my life is the defense of my family and those around me.  The absolute worst thing that could happen to me is to know that harm came to others when I could have stopped it.  The AR platform is extremely versatile and easily customized.  This makes for a great home defense weapon because ANYONE can shoot it.  Our VP Joe Biden recently said to his wife “You don’t need an AR-15—it’s harder to aim, it’s harder to use, and in fact you don’t need 30 rounds to protect yourself... if you feel threatened, go get the double barrel shotgun, run out to the balcony and fire two shots.”  A shotgun is a good home defense weapon.  You aim in the general direction and tiny metal balls fly out in a scattered pattern.  The problem though, how many women feel confident and comfortable shooting a 12 gauge shotgun? I know some guys that aren't man enough to shoot a 12 gauge.  The recoil can be seriously painful for some people, especially smaller framed women.  The military originally adopted the M16 (full automatic version of the AR-15) because it was light, easy to aim, low recoil, and anyone could easily fire it!  Can you describe a 12 gauge shotgun in the same way?  I don't think so.  The other problem with Uncle Joe's logic, it is illegal in many states to randomly fire ammunition into the air.  In fact, it's a felony in the state of Arizona.  Did our vice president just advise his wife to commit a felony?

2.  Ammunition is (was) cheap.  Most AR-15s fire the .223 Remington or 5.56 Nato round.  For all intensive purposes, they're practically the same round.  This round is used extensively in the military and thus is very cheap and widely available.  Before I advise anyone to keep a loaded weapon next to their bed for protection, they must become extremely familiar with said weapon and practice regularly.  Practicing regularly is much easier with cheap ammunition.  That's why I carry the 9mm, I can actually afford to practice with it.  

3.  Combining 1 and 2, anyone can easily train with it in order to prepare for worst case scenarios.  The same can be said about .22 rifles.  They are also cheap to buy and shoot, but the .223 just has that much more power behind it to make it effective.  Plus the AR just looks scary.  One of my favorite features on many ARs is the collapsible stock.  This means that I, with my long arms, can comfortably shoot it.  At the same time, my 9 year old nephew can also shoot it.  The more everyone shoots it, the better prepared everyone will be.

4.  A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government"

-- Thomas Jefferson, 1 Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.

"The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that's good"

-- George Washington

"One of the ordinary modes, by which tyrants accomplish their purposes without resistance, is, by disarming the people, and making it an offense to keep arms."

-- Constitutional scholar Joseph Story, 1840

"Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest."

-- Mahatma Gandhi

I love this one:

"As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives [only] moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun, therefore, be the constant companion to your walks."

-- Thomas Jefferson, writing to his teenaged nephew.

"Taking my gun away because I might shoot someone is like cutting my tongue out because I might yell `Fire!' in a crowded theater."

-- Peter Venetoklis

...Virtually never are murderers the ordinary, law-abiding people against whom gun bans are aimed. Almost without exception, murderers are extreme aberrants with lifelong histories of crime, substance abuse, psychopathology, mental retardation and/or irrational violence against those around them, as well as other hazardous behavior, e.g., automobile and gun accidents."

-- Don B. Kates, writing on statistical patterns in gun crime

"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom."

-- John F. Kennedy

"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves ... and include all men capable of bearing arms."

-- Senator Richard Henry Lee, 1788, on "militia" in the 2nd Amendment

"...quemadmodum gladius neminem occidit, occidentis telum est." [...a sword never kills anybody; it's a tool in the killer's hand.]

-- (Lucius Annaeus) Seneca "the Younger" (ca. 4 BC-65 AD)

False is the idea of utility that sacrifices a thousand real advantages for one imaginary or trifling inconvenience; that would take fire from men because it burns, and water because one may drown in it; that has no remedy for evils except destruction. The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. 

-- Cesare Beccaria, as quoted by Thomas Jefferson's Commonplace book

No kingdom can be secured otherwise than by arming the people. The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave.

-- "Political Disquisitions", a British republican tract of 1774-1775

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the Atmosphere.

-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Abigail Adams, 1787

& what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time that his people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms.

-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Col. William S. Smith, 1787

"To disarm the people... was the best and most effectual way to enslave them."

-- George Mason, speech of June 14, 1788

Need I say more?  A lot of quotes from our founding fathers talking about the American citizens maintaining the right to bear arms, not for hunting or sport, but in defense of our country from our own government.  If they expect us to be able to properly control our government, they expect us to have the weapons capable of doing it.  Single shot .22s simply will not suffice.

Changing Standards?

A couple days ago, I was sitting in class listening to my Quality Systems teacher talking about weights and standards of measurement.  I started to ponder on the meaning of the word "standard" and how it applies into daily living.  A standard serves as the basis by which all other things are compared.  The picture above shows a few weights, the largest being the kilogram.  The kilogram has remained the same for hundreds of years and most likely will remain the same for the next couple hundred years.  That's exactly what makes it a standard of measurement, it does not change.  This is in great contrast to the methods of measurement in biblical times.  The cubit for example, was the distance from a person's elbow to the tip of the fingers.  Now I don't mean to brag, but my cubit is longer than the average person's cubit.  Other examples include inches and feet.  Don't quote me on this, but I heard that the inch was supposedly the length of some king's nose and the foot was the length of some other king's foot.  Such precision!  All three of these measurements at one time were simply relative to the person and the situation.  Fortunately, mankind has been able to standardize these measurements to make them easier for comparison purposes.  Now the real questions, can standards change and why does it even matter?

Take a look back 50 years (if possible).  What has changed in this world?  In the media alone, 50 years ago it was extremely rare to ever hear vulgar language.  It was much more rare to see single, teenage mothers.  People knew and had respect for others.  Divorce rate was low.  Criminals were punished according to their crimes.

Now.  Drug problems everywhere.  Everyone should experiment.  Gang problems everywhere.  It's okay, he's just acting out.  Pornography all over the place within reach of little children.  It's okay, he's just a little curious.  Boys will be boys.  Language, violence, bloodshed throughout the media.  Hey, I didn't teach them those words.  Half of all marriage end in divorce.  I just don't love you anymore.  More and more couples living together without getting married.  I just don't want to commit to something that is bound to end.  Single, teenage mothers raising children by themselves because the men leave or didn't care to begin with.  Remember that one night?  People falling out of love faster than they fell in love.  It's just not the same as it used to be.  Peoples' clothing gets tighter and more revealing.  I wear a bikini because it's more comfortable than a one piece.  AND THE WORLD SEES ALL OF THIS AS NORMAL AND FINE!

What happened to our standards?  I have heard people say that standards and morals are relative, they just depend on the person and the situation.  WRONG!  What are you measuring against?  Are you measuring against someone's nose or foot, or are you measuring against a standardized kilogram?  I was taught from the time I was a baby that our standards are based on God's law.  God is as the kilogram:  infinite, eternal, non-changing, the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Is man more powerful than our Heavenly Father that they can change His law?  I wouldn't even dare to attempt it, but that is what the world is trying.

Please don't mistake me for a "I am holier than thou art" type of person.  I am not perfect, but I believe that I was taught proper standards and principles based on God's law.  Sometimes I fall short and I make a mistake.  That is why Heavenly Father, in his infinite wisdom, sent his son Jesus Christ to atone for our sins and allow us the opportunity to repent.

Now I ask each of you to take a look at yourselves.  What are you measuring your life against?  Are you basing the comparison on eternal principles of truth or on a passing fad?

The Night of the Living Jaws

Two posts in one day, wow I must be bored.

Due to my job as a security officer, I'm not allowed to talk about my job very much.  However, every now and then I have a good story.  This one I call "The scariest night at the studio" or "The night of the living Jaws."
Since I started working here over a year and a half ago, I have worked every Friday night from 5 pm to 4 am.  One afternoon last year, I show up to work like normal at 5 pm.  The guard in the booth asked me if I had seen the police bulletin, which I had not.  He shows me an official document from the police department.  They're searching for a man that is 6' 8" tall, mid 30s, schizophrenic, off his medication, looking for guns, and I quote "intending to kill someone."  To add to this lovely mental image, the bulletin had his mug shot and he literally looked like Jaws from the old James Bond movies.
I'm not very heavy, in fact I'm pretty light weight, but I do have a height advantage.  Because of my height, I'm fairly confident in my ability to defend myself.  Things don't typically scare me.  Schizophrenic off medication... a little scary.  Schizophrenic that's off medication and bigger than me... pretty scary.  Oh yes, forgot to mention, he was reportedly hiding out in the woods on the studio property.  Scared?  Heck yes!  I had to spend 11 hours at night by myself on the property making regular checks through the forest area.  I'm pretty sure I didn't even blink that whole night out of fear that he would jump me.  While making my rounds I would imagine(?) seeing him at the end of a dirt road or imagine him jumping out from behind a tree to attack me on my little electric cart.  Fortunately, I made it through the night alive.  The next guard came on duty at 4 am.  I told him about the bulletin and the night's events.  He just thought that I was joking.  After changing out of my uniform I noticed that he had already left to do his hourly rounds.  Completely relaxed I headed out to my pickup to go home.  I opened the door.  Suddenly there was a loud "thud" on the outside of my open door.  My thoughts:  something fell out of the tree and the wind pushed it horizontally into my door (no wind)... well maybe the other guard is playing a trick... why take the chance?... get in, get in, close the door! I quickly turned on the headlights and saw nothing but the grass and trees.  I quickly left for home to attempt sleeping.
I returned that evening for my next shift.  The guards told me that a couple hours after I left, a few police cars showed up full of officers to do a manhunt.  It took them about two hours to find him sitting on the side of the Provo River (the studio's property line).
It has been proven that he was on our property throughout the night.  The guard wasn't playing a trick on me, so did Jaws throw something at my door to get my attention or was it something else?

Anyways, that's probably the most eventful thing that has happened to me as a guard.  Fun stuff.

THE FIRST POST!

On Melissa's recommendation, I started a blog.  Crazy, right?

A little about myself:
I was born in the fall of 1988 to Brent and Maxine Mitchell in rural Washington State.  I was raised on the family farm where I learned the true meaning of work.  I'm sure that I complained about it at the time, but the experiences that I had will always be cherished.  At the age of 5 was when I first drove by myself.  Dad took all the kids into the hay field in his old GMC pickup and we took turns pushing the gas pedal and steering.  Since then  driving has been one of my passions.  The other is guns.  I LOVE guns.  Anyways, I went to Hiawatha elementary where I quickly grew to be one of the tallest people in school.  Next came McFarland junior high then on to Othello High School.  After graduation, I quickly left home to start my education at Brigham Young University.  I went on more dates during those two months than in my entire life beforehand! Next, I served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for two years in Bahia Blanca, Argentina.  The mission had its ups and downs.  Overall, I grew to love the people that I served and have many fond memories.  I returned home and began my education again at BYU which is where I met my beautiful wife and best friend, Melissa Rollins.  I'm sure I'll get to that story later.  We got married later that year on 23 October 2010.  Since then we have both been in school full time while working on the side.  Last year a little bundle of cuteness entered our lives.  Our daughter Kaelyn will be 1 year old in March.  My best description of her is freaking adorable.  Right now Melissa is working at graduating this semester in Fine Arts Illustration while taking care of Kaelyn.  I spend my time studying Manufacturing Engineering Technology, taking care of Kaelyn, working as a Security Officer at the LDS Motion Picture Studio, and doing all sorts of projects on the side.

That just about sums up my life.  I'll have Melissa add her own life story later.

Hopefully I can think of some good, entertaining stuff to write about next time.  Until then, chaocito.