An edited version of this article was published in the California Rifle and Pistol Association's magazine, "The Firing Line" in the April, 2000, issue.  It was entitled, "How Soon We Forget...."  My deepest respects and regards to the leadership of the CRPA for this honored opportunity to address the forum.

       Driving through the contorted city was a surreal, strange experience. The columns of smoke rose into the air like bizarre, branchless trees, some close, some miles off in the distance. The burning buildings right next to the freeway looked like movie props, a set carefully manufactured for the filming of a typical Hollywood action movie. Maybe a war movie? An assault on an enemy city? But this was real. The cross streets that ran under the overpasses of the 110 freeway were all but abandoned, except for the lone pedestrian darting across the pavement. At some intersections, there were a lot more. Angry, looting mobs, milling in the streets. Carloads of then flying up and down the freeways, up one onramp, and down another, on their gleeful, destructive ways.

The 1992 Los Angeles riots.

       I don't know what compelled me to drive through there, but being in the area of South Central LA the day after the initial rioting began and watching it on the news, I had to see for myself what was really going on. I had picked up a load of product for the business and was at the "fork in the road." Home was East, and away from the war zone. South Central was just to the West, and South down the 110.

       My eyes darted back and forth as I sped down the freeway, a horribly fascinated observer of the unfolding chaos. I remember the little mini truck that careened past me, the bed filled up with young males intent on nothing else but their destination, whatever it was. They ignored me as they went by and disappeared down an exit. I was totally amazed and astonished that such a monumental, outrageously violent event could be taking place in America. And even more outrageous was the fact that I didn’t see a single law-enforcement unit on the freeway, not a single uniformed officer in sight. I was totally on my own except for God above. It was a strangely isolated feeling. Amazing! The van cruised quietly along the smooth cement, one of just a few vehicles plying that particular stretch of road.

       The half hour or so that it took to pass through the area seemed to be over in a very short time, and I drove out of the war zone and back into the relative safety of the distant county. But I took with me a very sobering and realistic view of the current moral state of America that stays with me to this day. Watching the news that night, the sight of the Los Angeles police officers standing by as a market was emptied by a gang of looters was indelibly etched in my mind. The sight of the Korean shopkeepers firing their handguns at an unseen aggressor somewhere off camera was even more so imbedded. The innocent people of LA were, like me for that half hour jaunt, completely alone, left to their own defenses as the city law enforcement agency command stood by in disastrous indecision. What a travesty.

       In the ensuing few days after the riots started, the people in my life, my friends and I, watched the bungling and incompetent politicians as they tried to deal with the situation. Some were seizing the soapbox to pump their own particular political agenda. The National Guard was finally called in and the violence ebbed. Watching it on TV in another part of the nation was one thing. Seeing it, and living through it, was a whole other matter.

       When politicians like Senator Barbara Boxer (D. CA.) and Senator Diane Feinstein (D. CA.) continue to push for more “gun control” to control the crime rate (and the L.A. riots were nothing more than a petty crime on a grand scale), I just laugh, shake my head, and send another donation to the National Rifle Association or the Institute of Legislative Action (their political action committee), or the California Rifle and Pistol Association, my states' NRA affiliate.

       After the riots subsided and the damage was being assessed, handgun sales in California soared, for obvious reasons, and my membership in the National Rifle Association became that much more justified. Regardless of the gun control laws passed and the myriad justifications set forth for their enactment, the memories and sights of the LA riots will always be with me. The sight of the police standing by, bound by politics and command indecision, undeniable evidence that truly our safety, when push comes to shove, is our own responsibility.

       And on a national level, it isn’t any different. The national social fabric continues to shred and tear. After the Oklahoma City bombing of the Murrah Federal Building, it came to light,and the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who was really behind the planning and initiation of the whole affair. Not the militias, as they were condemned in the press, but elements of the more militant White Supremacist movement. A primary conviction of their philosophy is to engage the US government in guerrilla warfare, in the belief that it is corrupt beyond salvaging due to its passage of affirmative action statutes, and needs to be destroyed and completely rebuilt within their own parameters. It's interesting that the Federal authorities didn't pursue them more aggressively. A quote from one of their primary literary works states this:

       "One gets the impression that except the Jews, who are really burning the midnight oil in their efforts against us, the rest of the System is a bunch of clock-watchers. Thank ‘equal opportunity’ – and all those niggers in the FBI and Army – for that! The System has become so corrupt and mongrelized that only the Jews feel at home in it, and no one feels any loyalty toward it."

       Just a small example of the dangerous and radical philosophies that are out there, feeding on the apathy, corruption, and despair. Yet what can the government do? Nothing. It's a social and moral problem. Most of the time, the government can barely get out of its own way.

       America isn’t asleep anymore, so no one can say they didn’t see it coming. Everyone I talk to is aware of the ever impending chaos. Most choose to ignore what is happening, hoping maybe it will all go away. That is naive and unrealistic. The Christian Church isn’t asleep anymore, the only ones who can make an impact on the disorder, the only ones with the spiritual resources to combat the darkness. Any person interviewed on the streets of America sees and understands what is going on, what is happening. But the answers and responses to the problems are hard pressed to find. Answers that have been available in the Bible for centuries.

       When will people finally figure it out and submit themselves to God and His principles for lawful living again? I don’t know. But until something happens to stanch the encroaching lawlessness that is seeping into everyday life, an anarchy fed by the moral anarchy and rot of the citizenship of this great nation, I will be one who continues to support the gun rights organizations. It is stupid not to. One of those “gun nuts.” Oh, brother.

       Because when it does come down to it, safety and security is an illusion. The thin Blue Line of Federal, State, and Local law enforcement a tenuous strand at best, and in the light of the LA riots, so easily overwhelmed. And I refuse to let my family be left unarmed in such uncertain and perilous times because of some corrupt, goofy politician and their weird social engineering philosophies. Those same politicians will be the first ones to abandon the innocent and defenseless to the dogs in the street. And that is one of the primary reasons, I believe, the Second Amendment is in the Constitution.

       The right to self defense is a God given right. Don't let any politician steal it away from you.

God Bless The American Nation! Her Freedoms Are Unique!

•The Second Amendment PD.• http://www.2ampd.net

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•Gun Registration &
Confiscation Defied  [Free Republic]•
•The Dangers Of A
Disarmed Society  [Free Republic] •
•The Genocide Agenda-A History Of Gun Control  [Free Republic]•
•Guns: Not This Buyer’s Market  [Free Republic]•

Related California Second Amendment Links
________________________________________________
•California Department of Justice. DOJ Firearms Division•
•California NRA Members' Council•
•GOA Texas: The Mindset Of Our Founding Fathers•
•Chuck Baldwin On Gun Confiscation•
•Charlton Heston and the Second Amendment•

Miscellaneous Second Amendment Links
From The Guns And The Christian By George A. Crocker
_________________________________________________

COLD COMFORT (off site)-Economist John Lott discusses the benefits of guns--and the hazards of pointing them out. This interview with Dr. Lott is found on the "Reason" website.  It was a good interview and is well worth the read.

DOES GOD BELIEVE IN GUN CONTROL?  An article by David Kopel in which he says: "But did God really endorse the Brady Bill? One would certainly think so, given the huge number of Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish religious organizations that endorsed the Brady Bill, and which endorse virtually every other gun control proposal"

FACTS YOU CAN USE  Here are some hard-hitting facts about firearms and assault that were compiled by GunTruths.Com.  It was extracted from their website and put here for your perusal.  This is powerful ammunition (no pun intended) for the RKBA supporters.

FIREARM FACTS Here are some more solid facts given by the NRA/IL about guns.  Liberals don't like facts that are in antithesis to their belief system regarding firearms.

GIVE ME LIBERTY This is the famous Patrick Henry speech. It is apropos for the freedom issue and the RKBA.

GOT GUNS?  An article by Andrew Sandlin, editor of Chalcedon Report, who does not even own a gun. Yet,  he is for the "right  to bear arms". Andrew says: "The biggest hypocrites on gun control are those who live in upscale developments with armed security guards—and who want to keep other people from having guns to defend themselves."

HISTORICAL PRECEDENT FOR CHRISTIAN MILITIA  An article by a conservative Lutheran on early era for Independence. "In the American Revolution many clergymen took up arms against the British. The pulpits of nearly every colonial meeting house had for years proclaimed the apostasy of King George's government and the established Church. When the tyranny of British rule had become to much to bear, patriot clergymen not only encouraged the men in their congregation to join the American Army but actually formed and lead militias in the cause of liberty."

NRA'S GUIDE TO FIREARM SAFETY Having a gun is a God-given right.  However, it is extremely important to know how to properly use and handle a firearm.  The NRA has put out a series of brochures on firearm safety. Here you will find several of them together.  You ought to find this informative and helpful.

REAL GUN CONTROL IS HITTING WHAT YOU AIM AT This is a great article written by Brian Abshire in the Chalcedon Report in their Feb. 2000 issue: "Mr. Wacko enters a public place to start his shooting rampage and one armed citizen who knows how to focus on the front sight and squeeze the trigger is all that is needed to ruin the bad guy’s whole day."

REASONS TO OWN A FIREARM This is a list of several reasons why one ought to own and know how to use a firearm.

SELF-DEFENSE OR TURN THE OTHER CHEEK?  This is an article I wrote on Matt. 5:38-39. There seems to be much confusion in Christian circles regarding our Lord's statement.  I believe these verses are wrongly applied by pacifists and strive to show how the Bible does not forbid but rather encourages self-defense.

THE JOURNALIST'S GUIDE TO GUN VIOLENCE COVERAGE  A good article by Dr. Michael Brown. It is a satire about  journalists and their reporting on gun violence.

20,000 GUN LAWS THAT DON'T WORK An article by W. Caffey who says: "with all these new laws, the majority of which have been created since 1968, we have had more and more illegal use of firearms than ever before. Despite all the laws and despite harsher penalties. One has to ask why?"

WHAT DOES THE SECOND AMENDMENT MEAN?  J. Neil Shulman interviews a langauge expert on the proper reading of the Second Amendment. Very interesting! Originally printed in the Gun Week.

WHAT AUTHORITY HAS THE CHRISTIAN FREEMAN TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS?A good article by a conservative Lutheran on the biblical obligation Christians have to be armed.  You might not agree with everything but most of his arguments (from Scripture) you will find convincing and thought provoking.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT GUN CONTROL?  A good article by Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, on what the Bible says about gun control. "Resisting an attack is not to be confused with taking vengeance which is the exclusive domain of God (Rom. 12:19)." This article also appears on the GOA web site as well as in the Chalcedon Report, Feb. 2000.

•"Interview With The Bogeyman"•
The former Chaplain of the Second Amendment PD and Attorney Jess B. Guy (BATF Ret.) sit down for a heart to heart on gun ownership, the Second Amendment and U.S. Constitution, and all things law enforcement. 
•Traits Of Gun Control Advocates•
The seven personality traits of gun controllers and confiscators and what propells them on their destructive path.
•"Project Megiddo" Of The FBI•
The FBI's threat assessment for the Millenium. The whole U.S. Conservative/Christian community is implicated.
•A Debate Between The Warriors•
A debate between an American Patriot and a Christian Statesman concerning government dissent.
•Gun Owners! ~ Let's Get Serious!•
The foundational problem facing law-abiding gun owning America.
This article was published in the California Rifle and Pistol Association's magazine, "The Firing Line" in the January, 2000, issue. My deepest respects and regards to
the leadership of the CRPA for this honored opportunity to address the forum.

•A Biblical Response To Gun Control•
What does the Bible really say about self-defense and gun control?  That issue is addressed on this recorded debate which took place on the email list of a very well respected Conservative/Christian law enforcement ministry.

• Media Intensifies Attack Against Gun Industry•
Writer and author, Jon Christian Ryter, comments on the biased assault
by the media on our Second Amendment rights. 

•A Nation Of Cowards• 
{Outside Link}

•National Rifle Association Home Page•
•Institute For Legislative Action ~ NRA•
•The Armed Citizen!•

•The California Rifle and Pistol Association•
•"The Firing Line"   CRPA's Monthly Publication•
•CRPA ~ Why You Should Join•
•CRPA Objectives And Goals•
•Special CRPA Alerts•
•Gun Owners of California•
* * * * *
•Just Say Nothing?•
"What if you've just been arrested for something which shouldn't be a crime? For instance, if a burglar breaks into your home, attacks your children and you shoot him. Should you talk to the police in detail about what happened? In a word, "No." Shut up, call the best lawyer you can find, and then continue to shut up. If you talk to the police, you will only make things worse for yourself...."

•Letters To The Editor ~ The Press-Enterprise•
These are some letters that I have had printed in our county's local paper.
You might get some ideas for future letters to your own particular publication.

•Letters To The Editor ~ The CRPA•
These are some letters I had printed in "The Firing Line" of
the California Rifle and Pistol Association.

Gun Owners of America

•Gun Owners of America•

•Jews For The Preservation Of Firearms Ownership• America's Most Aggressive Defender of Firearms Ownership. "To destroy 'gun control' and to encourage Americans to understand and defend all of the Bill of Rights for everyone." Those are the twin goals of Wisconsin-based Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO). Founded by Jews and initially aimed at educating the Jewish community about the historical evils that Jews have suffered when they have been disarmed, JPFO has always welcomed persons of all religious beliefs who share a common goal of opposing and reversing victim disarmament policies while advancing liberty for all. •Jews and "Gun Control"• •The Beast Reawakens•

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Michael A. Baker This material is
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