A recent article from the New York Times, entitled “27 Ways to Be a Modern Man” gets it wrong when it comes to guns.
While I won’t opine on most of the items on that list that provides suggestions as to how one can be a “modern man,” one really stuck out for me, and that is item 25.
25. The modern man has no use for a gun. He doesn’t own one, and he never will.
Owning a gun to be prepared for self defense is something that every modern man (and woman) should do. Self defense is our most basic right as humans, as each of us have a right to protect ourselves against violent attack. For many people in many situations, a gun is the only viable self defense tool.
Making the idea that a modern man does not own a gun all the more ridiculous is item 16 from that same list, which states
16. The modern man lies on the side of the bed closer to the door. If an intruder gets in, he will try to fight him off, so that his wife has a chance to get away.
How the author of that New York Times article can possess the cognitive dissonance necessary to simultaneously assert point 16 and point 25, I cannot begin to understand. One one hand, the author expects the “modern man” to fend off an attacker to protect his wife, yet the author also wants that modern man to deprive himself of the best tool yet invented for that very purpose.
To be sure, defending one’s wife against a home invader is a good thing. But, undertaking any task without the right tool is unwise – to voluntarily face a life-or-death situation without the right tool is the pinnacle of stupidity. As this British couple learned, a situation where no one has a gun is one where the attackers often prevail. I certainly hope that I never have to defend my wife against an intruder, as I would not my family to experience a home invasion. But, if I had to act in defense of my wife, I certainly would hope that I had a gun, as being armed for self defense makes it more likely that I would successfully defend her. Having a gun would also make it more likely that I would live, so that I could continue to be there for my family.
Both the statistical evidence and real life examples make clear, armed self defense works (and works safely). It allows pregnant women, the elderly, the disabled, and all other types of citizens to save themselves from physically stronger and/or numerically superior attackers. Not only do armed citizens save themselves, but they also deter some criminals while taking other criminals off the streets before they can harm another victim. Gun control, on the other hand, does not work and never will.
In my humble opinion, the “modern man” is someone who hopes to never have to use his gun in self defense, but has a gun so that he can defend himself and his family if the need arises. Such a modern man also ensures that his wife has learned about guns and can defend herself too, as he knows he is not with his wife 24 hours a day and men should not have a monopoly on being able to stop an intruder. Modern men remember that guns are the great equalizer, and that gun rights are a gender equality issue.