From ‘anti-gunner’ to ‘firearms instructor’ in four months
Source: KeepAndBearArms.Com
Author: Susan Erline White
Country: United States
“In December 2001, I was a member of the ‘Brady Bunch’ and a woman afraid of
having my father’s guns in my home. By April 19, 2002, I had applied for a
concealed carry license, been certified as a pistol instructor, had
purchased my own 9mm Beretta, and had applied for CHL instructor training
…” (05/08/02)
===========
Through the Looking Glass and Back Again

From “Anti-gunner” to “Firearms Instructor” in Four Months

by Susan Erline White
[email protected]

May 6, 2002

KeepAndBearArms.com — In December 2001, I was a member of the “Brady Bunch”
and a woman afraid of having my father’s guns in my home. By April 19, 2002,
I had applied for a concealed carry license, been certified as a pistol
instructor, had purchased my own 9mm Beretta, and had applied for CHL
instructor training. This story tells something of my change in path from
living in fear to proactively committing myself to promoting self-defense
education and gun rights activism …

My darkest days began in mid 1980, at the age of about 21, after I was
attacked by three white supremacist males who were suspicious about my
knowledge of some of their activities. One of them held a gun to my head as
I was beaten. That experience sent me into years of depression, of hiding in
warehouse jobs, and moving from place to place with fear as my constant
companion.

As time passed and I realized I needed to take control and get my life back,
I became involved with a local Jewish community and the light began to shine
again in my life as I shared many years living with a Holocaust survivor
named Sarah. I interacted with other survivors and listened to stories,
watched as they carried on with living after such horrendous psychological
and often physical trauma — we laughed, and sang, danced and cried, often
in one evening… I started to put things in perspective and live again. By
1990, I was enrolled in college and in the next ten years completed my
bachelors degree, two masters degrees and received professional
certification in my field of study. During this time, my political
activities had been based on fear that had rendered me very much in favor of
virtually all gun control legislation and I voted and funded politicians and
organizations who supported gun control initiatives. All seemed well until I
was forced to think once more, not only about the my past … but about the
societal ramifications of supporting gun control initiatives.

After moving my mother into a retirement facility, I sold the family home
and had to bring family belongings to my home. Among these belongings were
my father’s ammunition and guns. It was not until I began handling the guns
and had them in my home that nightmares returned and flashbacks occurred –
all kinds of subtle mind-trash.

Fate entered the picture. Within month or so of all this “stuff” happening
in my mind, I fortuitously accepted an invitation to lunch from a consultant
with whom I had worked on a project. Unbeknownst to me at the time, he was
gun owner and staunch Second Amendment advocate and activist. I soon
casually learned that he owned guns and I offered him my father’s ammunition
and guns. I was desperate to get the guns out of my house due to a fear of
having them there. This kind man protested and began to try to educate me
concerning my self-defense, but I was adamant in my desire to get the ammo
and guns off my property.

In February 2002, under protest, he took possession of my father’s guns, but
continued to question me about why possession of firearms bothered me so. My
friend continued to question me and share some of the statistics compiled by
John Lott concerning gun related issues. I started to seriously think and
probe into the nature of my fear, and over time I began to see how that fear
had affected my philosophical and political activities. During this time, my
friend and his son invited me to their family farm and I shot a pistol for
the first time in twenty years.

In March 2002, I began reflecting on my psychological, philosophical, and
political stances concerning possession of firearms, and my research and
work on overcoming my fear of possessing a firearm began to escalate
exponentially. I came across the JPFO website and landed on Dr. Sarah
Thompson’s Article, “Raging Against Self-Defense.” This was a difficult
article to read and apply to myself, but well worth the internal struggle.
The logic, reason, and presentation of the facts and statistics exercised by
gun rights advocates in their debate and discourse puts the uninformed and
overly emotional rhetoric of gun control advocates to shame.

Having internalized much in a short period of time, I put my re-found
understanding into action and marched myself down to the local indoor
shooting range, paid for basic pistol instruction and began shooting. I
decided to apply for a conceal carry permit, and did so. I decided that I
wanted to be able to teach basic pistol to other women who might have the
same aversion or fear of firearms as I had, so I became certified as an
instructor through the NRA. I purchased my own handgun from another woman
who took the pistol instructor training and was influenced by her and the
Range Officer to apply for CHL instructor training that will take place in
August 2002.

Along with simply overcoming my own trauma-based fear of possessing a
firearm, I began to read about the deadly impact of gun control legislation
historically, and the impact such legislation currently has on American
liberty — the outright infringement of our individual right to bear arms. I
reintroduced myself to basic civics and the understanding that Western
Civilization has at its foundation a cumulative set of declarations and laws
that evolved over time and are rooted in an understanding and respect for
the most ancient wisdom concerning the rights of all citizens to life,
liberty and property. At the very heart of these laws lay the doctrine and
wisdom collected over centuries of living, colonizing, metropolis building
and the reality of war and the enslavement and/or extermination of mass
populations of people by the force of governments. Over time, it has been
well understood that a government’s tyranny does not begin until there has
been a concentrated and well-orchestrated movement to disarm citizens. Early
historians, philosophers and religious leaders held a deep understanding of
the mechanisms that drive the evolution of cultures, cities, and
governments, and it is out of this understanding that religious and
political doctrine evolved to inform and guide civilizations. These
doctrines were written on parchment, conveyed by word of mouth, translated,
cherished and passed from one generation to the next. The right to
self-defense lay at the core of this wisdom in that there exists for all an
unalienable right to freedom from harm. This right to self-defense is the
ultimate right of all individuals to preserve life, regardless of race,
religion, cultural background, or gender.

In the wisdom of our forebears, we have in this country a Bill of Rights.
The Second Amendment Right states that, “A well-regulated militia being
necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to bear
arms shall not be infringed”. In the 20th century, we have born witness to
and noted in our history texts account after account of mass extermination
of people. What most people fail to understand, however, is that the
precursor to these events of extermination came the disarmament of citizens,
sometime specific groups, through the legislative vehicle of “gun control.”
This “gun control” legislation surfaced in the form of penal codes, decrees,
ordinances and acts which required permitting, collection of lists of gun
owners by the government officials, bans on possession of handguns, and in
many cases lead to firearm confiscation.

I contacted the Second Amendment Sisters (at the suggestion of my consultant
friend) and began reading articles and networking in cyberspace with some of
these folks. When I became more grounded in some basic information, I
ordered Aaron Zelman and Richard Stevens’s book, “Death By Gun Control, the
Cost of Victim Disarmament” and have become increasingly convinced that
radical thinking and action are needed to educate fellow citizens about the
reality of the threat to our freedom and liberty posed by gun control
initiatives.

I’ve recently received and currently reading Claire Wolfe and Aaron
Zelman’s, “The State vs. the People: The Rise of the American Police State.”
These ideas may be too radical for an initial encounter by those testing the
Second Amendment waters. In fact, too early an introduction to these issues
could have a negative effect, if the fear of the firearm has not first been
neutralized. Eliminating fear of the firearm amongst a large voting
population (females and minorities) is a first step. The reason and logic of
supporting the Bill of Rights will evolve for itself once the fear of the
firearm is vanquished from the psyches of so many ill-informed, traumatized,
or apathetic citizens.

To people who have an inordinate fear of guns: If you currently believe
that you are in favor of gun control legislation, I encourage you to examine
your deepest self to determine if there is some fear or misinformation that
drives your philosophical and political view about firearms. I now have a
clear knowledge that most gun owners and gun rights advocates are people who
are actively seeking to protect my Second Amendment right (protect our Bill
of Rights), and are a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-gender group.
Gun rights advocates not only tend to be well educated, but act on their
strong respect for our Constitutional rights. The gun rights advocacy
network reflects the diversity of the people of this nation, a fact most
often concealed by “anti-gun” propaganda, in which Second Amendment
advocates are depicted as the stereotypical “commando,” “racist,” or “gun
nut.” This could not be further from the truth and I reflect that reality.

The transformation process is not without struggle and cost, but it can be
much more graceful and easy if you stick to reason and logic — and question
what you currently hold as true. Your family, friends, and co-workers –
used to “the other you” — might balk at your newfound understanding and
passion concerning your second amendment rights and your voicing of concern
over legislation that threatens our liberty. In their confusion, they may
turn a deaf ear or shut you out for a while. Stand firm in your
transformation and you will find yourself in wonderfully sane and good
company.

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Related Reading: For those who oppose Firearm freedom!
http://keepandbeararms.com/information/XcInfoBase.asp?CatID=88