A couple of alleged burglars should be counting themselves very fortunate. Recently, two men, ages 23 and 25, illegally entered a home in Fayette County. They were met by the homeowner, who was armed. The homeowner, showing great restraint, in my opinion, held the pair at gunpoint until sheriff’s deputies arrived to take them into custody. Another man, age 23, was also arrested as part of the scheme.
Perhaps the trio imagined themselves in one of those “blue states” where the Second Amendment is only a memory. Or maybe they just didn’t know that, in the state of Georgia, 400,000 citizens hold licenses to carry concealed weapons.
As of May 2009, the total troop strength of the United States Marine Corps was only 203,095 officers and enlisted personnel. So, Georgia has nearly twice as many armed citizens carrying concealed weapons as the United States has Marines.
That 400,000 figure doesn’t take into consideration the number of people who carry firearms without a valid license and it doesn’t take in to account homeowners who own pistols, rifles, or shotguns and are not required to have an ownership permit.
One does not have to register firearms in Georgia. If one is not a felon or a person specifically restricted from owning firearms, one can own a gun. Or two. Or ten.
Or as many as one wants.
All this means that, if you are a bad guy bent on mayhem, you do it in Georgia at your own very great risk. The chances are far better than winning the lottery that the home you illegally enter is protected by people who own guns. The chances are also pretty good that the intended victim of a robbery or assault is packing heat.
The amazing thing about the Fayette County attempted burglary is that a couple of bad guys were not sent to their eternal reward or to whatever awaits burglars.
Some so-called “progressives” will no doubt lament that I, a man of the cloth, approve of the Second Amendment. My understanding from scripture and from common sense is that I, as the head of the home, have a moral and ethical responsibility to protect my family from harm.
The Apostle Paul said, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” (1 Timothy 5:8 KJV). I assume that “provision” includes protection from evil-doers. I cannot expect my neighbors or the police to do it.
By the time the police hear about a situation, it is usually over — their role is to investigate the crime and to try to locate and apprehend the perpetrators … after the fact.
I know that most police cars have “to serve and to protect” painted on their patrol cars. To “serve,” yes. To “protect,” not so much as one might wish. So, if I am the only person standing between people of bad intention and my family, my role is clear. The goal is to protect the family and survive the encounter.
The men arrested in Fayette County had the misfortune to invade the home of a man determined to protect himself, his family, and his home. They were fortunate they were not killed.
[David Epps is the pastor of the Cathedral of Christ the King, 4881 Hwy. 34 E., Sharpsburg, GA 30277. Services are held Sundays at 8:30 and 10 a.m. (www.ctkcec.org). He is the bishop of the Mid-South Diocese (www.midsouthdiocese.org) and is the mission pastor of Christ the King Fellowship in Champaign, IL. He may be contacted at frepps@ctkcec.org.]
