An “Appreciation” By LTC (R) Ernest
Mr. President, in the hustle and bustle of trying to start and run a new small business in your rather tepid economic recovery (shovel ready projects!!!); I forgot to say thank you! For years I have shied away from owning weapons. I did not grow up around firearms, none of my relatives were hunters, and if we felt the need to kill something, our weapon of choice was a Fenwick casting rod, Mitchell Garcia reel, some 6 Lb. test line, and an Eagle Claw brand hook….and an unwilling, sacrificial night crawler…but I digress. I hope that the very nice people at PETA will forgive me for the trout I have eaten. I am a catch and release failure, no doubt.
I served in the Army for 20 years, so carrying first an M-16, and then a pistol, became second nature to me. However, unlike many of my fellow Soldiers, I never became a “gun guy”…weapons were a part of the job. I never felt the need to own weapons. The Army always had a very useful one for me. My wife was quite happy with this arrangement.
My gun ownership perspective has changed dramatically as I have watched radicalized Islamic Terrorists (can we say that without fear of arrest?) wreak havoc in this land that I love. Ft. Hood, Boston, San Bernardino, the list goes on. Coupled with the accelerating collapse of our society (pick a shooting incident carried out by home grown lunatics), and your administration’s astonishing inability to enforce the gun laws already on the books, or even control our borders, I no longer feel safe in my own home or “out and about” with my wife and children. The animals now run the zoos (Baltimore!). One wonders how many ISIS fighters will infiltrate America along with the Syrian refugees you seem so intent on importing. I’m sure they are perfectly nice folks, however, who just need free college, an IPhone, a nice American Girlfriend/Boyfriend, and welfare to turn from their misguided “kill the infidel” ways and return to the religion of peace.
So what is a dad to do? I do not enjoy Secret Service protection for life, so the logical step for me was to purchase weapons. I am now the somewhat unwilling owner of a Mossberg 12 Gauge Shotgun and a Springfield .45 pistol. In steps unthinkable to me before your administration, I am now an NRA Life Member and have a concealed carry permit. My wife is not quite as happy with this arrangement.
Thank you, sir. You have opened my eyes to the reality of near post-Obama America, and Mr. LaPierre and the wonderful folks at Mossberg and Springfield Firearms are the ultimate benefactors of your policies. I should add that the folks at Federal Ammunition are doing pretty well, too. While I understand that your supporters (Feel the Bern!) are zealous in their belief that guns are the problem, I think this is analogous to blaming fast food for obesity, or cars and alcohol for DUI. The logic fails. Sad, I think, that in your America personal responsibility in parenting, and the personal responsibility and accountability necessary for living in a civil democracy have become so passé!
P.S.—Dave Petraeus wants to talk about personal e-mail servers for Senior Government Officials. Go Figure!
Cheers,
Ernest.
=217 
=260