Forgive me, for I have sinned

[CHL/LEO]

This came to me today from USCCA and KABA:

Forgive me, for I have sinned.

An About Face After Being Saved by a Gun Owner

Sent in by Brian Clifford, from his Dear Friend

I am one of those people who you loathe. One of those invisible people who come into your living room without asking your permission. One of those people who follow you while you shop, and make it harder for you to make legal purchases. One of those people who try and tell you how to raise your children, as if you don't know how. One of those who gives ratings to stations that promote our demise as a free nation. I am your enemy. Or at least I was.

I followed it all, all of the propaganda, all of the hoopla. Believed it too. Believed that leaving my house was more dangerous than being in a war. At any given moment one of you evil gun owners would open fire on me. I saw the NRA stickers, the Gun owners of America stickers on the cars that passed, and I thought you were all fools. I did everything in my power financially to try and help more laws pass that would prevent you from owning guns. I wholeheartedly believed that only the Police, and Military should have guns. Every time I heard of a gang shooting, or other criminal act committed with a gun, I honestly believed that if we could curtail the legal sale of guns, we could make a difference.

Boy was I wrong.

I have children, three actually, and to me the only thing more important than raising them properly, was seeing that they aren't hurt in anyway. I wanted to ban guns, save my children, save all children. No child should have to be part of any kind of death, especially the kind that involves being shot. I gave money to all of the anti gun organizations I could think of, went to the "Million" Mom March, even looked at Rosie when she spoke, and actually admire her. Brought the kids as well, and even yelled some not so nice things to those other marchers. I'm sure some of you know who I refer to.

I was on my way back from the march, on my way back to Connecticut, when I stopped off of the highway at a rest stop by one of those McDonalds they have off I-95. By this time I had dropped off two of my kids with their father, and only had my little one with me. I went into the restroom with her, and on my way out noticed two men hanging out by my car. There were only two other cars in the lot at the time that were anywhere near my vehicle. I immediately felt threatened by their demeanor, but continued on to my car. The smaller of the two approached me with a knife as I was about to open the door to put my child in her car seat. He yelled at me to get in the back of the car, they were taking me for a little ride. I obviously told them to just take my keys, they could have the car, but they insisted I get in the back. I then heard a man yelling something I don't quite recall, and saw him running towards me with a gun in his hand. The two men vanished into their car, and sped away. I stood there frozen in time, and by the time the gentleman with the gun got to me I just broke down and cried.

To make a long story short, you were all right, and I'm sorry. This man with a gun saved me, and I just keep thinking if I had gotten my wish and guns were banned, there is no telling where I'd be, and what would've happened to my daughter. The only regret I have is not getting the man's phone number who saved my life. I thanked him over and over again, and told him that he saved me, but he calmly said to me something I'd never forget. He said "That's what people like me are here for Ms., and I'm happy to have been able to help."

"That's what people like me are here for," those words keep on running through my head everyday. Maybe this gentleman by some chance is part of your group, and will read my message. If he does I would just like to say something to him, and to everyone else reading this note.

Thank you for saving my life, and to the rest of you thank you for fighting for this man's right to protect me and my child. Tell him for me that I will no longer be part of the group who invades his home, and tries to tell him how to store his guns. Tell him I will never be part of any group who tries to make it impossible for him to buy his tool he used to save me. And tell him I will never again tell him how to raise his children properly, because obviously I was oblivious to the fact that responsible people such as him know how to raise their children better than I do. I did rectify that situation the other day; I bought a shotgun for home protection, and am in the process of getting my concealed permit. Next time I will be ready to defend myself, or others for that matter. Some of my friends think I'm crazy, but they try their best to understand. I just tell them that as soon as their child's life is put in jeopardy by some criminal with a weapon that they will understand, but until then don't tell me how to live my life. I've lost some friends, but surprisingly most of them understand. If not for this man I could very easily have been killed or raped, and my child could've been taken from me, so once more I need to say thanks for saving me, and with all sincerity to the rest of you, forgive me, for I have sinned.

[tbranch]

Wow! That one almost brings tears to your eyes...

Tom

[SkipB]

Yes it did bring a little tear to my eye's. Glad that CHL guy was there. Sounded like she was in for trouble had he not been there. She may make a good spoke's person for us.

[anygunanywhere]

The really sad part is that there are literally hundreds of thousands if not millions of instances where firearms are used to intervene every year without a shot being fired, and we do not hear about it.

Anygun

[HighVelocity]

That's a great story.

[45 4 life]

I would love to see this letter publizied at the level that we see negative propoganda. How do we get national coverage of something like this.

[WarHawk-AVG]

http://catb.org/~esr/guns/sheep.html

She shall be a sheep...but she will NOT be food!

[txinvestigator]

This thinking and actions displayed in this paragraph are just amazing; and is certainly why we have some many victims;

There were only two other cars in the lot at the time that were anywhere near my vehicle. I immediately felt threatened by their demeanor, but continued on to my car. The smaller of the two approached me with a knife as I was about to open the door to put my child in her car seat. He yelled at me to get in the back of the car, they were taking me for a little ride. I obviously told them to just take my keys, they could have the car, but they insisted I get in the back. I then heard a man yelling something I don't quite recall, and saw him running towards me with a gun in his hand. The two men vanished into their car, and sped away. I stood there frozen in time, and by the time the gentleman with the gun got to me I just broke down and cried.

[LedJedi]

nope... didn't have any effect me at all...



and i'm not sending this to everyone i know would listen... nope, not at all.



Now THAT guy is one *deleted* of an American in my book.

[casingpoint]

That's quite a touching story, but the good samaratin's retort "That's what people like me are here for" raises a big red flag about the guy's true motives. Perhaps it was just a meaningless stray remark made in the heat of the moment by a truly well meaning citizen who timely intervened. But on the face of it, it sounds like a possibly self agrandizing wannabe-somebody-official statement. Most of these types are somewhat mentally unbalanced, at least under stress. Lucky for her, he was leaning in the right direction. I-95 is, by the way, one road in the U.S. where you should not travel without a gun. But watch those state laws. And stay south of the Mason-Dixon Line and most definitely out of Washington D.C. if at all possible when armed, which is at all times, 24/7 on that road.

[elwood blooz]

Very touching story.

[Charles L. Cotton]

For reasons I explain in my classes and seminars, I very rarely post what I would or would not do in a given scenario. Often times it simply because there are too many unknown variables to be able to respond, but there are also times when I know precisely how I would react. I know there many people on both sides of the issue of whether or not to intervene in an assault on an unrelated third party, and I respect those opinions as they are purely personal in nature. Perhaps the gentleman's comment was poorly worded, or perhaps he meant precisely what he said.

As a general observation, I believe his mindset was once commonplace in Texas, but it is disappearing as generations pass. I believe that is both a pity and shameful. While none of us want to see a CHL acting like a COP want-to-be, going to the aid of someone so clearly in mortal danger isn't an action I would place in that category. As the old saying goes, some people hear gunfire and run away, while others run toward the gunfire. Both responses are entirely normal; the former is not a coward and the later is not foolhardy. The former acts to protect himself, the later seeks to go in harm's way for the benefit of others. LEOs and firefighters aid others because it is their duty and we appreciate and respect them for doing so. How much more should we respect, admire and hopefully emulate the private citizen that places his life in danger not to protect his family or friend, but for a woman and child he never saw before in his life.

I tip my hat to this man and I long for the days when the response to his actions was, "why, of course he did."

Chas.

[Keith B]

For reasons I explain in my classes and seminars, I very rarely post what I would or would not do in a given scenario. Often times it simply because there are too many unknown variables to able to respond, but there are also times when I know precisely how I would react. I know there many people on both sides of the issue of whether or not to intervene in an assault on an unrelated third party, and I respect those opinions as they are purely personal in nature. Perhaps the gentleman's comment was poorly worded, or perhaps he meant precisely what he said.

As a general observation, I believe his mindset was once commonplace in Texas, but it is disappearing as generations pass. I believe that is both a pity and shameful. While none of us want to see a CHL acting like a COP want-to-be, going to the aid of someone so clearly in mortal danger isn't an action I would place in that category. As the old saying goes, some people hear gunfire and run away, while others run toward the gunfire. Both responses are entirely normal; the former is not a coward and the later is not foolhardy. The former acts to protect himself, the later seeks to go in harms way for the benefit of others. LEOs and firefighters aid others because it is their duty and we appreciate and respect them for doing so. How much more should we respect, admire and hopefully emulate the private citizen that places his life in danger not to protect his family or friend, but for a woman and child he never saw before in his life.

I tip my hat to this man and I long for the days when the response to his actions was, "why, of course he did."

Chas.

Very nicely put Chas. And I to him as well.

[Mike1951]

Yes Charles, thanks!

For reminding me that it isn't bravado to act like a Texan!

[ScubaSigGuy]

Thanks for posting this.