Saturday, July 21, 2012

Grossman Essay - Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs . . .

 

A H/T to BlackFive for his 2004 post of a Grossman essay.  In light of Friday’s shooting, well worth your time to read!

On Sheep, Sheepdogs, and Wolves
By Dave Grossman

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.

6 comments:

  1. I post this from time to time. people need to be reminded that the wolves will attack the sheep every chance they get. It's a shame that there were reported to be 5 CCW holders at the theater the other night, and not a one armed.

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  2. It's NEVER gone out of style... That post and the article are classics!

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  3. Robert - Yep, Lots of "Free Fire Zones" in Iowa too. Now I'm seeing articles about why some CCW didn't do the right thing and carry illegally. Do you have the link for the 5 CCS holders that went unarmed? I'd appreciate it.

    NFO - Agreed, simply can't be shared enough.

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  4. If its a posted no-carry zone, does a concealed permit trump that? (serious question...still haven't been able to take my training yet, darn those bills...) The problem with those who are willing to go through the process to legally carry a gun..if its illegal to carry somewhere, we won't. So it could have been a screening for the local CCW-R-Us group, with 150 permit holders...chances are, none would still have been armed (there's a rebel in every crowd).

    Good article, BTW. The problem with sheep is, they usually can't envision the wolf's point of view, so they just ignore it and assume that if they're nice little sheep, the wolves will leave them alone. Enter...the sheepdog. (although I've always preferred the Australian or German Shepherd breeds)

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  5. Rabid - I've been researching the CCW status of Colorado and Aurora. Here is a link to the Colorado law:

    http://handgunlaw.us/states/colorado.pdf

    It would appear that local laws and signs do not supercede state law. The same as in Iowa. However, if you carry into a building with a no-carry sign, and they ask you to leave - then you MUST leave. In fact, any building you carry into - if the owners/managers ask you to leave, you MUST leave.

    Regardless, I typically do not carry past the no-carry sign. On the other hand, I usually stop doing business there if at all possible.

    Bottom line - get a permit, get trained and carry each and every day.

    Thanks for stoppin' by, I appreciate it.

    Bill

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  6. Thanks for the clarification, I figured it was something like that, but sometimes what I figger and what actually is...ain't quite the same. LOL Mrs.Alien and I are going to get our licenses, and we carry in accordance with Castle Doctrine now. As for leaving when asked, I would have no problem with that, and currently have no problem not doing business where they don't want handguns carried, whether I'm carrying or not. Its still a business that's just asking for someone to come and do harm to their customers.

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