Armed Defense and the Tree of Life

On a cloudy October Saturday, an evil man invaded the Tree of Life synagogue and brutally murdered eleven elderly defenseless Jews, including a Holocaust survivor. There was nobody in the congregation to shoot back at the attacker. While the synagogue has armed security for high holy days, due to financial constraints they were unable to have paid security in place on a regular basis.

Just a few days before the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, a racist intent on killing African-American people went into a Kroger grocery store in Louisville, Kentucky and opened fire, killing two. A concealed carry permit holder confronted the shooter, and while no shots were exchanged, the criminal left the scene and was subsequently arrested.

On the same day as the Pittsburgh shooting, a masked gunman opened fire in an Alabama McDonald’s restaurant. He was shot and killed by a concealed carry holder who was there with his sons. The concealed carrier and one of his sons were wounded but are expected to survive.

Incidents like this are where the armed defender comes in, and the mission of Bullets Both Ways is to support armed defenders, whether that is in a school, a church or synagogue, a grocery store or a restaurant. Because evil exists in this world, we must have people who are willing and able to take on the responsibility of defending themselves and others.

Unlike the left-of-center politicians who naively believe in the efficacy of so-called “Gun Free Zones,” we know that the best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.

What does Bullets Both Ways do with the profits from our merchandise sales? We support world-class training for armed school and church staff by sponsoring attendees at the Colorado Faculty Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response (FASTER) program. We work to expand protection of our public spaces. We support proper training, screening and certification courses for all who are willing and able to deliver Bullets Both Ways when armed evil perpetrators threaten our communities.

We stand in solidarity with our fellow Americans of all races and religions throughout America who have been under attack in recent days. These tragic incidents prove yet again that armed defenders are the best defense against evil monsters intent on doing harm.

By Richard D. Turnquist

Photo by United Press International