The Only Way to Stand With Paris

No, changing your Facebook profile to the colors of the French flag didn’t do anything to curb ISIS.  I hate to be the one to tell you this, but it won’t bring back any of the young and innocent Parisians murdered by those bloodthirsty savages, either.

Americans have become absurdly quick to adopt temporary and, while meaningful and well intentioned, pointless acts of solidarity.  But while the profile picture skin or hashtag you’re using on social media won’t make any difference, there is something we Americans can stand together to do which can: stand against gun control to ensure this doesn’t happen here.

ISIS claimed responsibility soon after the Paris massacre, adding that Rome and Washington DC would be seeing these same types of events.  They even bolstered their claim by saying they had well trained soldiers in many US states, waiting for the word to carry out their orders of killing innocent civilians.

Did you ever stop to think why it would be Washington DC and not Dallas, Denver or any other state with a much higher population and far fewer high-level security around than DC?  No, you don’t have to, because even our enemies know why you don’t pick a fight with Americans.  Unless, of course, they’re in a gun free zone or state.

Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was famously quoted as saying  “You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass” as a reason Japan never invaded the mainland United States during WWII.

Terrorists may be bloodthirsty savages, but like Admiral Isoroku they are smart enough to know their plan wouldn’t get very far if they went up against gun wielding, second amendment loving, red blooded Americans.

The point of terrorist acts is to inflict the maximum amount of casualties in a high traffic, highly publicized area and fashion.  Which is precisely why they will never attempt an attack like this in any region where there is an enormous possibility of at least one person carrying a concealed weapon and ending their rampage immediately.

I can only imagine the fear that must have been going through those young Parisians minds in that concert hall.  Not only because there was a madman shooting, but also because in their European city with extremely liberal gun control laws, they knew they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves and no one was going to arrive in time who would be able to either.

And while the Left does everything they can to use these events and other mass shootings to push their agenda of gun control, those of us who understand guns, their importance and have and have a strong respect for how to use them properly see them as a perfect example of why we need more armed Americans.

How long would the Aurora movie massacre lasted if it were just an hour down the road in Colorado Springs, home of my Army Alpha Mater 10th Special Forces Group?  Not long, because there are an awful lot of Green Berets there who openly carry pistols and know how to use them.

How long would the Sandy Hook school shooting have lasted if there were just a few armed teachers or guards present on the school grounds?  Probably not very long.

For those of you who’ve never been involved in the two-way live fire range (as we like to call an active firefight), there is one very critical piece of experience you gain only from living through a few: it becomes immeasurably harder to shoot while you’re being shot at.

It sounds pretty simple, but it’s something that gun control advocates don’t understand because most of them don’t have any actual experience with shooting (or military/law enforcement experience).  The argument often comes up that just because a responsible citizen is armed doesn’t mean they would be able to stop a shooter attempting one of these mass executions.

But in all reality, it does.  Just effectively firing at a shooter, whether you are striking them or not, will force them to find cover lest their rampage be ended immediately.  And there is an enormous difference between a shooter who can stand in the middle of a crowded rail station in Mumbai, concert hall in Paris or school in Connecticut and shoot with no worries of protecting themselves, and one who has to shoot while on the move or from behind cover.

The right to self defense, to keep and bear arms and to protect your loved ones is an inalienable right that we Americans hold dear and helps to keep us safe.  More police, stricter laws or Facebook profile skins won’t help keep our countrymen and your loved ones safe from these types of madmen.

But responsible Americans with guns will.

Robert Patrick Lewis is a Green Beret OIF/OEF combat veteran with 10th SFG(A), is an award-winning author of “The Pact” and “Love Me When I’m Gone: the true story of life, love and loss for a Green Beret in post-9/11 war” and the host of “The Green Beret MBA” on  iTunes.