A Bird In The Hand

By Susan Callaway, aka Mama Liberty. June 24th, 2014

Ancient wisdom tells us that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. What's in your hand is yours to do with as you please, but in opening your hand to grasp the two in the bush, you may well lose all of them.

Many, if not most ordinary people accept the fact that actual violent crime is not common in most places, and may even be decreasing in frequency overall. The mainstream media works very hard sensationalizing every tidbit they can find, especially if a gun happens to be involved, or "children," and people become fearful without actually understanding either the risk or the rational response to it.

I've been asked any number of times why I think I need to carry a gun. I live in a very small rural town almost untouched by any sort of violent crime. The sheriff is mostly concerned with cattle and hay thieves.

Nobody is more grateful for that than I am, of course. But very little of something isn't none. There is no place on earth where the risk of attack, by man or animal, is zero. We live in dangerous world, and every breath we take comes with some shred of risk. We can prepare to meet risks, or we can deny them, but we can't avoid all risk no matter what we do. Nation wide, the number of rapes, robberies, muggings and murders is still a serious problem, and can't be ignored anywhere. For each victim, the risk is 100%.

One day I was talking with a friend about this and she mentioned that she keeps a gun at home. Fair enough. I asked her what she would do if someone came screaming toward us holding a knife right then. She looked thoughtful and then grinned slightly saying, "I'd get behind you."

And then I asked what she'd do if I wasn't there...

The bird in the hand is the rational, reasonable, and ongoing preparation to meet risks the best we can, with the best tools we can find. The birds in the bush are the irrational promises that a risk free world can be obtained by restricting or prohibiting us from having the most effective tools available... that we can be "free," if we'll just get rid of freedom.

Every rational consideration of history and human nature screams out that this is a lie. The victims who have believed it fill countless graves around the world.

I'll keep the bird I have in my hand, and pray I never need to use it.

(JPFO Note: A reminder, if even necessary -- despite the best police response time, you are on your own, so a personal means of protection can be vital. The book "Dial 911 and Die" is the classic explanation of how law enforcement actually has no duty to protect you. Get a copy from our store.)

About MamaLiberty:

As a lifelong individualist and voluntarist, my philosophy can best be summarized here: No human being has the right -- under any circumstances -- to initiate force against another human being, nor to threaten or delegate its initiation. Self defense, and the defense of others, is a basic right of all living creatures. After a long career as a registered nurse in So. Calif, I retired in 2005 to NE Wyoming, living alone in my own log home, with good friends and neighbors all around. Biological family includes two grown sons and five grandchildren, unfortunately still in California. In addition to writing and editing, I garden, sew, cook and bake my own bread from home ground wheat and other grains. Hobbies include identification and cultivation of wild food and herbs. I am also a certified instructor for firearms and self defense. I carry a gun at all times.
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