Children, Guns and Education

This morning we woke up to the news that a 12-year-old was shot by police over an airsoft gun for failing to follow their instructions and display his hands. Initial reports are that this gun had been modified to remove the orange identifier from the barrel. We have seen a number of children with toy guns shot over the years by police who were responding to a report of a person with a firearm. Typically it is a kid in the 10 – 14-year-old range. Older teens seem to have the common sense to know that walking around with a replica is going to cause some real problems. Younger kids with no exposure to guns other than what they see in the movies are the ones at risk.

We have a responsibility to make children safer, and education is the key. Children, guns and education is not really and option, its a moral imperative. A twelve-year-old is certainly capable of understanding the risks a firearm can pose. The real barrier is the education systems desire to wish guns away from our society. Their pursuit of some alternate universe where guns don’t exist is ignorant, irresponsible and quite frankly causing the deaths of between 250 and 300 kids a year, who simply didn’t know any better. We have more guns than cars in this nation, and children will be exposed to them. We can control that exposure through education, or continue to roll the dice and hope they figure it out on their own.

By the time a kid is 10 years old, he or she has seen literally tens if not hundreds of thousands of irresponsible role models on TV and in the movies. These tend to depict unrealistic, unsafe and / or poor safety practices. The fact that we are not providing education on firearms in our schools as part of the curriculum is insane. While the education system is busy suspending five-year-olds for making finger guns, about 275 of their peers will die in 2016 because the education system fears that which it does not understand.

Like it or not, your irrational fear of an inanimate object does not trump the basic human right to self-defense in this nation. The concept that we should ban firearms from the education system is about as effective as assuming Hollywood will adequately teach our kids to cross the street and to drive safely. Banning guns in the name of safety is not, has not and will not work. Education is the key to solving a number of social problems and the preventable deaths of young kids is no different.

Next are the parents. Toy guns are a great tool to teach responsible ownership practices, but you cannot treat them like other toys. What parent in their right mind would allow a child to modify a fake gun to make it look more realistic, and then allow them to take it to the park to play with it? I understand kids will do irresponsible things, sometimes without their parent’s permission. If you are going to allow your kids to own replica guns, they should be locked away with the real guns. Otherwise, you run the risk that your child will go to the park with it, be too nervous to comply with police commands, and be shot. When and if that happens its as much or more your fault then the child’s. Misdemeanor, if not felony child endangerment comes to my mind when I hear about things like this happening.

The police cannot differentiate between a real gun and a replica at more than contact distance – especially if it has been modified. In the age of mass murders, we do not want the police to respond to cases of individuals waving guns around with anything other than clear instructions and lethal force if those instructions are not followed. More than 80% of teen firearm-related deaths are gang related. The vast majority of those deaths occur in the 12- to 19-year-old age range. The concept that a twelve-year-old is not a potential threat is simply not the reality of the world we live in, no matter how badly we want it to be otherwise.

Police cannot fix this problem. Smart parenting and education can. If you love your kids, do your part. These tragedies will not stop until we as a nation demand education in our schools. While you may choose not to own a firearm in your house, the chances are that several of the parents of your child’s classmate’s do. Failing to give your son or daughter the education to make a responsible choice is putting them at risk.

This is a problem with a simple “common sense” solution.

Author ~ Patrick Henry

 

Patrick received his operational training and experience from the U. S. Government, 22 years of which were spent in the Marine Corps where he served in the Reconnaissance, Infantry and Intelligence fields. During his active service, he spent more then seven years deployed overseas in combat, operational and training assignments. After the military, Pat worked as a contractor and as the Director of Operations at a private paramilitary firm, specializing in training special operations forces and providing protective services to select private clients. His education consists of an MBA from the University of Southern California (USC), and a BS from San Diego State University with an emphasis in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology and a minor in Psychology. He holds an extensive list of security and training related qualifications from a variety of government and nationally recognized entities. He currently sits on the advisory committee at USC’s Master of Veterans Business Program, and is an active member of Infraguard and the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS). He has been a guest speaker at ASIS, the FBI's Infra guard, New York City's Mobile Trauma Unit and other private organizations on physical security, travel security, and competitive intelligence collection counter-measures.

Originally Published at Aegis Academy

Everytown for gun safety and the Impact of Social Media

The Impact of Social Media on Social Change

Everytown for Gun Safety hired Jeremy Heimans’ company Purpose to promote its cause of restricting Americans Second Amendment rights via local legislation. The message they push is reducing gun violence. Mr. Heimans is a social media expert, and a liberal activist. He opposes war, guns, anything remotely anti-gay and actively supports the LGBT rights movements and the delivery of aid to Syrian fighters on both sides of the conflict. Jeremy’s company is doing a very effective job leveraging social media to create awareness, but I am not sure he has cracked the code on converting that to social change, yet.

I was watching him speak about “New Power” vs. what he calls “Old Power” which he presented publicly at a TED talk in Berlin last month. You can watch the presentation below. The concept of social movements has been studied in depth in a variety of educational departments; history, economics, sociology and others I am sure. Jeremy’s supposition is that there is power in large groups. Using Occupy Wall Street as one example of the power of social media, he makes a bit of a leap in extrapolating awareness to what he calls "New Power", but he readily admits that "New Power" may not be effective.

Awareness is step one

When we look at social change and the impact of successful social movements, women’s suffrage, the civil rights movement, or the Indian independence movement, they share some commonalities. They created awareness, built consensus, established specific, identifiable goals and converted on social popularity to enact governmental change. The Tea Party is a good example of a social movement that is still struggling to identify its unifying and specific objectives. Despite the lack of specific objectives, they have managed to drive some measures of change in the Republican Party.

The ability to "touch" a million or a billion people is certainly an interesting proposition. Flash mobs, occupy Wall Street, and Iranian social disturbances provide us some example of the short-term impact that social media can have. The question I was having a hard time rectifying is what did these movements accomplish? If the goal was social awareness, well then social media is clearly a win as it reduces the amount of time it takes to raise awareness. If the goal is social change, then I am having a much harder time finding effective parallels. The supposition that awareness drives change is inaccurate (and not one that he directly makes in his presentation). The real interesting point to me is how and what do we need to do to establish an effective conversion rate that equates to change?

Awareness does not equal change

Change takes work. Existing, entrenched power structures "Old Power" as Mr. Heimans likes to call it, is unlikely to simply turn over the keys to the kingdom because "New Power" yells loudly. There has to be incentive to change, specific objectives or demands, and ultimately it has to be legitimate cause. It’s not enough to be angry, you also have to be unified and specific in your demands, and ultimately right – or the movement falters and dies.

The million-man march was orchestrated by Louis Farrahkan, the African American Leadership Summit, The Nation of Islam and the NAACP. The march was largely orchestrated in response to the Republican 1994 congressional victories, which left the black minority community feeling vulnerable to exploitation. The March took place on October 16, 1995, nearly a year later. Ultimately, it pushed for “opportunity in the black community”, and nearly 20 years later, most will estimate that its loosely defined goals remain largely unattained. The black community certainly suffers a higher proportional share of social ills then other groups in society, but being right was not enough. What did “opportunity” consist of – specifically?

Conversely, the Occupy Wall Street movement resulted in millions of people globally taking part over the course of about 3 months of intense activism. The real spark was the Hacker group Anonymous promoting the cause in New York. The resultant global change was much like the million man march, beyond a short term flash point and media attention, not much… Occupy Wall Streets’ demand; End Consumerism! I suppose it is specific, but it’s simply the wrong goal. Do you really believe people can simply stop purchasing and go back to a barter system, trading in only what we need to survive? What is impressive about Occupy Wall Street was that it was organized in a few short months and sparked global actions. People did more than simply click the like button, they showed up.

Migrating Awareness to Commitment

What technology and social media enables us to do is tap into a wider range of people. People like to be angry, and stomp their feet over the social injustice. The problem, is in the past it was social injustice of the century or the decade and the time and effort to organize forced organizers to distill the ideas to a simple understandable goals that busy people could commit to. Now it’s more like the social injustice of the week, and next week, most of the crowd will have moved on. Awareness is no longer the issue, its now converting awareness to commitment that becomes the crux.

Back to Jeremy’s social campaign to drive Everytown for Gun Safety forward. Largely, like most of Mr. Bloomberg’s anti gun campaigns, this too is failing. It is not failing due to a lack of awareness. It is failing because it is simply a bad idea promoted under demonstrably false pretenses. The question we need to ask is why is society largely unaware of the facts surrounding gun ownership, yet so willing to become aware of the fabrications? The answer is Mr. Heiman’s theory of “New Power”. If the packaging of the message is marginal, you can expect a marginal response – regardless of the quality of the message. If the packaging is done right, people will pay attention to even falsehoods.

As we saw in the last election cycle, packaging and spending is insufficient to drive change. People are still capable of discerning facts from nonsense. No matter how you package bull-shit, it takes more then a slick wrapper to make a nation of free people consume it. That is what happened to Bloomberg’s Gun control candidates and propositions in 2014. The reality is social value is still defined by a relatively discerning population, and they know when they are being lied to.

While we can complain about the fact that John Lott is largely ignored, but that is largely our fault. The messaging is not reaching the people we need it reach. We have failed to define a socially supportable cause that connects with the masses. I have heard from some of my colleagues state that those people are unreachable, too ignorant to understand, or not worth our time. My response is that attitude is lazy, ineffective and exactly what keeps the perception that gun owners are cave dwellers alive. Touting the Second Amendment is simply not reaching a large enough percentage of the population. We have facts, the law and social welfare on our side. The only thing limiting the Second Amendment movement is the packaging.

The NRA has made leaps and bounds in pushing quality images, content and using social media much more effectively in the past three years but we can still learn a lot from Jeremy Heimans and Purpose. Just imagine what Jeremy could accomplish if he chose to support a legitimate cause… Imagine what we can accomplish if we simply package the truth in a socially popular format!

Stay safe, and stay engaged!

About Author

Patrick Henry - President and Firearm Trainer

Patrick Henry received his operational training and experience from the U. S. Government, 22 years of which were spent in the Marine Corps where he served in the Reconnaissance, Infantry and Intelligence fields. During his active service, he spent more then seven years deployed overseas in combat, operational and training assignments. After the military, Pat worked as a contractor and as the Director of Operations at a private paramilitary company, specializing in training special operations forces and providing protective services to select private clients. His education consists of an MBA from the University of Southern California (USC), and a BS from San Diego State University with an emphasis in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology and a minor in Psychology. He holds an extensive list of security and training related certifications from a variety of government and nationally recognized entities. He currently sits on the advisory committee at USC’s Master of Veterans Business Program, and is an active member of Infraguard and the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS). He has been a guest speaker at ASIS, the San Diego Industrial Security Awareness Council and other private organizations on physical security, travel security, and competitive intelligence collection counter-measures.

First Published at Aegis Academy

A Veteran’s Reflection on Veteran’s Day

Today, as our Nation pauses to honor its veterans, some Americans are enjoying a day off of work… some are cashing-in on some internet and retail sales presumptuously named after the federal holiday… and others are actually reflecting on what this day means to our Nation and her veterans.  While I don’t claim to speak on behalf of all veterans, I’m not soliciting for any charity or cause and I’m not prodding anyone to go out of their way to “thank a vet.”  After 20 years of serving our Nation, however, I feel compelled to share a few thoughts on Veteran’s Day from the perspective of just this one veteran.  I believe the veteran’s story is a compelling one that is worth sharing… for our veterans are both a product of and protector to the families, schools and communities that raised us.  In the following paragraphs, I will tell you about the history of Veteran’s Day, a very brief history of the American Veteran, and share an inter-generational message among veterans.



The story of the American Military Veteran is both unique and inextricable from the story of the United States itself.  Since 1775, there have been over 49 million Americans who have served in our armed forces.  This includes 31 of 44 Presidents. (Click here to view the list)

However, the impact of the American Veteran goes far beyond numbers and titles alone. Today, I would like to discuss the role and impact of the veteran on the freedoms that we enjoy.  I would also like to pass a message from the current generation of veterans to those who have preceded us and those who will follow.
But first, I believe that it is important to study the importance of Veteran’s Day in the context of history.

Veteran’s Day draws its roots to the close of the First World War… when the Armistice was signed on the 11^th Hour of the 11^th Day of the 11^th Month in 1918.  It was first celebrated by President Woodrow Wilson on November 11, 1919, and continued through Congressional Resolutions and Presidential Proclamations every year until May 13, 1938, when it was formalized by an act of Congress which defined November 11^th as: “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’.”  On June 1, 1954, the act was amended to replace “Armistice” with “Veterans.”  It has been known as “Veteran’s Day” ever since.

While eminently important, Veteran’s Day is eclipsed by the impact of the veteran in American history.  We can trace the importance and impact of the American Veteran all the way back to the very formation of our country.  The seeds of bravery, selflessness and common purpose were sown by the first patriots throughout the original 13 colonies who chose “service” above “self.”  They left the relative comfort of the status-quo and made the tough decision to fight against what they called “intolerable acts,” and thus rose in active rebellion against the Kingdom of Great Britain.

At great peril to themselves, they set in motion the establishment of a new and sovereign nation based on liberty, freedom and self-government.  Realizing that the fledgling nation would not survive without a means of defense, the Continental Congress created the Continental Army and Continental Navy in 1775.  And thus, the American Military Veteran was borne.
From the opening salvo of the American Revolutionary War at the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775 through all conflicts at home and abroad… in the fields of Europe, in the Pacific, in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan through today’s fight in countless other areas, our Veterans have exhibited that same bravery, selflessness and common purpose every time they have been called to be the “MOST READY” when the Nation was “LEAST READY.”  The American Veteran always has and always will stand a vigilant watch.

I believe that we, as a Nation, need to routinely view our current liberty, freedom and prosperity through the lens of history.  In doing so, we can clearly see the important role the veteran has played in both establishing and guaranteeing our freedoms… and will preserve it for generations to come.
There is no doubt that our current generation of veterans consistently exhibit the enduring virtues of honor, courage, commitment and selfless service as they have volunteered in a time of war and have been very successful in combating a complex enemy network in the most challenging environments.  I believe it is important to also view the current successes through the same lens of history and recognize that our current generation of veterans did not “create success,” we inherited a legacy of steadfast devotion to duty and unfailing mission accomplishment from the generations of veterans who preceded us… and we have a solemn obligation to both preserve this legacy and pass it on to the next generation of veterans.

By taking pause to celebrate Veteran’s Day, we are simultaneously connecting the generations of veterans with each other and, more importantly, with the citizens whom we serve.



Try as we may, few of us could communicate the inextricable link between the veteran and our Nation’s freedom better than former President and fellow veteran, Ronald Reagan, who said:  “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”  I believe it is eminently clear that the American Veteran has been at the forefront of this fight, sacrificing to preserve our freedoms, and passing them on to the next generation.

On behalf of today’s generation of veterans, I want to convey a heartfelt “thank you” to the veterans who’ve preceded us… for the service that they have provided this Nation during their time in uniform… and for their continued service in their communities.  Those of us who serve today recognize that our responsibility is not only to win our current battles and preserve our freedom; we also have the solemn responsibility to maintain this tradition of excellence by developing the next generation of leaders.

Please accept a heartfelt thank you from this veteran for taking the time out of your day to read this article.  As we all go back to our daily routines and the busy lives we lead, please never forget that “Freedom Is Not Free!”  It comes at a cost… and it is the American Veteran who has willingly paid the price for this freedom from 1775 through the current day… and always will…

About Author

Howard Hall - Range Master

Howard has served for nearly 20 years in the Marine Corps. He has served as a Platoon Commander, Company Commander, Battalion Executive Officer, Regimental Operations Officer, and Battalion Commander. He has multiple combat tours to include serving as a military transition team member in Fallujah. He is an NRA Certified handgun instructor and holds numerous Marine Corps training credentials. An active competitor in action pistol (United States Practical Shooting Association), long range rifle (NRA F-Class), and shotgun (Amateur Trapshooting Association, National Skeet Shooting Association), howard has earned numerous accolades and medaled during DoD competitions with the 1911 platform in bulls-eye shooting.

First Published at Aegis Academy