One of the iconic images from our history is the drawing of a patriot holding a musket with its bayonet in a defensive posture, A good soldier could load a musket in about 20 seconds, which took pushing the gunpowder down the barrel, then the leaded ball and lighting the shot with a flint. Most of the real damage in close fighting was done with the bayonet, of course, but patriot snipers used their talents in our fight for independence.
It takes less than 20 seconds to shoot from a concealed weapon, which now the Supreme Court has declared one may carry into any pubic place – churches, hospitals, stores – as long as you have a permit. To obtain a concealed carry permit in New Jersey, you must be at least 21, possess a valid NJ Firearms ID card, and pass the CCARE live-range training. Applications are online and the permit is good for two years.
The dissent noted that restricting concealed carry on private property “fairly applies a first principle of property law—the right to exclude—and does no harm to the Second Amendment.” But guns rule, as always. Now any business, hospital, or church needs to post a “No guns allowed” as a minimum requirement. Start printing those signs!
Prayer for the Day
God, save us, we pray, and then go on with our lives
While someone else died last night from another shooting;
God, protect us, we cry, and then try to shut out the horror we see
On our city streets and in our small town homes.
Why, we beseech you, O Lord of life, why is there such death?
Why, we ask, won’t our leaders act with courage, why?
In the name of the One who wept at a tomb,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Many other countries have folks who are angry and alienated. But guns aren’t there.
Richard Berk, retired criminology professor University of Pennsylvania
There are more than an estimated 400 million guns in the country, a figure that eclipses the population. – The Washington Post
Harken to my speech, O Lord, attend to my utterance.
Listen well to my voice crying out, my king and my God, for to you I pray.
Lord, in the morning ou hear my voice, in the morning I lay it before you and wait,
For not a god desiring wickedness are you, no evil will sojourn by you
Psalm 5: 1-4 (Robert Alter, Trans.)