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“This is the request from our government… From our army… Please, make us safe.”

This is a plea by Israelis displaced from their homes near the Gaza and Lebanese borders after the horrific events of October 7th.

Before that fateful day, the towns and settlements along the borders were havens many flocked to for their natural beauty and serenity. The residents described it as heaven.

The political climate in Israel, however, was the complete opposite. The nation was fiercely divided on everything from the economy, security, and governance. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

I will not speak to the governance and economy (of Israel) as I’m not qualified to. Security, however, through a safely and responsibly armed population, is what I want to share my thoughts on. Because that applies to every population who wants to preserve its freedom and sovereignty.

Throughout history, populations that were once free to keep and bear arms, and gave up that privilege or right, ended up oppressed or conquered.

The Jews in Austria and Germany just before the Holocaust began.Cubans once Castro took over. Venezuela under Chavez. Afghanis under Taliban rule. Palestinians under Hamas. And even Israelis, to a large extent, before October 7th.

And even here in the United States, where the right to keep and bear arms is an inalienable right protected by the Constitution, the supreme law of the land, it is still under attack every hour of every day, all under the guise of making us safer.

If history and present times teach us anything, it is that more gun control has the opposite effect.

Just look at the spike in gun and knife crimes in the U. K. once guns were banned. Yes, gun crimes.

And according to the Wall Street Journal, look at Brazil’s significant decrease in crime rate once ex-president Bolsonaro eased gun ownership restrictions.

Australia implemented new gun control policies and a mandatory buyback of certain legally owned firearms after a mass shooting in 1996 that killed 35 and injured dozens more.

They bought back almost 730,000 semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, and pistols, which, by the way, is only 20 percent of the guns owned, and made registering of all firearms mandatory.

They claim that these policies cause a significant reduction in suicides and homicides. But did they?

The short and fair answer is that it’s having no notable impact. Why?

Primarily because gun related suicides and homicides were already at a significant decline for years before the mass shooting occurred.

What’s more interesting is that non-gun related suicides and homicides were not only higher than gun related suicides and homicides before the new laws went into effect but remained so after. But don’t take my word for it. An independent study by the RAND Corporation lays it all out.

Of course, the current anti-gun administration in the US will use it and twist it to make it sound like it was so effective and can solve all our gun violence “health crisis” and keep our children safe.

Well, they tried an “assault weapons ban” in 1994, two years before Australia did. It lasted for ten years and did not have the impact they hoped for.

In fact, the Columbine High School massacre happened during that time, and there were quite a few more mass shootings during that period.

How about Switzerland?

Guns are readily available for purchase, and shooting events bring families and communities together by the thousands on a regular basis.

Have you looked at their crime rate? Robberies are the most prevalent crime at 3.6% and only 20% of these involve guns. I can go on and on, but it’s important to mention that none of the countries I just mentioned are surrounded by enemies.

These days, they won’t have to be, because with rogue immigration policies and open borders in so many democratic countries nowadays, enemies are flocking in at will.

Relying on a government or police force to protect you is naive. Governments are the ones letting them in and using your tax dollars to subsidize it.

If Israel, which is supposed to have one of the most secure borders, efficient intelligence, and strict immigration laws in the world, failed so miserably to protect its citizens from an already familiar threat, what makes you think your government can?

And for those of you who believe that violence is not the answer, and that using your mind and ability to reason is a better solution, we’ll see how far you get when a person who was groomed to hate you from birth, burnt your flag at every occasion, and waited for their whole life for the opportunity to kill you, shows up at your door.

Or even just a mentally ill kid who is bullied too much and just walks into a mall you happen to shop in with your family, shows up and sprays bullets indiscriminately. Go ahead, walk over and tell them to stop and that everything is going to be okay.

Perhaps try pleading with a suicide bomber on a bus or train as he or she stands up, yells “Allah-hu-Akbar” and blows him or herself up.

You really think anyone from the government will show up like a genie at the moment of truth and save you? If you lived through the pandemic and 2020 riots, you ought to realize that society can fall apart quite quickly, and the military and police can only do so much when all hell breaks loose. I wish I could believe this was a one-off event, but I don’t.

I don’t live in fear, nor do I hope or expect for bad things to happen. However, I’m not relying on the government to take care of me and my family should they happen. I don’t want to, and frankly, it wouldn’t be fair for me to.

They’ll have their hands full in every direction. Communication will likely be down or greatly impaired, and if calling for help was even possible, there will be more people calling for help than your local police will ever be able to get to.

So, I prepare a little at a time. It doesn’t guarantee that every need my family has will be addressed, or that my preparation will be enough to handle every threat or challenge, but it gives us a chance to make it until and if help arrives.

More importantly. It gives me some comfort to know I am doing my best to take care of them just in case.

For everyday preparedness, I exercise situational awareness, train regularly, and legally carry non-lethal and lethal self-defense options.

For a prolonged crisis, if one occurs, I accumulate important items such as food, water, first aid, fuel, lighting and fire facilitators, and ammunition that will protect us and sustain us for a prolonged period of time. It’s just a prudent thing to do in my opinion.

It doesn’t matter what party governs your country when you’re watching this video. When the shit hits the fan, there is nothing they can do to help you. You, your family, and community are on your own and will fare as well as you’ve trained and prepared for it.

The good news is that it’s never too late to start, and a little at a time, over time, can make a huge difference when there is no time.

Train hard, often, and safely, and I’ll see you at the ran