Gersh Kuntzman, the anti-gun reporter who said firing an AR-15 gave him “temporary PTSD,” has just been dethroned as the most ill-informed gun-control supporter.
Meet Michael Schrader, an anti-gunner who has asked for a little help from the pro-2A community.
In a column written for The Times Herald, Michael describes a “frightening situation” involving a McDonald’s customer who was openly carrying a handgun.
According to Michael, “several customers hurriedly rush out of the restaurant with panicked looks on their faces” after the open-carrier entered a McDonald’s in Fort Gratiot, Michigan.
He explains that there were several Canadians in the restaurant who may have been frightened by seeing someone other than a police officer carry a weapon. “How do you think that made them feel?” he asks.
He continues to express concern saying that there’s no way for him to tell the difference between a good-guy and a bad-guy with a gun.
“How am I, just an average person, supposed to know if the person with the firearm is a ‘good guy’ or a ‘bad guy?'” he asks in the column. “Suppose that I am armed, too. Should I fire preemptively at the other person with the gun just in case that person is a “bad guy,” and take the chance of killing a “good guy,” or should I hold my fire and take the chance that the other person will not be a “bad guy” or be a “good guy” and think I am a “bad guy” and fire at me first?”
“Is there a secret handshake that “good guys” use to identify each other? If so, what if a “bad guy” uses that secret handshake to pretend he is a “good guy” and then performs his nefarious acts?”
Michael then makes one of the biggest blunders we’ve ever seen. “I speak for myself, and I am confident I speak for many others — I don’t need armed vigilantes protecting me from criminals,” he writes.
Please bear with us a moment while we address Michael directly.
Michael, that scary man with a scary gun on his hip isn’t an armed vigilante out to protect you. He’s a US citizen exercising his right to protect himself and his family. In that process he may accidentally protect you, but that is not his primary goal. While you may not feel the need to protect yourself, he does, and your feelings about the matter mean less than nothing.
How the Canadians feel about our gun culture is not really any of our concern, nor should it be. They are visitors in our country, and most Americans will smile and offer all the due courtesy provided to any out-of-town guest. If they are confused, frightened, or outraged by any aspect of our culture, there’s not much we can do other than answer their questions.
How can you tell a “good-guy” with a gun from a “bad-guy” with a gun? It’s exactly the same as any other encounter with a stranger: you observe, decide, and react accordingly. No secret handshake is required.
Oncoming drivers don’t have a special light-signal to let you know they’re sober. That plumber working under your sink doesn’t have a specific length of butt-crack to let you know he won’t get up and smash your skull with a pipe wrench. U-haul trucks are not equipped with a special sign that says “this driver won’t flatten pedestrians.” That survey-taker standing in the mall with a clipboard doesn’t have a special wink that indicates she won’t stab you in the neck with a pencil when you step into her alcove.
Do you see the pattern?
There is no way to know if a stranger is a good or bad person at first glance. Those of us who aren’t afraid to interact with the public don’t rely on handshakes and signals to keep us safe. We maintain situational awareness, which is something every responsible citizen should do. Some even arm themselves so that if they do meet a “bad guy” they can actually do something about it.
Now, let’s get back to Michael’s article.
As he wraps up his op-ed, Michael admonishes the McDonald’s for allowing the open carrier to enter the premises in the first place. “Businesses need to make some hard choices as to who is valued more as a customer,” he writes, “those who feel it is OK to open carry even if it makes others uncomfortable, or those who want to not feel nervous they are going to get shot eating a hamburger or fries?”
He concludes the article saying he will no longer visit that particular McDonald’s as long as they allow citizens of the United States to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.
Michael, something tells us you probably won’t be missed.
Click here if you’d like to read Michael’s full article, or leave a comment on Facebook and let us know how you would answer his questions above.