Rick went after the Portsmouth Herald for its anti-gun editorial, and rightfully so. The article that sparked that editorial can be found at the SeacoastOnline here (registration needed – and normally I don’t register for such, as I agree with Steve, but I did just for that one article).
The first commenter, Ryan Hitchings, started off with a snarky "how dare you exercise your Rights!" and accused Mr. Irish of "abusing" his Rights (posted after the jump) with a "I’m better than you are" attitude. Here is my response to Mr. Hitchings (emphasis mine):
At no time, according to the story, did Mr. Irish "abuse" anything – yet Ryan, that’s the impression you wish to give. And enough of the Wild, Wild West analogy; our streets are not running red because of the actions of people who legally own and carry firearms.
Perhaps you can fight your way out of a bad situation, but I am of an age where I can no longer put my right foot into either of your ears standing 6" away; a firearm is the great equalizer for the old, the infirm, and the less strong. And like Seriously, I’m always looking to how to "pull the ripcord" and get out of Dodge so I don’t have to think about using my index finger. "Seriously" is also right – NH is a SHALL issue CCW state: you would be very surprised how many people do believe that it is not just their Right but their Responsibility to defend themselves and do carry concealed.
And as far as your "tap dancing and test our liberties" snarkiness? It is NOT testing our liberties – it is exercising our liberties. For it would be people like you who, under the guise of "knowing better", would attempt to remove those liberties.
Your judgement is misplaced – instead of railing against someone who calmly and reasonably exercised their Right but also respected the private property Right of another, you should concentrate on why you are so against people exercising their Constitutional (both NH and US) Rights?Or, do those Rights bother you?
Ryan Hitchings comment:
Perfectly legal?….but wise? The reason you don’t see the general public walking around with holstered weapons like the wild west is because 1- it is not necessary and 2- despite your claims of training…it takes more than one trip to the range. I too was a Police Explorer and although the training was thorough it doesn’t afford you the same "should I draw my gun" training that officers receive. Mr Irish seems to have lost faith in his government mostly because he tip toes on the outskirts of the law. The lives [sic] his life in a manner where it has to be questioned if the is breaking the law or he is not. Although that is his constitutional right….he shouldn’t use the constitution as a napkin. When people abuse specific freedoms, that is when it is brought into question. So should Mr Irish be applauded….no. Should he be treated with respect….I believe that he was and should continue to be. Should Mr Irish walk everywhere packing? I say no. I’m man enough to fight my way out of a situation if the need presents itself. I don’t need to introduce guns into a bad situation thankfully because of what I learned from my training. No matter what…if you have a gun on you…there is always one gun that can be used against you if things go south. Use common sense Mr Irish. Next time you wanna tap dance and test our liberties and question why laws are there that limit our liberties….just remember it’s people like you that caused it.
