I’ve already told you how my father used to wake-up in the middle of the night, screaming, powerless, reliving the beatings that almost took his life. Perhaps it’s genetic. I’ve been having nightmares over the last couple of weeks, since Newtown . . .

In one dream, my daughter is in school, somewhere. Shooting begins. I have a gun, my Glock 30SF. But I can’t get to her. I can’t find her. I can’t save her.

In another dream, I’ve got my SCAR-16 in my hands. I’m confident I can save my child from the madman. I’m determined. Ready to go. The police arrest me. I’m screaming. I HAVE TO GET MY DAUGHTER. They laugh.

When I wake up, I’m cold. After the war, my father hated the cold more than anything in the world. He’d spent four winters in the Carpathian mountains, barely avoiding freezing to death. He moved to Florida as soon as he could.

He left his shotgun behind.

I guess my father got to the point where he felt secure. Where he no longer feared the knock on the door in the middle of the night spelling the end of everything; the beginning of hell. Where his nightmares became less frequent. Where he could rest.

Don’t get me wrong: my father never let his guard down. He was under no illusions about the means and motives of the government which had given him shelter, in the country he valued above all others. He knew politicians and bureaucrats would destroy the American dream in the name of protecting it. Gladly.

My father would view Illinois House Bill 1263 and House Bill 815 as the tipping point. The line between a corrupt, Democratically-controlled political machine and a full-blown fascist state.

Yes, the “f” word. What else are we to make of laws that require Americans to register their means of defense against government tyranny or face armed confiscation? A registration system that presages confiscation as sure as hatred precedes violence?

My father came to school one day to tell my seventh grade class about the Holocaust. When he was finished with his story, there was a long, uncomfortable silence. A classmate raised his hand. My father nodded at him.

“Why?” he asked.

“It’s the nature of the beast,” my father replied.

Our forefathers understood this. They knew that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. That’s why they added the Bill of Rights: to protect citizens against the nature of government in general and ours in particular. They foresaw this day.

It’s a cold day in Chicago. I’m exhausted. My daughter’s asleep. I miss my father. But I will NOT abandon his dream. I will sit here at this keyboard and continue the fight against those who would steal our liberty until I can type no more. If I need to do more, I will do that, too.

And should that knock on the door ever arrive, I will be ready. As ready as I can be. No doubt the same applies to millions of gun-owing Americans. We, as a group, are a peaceable people. But we are not prepared to surrender the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution, secured through our collective sacrifice and suffering.

This is the dream from my father. This is also his nightmare.

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58 COMMENTS

  3. Perhaps we ought to make our millions visible in a peaceful, polite and non-threatening way?….

    • I think an open carry protest where illegal would be appropriate. This would ONLY “work” in mass, at least a few hundred or more and we would all have to remain incredibly peaceful regardless of police/military resistance. I say mass because taking down a few “illegaly” armed protestors would be simple compared to several hundred or maybe a couple thousand. The logistics to control a peaceful demonstration would be a nightmare. No guns in hand or shouldered long guns, just holstered handguns OC’ed.

      I think if the SHTF from an enforcement standpoint a majority of the US population (undoubtedly watching) would be outraged. That is of course why we would all have to remain at peace. Unfortunatley some mall ninja would be the one to ruin it.

    • +1

      Every civil rights or protest movement has involved occupation.

      African-Americans occupied restaurants. Occupy Wall Street got the attention of the whole nation. Gay rights activists flooded and occupied the news and media.

      It’s time for our voice to be heard. It’s time media representation of the gun control debate became less one-sided.

  4. “Yes, the “f” word. What else are we to make of laws that require Americans to register their means of defense against government tyranny or face armed confiscation?”

    There are many forms or flavors of fascism. Political leaders don’t have to be nationalistic to be modern fascists. They can be global fascists. Each day America becomes a bit more of a police-nanny state. Based on what I’ve read, the USG views the greatest threat to their elitist-owned America as coming not from a foreign power or movement but rather from domestic patriot groups and individuals that believe in the US Constitution and Bill of Rights, and that government is the servant of the people.

    Robert,

    Calms Forte may help you get some deep calm sleep. They are non-prescription and non-habit forming homeopathic sleep aids.
    http://www.hylands.com/products/calmsforte.php

  6. Please keep fighting the fight, you’re reaching more people than even your page hits reflects, and doing more good than your adversaries would even admit.

    • I think we would all understand the world a lot better if history classes focused first and foremost on personal narratives and real people. I know more than a few people who didn’t really “get” the Holocaust, or the struggles of the Jews throughout modern history, until they read a few very personal stories that made it click for them.

  8. Pretty much sums it all up. We should all remember what your father and those like him went through because it is, indeed, “The nature of the beast.”

  10. You’re suffering from PTSD, RF. You don’t have to be a combat vet to have the syptoms. Trauma is trauma.

    For years after I came home I thought I had left it all behind. Then after my first son was born I started having the DREAM. One of my buddies was in a bad way and needed my help and my weapon jammed. It always jammed at the crucial moment. I would wake up drenched in sweat.

    • The DREAM is helplessness. It comes in many forms, like yours jwm, you are helpless in it. Mine was and still is (although its rare now that I have it) that my weapons have no effect. No matter what I shot or how many times, useless. The bad guy or guys simple don’t go down. I am Helpless and powerless to stop the attack. I would only wake up as I was being killed. Trauma, high stress, or anxiety trigger it. Anyone can get it. It’s an natural reaction to PTSD.

    • Jwm amd Brad are both right. It dosnt have to come from combat to be PTSD and the dreams can be of helplessness.

      I often dream of a child I treated who was hit by a truck. He lived for real but he never does in my sleep, no matter what I do.

  11. Deep in my gut I always knew this day would come, but I also always prayed that it would never happen. I guess as you father so succinctly said, “It’s the nature of the beast”.

    I know not what course others may take; but as for me, GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!

    Stay Frosty and Godspeed

  12. RF has put his finger on an extremely serious issue. Since the invention of firearms, Jews have been targets for them. Because of long experience, some Jews do in fact seem to fear guns. But after further review, what they really fear isn’t guns. Sad to say, it’s Christians with guns.

    Likewise, there’s been no shortage of antisemitism in the gun culture. This reinforces the stereotype and also the distrust that Jews have about Christians with guns.

    And while decent Jews and Christians are busy hating or fearing each other, the scumb@gs in Washington are busy screwing us all. Divide et impera is a game, their game. They made up all the rules and they hold all the cards. So let’s not play.

    Today, the whole damn country is thisclose to becoming one big re-education camp and no matter what your religion, we’re all Jews.

    • Hey Mate,
      I’m a Christian with a gun and I’m dating a Jewish girl.

      I think you may be overstating the level of antisemitism in gun owners.

        • Which gun culture? America’s? The hell do you live where there were or are a notable number of antisemitic gun culture members?

        • Just go to your average gun show and look for all the Nazi paraphernalia. Not saying historical items are bad, but some shows attract that kind of folk..

    • The Jews have historical reason to fear Catholics, Muslims, and some of the Reformation groups which were one step from Catholicism, but not Christians. A Christian is one who’s final authority is the Bible. The common denominator of all these groups is that their ultimate authority is some individual or group, not the Bible. And, FYI, Hitler and the Nazi’s were not by any means Christians.

  13. That’s why they added the Bill of Rights: to protect citizens against the nature of government in general and ours in particular. They foresaw this day.

    Unfortunately, they did not go far enough. They should have made the first 10 Amendments, the Bill of Rights, unamendable. They should have said what they meant, not left it in ambiguous 17th century language. I know the Federalist papers were an attempt to clarify but The 2nd should have read something like this

    “The right of the people to protect themselves and this constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, against tyranny or an invasivie government, to keep and posess firearms, and form a citizen militia, free from government control, shall not be infringed.”

    • To people of honor and common sense that’s exactly what the 2a does say. Bet gues what pols and anti’s are missing?

      • Hell, some of the Founders argued against the Bill of Rights completely, as they felt the protections afforded we obvious and feared that numbering rights left the door open to infringement on those that weren’t expressly protected. If they had known about the current batch of dirtbags we have now, the Bill of Rights would be 50 amendments long and provide framework for immediate impeechment for attempted infringments.

    • The Second Amendment should have read:

      “The right of the people, irrespective of membership in any unorganized or organized militia of the federal government or the governments of the states, or military of the federal government or the states, or national guard unit of the government of the states or the federal government, to keep and bear arms and tools of war and violence, for their personal defense against any and all enemies, both foreign and domestic, as well as the accessories to those arms and tools of war, and the right to assemble with such arms and tools of war for the common defense, shall never be infringed by any act, bill, order of the court, or executive order from any representative of the federal government’s executive, legislative, or judicial branches, nor from the same from the state’s governments, nor the same from the territories of the federal government, from now until the end of time, and Judgement Day.

      “Any such law, upon passage, shall be immediately null and void, and the people shall be able to violate such law without fear of prosecution.

      “Any representative, senator, congressman, congresswoman, president, judge, or any officer of law enforcement, who voted for, signed, enforced or upheld any such law, upon passage, voting for, enforcing or being upheld, shall be and have been removed from office latae sententiae, immediately upon committing the act, and shall pay a fine no less than their current pay level for all the time they have been in their office or position, in addition to all the time they have left in office or position until their term is up, they shall be considered enemies of the people and the state, shall be tried for high treason, and shall be bared from holding any further public office.”

      How’s that for a 2nd amendment?

      That’s about as airtight as I can make it.

        • Battlefields used to be infringed, or so some may say, lay of the land, unpassable terrain, walls, brooks, rivers, hedge rows and the like can very easily be considered infringement based upon the old European battle accords that designed to take war away from the population and into the fields.

        • from dictionary.reference.com

          1. to commit a breach or infraction of; violate or transgress: to infringe a copyright; to infringe a rule.
          verb (used without object)
          2. to encroach or trespass (usually followed by on or upon ): Don’t infringe on his privacy.

          In other words, it (RKBA) must be left alone. It must not be taxed, registered, restricted, regulated, banned or f***ed with in any way.

    • “Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it; no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it.” – Justice Learned Hand

      How many of our fellow American proles even know what liberty is?

      It’s been dying a slow death in this country for decades.

  14. Well, you should leave Rhode Island then. People in your state would never question their god, the state. Only certain areas of certain states will defy the government worshipers’ aggression.

  15. Thought provoking, thank you. However, this statement is a little off:

    “Our forefathers understood this. They knew that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. ”

    A minister in a church in Fort Worth put it differently:

    “Power does not corrupt……Corrupt people seek out positions of power….in the Church, business, and government.”

    A lesson when we see people try so hard to be elected. Food for thought.

  16. RF, if it comes down to fighting (and not the type with a keybord) there will be many from other states coming to your aid, after all the 2nd is the Love thy Neighbor section of the Bill of Rights “Necessary to the Security of a Free State” They will never punnish themselves for their Treason, that will fall to “We the People”

  18. Robert, a very moving story. I really don’t know how to properly respond , except with a request. Can you point us in the direction of a consolidated list of genuine pro 2A organizations? I belong to several but you can never help those, who are helping you, enough. The thing I feel most people miss is that the authors of the Declaration and Constitution realized how easily our system can be corrupted and manipulated. Therefore they imbedded a “poison pill” to tyranny and fascism. The Second Amendment. With A2 removed, by the elements struggling to subjugate not only the US but the whole of humanity , our only safeguard will be gone. This is a message that must be sounded in a coherent way to help those who are so trusting that they would delegate their well being to an unworthy few.

  19. We the People — in order to to prevent this BS must stand up and fight. Keyboards and website are great for getting organized, bodies on the streets and protesting is better. It is time to get involved — a donation to SAF is even tax deductable.

    I find myself helpless in CT — a 50% ammo tax and banning all internet sales is on the docket as well as the same type of ban as they want in IL except our guns are already registered like it or not.

    I am beside myself that govt officials want to confiscate private property (our guns). If this is not tyranny, I have no idea what is. This is an abuse of their power for no common good.

    I have been focusing my energy towards my legislature and my money to organizations likeCCDL, CT Carry, SAF, GAO and love them or hate them the NRA.

    Now is not the time to be lazy or to be too busy.

    TTAG should feature articles on how to act. Have a tab at the top for one stop shopping to contact congresscritters and donations to organizations and make it a wall to post protests and rally information. We need a way to have directed responses and to be more organized than the other side.

  20. “Once more into the fray…
    Into the last good fight I’ll ever know.
    Live and die on this day…
    Live and die on this day…”

  21. That’s a tremendously moving and personal narrative, RF. Very glad to have read that, as it adds a real-world, human dimension to the discussion of gun rights that is all too easy to lose sight of in online interaction.

  24. We are all with you. May God have us win this war and keep our nation free. My prayers are with you.

  25. My father served in occupied Germany, after the tremendous profit driven narrative of holocaust had been seized upon by vultures with false identities and empty pockets. He never spoke of his experience working alongside other men within the industry of killing, but he retained his composure, never balling, never crying, never angry without reason, and never did he lie.

    My nightmares began knowing full well that the machine, the industry of killing was larger than any one man, but blame would always settle upon that loner when the time came.

    I am sure there are distractions in this life that can transport the timid and the willfully ignorant to greener pastures, but I happen to know that being on the enemy’s throat is the best place of all in this long long fight.

  27. Robert, thank you sharing your story. As the last remaining survivors of the holocaust pass on, it is ever more important to share stories like this and to remain vigilant. The sons and daughters of survivors must carry the torch. We also must never give up our arms, no matter what laws are passed.

  28. Robert, Thank You! This is the history our kids an adults really need to learn. Having actually met some German WW II soldiers while in W.Germany during the 80’s some of the stories they told are still with me, both good and bad.
    Yea my dreams are still with me, but have somewhat subsided. Having used a firearm to take a life before(legally), I can say they never really go away but in time they do somewhat diminish. Some days are better than others.
    One of my favorite sci fi writers said something one time that kind of fits: Rest Easy Nazz, we have your back!!! God Bless and keep up the fight!!!

  29. Thank you for the moving story RF.
    My grand parents fled the Nazi’s and I never really knew them. My ex’s grand mother lived through the hell of a Warsaw camp, and I will never forget her history.
    I had put this out there to friends before, but I asked, is there something or sometime in your life that you felt it was worth dying for your belief? I didn’t say anything about guns, but in general. Some people might view us as clinging to guns, but in reality I find it more clinging to our liberties. Guns are just the tool to secure our liberties. If it means putting my life on the line for my family, our future. Our freedoms, our safety than I can not see why not.
    I also hold my dreams to myself. No use in inflicting undue stress on others for my own person pain.

  30. You know, all this talk about the current political climate has got me depressed. depressed, but oddly calm, collected, and steeled for the future.

    I hear people talking about “well your assault rifle can’t do anything against a government with tanks!” or “can’t beat them drones, man!” or even James Yeager saying “if we wait till they come to our doors it’s too late, they’ll pick us off one at a time”

    But then I look at the Numbers. 15o MILLION of “Us”. with 310 MILLION guns. That’s enough for me to arms a friend, maybe two, at least.

    Now their numbers? If they tread roughshod over the remaining bill of rights, and deploy the ENTIRETY of the US Armed Forces against us (300,000) ….. If they utilize EVERY Federal Law Enforcement agent (120,000). If EVERY SINGLE Cop and Sheriff in the country helps. (675,000)

    Then they can bring to bear a tyranical iron fist of about 1.1 Million people.

    We have them outnumbered OVER ONE HUNDRED to one. If you (yes you) decide not to offer armed resistance, but one man in a HUNDRED does? We carry the day. If any one of those hundred make a valiant fight and take MORE than one of the fascists with them? We win in a heartbeat, and by a landslide.

    But I’d say it’ll be closer to half of us. And I’d say most Cops and Sheriffs and Marines and Agents won’t show up to work to carry out those orders.

    It’s a terrifying prospect to have to fight other Americans (who are commiting treason) for our freedoms. But I’ll use a line here that I Quote often :

    “I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all.”

    μολὼν FUCKING λαβέ

  31. Thank you for your moving personal account Robert.
    Liberalism/Progressivism= fascism. Read Jonah Goldberg’s powerful work, “Liberal Fascism”,for the history and relationship among these”isms” with nazism and communism.

  35. That got me a little misty eyed, hearing my dads stories and knowing why he did it. For every post and post read the readers are informing and arguing with others. It’s almost exponential. Information is viral.

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