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Op-Ed: March for Our Lives/ Hands-Off 2A Rally

By • June 14, 2022

The following Op-Ed was submitted by Julie Paine. Note: Op-Eds do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of those at the Idaho Dispatch.

Saturday, June 11th was the “March for Our Lives” and a counter rally organized by the Idaho Liberty Dogs called “Keep Your Hands Off Our 2A Rights”.

I hadn’t planned to attend this event, but I needed to meet with a friend, and this was the most convenient intersection.  It turned out to be eye-opening and will drive my efforts to preserve our God-given right to preserve life.  This piece does not address all facets of the gun-control debate, just some of my observations during this event.

I arrived early and a detail that may have gone unnoticed by others is that the “March for Our Lives” did not begin with prayer.  I found this interesting considering the weight of the issue and the recent tragedies used to justify the event.  It does reveal something about the type of people behind gun control and their understanding of the origin of the sanctity of life.  They have the appearance of compassion and benevolence but with no appeal to the Creator of Life about the destruction of life, one has to conclude that their approach will be flawed.

Prominently supporting the student-lead “March for Our Lives” (MFOL), whose full policy can be read here https://marchforourlives.com/policy/, was “Moms Demand Action” and the NEA.  The initial speakers were two teenagers who represented MFOL and after reading the MFOL agenda after the event, it became clear to me that these youth are being used as pawns and do not fully comprehend the magnitude of the policies they are being led to espouse.

The presence of these young people creates an emotional appeal, but their ignorance about guns, laws, government, and all other facets of the issue was profound, and it is regrettable that they have become tools.  All they could convey was fear and their desire for gun owners to agree with them.  They tried to convince the media that they are not anti-gun, without being able to see that the very measures they propose will deny good people their fundamental right to have the guns they need to preserve their own lives.

There were several speakers, Tara Marie, was the most disturbing.  She talked about her failure to deal with trauma and displayed such erratic gesturing and screeching that as a rational observer, I could quickly conclude that she is the last person I would look to for a solution to any problem.

The fear expressed by every speaker was truly sad and the solution proposed is even more pathetic:  restrictions for normal people to make them, the paranoid, feel safe.  It is naïve on the surface, but diabolical at its heart to believe that one can pretend to target a perpetually elusive evil, while making slaves of us all.

Many signs read “Protect Our Children” and the burning question in my mind was:  “With what, dear Liza, with what?”  Without a weapon in your hand, you stand no chance against random violence, especially if you are a woman.

More laws seemed to be the only suggestion without the acknowledgment that criminals do not obey laws, particularly the one against murder.  The real causes of the uptick in violence were not addressed and the solution presented at the end of the program was to call Senators Risch and Crapo and demand that they do something.  At no point did I hear discussed the real reasons behind the increase of violence in this country, except to blame the guns.

Virtue and mental health are in freefall in America and the policies of the Left are an open invitation to the disturbed to kill without consequence.  Gun free zones are an advertisement to criminals that they will face no opposition in carrying out their atrocious plans.

Businesses, Churches, and Schools who forbid the carrying of firearms on their premises do nothing to lower the risk of someone coming in to kill customers, parishioners, or students, they just ensure that the customers, parishioners, and student have no way to defend themselves.  Police will only arrive after at least one death has already occurred and as we saw with Uvalde, law enforcement can be absolutely impotent in saving lives.

One of the signs I saw at the rally said, “I am a teacher, not a human shield.”  To that I would say, “Fine, you do not have to be armed.  You may sit in your classroom and hope others will protect you.”  Not everyone can adopt the sheepdog mentality, however, I guarantee that within any public-school staff, there are at least five teachers or administrators that would willingly volunteer to be armed and trained, and all it takes to stop an active shooter is ONE good man or woman with a gun.

I felt no animosity toward these poor people who have been brainwashed into seeing themselves as victims, who have been exposed to so much propaganda that they live in perpetual fear.  I simply felt sincere pity that they cannot see another way to live, that they cannot see that right across the street are the very people saying, “I will never let this happen to you.”  Across the street were the sheepdogs saying, “I will even take a bullet attempting to stop a threat from reaching you.”  Across the street is the solution, the Defenders that the fearful seek to shackle.

I reflected on my own recent journey from being a woman with little firearms experience to a trained and licensed concealed carry 2A advocate.  Fear is dispelled when truth and preparation are pursued.  I can only hope that at least one youth present, seeing the courage of those who would place themselves in harm’s way to save a child, will realize that their own life is worth defending, and act accordingly.

People can wish all they want that we could just live in a violence-free society, and they can pretend that getting rid of all guns would do that, but they are out of touch with the nature of man and the fallen world in which we live.  The root of our society’s decline is the denial of God and the rejection of His laws.  Did Cain kill Abel with an AR-15?  No.  It was in his heart to murder, so he found the means, and so it will be with every person who is similarly depraved.  You will never legislate that away.

It is in the nature of man, the best you can do is meet evil head on and say, “Not on my watch!”  We have to continue to be free to equip ourselves to meet evil with equal force.  When a person enters a building and begins to destroy life they have voluntarily forfeited their own life and we must accommodate them in order to protect the innocent who still wish to live.

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Tags: 2nd Amendment, Firearms, Gun Control, Hands Off Our 2A, Idaho Liberty Dogs, Julie Paine, March for Our Lives

15 thoughts on “Op-Ed: March for Our Lives/ Hands-Off 2A Rally

  1. Does anyone know where the new Federal US attorney for the District of Idaho, Josh D Hurwit, stands on protecting The People’s Rights?

    He was appointed by Babbels in the Whitehouse and Jim Risch congratulated him……Seems worrisome if those two like him?

    1. We must wake to the fact that the only enemy the U.S. has that is capable to destroy the U.S.A is the politicians , government employees and the military. Look at what they have done to us so far.

      1. True, but they could not have done it so quickly without the Oligarchs of Big Tech and the trinity of evil: Larry Fink, Chair and CEO of BlackRock who sold his BlackRock soul to Xi Jinping, Anthony FauXi whom Trump naively allowed to shutdown the economy, and Bill Gates who is on his way to depopulating the world.

  2. Probably the most well though out article I have read in years on the subject of “gun control.”
    Thank you!

  3. “Gun Control” is a misnomer when used in the political theatre. Control only comes about through knowledge and experience with a thing and most shrieking leftists have neither. Contrast that to anyone who has taken a basic firearm safety course and knows the four basic rules of firearm safety. These individuals know and have taken steps to learn proper firearm control, and their practice on the range supplements this.

    What leftists really want is a disarmed populace in order to prevent another 1776. Leftists overthrew the Tsar in Russia, leading to a bloodbath of at least 30 million Russian civilians. Leftists overthrew the German government and installed a murderous Reich which killed more than ten million and led to a world wide War. Leftists overthrew a democratically-elected government in China and led to the killing of over 60 million Chinese people. In each of these cases – and others – the People had to right to self-protection from a tyrannical government bent on destroying their liberty through force of arms. Only an armed populace can stand up to such.

  4. Proud of you Julie Pain, You are so right about why this is happening to our world. Mankind needs a Savior! We are destroying our country from within because of our rejection of who needs to be within us. I yearn for the day we can be disarmed by Love for one other. Until then we must protect and service each other with our lives.

  5. Julie, can’t improve upon the comments herein.
    So perfectly articulated in every way. Your article should be The Manifesto for 2A rights. Thanx for getting it all down in writing, so clearly.

  6. We already have red flag laws with APS and CPS. If someone wants to cause you problems and they hate you, they can falsely accuse you of child abuse or elder abuse. The accusers name is protected and when the investigation concludes with no abuse found, the accuser is never prosecuted. It destroys the lives of the people accused. Why no prosecutions? Because they don’t want to discourage people from reporting real cases. I have seen this personally here in Idaho and it’s destroyed our lives. It’s a disastrous law for innocent people! People in Idaho better wake up and smell the corruption.

  7. GREAT Job Julie,
    You stated the facts as well as the TRUTH exceptionally well, articulate,and from the heart. As an OLD Veteran, I Salute you.
    I as you, just CANNOT wrap my head around the fact that the “SHEEPLE” want to destroy the biggest thing available to keeping themselves, as well as young people safe!! It’s just unfathomable, but, that’s the way our once GREAT Country has become, as sad as it is. I as a veteran am sickened and heartbroken.
    I for one would gladly “Gear Up” and spend time in our schools to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
    Thanks Again for a wonderful letter.

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