(l-r) Gwen, Jep and Diana with Lilly, the cat
Jep: The “Gun Culture” is an enormous part of my heritage; it has become part of my wife’s throughout the past 23 years we have been best friends…and it will be a part of our children’s heritage as well, so long as we can protect it.
The "Gun Culture" I grew up with (and still live within) has nothing to do with violence. In fact, it has much to do with just the opposite...it is about bringing people together. Shooting is a great way to spend time with family and friends. It builds confidence in youth, promotes hand-eye coordination, and rewards patience and concentration with the grin of a well-placed shot.
It is learning about the firearms that have been used in the family, from putting meet on the table, to defending our nation, to target shooting & plinking. It is about that first hunt, and the rifle you’re carrying belonged to your father…or mother.
It is learning to appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into a fine gun, new or old, about the technical aspects of bullet weight & powder loads, shooting distances, and establishing common bonds across many social and economic thresholds with others who feel as we do about firearms.
My wife and I also believe
fervently in the sovereignty of the individual and the family unit. We are
citizens, with inalienable rights, not subjects to be ruled. Our right to keep
and bear arms comes from our Bill of Rights, and this right, as enumerated, is
not granted by any local, state or federal authority. It is a recognized right,
endowed by our creator, upon every freeborn citizen in this country. The right
to keep and bear arms isn’t so that the citizens can hunt or target shoot. It is
recognized so that they may protect this country, their state, their community,
their families and themselves against those that may wish to do them harm, be it
a foreign enemy, their own federal, state or local government…or some brutal
thug.