{"id":5511,"date":"2017-05-19T12:48:21","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T12:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2017\/05\/19\/power-tools\/"},"modified":"2017-05-19T12:48:21","modified_gmt":"2017-05-19T12:48:21","slug":"power-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2017\/05\/19\/power-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Power Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"

Serendipitous! I spent the morning out in the desert practicing with my handguns. When I logged on afterward I found that Bill Keezer had referred me to an entry entitled Power Tools<\/a> by Malcolm Pollack in which the latter quotes Col. Jeff Cooper.  I want the quotation for my files:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Weapons are the tools of power. In the hands of the state, they can be the tools of decency or the tools of oppression, depending on the righteousness that state. In the hands of criminals, they are the tools of evil. In the hands of the free and decent citizen, they should be the tools of liberty. Weapons compound man\u2019s power to achieve whatever purpose he may have. They amplify the capabilities of both the good man and the bad, and to exactly the same degree, having no will of their own. Thus, we must regard them as servants, not masters\u2013and good servants of good men. Without them, man is diminished, and his opportunities to fulfill his destiny are lessened. An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I haven't been able to find a source. As you know, I do not like unsourced quotations.  It's the scholar in me. Paging Dave Lull! If cyberspace has a Head Librarian, Dave is the man.<\/span><\/p>\n

"An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." <\/span><\/p>\n

You are free to live unarmed, and for some this will be a wise course. A gun is not a talisman<\/a>. Its mere presence won't protect you. To paraphrase Col. Jeff Cooper, owning a gun no more makes you armed than owning a guitar makes you a musician. You will need to get training, and you will need to throw thousands of (aimed!) rounds down  range before you can consider yourself competent.  <\/span><\/p>\n

These are trying times. The thuggish elements among us are on the rise, and they are enabled by those in positions of authority. The wise hope for the best, and work for the best, but prepare for the worst. You might want to think about that as well as ask yourself: Which side am I on, and who is on my side?<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: Colonel Jeff Cooper's Situational Awareness Color Codes<\/a>. Very useful information along with commentary by me that is sure to cause snowflake melt-down.<\/span><\/p>\n

Should Liberals Buy Guns?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

UPDATE (5\/20): Dave Lull sends us here<\/a>, where you can find more Jeff Cooper quotations (unsourced) as well as a daughter's tribute to her father.<\/span><\/p>\n

UPDATE 2 (5\/20):  Malcolm Pollack's follow-up<\/a> post.<\/span><\/p>\n

\nRelated articles<\/legend>\n
\n
<\/a>Why Write?<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/fieldset>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Serendipitous! I spent the morning out in the desert practicing with my handguns. When I logged on afterward I found that Bill Keezer had referred me to an entry entitled Power Tools by Malcolm Pollack in which the latter quotes Col. Jeff Cooper.  I want the quotation for my files: Weapons are the tools of … Continue reading “Power Tools”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[112],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alcohol-tobacco-and-firearms"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5511\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}