I like peace. I like avoiding conflict. But I believe in defending my nation, my liberty, my family, and myself. I don't want to hurt anyone, but I don't feel that I am required to stand by and allow someone else, exercising their own agency, to hurt me or the people I love. I was often on the receiving end of attacks when I was younger, until I learned to defend myself. I believe in being allowed to defend myself and my family.

With that, I am not a fanatic about hoarding guns. I never have been. My favorite defensive weapon has always been the staff, or bo, which was used by the compassionate Shaolin monks to deter and defend, rather than to attack and kill. Unfortunately, I never learned to use a staff.

I don't ever want to stand before my Father in Heaven and have Him tell me that I chose to kill someone when the situation could have been alleviated more peaceably, but generally speaking, He also does not require His faithful followers to lie down and be slaughtered like sheep.

As law-abiding citizens and humble followers of the Lord, we have a responsibility to protect our country, our families, our freedoms, and our religion (The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ: Alma chapters 46 & 48, in reference to Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty).