A borough resolution

I was very pleasantly surprised while reading some news items recently on a conservative news website originating here in Alaska. The newsletter, Must Read Alaska, reported that the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly passed a resolution at their Jan. 16 regular meeting (No. 24-021) encouraging Borough residents to have firearms and ammunition in their possession to use for crime prevention and personal defense. I found the same story in a report on the conservative, The Western Journal, website.

This sounded too good to be true, so I went looking for further independent verification of the Assembly’s action. I found that verification in a story appearing on the Alaska Public Media and Alaska Public Radio website, not exactly a conservative news site. According to that report, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly voted to encourage all eligible residents to own firearms and ammunition, as residents express concerns about crime and low staffing in the area by Alaska State Troopers. The resolution passed unopposed.

The purpose of the resolution was to deter crime throughout the borough, but especially in the outlying areas and rural communities. Much of the borough is remote and law enforcement response can take days to react to a call because of travel and weather concerns. Because of the lack of troopers available for criminal enforcement, people need to be prepared to be their own first-responders in the event of a crime or personal threat. At times, there are only five troopers on patrol throughout the entire borough, an area the size of West Virginia.

I was glad to see the reference to “eligible residents” in the report, which I interpret to mean those residents legally able to own a firearm. I also encourage folks to get proper training in the use and care of their firearms. This is one reason I suggest both old and new gun owners take a concealed carry class, even though it’s not required to carry concealed in Alaska.

This class will teach you safe handling of your firearm and basic cleaning and maintenance procedures. You will also do some shooting of your firearm to learn how it functions, and to demonstrate your proficiency in the use of the firearm. You will also learn the legalities of using a firearm in defense of life and property. That information, by itself, is worth the cost of the concealed carry class. You have the right to own and use your firearm. You also have a very grave responsibility to use that gun in a safe and lawful manner. Proper training gives you the knowledge to do this.

Because of the Biden Administration’s concerted attempts to eliminate our Second Amendment rights, tens of millions of folks over the past three years have purchased a firearm for personal defense. I have read that over fifty million firearms have entered private ownership in that three-year period. Add to this the political left’s position on defunding law enforcement in this country and you can understand people’s fears about their families’ safety in our current society.

I would expect some mainstream media backlash over this resolution. Florida became the 26th state to pass “constitutional carry” of firearms (not requiring a permit to carry concealed) last July and the leftist-supporting media and the political left went nuts claiming an increase in violent crime was sure to follow.

However, after six months of the law being in effect, evidence has emerged indicating a significant drop in violent crime throughout the state, including the state’s major cities. Media and anti-gun advocates condemned this move toward constitutional carry. The White House joined in with Biden’s press secretary calling the law “shameful” and “the opposite of commonsense gun safety.” Contrary to the fearmongering spread by the liberal media and the White House, data reveals a drop in violent crime in Florida since the start of constitutional carry.

My mother lived for several years in Kennesaw, Georgia, an outlying suburb of Atlanta. If you remember, Kennesaw has an ordinance requiring residents to own a firearm and ammo. Yes, my mother had a revolver and a shotgun so she could comply with the ordinance. She also had a Georgia concealed carry permit and carried her revolver in her purse.

She was grocery shopping one day and while checking out, she absentmindedly pulled out the gun while looking for her checkbook. The older checkout clerk reached under the counter and got her purse. She took out her handgun and she and my mother proceeded to compare handguns. What does that say to a potential robber?