The Sheepdog principle

Nutnfancy uses the term 'sheepdog' to refer to a person who considers guarding and protecting other citizens a personal responsibility. It applies to carriers of both knives and firearms.
This concept is completely alien to most Europeans, but this is more telling of the fact that there are only sheep in Europe, no sheepdogs, and that European governments have succeeded in monopolizing the legal carrying and use of weapons for purposes of self-defense.
In the U.S. too many people are unaware of the situation most Europeans are in. We are defenseless, unless we are willing to break the law ourselves just so we can defend ourselves and our loved ones and property.

Europe is proof of the age-old adage "If guns are outlawed, only outlaws have guns." Of course, police have guns too, but they are rarely used to protect citizens; it's just impossible for police to always, or even just occasionally be present to catch criminals red-handed. People are mugged, raped, robbed and killed, and they are not allowed to arm themselves for self-defense. No guns, no knives, no pepperspray, no taser. Nothing.

In the U.S. most people still can, but because the citizenry there is to a large degree unaware of this right and privilege, or unwilling to make use of it, most choose not to, and even frown upon those who do.

I am a strong believer in personal responsibility, and fully endorse the concept of the sheepdog. In fact, I think every citizen should be taught from childhood how to protect themselves, and the skills and responsibility that go with it. Of course, for me, living in the Netherlands, it is too late to act on this. I am by law prohibited to carry a gun, even though I am more proficient at using one than 99% of all policemen. I cannot even carry a knife that might be effective for defensive purposes.
What I CAN do is urge Americans to make sure the liberties and rights they still enjoy are not lost. Governments always tend to enforce tighter and stricter control over their subjects, even at the cost of delivering them to the wolves.

The effectiveness of an armed citizenry is not subject to debate. Time after time, studies have proven that armed citizens stop more crimes than do police. Neither can it be denied that towns and counties that have no or lax gun laws are safer and suffer less crime than areas that prohibit guns. Washington D.C. is the best example of this.

In Europe, Nutnfancy's sheepdog has become extinct. Americans better make sure that doesn't happen in their country.