Remember the officers’ appreciation of Rory Vertigan’s actions the next time you hear some anti-gunner saying, “The cops don’t want private citizens to carry guns.”

Texas state Rep. Suzanna Gratia-Hupp is recognized worldwide as one of the leading advocates for an individual’s right to carry a concealed firearm. Several years ago, while testifying in opposition to additional gun control legislation, she related the emotional account of how she lost both of her parents to a lone gunman in 1991. At the time of the attack, Texas did not allow private citizens to carry concealed.

Prior to enactment of the law, Kennesaw had a population of just 5,242 but a crime rate significantly higher (4,332 per 100,000) than the national average (3,899 per 100,000). The latest statistics available – for the year 2005 – show the rate at 2,027 per 100,000. Meanwhile, the population has skyrocketed to 28,189.

By comparison, the population of Morton Grove, the first city in Illinois to adopt a gun ban for anyone other than police officers, has actually dropped slightly and stands at 22,202, according to 2005 statistics. More significantly, perhaps, the city’s crime rate increased by 15.7 percent immediately after the gun ban, even though the overall crime rate in Cook County rose only 3 percent.

Still, the Second Amendment is constantly under attack by those who would tell you that you should have no such right, essentially saying that your life isn’t important enough. They’d say that, statistically, the chances of your being the victim of a violent crime are low. They’d ask why you’d need a gun without an established threat picture — you’re not a politician or celebrity. I’m quite certain that the very real, everyday people who are brutally attacked aren’t especially concerned with statistics — that theirs is just one life out of millions — while they’re being murdered or raped. The one and only thing they care about at that moment is their life. Their one life. One.

Isn’t self-preservation at the very core of our beings and isn’t it a fundamental human right?

This blog aims to capture stories where a defensive gun could have changed the outcome of an attack and perhaps saved an innocent life. I hope to motivate people to take charge of their personal safety, take a good training class, get a concealed carry permit, purchase and carry a firearm that makes sense for them, practice and stay alert. It sounds like a lot but it soon becomes second nature, like grabbing your keys before heading out. You’ll overcome the mystery and fear surrounding guns and look at them as lifesavers.

You’ll have to decide what your one life is worth to yourself and those who rely on you. You’ll have to decide whether “Oh shit!” is going to cut it when he comes at you with a knife.