WALT SPECHT: Weapons are needed for self-defense

I am the first to admit there are many people on this Earth that can intimidate me by their very size and temperament. I also realize there isn’t a police person immediately available within earshot 24/7.

If there were no need for self protection due to a heavy police presence controlling the bad element, things would be great, except for rabid animals, poisonous snakes, dangerous domestic pets, feral animals, alligators and all sorts of other threats.

I can remember a discussion of response times many years ago that indicated that you may be on your own for longer than you expected in many cases. That calls sometimes had to be prioritized, that your problem may not be as severe as someone else’s is perceived to be. So until I am as fit and strong as I was when 20 again, I will rely on something to even the odds a little, or a lot.

Matter of fact, even at 20, I carried a weapon, and there were places I wouldn’t go and folks that made me feel right uncomfortable. To suggest a firearm, knife or non-lethal defense device is unneeded is to live in some sort of dream world. Reality is there are folks and other creatures out there that could mean to harm me, and I have the right, and public obligation to be able to defend myself and my family until police arrive.

If this theory of the armed individual not being necessary were true, there would be no need for security details. I am my own security detail.

WALT SPECHT

Leesburg