First, take a moment to reflect on the meaning/purpose of the day – and then take another one, please.
So, by most accounts, the worst of the pandemic – at least as it relates to the United States – is behind us. Make no mistake, it is far from over; people are still getting infected and, in relatively few cases, people are still dying, but the frequency of such events seems now to be fading out of the news cycle. Depending on your state/community, virtually all restrictions have been lifted and life does, indeed, appear to be returning to “normal”. It’s reported that “most” of us are fully vaccinated (I implore you to do so if you haven’t already) and there does appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel. I have gotten on several airplanes recently, have travelled internationally and dine out and socialize frequently. I am eager to see many of you at the NRA Show in Houston later this summer and will shake hands and hug almost as often as I did before, but I understand/anticipate that, for many, some behaviors will have changed permanently.
Firearms sales show no sign of waning and while I’m delighted for the opportunities that creates for NAA, I’m troubled by the strength of the market forces which are responsible for that: the threat of adverse public policy and the continuing increase in social unrest. I’m both saddened and disgusted by the growing disregard for the value of human life – either one’s own or someone else’s – and the growing lack of simple civility is disturbing. Taking precautions to defend one’s self or one’s family has never seemed so important or so necessary. I long for the days when the most frequent target of a mini-revolver was a piece of paper, a snake or other varmint, or a threatening tin can. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the current environment.
While I have never argued that a .22 caliber round exhibits the ballistic performance of most larger calibers, I always argue strongly, loudly and confidently that in threatening situations, be the threat two-legged or four-legged, having a gun, regardless of its size or caliber, gives the carrier a dramatically better chance at successfully defending him-/her-self than NOT having a gun. More often than not, simply brandishing a gun will likely defuse the situation. I don’t care what the size or caliber is, if someone points a gun at me, it will absolutely change my behavior. And in the unfortunate instance that it does not, no one should discount the lethality of a .22 bullet at self-defense ranges. North American Arms firearms are designed to be carried all the time that it is legal to do so. They are designed to be purposefully portable – easy to conceal and carry: “Convenient, Reliable, Effective”, as it were.
We continue to appreciate your business and your confidence, and wish you a happy summer and a return to normalcy.