You know it only take a spark to start a fire? One small chemical reaction can start a blaze that can burn thousands of acres to ash. One of the few redeeming qualities of fire is it clears away the OLD so that the NEW can grow. I came across one of those sparks recently, it calls itself the ACP.
Taken from their website, the ACP is:
“An organization/program that is dedicated to facilitating the arming of law-abiding citizens, and analyzing the relationship between increased firearm availability and current crime rates. We are choosing mid-high crime neighborhoods in cities across America, and offering defensive weapons to citizens that can pass a background check, and that will take our safety, legal, and tactical training. The data that we collect will be used in the completion of a policy study that will measure the deterrent effects of firearms on crime.”
So to sum it up the ACP is a social experiment to attempt to prove heavily biased anti-gun statistics WRONG.
They also wants to serve as a counter to the nazi-esque practice of “Gun Buybacks”.
“We would like take a role in being the counter to the anti-gun practice of gun buybacks. It is our opinion that we would be well served by offering training to those that decide they do not want to own a firearm that they do not know how to use. We would like to offer training to those that would otherwise sell their gun for a gift card, and even trade them for brand-new shotguns, provided they attend a training session. We want to reverse the flow of guns, to where they are flowing into a community, along with the necessary safety training and skills.”
Although some have criticized the ACP’s decision to arm “newbies” with free Shotguns, feeling they are giving in to Joe Bidens famous comment about not needing an assault weapon for self-defense, just a double-barreled shotgun is akin to (as my grandpa was famous for saying) “Picking gnat shit out of pepper” or in other words, a useless criticism.
For your convenience, I have listed the ACP’s response, as posted on their website to this criticism:
How will we arm citizens, and what will we arm them with?
Through using existing crime data, we will decide on a few areas that will be a fit with this project. Regardless of where we decide to operate, our principles will remain the same. All citizens of the area that wish to receive a weapon must , and have lived in their current home for over one year. Those receiving a weapon will do so upon completion of our safety and tactical course, which we will administer.
All participants that wish to receive a weapon, and take our training, will receive a shotgun. There are many reasons for us to use this type of weapon, and it will be our standard weapon of use. They are easy to use, less expensive than other weapons, and effective against intruders. Additionally, every shotgun will come equipped with a lock, that can be locked behind the trigger, thus leaving the weapon inoperable to those that are not authorized to use the weapon.
Another BIG reason for using this style of defensive weapon, is to challenge the anti-gun lobby on a claim they often make. We are now quite used to hearing arguments along the lines of “why do you need an “assault weapon” for home defense?” These gun-control proponents often insist that they do believe in the right to bear arms to some extent, and we are challenging them to prove it. If an “assault weapon” is too extreme to be used for home defense, then there must necessarily be a weapon that is acceptable for home defense, or else the gun-control proponent is being blatantly intellectually dishonest. This style of firearm is likely to be the most palatable to any gun-control proponent that claims to believe in the right of self-defense, and we challenge them to reveal who they really are.
Does this mean we advise against higher powered/capacity defensive weapons?
Absolutely not. For the purposes of this project, we aim to keep it simple. Of course the stronger the firepower, and more shots that are able to be fired will increase the odds of success. If a gang of four breaks into your house, it is best for your wife to be equipped with 30 rounds of .223 if possible, and we fully support the decision of firearm owners to be prepared for all eventualities.
As it is too soon to tell whether the ACP will be a successful experiment, you have to applaud their efforts. Anytime someone stops bitching about a problem and gets off their ass to work for a solution, every CO owes it to them to help.
So whatta you say; let’s help spread the word, contribute your time and a few bucks and do what you can for the ACP!
After all, I can assure you the first news story that comes out involving a women or child whose life was saved because they had a firearm due to the ACP, you will be glad you did!
Burn Baby Burn & Stay Dangerous!