Norman Rockwell & George Orwell

On Thanksgiving millions of American families gathered around a bountiful table to give thanks and-in keeping with our president’s wishes-to discuss gun control. “You could twist my arm to take another helping of sweet potatoes,” John Q said, then added, “So President Obama would like us, as a family, to discuss gun control today.” To which six-year-old Susie proudly proclaimed, “Daddy says it’s using two hands!” Everyone laughed and laughed and went to bed that night and fell into a deep tryptophan-induced sleep bolstered by ample portions of carbohydrates and more than one cup of holiday cheer.

They all woke up on Black Friday and, paying homage to both capitalism and liberty, bought upwards of 185,000 firearms or, as one journalist mused, enough firearms in one day to field an entire new military the size of the Marine Corps, with guns left over to equip about four Army divisions. It was the single highest one-day count in the history of the United States. In case you didn’t get the point, Mr. President, John Q’s answer is, “Go pound sand!”

And now for the rest of the story, as my old neighbor Paul Harvey used to say. Why the big arms race? I am writing this on Friday morning, two days after the California massacre and above the fold on the front page of the Chicago Tribune is the headline, “Motive for California killings a mystery.” Really?

Lord Christopher Monckton, a British conservative political advisor, recently summed up liberalism quite succinctly: “They have complete contempt for the concept of objective truth.” Here’s what we know to be true:

Twenty-eight-year-old Syed Rizwan Farook and his 27-year-old wife Tashfeen Malik died in a hail of law enforcement bullets. They were attempting to get away from the carnage they’d wrought at the Inland Regional Center where Farook and fellow employees from the San Bernardino County’s public health department were holding their annual holiday party.

Farook was born in the United States and worked as an environmental health specialist for the county. About two years ago Farook traveled to Saudia Arabia and returned with Malik as his bride. Malik was born in Pakistan and spent several years in Saudi Arabia before coming to the United States. Both were devout Muslims. The FBI has also found evidence that Farook was communicating with domestic and international extremists and apparently viewed ISIS propaganda online.

At about 11 a.m. on the day of the shooting, Farook left the social service center where the party was in full swing. After leaving their 6-month-old daughter with Farook’s mother, telling her he was taking his wife to a doctor’s appointment, Farook returned to the center with his wife. Both were dressed in tactical gear and were carrying semiautomatic rifles and handguns and homemade explosive devices. They immediately set about killing 14 people and injuring 17, then drove away in their SUV and were subsequently killed by police.

Let’s recap. He travels to Saudi Arabia and brings back a wife, both devout Muslims; he communicates with domestic and international extremists; and recently discovered, Malik used her smartphone to post a pledged allegiance on her Facebook page to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi while driving away in the moments after the attack. They dropped their daughter off, lied about where they were going, rented a black SUV as a getaway vehicle, had tactical gear, assault weapons and homemade bombs assembled and ready, massacred 14 people and wounded 17 more. And the president and the press say they don’t know the motive. Right…

But they do know the answer is more gun control, and Obama is poised to do so by yet more executive fiat. He’s specifically calling for expanded background checks despite the fact that the proposed action would not have affected any mass shooting that’s occurred since Obama took office.

However none of this really matters. At this point, from the perspective of John Q. Public, the great geopolitical, socioeconomic issues are irrelevant. Does it really matter who’s trying to kill you and your family, be it ISIS, Black Lives Matter, your local narco-terrorist drug-dealing gang or some socially-deviant-miscreant-wannabe nutball du jour?

What matters is this – don’t lock yourself up in your house for fear of going out. If you do, they’ve won the war. Instead, be prepared at all times. Seriously, 24/7 everywhere you go, be vigilant of your surroundings, know your options, carry a firearm and know how to use it. Every person that can legally carry a firearm must now do so, period. I know many won’t like that idea, but that’s our new life with shootings daily and mass shootings regularly. And everyone start pressuring your elected officials to remove all gun free zones everywhere and impeach not only this president but every elected official who attempts to confiscate or drastically reduce your constitutional right to own a firearm to defend yourself and your family.