Are You a Modern-Day Minuteman?

I would hope that everyone is familiar with the term “Minutemen / Minuteman.”  I’ll give a brief description so that we are all on the same page.  In the Colonies prior to the Revolutionary War, the citizens would organize themselves into community Militia.  Each individual was responsible for providing their own equipment as well as training.  There were community training events, but these were meant to work as a unit.  The individual was responsible to show up to these events trained and ready to participate in the community training.  The term Minutemen comes from the fact that they were always ready and could be ready to marshal with just a minute’s notice.  Not all of the Colonial militia were Minutemen.  The Minutemen were the elite, the ones that sacrificed and gave more effort to be men that were trusted to be ready in that moment’s notice.  This meant that they kept their equipment, their minds, and their bodies ready to do battle at all times.

So again, I ask, are you a modern-day minuteman?  I’m proud to know many people, both men and women, that I consider to be the modern-day Minutemen that could be called on to defend Liberty at any time or any place. 

In the community, I often hear the comparison between the AK and the AR and how people will brag about how little maintenance their chosen platform needs.  This absolutely disgusts me.  I’m not saying you must clean your equipment every time you go to the range, but maintenance is important.  Going however many thousands of rounds without maintenance is not a badge of honor, it’s an indicator of laziness.  Most often, when I finish at a range, I will break down my weapon, give it a quick wipe down and a good inspection.  I’m looking for defects and defaults, things that would cause my weapon not to function if I were called on to use it.  I have worked with foreign militaries that the AK platform was their primary weapon system.  And I’ll tell you, that those professional soldiers performed routine maintenance on their weapon systems because they knew their lives depended on them. 

Choosing to carry a firearm is not picking what kind of fashion accessory you want to wear.  You are saying that you are prepared to conduct violence in order to protect good people.  If you are carrying a firearm because you think it’s a fashion accessory, because you want everyone to see you with it, you are not a Minuteman.  In my mind, you are no better than a Live Action Role-player.  I have been to combat.  I have been on the two-way rifle range and it is not entertaining.  It is not a video game.  When I set up my equipment it is not about what is fashionable but what is functional. 

Your equipment does not have to be flat dark earth or tactical black.  I don’t care if your plate carrier is multi-cam or it’s covered in Rainbow Brite.  What I do care about is that you have a functional plate carrier with plates that are going to save your life.  I care that it’s clean and serviceable because that says to me, you care.  My wife’s primary AR is purple with roses but it’s also capable of consistent 600-meter shots.  We can have fun with this, as long as we’re serious, too.  We must remember, what is our purpose?  That should be to defend Liberty at a minute’s notice.

Just like those early Colonists, being a Minuteman is all about the individual.  Their individual responsibility to be the best of the militia.  But it also takes a community.  We need to help motivate those around us.  Right now, here in the United States, we have record numbers of people recognizing the importance of having a firearm to defend Liberty.  We need to bring these brothers and sisters into the fold.  We need to help them realize the importance of training.  When someone that you know that was previously not in the community is telling you about how much they spent on the generic AR, don’t immediately laugh at them and tell them that they should have bought some other name brand AR.  Instead, invite them to go training.  Remember, we don’t know what we don’t know.  No one wants to feel stupid, help them to learn with respect.  Teach them the importance of proper maintenance.  Don’t say something stupid like, “you should have bought an AK, you’d never have to clean it.” 

I want you to be among the elite.  I want you to be ready in a minute’s notice.  You do not need to have the best equipment; you just need to make sure it works and that it’s well maintained.  This goes for you as well -- train hard, train often.  Keep you, yourself, in mental and physical condition so that when you’re called on, you can defend Liberty.

Chris