Yes, we’ll celebrate 2A Day this year with Iowa native, Jeff Struecker, known from Black Hawk Down. Jeff is our keynote speaker at the Capitol building and also our speaker at the IFC-PAC Supper that same night.
Jeff Struecker was a decorated soldier. At age 18, he enlisted in the United States Army as an Infantryman and retired as a chaplain with over 22 years of active federal service. In 2017, he was inducted into the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame.
He served for ten years in the 75th Ranger Regiment in positions from Private to Platoon Sergeant. While serving in this unit, Jeff competed in and won the David L. Grange Best Ranger Competition in 1996. He taught ROTC at the University of Louisville and was recognized in 1998 as the US Army ROTC, Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. Jeff spent his final ten years in the US Army serving as a chaplain in Airborne and Ranger units.
Throughout his career, Jeff has attended numerous professional military schools and has received many awards and commendations. Some of his awards include the Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Master Parachutists Wings, Military Freefall Master Parachutist Wings, several foreign jump wings, and the Combat Action Badge. He has been awarded other commendations and decorations throughout his military career.
His combat experience includes participation in the invasion of Panama, Operation Desert Storm, Black Hawk Down in Somalia, and more than a dozen combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Jeff has been awarded medals for valor in combat and has received many medals as recognition for his service in the US Army.
Jeff holds a Ph.D. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. He also has several other earned and honorary degrees. He is the lead pastor of 2 Cities Church in Columbus, Georgia.
He is an award-winning author with five books in print. He and his wife, Dawn, have five children and four grandchildren.
Mike Mihalski of Sons of Liberty Gun Works? Who is he and why is he so likable? Refresh yourselves with the spirited conversation between Michael Ware of IFC and Mike Mihalski of Sons of Liberty Gun Works. GET OUT AND VOTE, by the way. TAKE OTHERS WITH YOU, by the way. Mike builds a really great AR15 and is wired right to boot! Tune in!
Remembering Sacrifice: Memorial Day and the Second Amendment
By Billy Wilson, IFC Vice President
As Memorial Day arrives, the nation prepares to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. It’s a day of solemn remembrance, a time to reflect on the bravery and selflessness of the men and women who gave their lives defending the freedoms that we hold dear. Among these freedoms is the right to bear arms, enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Memorial Day and the Second Amendment are deeply ingrained in the American consciousness, albeit for different reasons. Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, emerged after the Civil War as a way to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who perished in battle. Over time, it evolved into a day of remembrance for all American military personnel who died in service.
The Second Amendment, on the other hand, has been a subject of contentious debate since its inception. It reads:
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
This single sentence has sparked countless discussions about the meaning of
“the right to keep and bear arms”, and its implications in modern society.
The Connection
At first glance, the connection between Memorial Day and the Second Amendment might seem tenuous. However, both are linked by the broader theme of freedom and sacrifice. The men and women we honor on Memorial Day fought to defend the principles upon which this nation was founded, including the right to self-defense and individual liberty.
For many Americans, the Second Amendment symbolizes the idea of self-reliance and protection against tyranny. It represents the ability to safeguard oneself, one’s family, and one’s community from external threats. Just as our fallen soldiers gave their lives to protect these freedoms on the battlefield, the Second Amendment ensures that citizens have the means to protect themselves in times of danger.
But with this right comes responsibility. Memorial Day serves as a poignant reminder that freedom is not free. It comes at a cost—one that has been paid with the blood of patriots throughout history. Similarly, the right to bear arms carries with it the responsibility to handle firearms safely, to respect the law, and to uphold the principles of a just and civil society.
On Memorial Day, as we gather to pay tribute to our fallen heroes, let us also take a moment to reflect on the enduring significance of the Second Amendment. It reminds us that the freedoms we cherish are not guaranteed. They must be defended and preserved for future generations. As we honor the memory of those who gave their lives for our country, let us reaffirm our commitment to upholding the principles of liberty and justice for all.
Tyranny is the problem with the progressive anti-liberty mindset. Whenever possible, they employ tyranny over us with glee and enthusiasm. Why? Because they tell themselves they’re saving us from ourselves. It isn’t that the 2A or 1A are fundamental problems. Rather, the average progressive, post-modern, neo-Marxist, or run-of-the-mill left winger can’t handle a world they don’t control. It won’t matter to them that you and I, among 99% of the rest of us do well, sometimes even great, with the exercise of our civil liberties, but more that they can’t imagine doing anything of the sort themselves. And because they can’t think through what it would be like to defend oneself with a firearm, they seek to remove any choice for you to do so.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be “cured” against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.”
Lewis does a pretty good job of outlining this fundamental problem in the quote above. If you cut to the core of these silly progressive liberal arguments, you inevitably come to one irrefutable truth. They can’t possibly grapple with the precept surrounding responsibility and consequence. They wish to place upon us restrictions that make them feel better about themselves with simultaneous safety nets to make it work.
Why safety nets you ask? Well, when the consequences are no longer bound to the choices we make, we simply don’t learn the lesson. Without lessons learned, we are apt to make more bad choices. With more bad choices, we see poor outcomes associated with everything you can chart, categorize, or easily reference. To avoid the truth associated with such endeavors, safety nets are necessary to mask the logical conclusion that ethics matter and serve as the basis for our morals in action.
This isn’t to say progs don’t care about people. Of course, they do. But they don’t love them enough to allow them to grow in ways that can often result in a bruised knee or a scraped elbow. My dad pushed me down the driveway, which had a considerable grade, without training wheels, and yelled, “Peddle son!” Guess what? I learned to ride a bike in 7 seconds. How long might it have taken me if I’d had training wheels on? I’m unsure, as it was the road not traveled. But I’m guessing longer than 7 seconds. Dad wasn’t wrestling his own mind about what was going to happen or not happen when he gave me a push. He had sized me up, knew I was probably ready to rock, and gave me a shove. Progs have a hard time with that metaphorically speaking, so they tend to avoid the possibility it won’t go well, by placing everyone on perpetual training wheels for their own good.
Unfortunately, their version of training wheels is perpetual intolerance of us while demanding 100% tolerance of them. Thus, tyranny and Hell on Earth. Pay close attention to what they say when they’re talking. They rarely skip an opportunity to talk down to you. Go read the Lewis quote above again, and let it sink in.
GUNCON 2024 is happening and it isn’t too late to get your tickets and be part of the “collective” as it were… This event is the next evolution of our TGC Panel you know and love. We are bringing together some of the top content creators, some of your favorite brands, and YOU all at the Brownells HQ! There will be tours of the Brownells facility, tons of cool guns and gear, as well as some big giveaways!
The Gun Collective is brought to you by Jon Patton, and he produces all the content for TGC. Jon makes every effort to be honest and forthright, focusing on educating firearm owners and enthusiasts, while pay close attention to continual quality content. The news, reviews, videos, or podcasts you see coming from TGC is top tier. That’s what makes GUNCON being held in our neighborhood so exciting. You can listen to the panelist discussions, talk to vendors directly, and shake hands with the people you’ve followed for years. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.
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