The nation watched in horror as “anti-ICE” protestors stormed a church in Minneapolis on Sunday, January 18, 2026. This was not just a trespass into a peaceful church building; it was a trespass into the soul of America. Vitriol, hatred, and rage that was once expressed mostly towards law enforcement doing their jobs is now being aimed at the Christian Church. This startling shift in reality requires a change in mindset. Below, I make the case that collective training with firearms is both our civic and patriotic duty.
One of my best friends and former law enforcement partners used to say, “drunk words are sober thoughts.” The rage-filled leftists who stormed that church on Sunday illustrated that violence against the innocent is the natural progression of their movement.
That statement is not based upon paranoia, but simply rational observation. If those who oppose us are prepared to use violence against the weakest of us in a solemn and sacred environment, does it not follow that we should be prepared to defend ourselves and those we love?
Winning the Culture War
Edmund Burke famously stated, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” This statement is incredibly germane to this culture war – and yes, whether you admit it or not, America is in the greatest war we have ever experienced, although it does not involve a standing military.
Everything about our culture, heritage, and beliefs is being threatened into extinction. The rejection of God, the exaltation of immorality, the denial of decency, the propagation of nationwide coveting through socialism, and the continuous and various forms of enslavement that the political elite so maniacally pursue are all examples of this.
Only one thing stands squarely opposed to the devastating outcome that wicked men and women wish to see carried out in our nation: you. This is why the principles of the Second Amendment are so thoroughly disdained by the left. (Ironically, the same American left that cried out for the citizens of Ukraine to be armed during the Russian invasion, simultaneously demanded that American citizens be stripped of their rights to own military-grade weaponry.)
A large part of winning the culture war is about embracing patriotism. We must take back the cultural narrative of training with the decent people in our communities. Training to shoot, move, and communicate is not only patriotic but also necessary to a free state. If we, as a collective citizenry, are well-armed and well-trained in the application of arms and tactics, we make ourselves and the community a fortified people, able to provide protection for all that we love and hold dear. An armed and well-trained citizenry is a check against tyranny.
However, like most self-sufficiency skills, our society has normalized the delegation of national security, peace, and order to “the experts.” But when the Second Amendment was written, training to efficiently execute military small unit tactics with military-grade arms with members of your community was not only normal, but it was also expected (see a related article here).
Proficiency in arms and the mastery of tactics were the cornerstones of victory in the American Revolution and the safeguard from tyranny thereafter. It still is today. According to the National Parks Service Department of the Interior website archives, many American Colonies required, by law, all able-bodied men ages 16 to 60 to collectively train in military arms and tactics at least six days out of the year at the company grade level (about 100 men). This normative custom and law was the deciding factor in the battles of Lexington and Concord, in which well-trained citizens, possessing their privately-owned military-grade weaponry, engaged the most powerful army of the time.
The Practical Application of Militias
We can learn much from what happened to the citizens in the nation of Israel during the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. Or the disarming of thousands of countries throughout history, before their enslavement and subjugation to tyranny. Without the ability to own military-grade weaponry and train collectively, we place ourselves at the mercy of corrupt authoritarians bent on total control. This is not a fairy tale or some fictional novel. This is a repeatable pattern observed throughout human history, and the conditions in our national climate here and now are perfect for the destruction of our liberties.
Where to Start?
My recommendation is to find people in your community who are motivated by love for preserving life. People who prioritize their love for God, their families, neighbors, decency, their nation, and their community. Build networks and relationships with decent men and women who share the same heart and connect with each other to regularly train in the proficiency of arms as a community. Normalize this with your children and pass the skill along at an appropriate age.
How?
Whether you intend to defend your home, your place of worship, or serve with your community during times of chaos and unrest, investing in professional-grade training is an excellent, and arguably necessary, first step.
I am not referring to going to the range to practice or shoot with friends. Seek out professional, competent firearms and tactics instructors and make the investment into your proficiency with arms by training with them in group settings. The instructor(s) you choose needs to understand tactics and firearms and how they apply to small groups of men. They must also be able to transfer their knowledge and real-world experience in an efficient and safe manner to all levels of practitioners.
While not the only criterion, I recommend seeking out someone who has a military or law enforcement background and is grounded in understanding and upholding the Second Amendment. Don’t assume. Research the person or group with whom you are trusting your training investment. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Seeking to make your own skill at arms better will only serve to strengthen your community.
Carefully select the people you train with. They either are or will become your closest friends. These will be the same people who come to your aid when your vehicle breaks down, and when your loved one goes to the emergency room. Invest yourself in your community, and your community will return your investment when everything falls apart. This is how our society was intended to exist – “One nation under God, indivisible…”
We are facing difficult times where uncertainty is high due to ideological tensions. Only God knows the exact outcomes for our country and society. In the meantime, Americans who love their country can serve as the primary safeguards for our society and way of life through the normalization of collective training with military-grade arms.
