Pick up a rifle and you change instantly from a subject to a citizen.

You do see things instantly as they change.

They had to start shaving my chin when I was 12 years old because light started to pick it up.

The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles.

Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands.

Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician.