The Armed Citizen is a registered title by the National Rifle Association (NRA) to publish firsthand “armed citizen” experiences to share the value of gun ownership as permitted by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. The descriptive paragraph accompanying the experiences states “Studies indicate that firearms are used more than 2 million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate, imminent threat to life, limb, or in some cases property.”

The Armed Citizen published in the recent May 2026 issue of American Rifleman (The Official Journal of the NRA) included seven stories about such experiences in seven different states. Those stories could be classified as 4 were “at home” experiences; 1 was at a gas station; 1 involved a car; and 1 involved what sounded like a lovers’ triangle. In January the NRA published the final edition of America’s 1st Freedom (which was then The Official Journal of the NRA) which included The Armed Citizen. This time there were also seven stories from six states classified as 2 were “at home”; 3 were at a business; 1 was a carjacking; and 1 involved a wild animal.

That final edition of America’s 1st Freedom had for a cover story “On America’s 250th Year We Remember How Gun Confiscation Sparked the Revolution”. This informative article cites events in September of 1768 that led to the American Revolution. The writer, Stephan P. Halbrook, is also the author of other books to include The Founders’ Second Amendment and America’s Rifle: The Case for the AR-15.

Another recent pertinent article was “Second Amendment…or Second Class Amendment?” by David G. Weber published in the April 2026 edition of AMAC Magazine. Weber reminded us that after the American Revolution George Washington warned that the responsibility for preserving hard-won liberty fell upon the people and further warned against government overreach. He then mentioned that James Madison, in The Federalist Papers No. 46, said that the security of the republic and the liberty of the individual rest in an armed citizenry. Weber mentioned the U.S. Supreme Court’s history of reluctance to address Second Amendment issues, but then continued “On the occasions when the Supreme Court has squarely addressed the Second Amendment, it has consistently affirmed its original purpose and meaningfully constrained attempts to undermine it.” Weber concludes “If our Constitution rests on the cornerstone that ‘We the People’ are the sovereign authority, then ‘the right of the people to keep and bear arms’ is certainly its keystone, locking every other liberty into place. Remove the keystone, and the entire structure collapses.”

Many may claim that they are not a hunter or they have no interest in gun ownership. These people need to be informed that the Second Amendment is just one of Ten Amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution. Further, it is this Bill of Rights which grants us as citizens both many rights and protection from an overbearing federal government; rights and protections copied in many or most State Constitutions as well!

“We the people”, the legal citizens of these United States, are armed with something else to protect our freedoms, our values, and our American way of life – the vote. We not only have a right to vote but we have a responsibility to vote! Non-voters have elected many winners and probably approved many ballot initiatives, Constitutional Amendments, and ballot referendums. The most recent Wisconsin example of “missing voters” is the recent April 2026 Supreme Court Election where the conservative Maria Lazar received 600,000 votes. A year ago in a similar election for Justice of the Supreme Court the conservative Brad Schimel received 1,000,000 votes. And in November of 2024 President Trump received 1,600,000 from the same Wisconsin citizens. (In the 2026 Supreme Court election the liberal candidate won with just over 900,000 votes -- significantly less than Schimel’s 1,000,000 votes or Trump’s 1,600,000 votes!)

We the people not only have the responsibility to vote, but to be informed and be involved. Consider the three significant elections in the news last November: Mayor Mamdani of New York City, Governor Spanberger of Virginia, and Governor Sherril of New Jersey (all Democrats). There seems to be a lot of “buyers’ remorse” as what the voters thought they were voting for isn’t quite what showed up after Inauguration Day. While voters of New York City should have known their new mayor would be more Socialist than Democrat, voters in Virginia that voted for a moderate found out they had a diehard far-left liberal probably before Inauguration Day!

So get informed and get involved and vote!