Currently bouncing around Facebook, you will find a snappy little quote card with the picture of America's 35th president and a quote from one of his speeches, reading,
Today we need a nation of minute men; citizens who are not only prepared to take up arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as a basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom.
At the bottom of the card is the logo of the American Firearms Institute, which appears to be an NRA mini-me/wannabe whose sole purpose is extolling the virtues of gun ownership.
To the extent that they are willing to take a quote by John Kennedy which had nothing to do with gun ownership and make it appear to.
The snippet came from a message issued by Kennedy nine days after his inauguration, commemorating the life and work of President Franklin Roosevelt and outlining the vision--and imperative--of his own "New Frontier."
...
Today America is the richest nation in the history of the world. Our power and influence extend around the globe. Yet the challenges and dangers which confront us are even more awesome and difficult than those that faced Roosevelt. And we too will need to summon all the energies of our people and the capacities of our leaders if America is to remain a great and free nation -- if we are to master the opportunities of the New Frontier.
The dimensions of our problems overwhelm the imagination. At home millions are unemployed and the growth of our economy has come to a virtual halt. Abroad, we are faced with powerful and unrelenting pressure which threaten freedom in every corner of the globe, and with military power so formidable that it menaces the physical survival of our own nation.
To meet these problems will require the efforts not only of our leaders or of the Democratic Party--but the combined efforts of all of our people. No one has a right to feel that, having entrusted the tasks of government to new leaders in Washington, he can continue to pursue his private comforts unconcerned with America's challenges and dangers. For, if freedom is to survive and prosper, it will require the sacrifice, the effort and the thoughtful attention of every citizen.
In my own native state of Massachusetts, the battle for American freedom was begun by the thousands of farmers and tradesmen who made up the Minute Men -- citizens who were ready to defend their liberty at a moment's notice. Today we need a nation of minute men; citizens who are not only prepared to take up arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as a basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom. The cause of liberty, the cause of America, cannot succeed with any lesser effort.
It is this effort and concern which makes up the New Frontier. And it is this effort and concern which will determine the success or failure not only with this Administration, but of our nation itself.
The challenges of which Kennedy spoke were a moribund domestic economy and stagnant employment and an unstable international scene marked by existential threats to human freedom abroad.
Hard to see how having a Glock on the block is going to help in that effort, but I am not myself a single-issue fanatic, and perhaps don't understand the clarity one can enjoy when every problem looks like a nail--or gun regulation.