Murphy, William J.

Virtual Commons - Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater ReviewVolume 3 | Issue 1 Article 13Dec-1984The Last Word: Home as Castle or FortressWilliam J. MurphyBridgewater State CollegeThis item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts.Recommended CitationMurphy, William J. (1984). The Last Word: Home as Castle or Fortress. Bridgewater Review, 3(1), 28.Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/br_rev/vol3/iss1/13• • • The Last WordHome As Castleor28I have always considered my home to bemy castle, but with 200 million privatelyowned guns in the United States it appearsthat a vast number of people consider theirhome to be their fortress.These people will contend that they haveguns primarily for recreational purposes butthat does not remove the possibility of thehome owner using his "recreational" gun toprotect his home, his property, and his lovedones.For any unannounced visitor, the signover the back door of many Americanhomes should no longer be "My Home is MyCastle." In its place should be a sign stating"My Home is My Fortress." Enter, then, atyour own risk.I own no guns. And as much as anythingelse, I have tried to teach my children aboutthe evils of gun ownership. So I have aspecial curiosity for the rationale of thosewho do keep guns in their homes. Notwithstanding the sporting uses, these gunowners point to the alarming number ofarmed robberies in homes.I am obviously affected by such databecause I can count ten kwikset locks on thefive doors of my house. They are all latchedeach night and also when the family is awayin order to secure our home. My nightlylocking ritual could be considered paranoicor it could be justified. My late father neverlocked any door at anytime in his home. Butthat was years ago.So, then, why do I choose to secure myhome with locks while my friend chooses tosecure his with weapons? After many dis-cussions with him, I have finally forced himto reveal his rationale for the possession ofhis Smith and Wesson .22 caliber pistol andhis Lugar.He believes in a fire-arms deterent policysimilar to our nation's philosophy of nucleararms deterrency. He contends that if allhomes were armed fortresses then all ourindividual little domiciles would be safefrom attack. Invaders would know this inadvance so none would cross our domesticboundaries.FortressThis otherwise kind and gentle friend ofmine informs me that his home is a fortressbecause there is a need for a balance of terrorin order to prevent crime and to enS'lre hisfamily's safety. Sounding a little like WinstonChurchill, he assures me that his homespunmutually assured destruction policy has pro-tected his home and the homes of othersfrom invasion.This microcosmic application of the worldarms buildup reminds me of Thoreau's essayexamination of an ant war in WALDEN.The point of Thoreau's essay is the futility ofwar motivated by jingoism. My friend'sjingoistic approach "ban outlaws don't out-law guns" -- reminds me of "My countryright or wrong" and "Life Free or Die" --both of which were invoked to justify arma-ment, war, and killing.Slogans sound so neat and clear until themoment of conflict arises. Imagine the pettythief on my friend's living room floor after ashoot out n "his own breast ... all torn awayexposing what vitals he had" and the pro-tector looking down at his "ghastly trophy."I question him by pointing to some of thefoibles of his home security strategy. First,an intruder who is determined to invade ahome to rob it of some valuable resourceswill not be deterred. He will simply applygreater stealth to his misdeed and will become,perhaps, more jittery and dangerous in theprocess.Secondly, what if an otherwise unarmedintruder, knowing that he is about to enteran armed fortress decides to employ "first-strike" tactics and, armed-to-the-teeth, entersmy friend's home? The terms of confronta-tion have escalated, and my friend is notguaranteed that he will be able to deploy hisweapons system in time. If my buddy thinksabout this long enough he may get jumpyand trigger happy. Now the prospect ofshooting an innocent visitor or some well-intentioned neighbor becomes great.Despite my pointing this out to him, myfellow human continues to stockpile weaponsin his home, and he supports passing lawswhich would mandate that every dwelling beprotected by firearms on the premises. Myfrustration builds. I begin to equate theindustrial weapons manufacturers pushingincreased defense spending with the AmericanRifle Association's suspected lobbying forlaws mandating a gun in every home. Para-noia sets in. I think of my home, my castle;my father's home, his castle; and my friend'shome, his fortress. I return to my backyardgarden and, like Thoreau, contemplate thegreat ant wars.William J. MurphyAssociate Professor ofSpecial Education

The Last Word: Home as Castle or Fortress

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The Last Word: Home as Castle or Fortress

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