Ethics from the Barrel of a Gun

"Nothing most of us will ever do combines the moral weight of life-or-death choice with the concrete immediacy of the moment as thoroughly as the conscious handling of instruments deliberately designed to kill. As such, there are lessons both merciless and priceless to be learned from bearing arms — lessons which are not merely instructive to the intellect but transformative of one's whole emotional, reflexive, and moral character."
Eric Raymond.

Rarely one comes across an essay so profound, I believe I could render a book of quotes from this short essay on the bearing of weapons by Eric Raymond.

Profound, and needful reading.