It was a moment that all Americans remember. On September 11, 2001 when United Airlines Flight 93 had been hijacked by a group of al-Qaeda terrorists and turned the plane around. Like the passengers on American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, they hoped and prayed that they would be released at some point and live. That was the hope. But when passengers spoke to loved ones by phone and learned that two other hijacked flights had been crashed into the Twin Towers and a third flight into the Pentagon, they knew what the hijackers were planning to do with Flight 93. They were most certainly going to crash it into some building and everyone on board would die.
So as much as most of the passengers on that plane wanted to play it safe and hope for the best, that option was no longer available to them. Brave passengers on board knew for certain they had to charge the cockpit and try to take control of the plane. One of the terrorists stood in their way with an explosive vest strapped to him which he threatened to explode if they tried to attack him. They had to take that risk and the last words heard by loved ones was, "Let's roll!"
That danger scenario applies to each one of us in our own lives. We are living in a world were home break-ins, drive-by shootings, attacks on the street by thieves, hijacked cars, abducted girls and children used for human trafficking, are all common. They happen all the time. We are all potential victims and must decide when is the time to stop playing it safe.
So what can we do to protect ourselves, defend ourselves? Well, like the passengers on Flight 93, we each have a choice. We can hope that we are not victims of one of those crimes and do nothing, which is a risk. Or we can prepare a defense, which means arming ourselves, which is also a risk. There are risks associated with not arming ourselves, just as their are risks connected with owning a gun. Each American must decide which risk they will take.
In the action-thriller novel, A Dangerous Freedom, Dylan Reilly chooses not to carry a gun. Initially, he didn't believe he had the courage to purchase a weapon and take the risks associated with gun ownership. But after he and his wife witness and escape three deadly attacks, he felt he was placed in the same position as the brave passengers on Flight 93. He realized he had no other choice and needed to purchase a gun to defend himself. So he chose to purchase a heritage Smith & Wesson six-shooter, trains and practices with a former U.S. Marine and with his quick athletic ability, becomes very fast on the draw, establishing himself as the fastest gun!
A Dangerous Freedom is the story of the everyman who takes heroic steps to defend himself and others around him, like a cowboy out of the Old West.