There exists perhaps no greater natural right than that of personal protection - defending oneself and one’s family from a violent action. At Nine Mile we believe that our natural right of self preservation is bestowed upon us by God, not by government. As a free people, our right to bear arms is forever enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Sadly, we live in very challenging times where the Second Amendment is under almost daily attack. Guns are vilified and demonized in today's culture, and those of us gun owners who routinely exercise our Second Amendment right and have adopted the gun-lifestyle, are erroneously branded by society as paranoid, dangerous extremists and a threat to national security. We at Nine Mile recognize that within our human nature exists the capacity to do evil, as well as good. We realize that America suffers from a heart problem, not a gun problem. Evil needs to be confronted not ignored, and it's impossible to legislate it away, and it can't be disarmed by disarming law-abiding citizens. Gun ownership is the bedrock of freedom and the badge of a free people. Author George Orwell once remarked, "That rifle on the wall of the laborer's cottage or working class flat is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there." At Nine Mile, we pledge to do our part to ensure that it does.