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By Genie Jennings, Long before she heard of the Second Amendment, long before she learned of the Constitution, long before she held a gun in her hands, Nicki Fellenzer understood her need of all three. At the age of eight, a self-described skinny little Jew, on the border of Poland and Ukraine she became instinctively aware of the fundamental necessity for self-defense. She knew she needed the means to protect herself because she was defenseless, as were her parents.
The family was reunited and ultimately settled in America. In school she learned about the Constitution of the United States of America. As she grew older she developed a keen interest in the Bill of Rights. Like many immigrants, she grew up with a stronger sense of the freedoms possible in this land. Real freedoms: the freedom to travel, to live unmolested, to prosper, to protect oneself and one's possessions, freedom to move about without carrying "papers," without being subjected to humiliation at the hands of brutes. Like many immigrants, she has finely tuned antenna that sense
when these freedoms are being diluted and usurped. She has already
experienced the consequences of losing them. She enjoys writing about them, also. Angel Shamaya, then director of KeepAndBearArms.com, published her first article, The Moment, which poignantly describes the border-crossing episode. Nicki became a frequent contributor and eventually news director. She continued in that position after Second Amendment Foundation bought the site, until she deployed to Kosovo with the Army National Guard in 2006. She was a contributing editor for the NRA's Woman's Outlook throughout its operation, and writes occasionally for Concealed Carry magazine. She defends all individual rights. It is easiest to find her on the web. Her earlier writings are readily available through goodsearch.com. (This is a search engine similar to the familiar Google, but each search results in a donation to a charity of your choice. I designate Second Amendment Foundation as my charity and suggest you do the same.) Or, you can go directly to thelibertyzone.com to enjoy her prolific no-holds-barred, no-words-minced blogs about guns, issues of the day, and just about anything that enters her field of vision. Nicki has been pleasantly surprised by "how receptive people are in the DC area and Northern Virginia to an armed female." Far from the media-induced perception "that people are afraid of those who are armed, that guns make them nervous Most people I meet are nothing if not receptive to the idea of armed self-defense, even if they aren't familiar with guns. They all seem receptive to learning." She is not so pleased with the observation that others have also made about the divisions within the pro-gun community. She says, "I always thought if you believe in gun rights, that's what you believe, and you should stand with those who have similar views and work out any differences in opinions in a rational manner. But emotions fly pretty high when it comes to gun rights"
Nicki has protected her country with her Army service. She continues to protect her human rights by educating the public. She is protecting her children. For all our children to grow up in a truly free nation we need to maintain the right to keep and bear arms. It is the sword of yesterday, the gun of today, something absolutely marvelous tomorrow that will keep us all free. No citizen of this country should fear his government. No child should watch in horror as her daddy is taken away for the crime of his beliefs. Self-defense is the most essential human right. Without the
right to preserve our own life, we have no rights. Throughout
the world we Americans are among very few who have this basic
right. Throughout the world there are other eight-year-olds bearing
the unbearable. |
That knowledge came in an instant. She had run after
her father who was being led away from his family by officials.
Her way was blocked by a large guard who thrust a rifle towards
her face as the terrified little girl reached out and called
for her daddy. It was a life-shaping event, a lesson never to
be forgotten. Years later she would describe it in minute detail.
When asked about her goals, Nicki responds, "I
have many. To improve my skills through more range time. To ensure
that my kids grow up with a healthy respect for firearms, and
a sense of personal responsibility. To spread the message throughout
the mainstream that gunowners are not paranoid loons, like they're
often portrayed in the media. To see my kids grow up in a truly
free nation."
