This Sunday Tim Schmidt is on 60 minutes.
"OK, I'll admit that my initial response to this particular text message was a little more, shall we say, intense than that. But truth be told, I'm surprised I could formulate any words at all after finding out that the folks over at 60 Minutes wanted to fly me out to New York for an exclusive interview.
My first thought — after disbelief, of course — was one of absolute, consummate, all-out terror. After that? Reluctance (and maybe even denial).
No way! I can't do it.
Of course, this wasn't the sort of thing you just "dismissed." 60 Minutes has, after all, been a staple on American televisions for almost 50 years.
So, after I had a second to catch my breath and quash that not-so-little voice of doubt, I sat down and thought about — and I mean really thought about — what this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity might mean for me, for the USCCA and, most importantly, for millions of responsibly armed Americans all across the country.
I thought about all the ways this sort of thing could help positively impact the current landscape and the pervasive attitudes of scorn and blame that so often plague men and women who carry firearms for self-defense. I thought about all the ways it could help shift focus from the myths and the misinformation to the undeniable, irrefutable truth about responsible gun ownership and concealed carry: that is, of course, that good guys and gals with guns help make our world a safer place.
And I guess I just sort of knew — despite all my reservations and that biting sense of fear — that I had to do it. In fact, I started to realize I had a responsibility to do it. I owed it to responsible gun owners everywhere to say "yes."
And so I did.
Now, I don't want to give too much away, but I can tell you that the interview — at least from my perspective — went exceedingly well. Of course, there's no telling how things went on their end — and whether or not they'll cut the footage to include the positive, pro-gun perspective I brought to the table ... well, that's up in the air.
But the bottom line is that I was afforded a national platform from which to talk about things that really matter — things like responsible gun ownership and concealed carry reciprocity (including the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 that's currently making its way through the Senate). The simple fact that I was able to give honest, law-abiding, responsibly armed Americans a voice on that national stage? That's HUGE.
You know, now that everything is said and done, I have to admit that my initial reluctance was quite unfounded; after we got talking, things got easier. What can I say? When you're passionate about something, it's not hard to talk about it — especially when the truth is on your side.
That being said, I hope you'll tune in to CBS on Sunday, February 11, 2018, to see my exclusive interview with 60 Minutes.
.
"OK, I'll admit that my initial response to this particular text message was a little more, shall we say, intense than that. But truth be told, I'm surprised I could formulate any words at all after finding out that the folks over at 60 Minutes wanted to fly me out to New York for an exclusive interview.
My first thought — after disbelief, of course — was one of absolute, consummate, all-out terror. After that? Reluctance (and maybe even denial).
No way! I can't do it.
Of course, this wasn't the sort of thing you just "dismissed." 60 Minutes has, after all, been a staple on American televisions for almost 50 years.
So, after I had a second to catch my breath and quash that not-so-little voice of doubt, I sat down and thought about — and I mean really thought about — what this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity might mean for me, for the USCCA and, most importantly, for millions of responsibly armed Americans all across the country.
I thought about all the ways this sort of thing could help positively impact the current landscape and the pervasive attitudes of scorn and blame that so often plague men and women who carry firearms for self-defense. I thought about all the ways it could help shift focus from the myths and the misinformation to the undeniable, irrefutable truth about responsible gun ownership and concealed carry: that is, of course, that good guys and gals with guns help make our world a safer place.
And I guess I just sort of knew — despite all my reservations and that biting sense of fear — that I had to do it. In fact, I started to realize I had a responsibility to do it. I owed it to responsible gun owners everywhere to say "yes."
And so I did.
Now, I don't want to give too much away, but I can tell you that the interview — at least from my perspective — went exceedingly well. Of course, there's no telling how things went on their end — and whether or not they'll cut the footage to include the positive, pro-gun perspective I brought to the table ... well, that's up in the air.
But the bottom line is that I was afforded a national platform from which to talk about things that really matter — things like responsible gun ownership and concealed carry reciprocity (including the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 that's currently making its way through the Senate). The simple fact that I was able to give honest, law-abiding, responsibly armed Americans a voice on that national stage? That's HUGE.
You know, now that everything is said and done, I have to admit that my initial reluctance was quite unfounded; after we got talking, things got easier. What can I say? When you're passionate about something, it's not hard to talk about it — especially when the truth is on your side.
That being said, I hope you'll tune in to CBS on Sunday, February 11, 2018, to see my exclusive interview with 60 Minutes.
.
![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
