I believe in a lot of things, and today I’d like to share with you what, exactly, those things are.

These beliefs have shaped not only who I am as a person, but who I am as a father, a responsible gun owner and the leader of the USCCA.

This is what I believe, but tell me … What do you believe?

I believe that most people are inherently good.
I believe, when given the chance, most people will do the right thing.
I believe that most Americans will do anything for their families.
I believe that true Americans love their country.

I believe in God.

I believe that opportunity is usually disguised as hard work.
I believe that the free enterprise system is a gift from God.
I believe that the ability to forgive and forget will set you free.
I believe that the harder you work, the luckier you get.

I believe in Liberty.

I believe in choosing to be happy.
I believe in accepting responsibility for everything that happens to me.
I believe that every challenge or obstacle is an opportunity to become a better person.
I believe that life can be tough, but at the end of the day, life is what you make of it.

I believe in my Family.

I believe that evil exists. It just does.
I believe it is my responsibility to protect all that is good from all that is bad.
I believe in preparing for the worst while anticipating the best.
I believe in the natural-born and inalienable right to self-protection.
I believe that the man or woman who shirks the duty to defend and protect simply doesn’t understand his or her true responsibility as a God-fearing and freedom-loving American.

I believe in Myself.

I believe that a gun cannot be good or bad. It is simply a thing. A tool.
I believe that the founders of our country liberated themselves, their families, their country from tyranny with these tools we call guns — and thus started the greatest experiment in freedom the world has ever seen.
I believe the statistics that tell us responsibly armed, law-abiding Americans use guns more than 2,739 times EVERY DAY to defend the lives of their loved ones.
I believe in being peaceful and avoiding conflict at all costs.
But when that conflict comes after me and pushes me in a corner, I believe in fighting as if the lives of my children and loved ones depend on it … because they do.

This Is What I Believe.

What do you believe?

Take Care and Stay Safe,

Tim Schmidt
President | USCCA

P.S. If you believe in any of the things I do, I encourage you to join me and 285,000 other responsibly armed Americans as we work toward a safer and more prepared tomorrow.