I'm surprised no one else has written this column in the aftermath of Sept. 11.

I've waited this long because I thought it was so obvious. But if no one else is going to state what should be apparent in the light of the war we face with terrorists, I am glad to do it.

The message is simple, Americans: Arm yourselves.

We as a nation have never had a more crystal-clear reason for doing it – at least not since 1776. Our founders understood that an armed, vigilant, self-governing moral people was the best guarantee of preserving freedom.

Once again, this self-evident truth needs to be re-stated.

As Americans look around at our bridges, our tunnels, our airports and our nuclear reactors, we see armed troops. Why? Because there is an enemy within our midst attempting to destroy us, kill us, terrorize us.

I understand the need for armed force at such installations. But there is even more cause for all good, able-bodied Americans to take up arms. We can't rely on a few thousand National Guardsmen to protect us. This is a cause for all of us. We must all do our part.

I was a little disappointed when President Bush suggested the most patriotic thing Americans could do in these trying times was shop.

I know how important commerce is to our country. But there's something more important if we are to defeat this implacable foe of Islamicist terrorism. We all need to be on guard. We all need to be prepared. We all need to be ready to defend ourselves and our country.

Can you imagine how dangerous it would be for the handful of terrorists in this country if 250 million Americans were armed and on patrol against them?

That's what I want to see.

Dear people, the events of Sept. 11 demonstrated clearly to one and all that the government cannot protect you. It cannot protect your loved ones. It cannot protect our borders. It cannot even protect the biggest, tallest buildings – the very heart of our economy and financial system.

I'll tell you something. I'll let you in on a little secret. I've been packing heat ever since Sept. 11. I'm locked and loaded. I'm just waiting for one of Osama bin Laden's suicide artists to show up around me, my family or my business. Because that's exactly what he will be doing – committing suicide.

Not only should Americans be arming themselves as never before – cognizant of the fact that their very freedom, their very way of life, their very lives may depend upon it – we should also be exposing the attempts by government to disarm us incrementally.

That process must come to a screeching halt.

The founding fathers didn't craft the Second Amendment to the Constitution because they were concerned about hunting rights. They were concerned about two things and two things only – that Americans could defend themselves adequately against foreign threats and that they could hold their own government accountable for transgressions of freedom.

The only kind of hunting I'm interested in is hunting down terrorists like dogs.

Never before in American history have we faced a combination of those threats as we do today.

It's time to let Washington know that homeland security begins with an armed and vigilant populace – constantly on guard for threats in our own community. We'll never be secure in our liberty if we rely exclusively on armed government agents to protect us. In fact, it is a recipe for disaster – a prescription for loss of freedom.

I'm shocked that the National Rifle Association has not made this point emphatically in the last two months. Never before have those of us who understand how vital an armed populace is to the preservation of freedom had a better opportunity to make our case.

For most of our history, America has been insulated from foreign threats. No more.

The war has come home. Americans want to do more. They want to take responsibility. They want to fight back.

Now is the time. This is the way. Get yourself a gun. Learn how to shoot. Demand your government roll back all the anti-gun legislation of the last 25 years. Insist airline pilots be armed.

If Osama bin Laden and his supporters want a war on American soil, let's give them one. This isn't a war against the U.S. government. This is a war against the American people. Are you ready? Let's show them how a free people fight.

Don't miss Joseph Farah's exclusive report "Jihad in America" in the November issue of Whistleblower magazine, WorldNetDaily's monthly offline publication. Order your subscription now.

Joseph Farah is editor and chief executive officer of WorldNetDaily.com and writes a daily column. Get an autographed, first-edition copy of Joseph Farah's 1996 book, "This Land Is Our Land," published by St. Martin's Press.