I carry a gun. Pretty much all the time. Most people don't know this about me (so I'm putting it out here for all the world to see, certain that most of them won't look).
My mom knows. I was at her house when a police officer came over, because she had been the victim of a crime, and state law says I have to notify an officer when they interact on official business. Her only comment was, "But there's no lump or anything." I explained that that's exactly what "concealed carry" means. I was very impressed at how she didn't freak out at the news, but she was already (legitimately) freaking out about something else at the time, so I kinda squeaked by under the radar.
A few of my friends know. Two of them were out with me on a Saturday, and we decided to go to a movie, but the theatre has a sign posted saying that it has a capacity of 2500+. Only those with a concealed pistol license would recognize that as one of my state's nine "no carry" zones, so the sign doesn't mean anything to most people. But that day it did mean something to me, so I had to disarm and leave my gun in the car, and of course my friends saw me do that. Two more friends know, one of them carries, but they live on a military facility so when we visited I had to ask to leave my gun locked in their house under their authority for the duration of the visit, because I was not allowed to possess it on the base and not happy leaving it unattended at our nearby hotel.
See how I follow the laws? When we travel, I look up the laws of the states we'll be passing through, because they are all different. I also look up carseat laws for the kids (thankfully they're old enough now that they don't need boosters in most states). Based on the mainstream media, the mere fact of my gun ownership means I'm an anarchist or homicidal maniac or (best case) a redneck. Actually, I'm a thirty-something mom in a small town. I'm not even biker chic: I drive a minivan, mostly to take my kids to sports or to fetch groceries.
If I've been to your house, I was probably armed. Right there in front of you. Don't freak out. I didn't kill anyone (even when you said something mean about me), I didn't hand my pistol to your toddler, I didn't get drunk and start shooting at the moon or the squirrels or your dog (which is not actually your child, by the way, but that's another post). I'm no more dangerous than you are. I don't especially enjoy carrying a gun, any more than I enjoy wearing a seatbelt. Sometimes it gets in the way, much like a seatbelt. But I do it for the same reason that I wear a seatbelt, the same reason there's a fire extinguisher near my kitchen, the same reason I take my phone upstairs with me when I go to bed. Every day, when I get dressed, I pray for wisdom and protection - asking that I would never have to use it, but for guidance if I do.
If you don't want to carry a gun, fine. Really, if you don't want to, then I totally agree that you shouldn't. But don't tell me not to, because of how somebody else acted one time. That wasn't me. That won't be me. Those people were crazy, and no law is going to prevent crazy. Taking away my defense doesn't make you safer. I'm armed, not dangerous.
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