Saturday night I was at a Mardi Gras party. No, it wasn’t a wild and crazy party. It was a party hosted by one of my neighbors, and the family are good cooks, so obviously that was my incentive to attend. (My wife’s incentive was that she loves to socialize and mingle, which I do not like.)
At the party I ate a lot of gumbo and other foods that tasted good, even though I had no idea what they were. Of course, at the party I’m often introduced as the “guy who runs a gun business” and folks come up to me and ask me various personal protection questions.
One of the people I talked to that night was a kid who was probably 21, and he had a huge black eye. He told me that he wanted to become a police officer, but he was having trouble getting a job and was now working for a security company. Apparently, the security company did not let their guards have any type of weapons at all.
The kid had a black eye…
Because someone wanted to gain entrance to a facility he was guarding and the person punched this kid in the face. I told the kid I might consider another security company that actually lets its employees have a way to defend themselves.
I also had a doctor come up to me at the party. He told me that he works in the ER and that he used to hate guns and think they were horrible, but he had just purchased one and wanted to hire me to train him. As soon as he told me that he used to hate guns but now has one, I asked him what changed his mind.
Well, one night this doctor was getting ready to go to sleep and he heard a strange noise coming from his basement. He looked out his bedroom window and he saw a man with a crowbar trying to break in through his basement door.
The terrified doctor called the police and then grabbed a baseball bat. He told me that he ran to the basement and started screaming and yelling for the guy to leave. Thankfully, the burglar did run off and about 20 minutes later the police arrived.
The doctor told me that if the burglar hadn’t run off and had broken in, he didn’t like the fact that all he had was a baseball bat and he realized he needed a gun. He also told me he now knows he can’t rely on the police since it took them 20 minutes to get there.
The thing is…
I hear this type of story all the time and it amazes me how many people in this country lack what I believe is common sense. No sane person ever wants to use a firearm against another human being, but if that human being is trying to break into your house and attack your family, it’s the best way to stop them.
Also, we all know that the cops – at the very best – will arrive in about 7 minutes, but usually longer, and by then it’s too late. In the doctor’s instance, he was lucky and he didn’t have to learn the hard way that everyone needs a gun in their house for home defense purposes. However, I have had women at my training classes come up and tell me that they used to hate guns until they were raped during a home invasion and now they realize they need one.
If you’ve got friends or family who are anti-gun, please tell them that it has nothing to do with being a Republican vs. Democrat. It has to do with the common sense that all Americans need to be able to protect themselves and that you don’t want them to realize they need a gun after they’ve been raped or had a horrible home invasion.
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Thank you for this great article. I am a woman who works in a sporting goods store behind the gun counter. So many women come in with their husbands, and I can tell that the women really don’t want to be there. I get a chance to talk to them about guns, and since I am a woman, I think I can see the little light of realization come on it their heads why it is important to own and gun, or at least know how to use one. I’m looking to become an instructor soon too.
I am an instructor too and my wife thinks that she doesn’t need a weapon, she even thinks that it’s unnecessary to even lock our car doors or have locks on our trailers, I have been trying to talk her into getting her permit because I won’t always be around to protect her and I would like to know that she can defend herself in my absence, I have taught several women in my classes and I just wish that she would attend one of my classes and get other women’s views on carrying, so if any one knows a great selling point to get her there please let me know!!
I told my girlfriend that she needed to take the safety class if she wanted to come put with me while I was carrying. I explained to her that this gun makes me a target and that if ever I was shot or incapacitated she would need to know how it works to defend us. That was all I needed to say, really.
Does your wife own a fire extinguisher? What happens if the house catches fire? Like a gun It is a tool she hopes she never needs to use,but if the time ever comes she wil be glad knows how to properly use either one.
The problem is that there is too much information out there, and far too much of that is false,
or bad information. Training is the key, you wouldn’t let your kid drive your car without some
serious discussion about the rights and responsibilities that come with the privilege of driving. The same common sense rules apply for any type of tool, would you let an 8 year old play with your sabre saw? No, obviously. The problem lies in the fact that we have anti-gun
folks in this country making up facts, misstating situations, and out and out lying to back up
their poor anti-gun arguement. Sadly, the NRA is no better, it propagandizes and vilafies the
statistics and studies about crime victems, both seem willing to go the extra mpile to deceive those leaning one way or another with regard to gun ownership. I own many guns, each with
at least one very specific job, and most that can and do multiple functions. I was trained from
the time I was first able to heft my dads shotgun, that this is a tool, it has a job, it does it well, but it can be misused and can destroy things if not properly respected. My father is a Marine,
and my whole family grew up with guns, never forgetting the lessons imparted by my dad
“any tool can be misused, and quite likely ruined if not handled with training and care”, information is power, use it!
We have a whole fifteen minute segment during our safety classes about the difference between a gun as a weapon/tool/toy(in that they are fun and pretty!)
Its important to discuss those differences.
I would have to disagree with you about the NRA…. they don’t misquote facts, rather show the difference between REAL FACTS vs FEARS….
the anti-gun establishment uses partial facts or make up facts to create fear for those not familiar with firearms, and people are starting to see how they have been misinformed….
politicians in DC and Chicago have had 30 years to try and prove the NRA wrong about the difference between people having and not having guns…. and after 30 years the facts are easy to see by comparing them with other cities and state crime rates…
the NRA needs to make strong statements, and correct the lies and misinformation produced by the anti-gunners, in order for people to stop and think for themselves and even do research to compare the facts and how they are figured out….
NRA has lead the way in training the average joe in safe firearm usage….
unlike yourself, who obviously had very good personal training from your parents, many today have grown up in suburbs where fear is taught, not respect….
guns have become somewhat alien to many and because of that, they have become easy prey to anti-gunners misinformation and lies….
here is something to think about…
without the NRA and the strong voice over the years against the anti-gunners, you probably would not own the firearms you have… the anti-gunners use erosion to get their way… look at Britain and Australia, their gun rights were slowly and systematically eroded away while they watched and thought “o they won’t really do that”, but they did!!
your statement about “information is power, use it!” is spot on….
that is why the NRA has become so important for gun owners, because they have taken the lead in informing people of the facts and disputing the lies…. warning people about bad legislature and pushing for good legislature for gun owners…. not just sitting back on their butts and letting the tide come in and slowly drown all of us gun owners….
just remember what happened to Britain and Australia….
edward
I fully agree. I was taught to cook. Taught to respect the flame as not to get burned or burn our food . In this same sense I was taught to handle our firearms.
I wish you would speak to my wife. I beg her to come to the range with me to practice with my .22 cal pistol. I don’t leave her home alone often, but when I do it would give me more peace of mind to know that she wouldn’t be at the mercy of the police to protect her if something terrible were to happen.
I need to visit you at your sporting goods store so you can talk some sense into my fiance! 🙂
Great story! People believe that bad things always happen to other people not them. I use to belive that too until one night I was confronted by a burglar. All I had was a weight lifting pole to defend myself. Luckily that was enough to scare the intruder away. The next day I bought a .45acp handgun. After that one incident I felt safer knowing that a handgun to protect my family. It is better than a metal pole.
Great story. I am LEO here i Texas and I believe every person needs to own as many weapons as they can. We as LEO are reactive in nature and show after the fact. Even after 12 years of being a cop, I still keep my CHL active.
Good story. Most folks have no idea how many home invasions, burglaries, robberies, and rapes occur daily and many don’t realise the value of owning a firearm and being trained to use it until something bad happens to a family member or friend. A 911 call can start help on the way but they will probably not arrive in time to prevent the tradegy. To keep you and your family safe, you must be able to defend them.
This is why We my wife and I have both have CCW’s .We live full time in a motor home and travel and sell jewelry .We both belong to usacarry allso and are NRA members
Nice that the good doctor finally woke up.
Thank the media portrayal of firearms…all the bad things happening to sell stories, or the mythical status that only ‘special’ people in TV shows or movies can use firearms wisely and well, and you get people who can spout twisted statistics (I recall one woman explaining to me how a firearm in the home was more likely to harm a family member, for example).
I find when I point out some common sense questions (e.g. during a chat in a museum, pointing out the options to protect his family if someone came in right then causing a problem, or on a hiking trail with his 2 little girls), I get a blank stare. If it hasn’t happened to them or someone close to them, it’s often hard to change minds.
Good article, I have my CCW and don’t leave home without my weapon and it stays beside my bed. I’m glad to see somebody say it has nothing to do with being a Republican or Democrat.
Tragic as it is when people learn the hard way that they’re not “safe” because of the mere existance of professional law enforcement agencies, there is a certain self-selection process at work. Those who lack the determination to acquire and maintain the skills and mindset necessary to responsibly keep and bear arms or are afraid of them, really should not be armed. Firearms are tools which do not work by magic any more than a motor vehicle drives itself; both are potentially deadly and only function properly under the control of a skilled operator paying attention to their proper use.
Tragic as it is when people learn the hard way that they’re not “safe” because of the mere existance of professional law enforcement agencies, there is a certain self-selection process at work. Those who lack the determination to acquire and maintain the skills and mindset necessary to responsibly keep and bear arms or are afraid of them, really should not be armed. Firearms are tools which do not work by magic any more than a motor vehicle drives itself; both are potentially deadly and only function properly under the control of a skilled operator paying attention to their proper use.
One in the bush will scare you so you better have one in the hand..
As a young athletic man, and unarmed, I was confronted by an armed robber during the intense civil unrest of the Hartford Riots. Being in a state of situational awareness, I used strength and agility of youth to avoid the unpleasant circumstances that the person had planned for me. Now that I am of a more sedentary lifestyle and age, my defense is CHL. Nice feeling to be in a CHL State, while residing or traveling, one never knows Who is armed. Everyone is so polite. :>)
It is amazing how many persons perform disaster planning after an event affects their immediate family. I never imagined it could happen to me…. I am pleased they survived to learn the lesson. Yes it is a beautiful day and I enjoy it more knowing I am prepared for an unusual event.
Ive been burglarized, ex wife was sexually assaulted, Ive been robbed at knife point, attacked on the street in 1980 by a gang of thugs….and enough else that it was obvious decades ago that luck is the only reason Im not dead or maimed today.
The only times Ive ever felt like I might have a chance against these criminal slimebags is when Ive owned a gun, which thankfully has been most of my life.
These antigun hive mind Brady drones out there living in their fantasy worlds where they apparently are invisible to a felons radar really astound me sometimes.
Even if THEY haven’t been assaulted personally, these idiots are rambling about crime rates on a daily basis, so they DO understand that there ARE criminals out there.
But apparently they can’t get those 4 brain cells to make the contact and connect the dots that “CRIMES” = “REAL HUMAN VICTIMS” in such a way as to comprehend that WE are being victimized…and it can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Hell, if crime only happened when we anticipated it…ie walking a dark alley at night…there would be NO crime because we’d ALL just avoid those scenarios.
Its as if they believe that crime is only theoretical or something…that its not really happening to people like THEM every single day.
Sadly enough the dopes only finally figure it out after they have been raped, burglarized or beaten half to death on the street.
Just about all there is to say, is that I am old…. In my life, as a child and young man,
Guns were had by most and used as tools… Back then, there was little or no doubt,
that there was a “tool” in the house… Another thing, back then, they were seldom
needed… NOW, “tools” are becoming rather necessary… I was taught to use, and
respect weapons, and some of what they were use for, was procurement of food…
Once in a while they needed to be use for defense.. It appears, now, that the role of
a Gun has been reversed…NOW they must be avaliable for defense, and not so much
food….(that doesn’t count sport hunters)
I carry concealed, because I can’t carry a Cop… I’m armed at home, because Cops
are available to make reports…”when they get there”… I am former Military, and I am
a retired Cop.. At best, when answering a home invasion call, I could get there in 5 to
10 minutes..I do not blame the Police, I know what they have to go through… I’m just
saying, that I do not rely on them to protect me, or my home…
Having a weapon, and knowing how to use it, and having the necessary training in
Safety, and the “training practice” to make it worth while, is something people should
start to understand, as a need, not luxury… Owning a gun isn’t a guarantee that you
will need it. (that depends on you) because just being aware is part of the battle..
My Son-in-law,( COP) told me, that some people carry part of the time, but that
just about the time you need one, will be the one time you don’t have it….
Furthermore there is an big arguement going on about What is the best, Open
Carry, or Concealed…. Personally, I prefer concealed… Why let everyone be sure,
as opposed to letting the bad guys guess….
A few weeks ago my wife was attacked in broad day light here in Los Angeles and on Wilshire Blvd. the guy sprayed Pepper in her eyes, hit her on the side of her head, grabbed her bag and briskly walked away. To my suprise no one came to her aid or called the cops. Her fone was in her pocket and when she finally regained herself she called the cops. Shes never liked guns and wouldnt have one in the house so i have a taser. She’s an attorney and we have reason to believe it may be work related but she wont tell me anything or why or who she suspects. It drives me crazy but i dont want to get one she wont know anything about. What do i do?
Another out of the park home run Jason! I think everyone of us has stories like this of people who started out being anti-firearms but then became (or came close to being) a victim of crime . . . which brought about their conversion over to our side.
I was a California law enforcement officer for a quarter of a century (now retired). I carry concealed all the time and refuse to return back to my native New York City because even as a retired cop with full carry rights on my pictured retired ID card . . . New York doesn’t want me back with my firearm. Screw them and the cesspool they’re now swimming in as a result of their position.
I now tell everyone I know to own a defensive firearm and keep it close by at all times regardless of the stupid laws! There was a time when it was also illegal for minorities to sit at a great many lunch counters in this country. They correctly protested that law and sat there anyway until that improper law was rescinded. I think it’s time EVERYONE in this country did the same thing with firearms. Citizens have to take back their rights and their country. The politicians (from either side) are not going to give them back to us. “A gun in your hand is worth more than a cop on the phone”.
Awesome quote on the end of your comments Cobra. I’m stealing that one!
Just read your comments Cobra and wish we had many more former LE and just plain old Americans that had the good common sense you expressed here. Thanks man!
A Cop can;t help you unless he is standing within about 10 ft; of you.Most of the anti-gun people have a armed body guard.
Like what u said but we are all think we live in a safe world and we dont think anything would ever happen to us. But we need to always be awear of are sarounding and be ready for anything
I am a retired professor and now train in karate. As we all know, our universities are hotbeds of liberal thinking and for years I bought the propaganda. When one trains in a martial art, eventually they become proficient at defending themselves, but gradually it sinks in that they will have no chance to survive if the bad guy has a gun. So, I analyzed my former attitude and came to the conclusion that I needed to get the training to be able to legally defend myself and my family with the best weapon available–a firearm. I now have a permit to carry.
As a former deputy sheriff, I know what response time can be, In the district I worked, we had 986 square miles of Arizona desert, and my time from one side of the district to the other, driving Code 3 was about a half hour, and my back-up may be 45 minutes to an hour away. I have now had CCW permits in Arizona and Washington. I saw a bumper sticker once. “When seconds count, 911, police are just minutes away.” You have an absolute right to defend yourself, and the SCOTUS has declared the police have no obligation to protect you.
God made us. Sam Colt made us equal. Paraphrasing what I read earlier, and while not strictly true, as close as we get in this world. A 90# woman or a 71 years old man has little chance in hand-to-hand with a young 200# burglar; a gun makes it closer to even and a career burglar has no interest in an even fight – it’s not professional and can terminate a career prematurely. And if you have a tool with which you are comfortable and enough practice to be confident, your chances with an amateur are much better than with neither. So anyone who says you shouldn’t own and know how to use a firearm is not on your side, nor on mine!
It is a shame when folks need to experience lawlessness before taking responsibility for their own safety. I have raised a couple of eyebrows by mentioning there are like 8,000 home invasions every day in the U.S. Sure helps explain why I am armed.
God made us. Sam Colt made us equal. Not as I read it originally, and not strictly true, but as close as we are going to get in this life.
Good article, thank you for the write.
As a Democrat I have convinced more than one liberal that guns aren’t bad. I have a CCW and believe that the constitution gives me a right to carry my gun pretty much anywhere I want.
I know that Democrats have a poor record on this issue, but I don’t think we’re as anti-gun as we used to be. I think we learned our lesson in the 80s and 90s. I don’t hear nearly as much anti-gun BS as I used to from my party. In fact, the panic that gun-lovers went into after Obama was elected turned out to be a huge over reaction.
I think the problem is that we don’t know how to reach other; we often talk past each other by bringing up arguments that make sense to US rather than ones that make sense to the person you’re trying to convince. Democrats tend to think people with guns will misuse them — often in anger — so a self defense argument doesn’t make them feel safe. They’re more afraid of you (the gun owner) than they are the criminal. Show them stats that prove CCW holders don’t misuse their guns and you’ll win them over more easily.
As medical resident many years ago in NYC it was suggested to carry. I have carried ever since!
It is sad that guns have to be a political party issue….i just don’t understand why people truly believe that if we outlaw guns, the criminals who have no regard for law much less others, would abide by that…..if guns kill people, so do cars….maybe we need to outlaw cars also…
My .40 goes nowhere but with me….and while I get grief for it, i also have 5 – 15 rd clips with it…..iI hope i never need em, but should i get accosted by street thugs and there are 4 of them, i want plenty of ammo…..I have been getting my wife to go to the range more often with me, and while my model 35 Glock is a bit heavy, trust me, she has no problem staying in the black at 30 feet or so…like i saw in a previous post about people wanting their significant others to be able to handle the weapon when needed, I also make her run through the entire cycle of loading, releasing and firing so she knows how the entire pistol works……great article jason
I’m surprised the Dr. didn’t want a gun to protect himself against the disguised drug dealers/users who frequent ER’s and Dr’s offices – it can be scary saying “no I won’t write you that prescription”.
SC FP MD
Some are slow learners. My daughter and son-in-law, with my grandson, have had their home burglarized twice. Lucky for them – it happened when they were not home. But the last time they arrived home within minutes of the event. Yet: they still forbid me to “carry” in the presents of my grandson, and on their property, and refuse to defend themselves. I can only stand buy and watch as they choose to be victims. I pray for nothing to ever happen to any of them – – but feel that some day soon they will learn a very hard lesson.
I was an anti-gun person myself for a number of years, mostly because I grew up with almost zero understanding or exposure to guns, but also because everyone around me was anti-gun, and because the media constantly reinforces the anti-gun point of view. I believed what they said because I had never been given anything else to believe. I was also very afraid of guns and extremely ignorant of how they worked, and because I was afraid I was unwilling to listen to “those paranoid weirdos” who actually carried guns around with them. I even literally did think that a gun could “go off” by itself.
I had my consciousness raised about ten years ago, and I am now a strong 2a supporter, I hunt, I target shoot, I own several different guns, and I carry concealed. But before I could see the light, there was a critical thing that had to happen first, and I believe it has everything to do with why anti-gun people seem to defy all reason and sanity with their beliefs. It has to do with basic fear. I had to learn not to fear guns.
(Let me first point out that I am generally talking about the anti-gun populace here, not the jerks in charge, who clearly just love being in control over a sheep-like public.)
Many, if not most, anti gun people (also more likely to be voters!) are women. Most of them have been taught literally zero about guns, have never held one in their hands, and are terrified by the thought of them. Most of these anti-gunners associate guns with crime: they see them as the tools of criminals. Outside of Hollywood, they have never heard or seen any stories about people defending themselves with guns. They think all sorts of inaccurate things about guns, mostly rumors based on fear. They fear for their children. They fear robbery and rape and car jacking, but in their mind, those things happen because of scary men who… carry guns. They (reasonably) want law and order, because a society based on law is safer for them and their children. They very often go into a sort of denial, to help themselves deal with these fears – they just tell themselves “it will probably never happen” to them. And they are conditioned from the day they are born to believe that they are themselves as women weak, they are conditioned to believe that all pro-gun folks are white, right-wing, militia men who hate women anyway, (incessantly screaming about “Liberals!” on gun websites doesn’t help, since most Liberals are women for the simple reason that they value their own reproductive freedom) and they are conditioned to believe that the police really are there “to protect and serve.”
And yet, their fears are valid. As we all know, we women have a lot to be afraid of, and we ARE more vulnerable, especially when our children are involved. So when a mayor, or a cop, or a TV personality tells us “we need more police, more laws, and stricter controls” on these scary-people-with-guns, the thought process immediately says, “yes! We as a society need to DO something!”
The problem is, we in the gun community can’t approach this perception problem by simply trying tell our pro-self-protection, pro-gun side of the story. We can’t fight denial with logic, and that denial keeps the anti-gun people from listening to begin with. There are usually two ways that women change their minds about guns: 1. they become a victim of crime personally, and it changes how they perceive the world (violence becomes real for them and they are traumatized) or 2. they are introduced – in a FUN way – to guns one day. One day they go shooting with someone who is patient, non-judgmental, safe, shows them how to be safe, and who shows them how much fun it is to handle guns and shoot them. They suddenly are able to view guns differently, and suddenly they realize that guns are not just owned by radical whack jobs, and suddenly they become a lot more open to new information from… the pro-gun side. The fear of the gun itself MUST be addressed first.
So what do we want to do? Wait until everyone is raped and sees the light? Or shouldn’t the entire gun community (right wing men too) ALL be bringing as many new women to the target range as is humanly possible? And while we are at it, shouldn’t the NRA begin putting women and Black spokesmen out there in the media – like ALL the time? I mean, I am sure Wayne LaPierre is a nice guy and all, but can’t gun organizations begin representing the OTHER half of the population for a change? Can’t we stop allowing gun owners to be perceived as misogynistic neanderthals?
We already have enough YouTube videos of guys laughing while they put a Desert Eagle into their unsuspecting girlfriend’s hands. We already have enough gun websites and forums where women and Liberals are relentlessly denigrated. If we truly want everyone to learn the value of 2a rights and self protection, we need to welcome everyone and make it fun FIRST.
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