Guns for Beginners: Three Things They Don’t Teach You In Your Concealed Carry Class – that’s that title of a post over at The Truth About Guns that caught my eye. While I have never had to take such a class (not needed here in NH), it listed three items that just aren’t covered in such a class that, well, are true:
- Carrying a Gun Makes You Paranoid – At Least at First
It does, it really, really does. No matter what caliber or frame you carry, nor how you carry it, it’s different. And being more an introvert than an extravert (ok, you can shut your very wide open eyes in disbelief now), it was also “awkward“. IS everyone looking at me? Can my friends and family stop looking at me? They MUST know, right? On the hip, in the pocket, inside the waistband…..
Not really
And they really didn’t care much; just another “how’ya doin’ Skip?”. “Hey Dad, can I ask you something…”. TMEW knew, mostly. And then it just becomes part of the attire as much as keys, money, and wallet are.
- Carrying a gun changes your personality – for the better – “Gun control advocates have this strange idea: they believe that carrying a gun makes a person into amucho macho trigger-happy Clint Eastwood wanna-be. Like so many of the antis’ “arguments,” they’ve got it exactly backwards”.
Very true. As Heinlein put it: “An armed society is a polite society“. Look, I’ve never been “a bad boy” – Mom raised me to be otherwise: “please and thank you”, hold the doors for ladies and the elderly, help the infirm when needed, position the chair for your lady friend, and always put TMEW first – and yes, I’ve even laid my coat over a puddle. But carrying is a Responsibility – a big one. It isn’t being macho or that “little thing” that antis talk about either. It is knowing, all the time, that I may have to cause great harm – and that does put the fear of God into one, as for me I do believe that I will answer to Him one day. Sure, if I haven’t “gamed” this out (er, visualized as part of that responsibility), if I make a wrong decision, I may well answer to human authorities but it will be minor compared to that later Judgment (that drives me even more than just “legalities”).
You DO become more aware and you DO think “how do I just walk away from this situation” and not worry about machismo, cowardice, how will I look, how will others perceive me or anything some such little thing. You do NOT want to endanger anyone around you MORE than the possible danger to yourself. You DO put others ahead of yourself. And yes, I will admit as a political blogger, in this highly partisan and “everything is personal AND political 24/7”, I don’t want to be “that guy” that screws it up. Yes, you are better – more tolerant, more polite, slower to anger, slower to take offense, and more willing to take more “guff” than otherwise. I spent a number of years learning martial arts and both it and carrying teach two things – becoming more aware of your situation(s) and how to “not fight”.
But you also know, well ahead of time, where that line is when more goes to “no more”. You will do everything you can to stay away from that line, but in carrying, you have already decided that your life, or that of your loved ones, becomes of prime importance. You will not allow grave harm to come to yourself but you are quite willing to stand between that grave (“the anti-” to polite society) threat and loved ones. In that, one will be the reluctant first responder.
And no, I do not “dream” of such to happen. Quite the opposite; I do try to avoid places, times, and situations that would foster such a confrontation – I totally reject the notion of “victim shaming” (re: don’t blame the victim) that says you can dress and be anywhere anytime and engage in suspect behavior and believe that “bad consequences” don’t happen. They do – there are people out there that have no problem in trying to dominate or take advantage of those they believe they can. That’s Life and there is Evil out there personified. It just makes perfect common sense to not do stupid things or be in stupid places at stupid time – why pile up risk upon your head?
Dalton: “I want you to be nice until it’s time to not be nice”.
- Carrying a gun is addictive – “Anyone who carries a gun on an everyday basis can tell you about those times when they suddenly realize they’re not carrying one.”
I had to go to San Diego a few weeks ago. Sheriff there won’t even allow his RESIDENTS to have carry permits, much less from NH. It DID feel very weird – all week long. Had to go to Massachusetts on Saturday – felt even weirder then for at least in SD I was in a hotel and “not my car”. I had to make sure that I didn’t even have any ammo or spent shells with me – car, bag, clothes. After all, I can no longer put my right foot into your left ear from 6″ away like I used to and I’ve learned there are a lot of folks out there that are stronger, faster, more flexible, and holding more dastardly intent than I want to think about. So yes, you do feel “naked”.
Far more than the first observation.
