Are you contemplating getting a concealed carry permit? If you’re on the fence, here are 4 good reasons to carry a gun (and one reason you shouldn’t.)
Before I’d met my husband, I don’t think I’d even seen a gun in person. They were this mystical thing that I knew police officers and bad guys carried, but that’s about it.
And at that time, I was a proponent for super strict gun control, because hey, it made sense on the surface – if nobody has guns, nobody can use them to hurt people, right? Oh, how times change.
But because I didn’t know anything about guns, I was particularly confused when I met my husband. He carried a gun, but he wasn’t yet a police officer and he definitely wasn’t a bad guy. He just didn’t fit into my pre-formed opinion of who used and carried guns, and I was intrigued. He told me about why he carried a gun and offered to take me shooting, and when he did, I was terrified. I thought the gun was going to fly out of my hand or just shoot randomly somehow. I was completely clueless.
As I got to know him, I became convinced that guns were not as scary or dangerous as I thought they were (in the right hands, of course.) And that’s when I decided I wanted to carry a gun, as well – and here are some of the reasons why.
4 Reasons to Carry a Gun
You just never know what could happen.
You hear all those awful stories in the news. You hear what bad things can happen, and especially with a husband in law enforcement you’re unfortunately acquainted with the random unfortunate things people can do. And I don’t know if it’s better reporting or if they really are on the rise, but man. It seems like they’re more common than ever.
If you carry a gun and know how to use it, you’ll be better prepared if you’re ever (God forbid) in a situation like that.
Law enforcement can’t always be there.
I’ve seen memes about, “I carry a gun because I’m not strong enough to carry a cop.” And it’s true. Law enforcement can’t always be around, and when it comes to a threat on your life, seconds matter – and you’re looking at at least several minutes before police would even be able to arrive.
In fact, studies suggest the average police response time is 10 minutes. That’s an incredibly long time, when you think about it. Could you hold someone off for 10 minutes sans weapon? Especially if that person had a weapon?
You never know what could happen – and the better prepared you are to take care of your own safety, the better off you will be – not to mention those around you. Speaking of which…
It allows you to protect your family.
My family is everything to me… and as such, I hate when I forget to carry my gun with me. Especially when I find myself in an area that’s sketchier than I expected.
What I hate is the helpless feeling. I hate not knowing what I’d do if something went down, especially when I have my toddler with me. His safety is my responsibility, and I take that seriously. Because I, A., never know what could happen, and B., can’t have law enforcement with me 24/7, it’s important that I have something with which to defend myself.
It helps you be more aware of your surroundings.
To be clear, having a gun by itself doesn’t cause this – it’s the responsibility that goes with it.
When you carry a gun with you, it means you have the means to protect not only yourself, but those around you. It means you need to be more aware of what’s going on around you because if action needs to be taken, you need to be prepared.
Having a gun on you means running through scenarios in your head so you’re prepared if they ever happen. It means you understand the circumstances under which you might need to draw and fire your weapon and are prepared to do so.
That responsibility makes you more aware of who’s around you at any given time. It makes you less likely to want to turn your back to people – which also means you and your husband might fight over the “prime spot” in a restaurant, but that’s a minor thing.
The one reason you shouldn’t carry a gun?
You shouldn’t carry a gun if you don’t think you could actually use it.
To be clear, I’m not asking that you be gung-ho and go out looking for a fight. That’s not it at all.
But if you think you can carry a gun as a deterrent (without ever having to use it), don’t carry one at all. Even if you think you’d rather shoot someone in the leg rather than take their life, please think long and hard about it.
Having a gun you’re unwilling to use means it’s more likely to be used against you than protect you.
Honestly, I think the benefits of carrying a gun far outweigh the downsides – but it’s completely an individual choice. You have to decide for yourself whether you’re ready and willing to take on that responsibility.
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