Seven years ago this month, I received my first permit to carry a concealed handgun. I walked into the county courthouse, made my way to the court clerk's office, gave them my name, and signed the small card they handed me.
One month before, I had taken a class covering basic gun safety and handling, passed a written test on the material, and fired 50 rounds at a target under the watchful supervision of the instructor.
The court and sheriff's department had 45 days to conduct a background check on me. They also called me and asked several questions related to the information on the application form. I assume that part of the call's purpose was to assess my mental competance and awareness of legal and safety issues.
Finally, I got a postcard informing me that my permit was ready and waiting for me at the courthouse.
So... did this little card turn me into Dirty Harry, eagerly awaiting some "punk" to "make my day"?
Hardly.
I don't like violence, whether in real life, video games, TV shows, or anywhere else. I'm a lover, not a fighter. But I'm also a realist, and as such I know that evil exists, and it takes some horrific forms. What this permit does is to relieve me from having to choose between protecting myself and my family, or violating the law.
In my old home state, I had to make this decision constantly; when closing my business at 2 A. M. and walking to my car through a dark parking lot; when entering a convenience store or gas station late at night; when going to a fast-food place in the "bad" part of a city. Gun permits were almost impossible to get, but crime was not impossible to find. My old home state assumed a "guilty until proven innocent" attitude about gun owners; if you carry a gun, you must be one of the "bad guys", and the onus is on you to prove your "need" to carry a gun to their satisfaction.
My new home state recognizes that I'm one of the good guys, with a constitutional right to carry a gun for general protection of myself and those around me. It's good to live in a state that recognizes and acknowledges my responsibility with a gun the way they acknowledge my responsibility with a car, a vote, or a profession. It's good to pass law-enforcement officers, knowing they can now recognize me as one of the "good guys" rather than presume that I'm one of the "bad guys". It's good to set an example for my children of following and respecting the laws, rather than having to sneak around like a criminal in order to do the right thing. I look forward to more states easing their restrictions, enabling their "good guys" (and gals) to protect themselves within the law.
But I don't want to use my gun, any more than I want to use the three fire extinguishers distributed throughout my house. I have experience using different types of extinguishers, and I know when to fight a fire, and when to get out. My hope is to never have the need. Fires do happen, however, and a young, small fire is much less dangerous than one which has grown by even a minute.
Likewise, crimes happen, and a person may quickly find themselves and / or their family in danger of death or great bodily injury. For decades "crime experts" have advised: "Don't resist, don't fight, just give the criminal what they want, and you won't get hurt".
Really? Give the criminal what they want?
Your body?
Your kid?
Your life?
Increasingly, today's sociopathic criminals aren't content to take your wallet and leave you alone. That may not even be their primary objective. While "honor among thieves" has never existed, the prevalence of random, senseless violence today precludes any semblance of a social contract between criminal and victim. A crime expert I respect has said: "Don't try appealing to a criminal's better side - he may not have one".
So I will continue to protect my family - legally if possible;
But to any would-be criminals, I ask "Please don't make my day"
One month before, I had taken a class covering basic gun safety and handling, passed a written test on the material, and fired 50 rounds at a target under the watchful supervision of the instructor.
The court and sheriff's department had 45 days to conduct a background check on me. They also called me and asked several questions related to the information on the application form. I assume that part of the call's purpose was to assess my mental competance and awareness of legal and safety issues.
Finally, I got a postcard informing me that my permit was ready and waiting for me at the courthouse.
So... did this little card turn me into Dirty Harry, eagerly awaiting some "punk" to "make my day"?
Hardly.
I don't like violence, whether in real life, video games, TV shows, or anywhere else. I'm a lover, not a fighter. But I'm also a realist, and as such I know that evil exists, and it takes some horrific forms. What this permit does is to relieve me from having to choose between protecting myself and my family, or violating the law.
In my old home state, I had to make this decision constantly; when closing my business at 2 A. M. and walking to my car through a dark parking lot; when entering a convenience store or gas station late at night; when going to a fast-food place in the "bad" part of a city. Gun permits were almost impossible to get, but crime was not impossible to find. My old home state assumed a "guilty until proven innocent" attitude about gun owners; if you carry a gun, you must be one of the "bad guys", and the onus is on you to prove your "need" to carry a gun to their satisfaction.
My new home state recognizes that I'm one of the good guys, with a constitutional right to carry a gun for general protection of myself and those around me. It's good to live in a state that recognizes and acknowledges my responsibility with a gun the way they acknowledge my responsibility with a car, a vote, or a profession. It's good to pass law-enforcement officers, knowing they can now recognize me as one of the "good guys" rather than presume that I'm one of the "bad guys". It's good to set an example for my children of following and respecting the laws, rather than having to sneak around like a criminal in order to do the right thing. I look forward to more states easing their restrictions, enabling their "good guys" (and gals) to protect themselves within the law.
But I don't want to use my gun, any more than I want to use the three fire extinguishers distributed throughout my house. I have experience using different types of extinguishers, and I know when to fight a fire, and when to get out. My hope is to never have the need. Fires do happen, however, and a young, small fire is much less dangerous than one which has grown by even a minute.
Likewise, crimes happen, and a person may quickly find themselves and / or their family in danger of death or great bodily injury. For decades "crime experts" have advised: "Don't resist, don't fight, just give the criminal what they want, and you won't get hurt".
Really? Give the criminal what they want?
Your body?
Your kid?
Your life?
Increasingly, today's sociopathic criminals aren't content to take your wallet and leave you alone. That may not even be their primary objective. While "honor among thieves" has never existed, the prevalence of random, senseless violence today precludes any semblance of a social contract between criminal and victim. A crime expert I respect has said: "Don't try appealing to a criminal's better side - he may not have one".
So I will continue to protect my family - legally if possible;
But to any would-be criminals, I ask "Please don't make my day"
