Guns

Guns, ammunition, magazine limits, assault rifles - hot topic words that are bringing out a lot of emotions in many people right now.  People that hadn't given much thought to it in the past are giving the "gun debate" a lot of attention right now due to the rising number of high profile tragedies like the recent shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary right before Christmas.  Everywhere you go, people are talking about, debating it, and more often than not, are putting down others because of it.  So with this in mind, I wanted to share my take on it.

People need to relax and not get their panties in a bunch.

Yes, of course guns kill people, and of course, so do lots of other things, both voluntarily and involuntarily.  Yes, some high capacity guns do not have practical use for most people in an ordinary setting.  And yes, bad people are able to get their hands on guns to pursue their bad agendas.

That being said, guns themselves are not bad.  Gun ownership and responsible usage is not bad.  It is our 2nd amendment right to possess guns for personal protection.  In my heart, I do not believe that taking guns away from the general population will mitigate the crime rate in our country. On the contrary, I think it will make it more difficult for people to be able to protect themselves, if that is the method they chose to pursue for personal protection.

I watched on the news last night as the State of California offering citizens money for their guns - WHY?  Why do they think it's so bad for good, honest people to own guns?  I know it's voluntary, for now, but what happens when the start to mandate the confiscation of all privately owned guns?  Scary times, people!

For Christmas, Jarom got me a very unusual gift - my very first gun.  At first, I was a little shocked and confused, comparing it to getting me a bowling ball or a weed whacker.  But as the shock wore off and the idea of owning a gun settled in, I decided to take the first step of being a responsible gun owner and signed up to take a Concealed Carry Permit class so I could learn a thing or two before firing it off.  Yesterday I went down to MyUtahCCW with my friends Mandy and Kristie, along with a packed room of others, and took a very informative and interesting class.  The instructor's approach to owning and carrying a gun was to accomplish one main goal - to arrive home safely to his family at the end of the day.  He is obviously passionate about guns.  He builds them, shoots them competitively, and devotes a great deal of time educating people about using guns for both personal enjoyment and personal protection.  He covered a lot of topics that provided me with a lot of food for thought.

Then last night, Jarom took me to Cabella's to get some nifty (PINK!) safety glasses and ear protection so I'm all ready to go shooting.  While I have a long way to go before I am proficient at shooting, I am looking forward to discovering and developing a new hobby.

I don't see myself as the kind of person that will be packing heat regularly, but it's nice to know that if I ever feel like I want to, I can.  After I get my permit back, of course.  So don't mess with this Momma Bear, because if it comes down to it and I need to protect my babies or myself, you better believe that I will.

Here's a picture of my little NAA 22 Magnum.  I should probably name it.