Been living in a dream world?

Yep, I'm a "gun nut." ... At least that's what my anti-gun liberal friends like to call me.

I keep an eye on all the concealed carry news that happens around the country. I have a google news search set up to show me articles that come out pertaining to the topic. At the moment Wisconsin has a proposed law on the books to allow concealed carry without training. Ohio has a proposed law on the books that will allow concealed carry licensees to carry their firearm into restaurants that serve alcohol, including bars, provided they are not under the influence of drugs and alcohol and do not consume drugs or alcohol while armed.

Regarding the Wisconsin law, I see a real need for some revisions here. Some training needs to be a requirement to get a license. A background check needs to be a requirement as well. I did all of this to get my Florida CCW. It was a pain in the ass, but ultimately it was also reassuring, because I knew that everyone else who has a concealed carry license is a "good guy" too.

Regarding the Ohio law, I'm amazed and appalled at how ignorant, or to be more blunt, stupid, people are about this.

There are bar owners posting signs prohibiting guns in their bars.

The Ohio Restaurant Association is advising their membership to post signs on their restaurants.

Who will this keep out? The answer is, just the law abiding folks. The "bad guys" or unlicensed concealed carry folks will continue to carry their street guns into these places. Remember, they don't read or obey no stinkin' signs. They're outside the law.

The cops in Ohio can still carry in bars, which is a privelege the pro-gun folks stood behind them to allow. Now some of the cops out there oppose this law. Thanks a lot, fellas. Glad to know you're confident in the licensees you vetted us for.

The bar and restaurant owners are OK with this. They figure the less guns, the better.

This where I start to think of the philosophies of "The Matrix" - you know, that movie from 1999. See, there are people that believe that violent crimes only happen to others. They don't believe it will ever happen to them. In their reality, crime does not exist or only exists to someone else. They believe that if they are passive and just give the guy with the gun their money, they'll make it out alive. This brings me to one of my favorite movie scenes:

"What is real? How do you define real?"

"If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain. This is the world that you know."

So, thought makes it reality to these folks. They believe that they are safe walking around unarmed in society, so they must be safe, right? This guy thought so. Look what happened to him... killed for the money in his drawer.

Here's the cold truth: anyone could be carrying a gun amongst us.

... No, it's better than that: there ARE people walking around with guns. They may be behind you in the grocery store, pumping gas at the gas station... they exist and they're everywhere.

"You've been living in a dream world, Neo."

The problem is that you don't know who they are, and you have no idea what their intentions are.

... They may be a concealed carry licensee whose aim is to protect themselves and their family, and even possibly you, if you needed defending.

... or they could be a thug from the wrong side of town, broke, unemployed, and addicted to crack cocaine, looking for any way to get more. You happen to look like you might be rich enough to have the money they need.

... or if you're female, perhaps they like the scent of your perfume, the sway of your dress as you walk, or just need someone to be their sexual release... and you'll do.

Regardless, the criminals with guns are out there, and they aren't going away.

"...This is the world as it exists today.... Welcome to the Desert of the Real."

So, here's the reality: you can try to ban guns. Guns are the problem, right? Except when you look at violent crime in other parts of the world where guns have been banned, the violent crime statistics don't go down, they go up. That's because when you ban guns, you just ban the guns for the good guys. The bad guys don't buy them in stores. They buy them in the streets. The streets have lots of guns. The street folks didn't buy them from the stores, either. They stole them or bought them from someone that smuggled them in.

Plus, think about it: If you're a criminal, wouldn't it be nice to know that only the criminals have guns? Much easier to pick off someone and rob them, rape them, and kill them, right?

No, banning guns doesn't work.

"... you think that's air you're breathing now?"

You may not like guns. I respect your viewpoint.

You may never want to touch a gun. I respect your choice.

You may never want to carry a gun. Fine with me, as long as you know that you could be a victim.

As for me and my family, we choose to be prepared for the possible reality that we have to protect ourselves. We own guns.

We teach kids gun education and gun safety classes through 4-H Shooting Sports. We go through over 30 hours of training ourselves every year on gun safety, gun responsibility, self defense with a gun, and gun safety in the home. And yes, we have our concealed carry permits so we can carry our guns with us. We do everything we can to be safe about them, as do most concealed carry licensees.

You probably think you can pick us out of a crowd. "Look at the funny looking gun nuts, ma!"

Bad news for you: we are normal, height and weight proportional people in our 30s. We have white collar professional jobs. We are strong in our faith and attend church regularly. We drive normal cars and own a normal house in a normal suburb. We do not have three eyes. We don't walk around in clothes with holes in them. We don't act like white trash in public. We are the epitome of normal. We are the prototypical concealed carry holder, and we carry our guns amongst you. There are over a quarter million of us in my home state of Ohio alone.

We're here, and we're not going away anytime soon.

Inevitably I'll get someone that says "if you're so strong in your faith, why do you carry a gun? Don't you trust God to protect you?" Let me cover that right now.

I think if God wanted to repeal the law of gravity for me and only me, I'd float off into space.
I think if God wanted me home in heaven with him, he'd have the tiniest of thoughts and I'd be there.
But I also think that you'd have to be awfully presumptuous to assume that God is your personal protection detail. My parents taught me a great maxim that I live by: Trust in God, but Lock Your Car. So, I trust in God, but I put my protection in my own hands and the good people at Smith & Wesson.





The reality is I'll likely never have to use my gun for self defense. I'm OK with that. The mere fact that I have a chance to defend myself, a choice to carry or not carry, is good enough for me. Remember the guy shot for the money in his till in the story above? Here's another kind of story - one where a guy was being harassed and assaulted, and was afraid for his life. When forced to defend himself, he did, and he's alive to tell about it.

That's the guy I'd rather be.

Think you're safe in our society? I think you're living in a dream world.