Girls Need Guns
Owning and operating a gun was never something of interest to me. My parents did not own guns and, to be honest, they were an enigma. I was a latch key kid who grew up in the heart of Los Angeles, California. I walked home from school alone at the age of eight, baby-sat my siblings at nine, and as I got older, walked around the streets of Los Angeles alone at night. Personal safety was not a phrase in my vocabulary and was certainly not a subject that was discussed in my household. Not until I graduated college did I begin to understand the danger I was exposed to as I walked to my car in dark parking lots, or back to my dorm across campus in the back alley way. Even then, I didn’t understand the importance of putting my safety in my own hands. Though I became more aware of my surroundings and the imminent dangers, I still lived my life unprotected.
I purchased a gun about a year ago to have in the house when my husband traveled. He took me to his family ranch to shoot it. Honestly, it terrified me. Instead of making me feel more secure, I felt scared. We kept the bullets separate from the gun in fear one of our kids might find it. Looking back we should have sold it – it was useless to us in that state. I’m sure all bad guys will take a time out while you load your weapon to stop them. I was naïve.
A few months ago, my husband asked me to take a concealed carry class with him. At the time I said yes with the thought that it would be fun and something we could do together. I thought if anything, it would help me overcome my fear of handling guns. The class changed my life. For the first time, I really understood the threat of violence with the understanding that it was my right to protect myself against it. I was not going to be a victim and at the end of the day, my fear of handling guns was gone. I learned about the laws of concealed carry; I learned how to handle and load a gun and I learned the best position for me to shoot if ever under threat in a dangerous situation. When I left the class, there was no doubt I would carry. Knowing what I know now, I can’t understand why anyone would not want to control her own safety. I now have my permit and carry a loaded gun with me all the time; a fear I never thought I would overcome.
I am empowered. I am free.
--Jan P.
Here she is shooting the North American Arms Pug for the first time:
