Growing up in a country where private gun ownership was basically impossible, I didn't really have a well thought-out opinion on guns. Instead, I parroted my government (and society) opinion: guns are dangerous murder weapons, only of use to criminals and private citizens cannot be trusted with them.
After moving to the USA, I still didn't think about guns much. Of course I did notice that culturally they were much more acceptable, but at the same time I didn't encounter any in 15 years of living in the US. Then one day I decided that I needed to know more about guns. Not necessarily to own one, but just to be more familiar with them in case I should ever encounter one or feel the need to own one.
My wife, aware of this, arranged for us to spend a day on a friend's farm shooting a wide variety of handguns and rifles. At the time, I was completely unaware of makes, calibers, and types of guns, so I can't really remember what we shot exactly. What I do know is that I was hooked.
Before I bought a gun though, I started reading up on gun ownership: my rights but also my responsibilities. I also started educating myself on calibers, types of handguns and anything else that could help me make a decision what to buy as my first gun. Doing so exposed me to the community of what I used to dismiss as 'gun nuts'.
After I bought my first gun (a Glock 19 - the safe choice :-p) I got my carry license and took some training classes. Next I joined a gun range and started putting my newfound knowledge into practice. All of this this again exposed me to ever more gun nuts, who in reality turned out to be regular citizens like myself with a love for firearms and the freedoms we enjoy in the USA that enable us to own them.
In the five years since, I have acquired a few more guns, since you can't just own one :-) I still go to the range to work on my skills. Storing and handling guns in a safe manner (following the 4 golden rules) is always in the back of my mind. I carry concealed when I feel the need. Life is good.
However, our rights as a gun owners are now threatened. Legislation is being introduced that will set us on the path to creating ever more obstacles to ownership. These obstacles could soon constitute a virtual ban, without actually having to revoke the 2nd amendment.
If you are reading this and you'd like to help retain our rights, please consider taking action and contacting your representatives to voice your opposition to any restrictions on legal gun ownership. There are several gun rights organizations that make it easy for you to do so. Pick your favorite organization, find their petition page and then enter some data. The pre-written letter (which you can edit to your liking) will be sent automatically in most cases.
I'll list some (in no particular order):
Even better would be to sign their petitions and then become a member.
Wow, that was a long, rambling post. If you made it this far, thanks for reading and keep shooting!
