Jul 25 2012
THE HEART OF THE MATTER – WHY WE CARRY
I know that everyone wants to hear about the holster fashion show, and I promise to get that up as soon as possible. This is an article I wrote a few weeks ago, but haven’t had the time to publish until now. I hope this holds you over…
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There is a subject that I have been kicking around in my head for about a month now. It has been written about many times in the past in one form or another, and a few times lately on various gun blogs. Authors of these said articles have delved into the topic of why they own and carry firearms. There are a ton of entertaining quotes floating around social media and blogs pertaining to this matter; I could list a bunch of them here (as one writer did), and call it good. But, seriously, why? You are reading gun blog for goodness sake – which means you probably spend a decent amount of time reading other gun blogs, forums, and following gunners on social media. You have already heard the clever remarks and read the quotes. While I feel that these little slurs and sayings as to why we carry are entertaining, and at times, somewhat accurate; I also feel that they only scratch the surface and that the heart of the matter is lost amidst all the hype and controversy surrounding not only the act, but the idea of individuals arming themselves.
Carrying a firearm is a sacrifice, a continual sacrifice.
We sacrifice money (and a lot of it): to arm ourselves with not only reliable side arms, but the many accessories that are needed to go with them. We pay for training in order to be able to use the sidearm effectively. There is the never-ending cycle of ammunition purchases that eat away at our wallets. And don’t forget all the range fees, protective gear, and targets. All in all, it’s easy to spend thousands of dollars annually on carrying a firearm.
We sacrifice time: The time we spend cleaning our guns, practicing, training, driving, researching, etc. can equal several hours. Heck, it takes me an hour and a half just to get to my range. I spend three hours on the road every time I go shoot.
We sacrifice ease and comfort: No matter how comfortable your holster is, not carrying a gun will always be more physically comfortable then carrying one. It’s a hassle, and a pain the butt. But we do it.
We make a mental sacrifice: By carrying a firearm, we have decided that we will live with the consequences of using that firearm to defend. That alone is huge. We trade our youthful naivety for the necessary knowledge and wisdom it takes to carry day in and day out. Part of that mental sacrifice is having to know and understand the law to an extent that many people don’t have worry about.
We make a physical sacrifice: Because we carry, we are held to a higher standard. We sacrifice pleasures such as alcohol consumption while carrying to keep to that higher standard. We sacrifice the freedom of going anywhere we want and doing whatever we please.
Why do we make all these sacrifices? We make these sacrifices out of LOVE. And that is the reason we carry. Not because a cop is too heavy, but because we have fierce love in our hearts for ourselves, our families and our neighbors.
This love is what calls us take on our responsibility to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
There will always be the men and women who carry for attention, to compensate for some insecurity, or because they think they are going to be a vigilante. These people are easy to spot by their tee shirts that declare to everyone “hey, I’m packing today”, their trigger eager attitudes and comments, and their continual need to “one-up” the next person who’s carrying. But I am not convinced that these people represent the majority of men and women who carry a firearm on a day-to-day basis.
The majority of people carrying firearms are housewives, husbands, fathers, mothers, daughters, sisters, brothers, accountants, food service workers, cashiers, bankers, teachers, democrats and republicans… you name it. They are all just regular people who want to protect themselves and their loved ones. Everyone has their own reasons for carrying, but when these reasons are broken down the common denominator is love.
Take a look at history, men kept guns to feed and protect their families. Out of that same love, women took up arms to defend and protect when men couldn’t. The members of our armed forces take their guns into battle and fight out of love for their country and countrymen as well as their love for their brothers and sisters who are fighting alongside of them.
Firearms rights are a huge topic right now, and because of that we need to be extra careful when talk about why we carry. You can say that you don’t care what the gun haters think; but the fact of the matter is, you should. It is public perception that got us into this mess to begin with, and it’s public perception that is going to help get us out of it. Instead of throwing terms like “trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again” in the faces of the uneducated public (please note that the mentioned phrase is not only one of the things that make us firearms holders look crazy, but it’s also declaring that we will commit an illegal act); Second Amendment supporters should be making statements that are positive, relatable, and educational. (I know many of my readers are really good at this already).
Like I said before, the common denominator as to why people own and carry firearms is love. What is more relatable then the love held by regular, everyday people like you me? Let’s abandon the witty sayings that society can not relate with, and get back to the heart of the matter here people. We carry because we love.
© Packing Pretty, Grace McKee 2012
Jul 25, 2012 @ 12:39:39
Thank you Gracie for this wonderful post. This is it in a nutshell for me. I carry because I love my family, friends and this country. I happily give up lots of “things” for the reasons you have so eloquently written about. Excellent post.
Dec 22, 2012 @ 08:36:27
Great post. If I may, I would like to offer one more, as a possible extention of sacrifice 4 above. That is, the sacrifice of innocence. I often remember something you (Gracie) wrote in one of your other articles, although the title escapes me right now. It’s where you mention “The Talk” you have with your students. The thing is, taking a life, even when saving your own or a loved one, is like crossing a line. One you cannot ever uncross. All the justifications for using lethal force cannot erase the fact that one is no longer, or can ever again be, someone who has never taken a life. Although I’m not new to firearms and, in fact, teach rifle marksmanship for a national organization, I am currently beginning my conceal carry journey. Your “The Talk” article is with me on that journey. Thank you for your words, Gracie.
Jul 25, 2012 @ 12:59:56
Nice post!
Jul 25, 2012 @ 13:47:57
Outstanding post Gracie! Thanks for sharing the depth of what is about from the quiet side.
Jul 25, 2012 @ 14:16:33
Excellent post Gracie…spot on and your best yet from my perspective!
Jul 25, 2012 @ 14:59:04
You’ve put it just right. This is the message that people need to hear.
THE HEART OF THE MATTER – WHY WE CARRY | Packing Pretty « RubinoWorld
Jul 25, 2012 @ 19:21:42
[...] Continue Reading: THE HEART OF THE MATTER – WHY WE CARRY | Packing Pretty. [...]
Jul 26, 2012 @ 04:53:50
Excellent
Jul 27, 2012 @ 06:31:07
“He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother . . . his welfare is my concern . . .”
July 23, 2012
Dear Mr. Obama,
Did the existence of the oven cause Adolph Hitler to exterminate 6,000,000 Jews? Did the existence of the sword and bow cause the Visigoths to slaughter their fellow man? Did the existence of the laminar flow wing cause the attack on September 11? The answers are all “no.” What made all of this bloody history happen was men and women being led to their deaths by the most evil among us in the pursuit of another nightmare. You pick it, communism killed tens of millions, fascism killed millions more, socialism is doing a great job killing millions too, radical islam is working real hard to rack up points. What gave those evil people that ability to lead those helpless souls to their deaths was the unequal and unfair distribution of weapons correlated to action tied to a political ideology or religion based on a lie.
The answer is not for every soul on the good Earth to carry a Colt .45 Peacemaker wherever they go. The answer is for everyone who thinks they can answer two questions in the affirmative to have the capacity to do it; such that we are all made safer by those citizens accepting that grave responsibility. Those are: Can I? and Will I? Those are not easy to answer, but if you want to carry a pistol for your protection; you are going to have to do your level best to answer them. In this most recent example of unchecked violence. I’m betting that there are at least a dozen people in that theater that could have carried a pistol, but didn’t because the theater itself barred them from carrying it. Since only the law abiding follow the rules, they didn’t have what they needed, when they needed it, and neither did those pilots when radical muslims decided to attack and change world history for the worse. Whether it is Gerald Laughner, or this evil idiot or Nidal Hassan Malik; or the next evil moron, they will never be stopped by Sesame Street and an unemployment check. They will be stopped by free citizens and free nations who stand up to them.
Watching the Olympics in London is an excellent exposition of what we do not want to become in America. The English turned in their guns willingly and a crime explosion occurred, and now the common subject is at the mercy of a nanny state that can’t even secure the Olympics without help from their professional military; that is a barometer for failure of a society. It’s last gasp is reaching for the toughest among them to save them from themselves. Well . . . in that case . . . no one can save you because your very culture of dependence has made it so defending your own life is not even on the menu. So Mr. Obama, you and your ilk yet again run to the microphones and try to create the firmament to erase yet more of our battered Bill of Rights. Ask yourselves this, in the bitter end, when we are all gone, and your children and mine need to defend themselves, what will you leave them to do that job with?
We have just one world, yet we live in different ones. Old line from an old song. But very true. As I write this Basher Assad is feeling the heat and is about to launch a chemical attack on his own people with the weapons that Iraq likely sent to him. We all should try to live the best lives possible, not just for our own sakes, but because the world has some really big problems and unless we all do our part, they will never go away. Making government smaller, getting our world safer for our children, and growing our economy while dragging the rest of the world along for the ride ought to be out primary objectives. I can think of one guy that understands this and is ready willing and able to implement such goals . . . Mitt Romney . . . and I’m voting for him. In fact you should too.
You could use another vacation.
Respectfully,
Joe Doakes
Aug 08, 2012 @ 06:35:14
Excellent insights! I could not agree more
Jul 27, 2012 @ 08:56:46
As a Jewess in the US, I can only state that NOW is the time for all REAL Americans to put our 2nd Amendment FIRST! Criminals like the slasher of Smith’s Market in Salt Lake City are stopped by FIRARMS, not kind words. And remember that America wasn’t won with a registered gun!
Because Family | Gunmart Blog
Jul 30, 2012 @ 06:31:35
[...] Why We Carry… by Gracie of Packing Pretty fame. Share this:Like this:LikeBe the first to like this. This entry was posted in Concealed Carry and tagged concealed carry. Bookmark the permalink. ← Range Report [...]
HEELS AND HOLSTERS – AN OVERVIEW OF THE CC HOLSTER FASHION SHOW | Packing Pretty
Jul 30, 2012 @ 14:05:24
[...] such an honor and a pleasure to host the runway event. I gave a short speech to the effect of my “THE HEART OF THE MATTER” article, then dived right into explaining the demos and announcing the models and holsters. Now [...]
» This Week on Gun Talk Radio 8-3-2012 | Gary Engberg Outdoors
Aug 03, 2012 @ 11:39:31
[...] recently posted a blog about why she carries, and the answer might surprise you. Read the post at http://packingpretty.com/2012/07/25/the-heart-of-the-matter-why-we-carry/, and tune in on Sunday to hear more from [...]
PackingPretty answers the question: why do we pack? - Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Conservatives, Liberals, Third Parties, Left-Wing, Right-Wing, Congress, President - City-Data Forum
Aug 06, 2012 @ 15:20:54
[...] answers the question: why do we pack? THE HEART OF THE MATTER – WHY WE CARRY | Packing Pretty A nice essay from packingpretty.com. In the recent mass shootings there were no good people with a [...]
Aug 16, 2012 @ 07:00:32
I couldn’t have said it better myself Gracie!
Sep 06, 2012 @ 13:31:50
Great post! We believe in the right to defend our families and friends, which is why we work so hard fighting to protect and preserve the Second Amendment in politics! Thanks for sharing!
http://www.gunownersca.com
http://www.gunownerscablog.wordpress.com
Mar 07, 2013 @ 11:52:10
Keeping a gun locked safely in a home is an issue on its own, it is to protect loved ones in case of an intrusion. Carrying a gun has become a much more riskier solution to safety. Some feel as though it is necessary for self defense. Many woman are smaller or weaker than men and feel that this is the only solution. Others carry it because they need to for their job, like policemen or those who carry large amounts of money. Regardless of the decision to carry they all want to protect themselves and others around them.
Apr 17, 2013 @ 23:05:59
Outstanding post. I never looked at carrying a firearm from so many different point of views. And your telling the God honest truth about the cost of this whole situation. It most certainly is a sacrifice but my life and my families lives are will worth it.