Witnessing these last few months in America has really got me thinking about my stance on gun ownership. With civilians essentially given the OK to take their cars and run over demonstrators, a vigilante killing peaceful protesters, and the president telling a white supremacist group to “stand by” (for what, exactly?), I thought—if the racists and MAGA-fanatics are packing heat, why aren’t the rest of us?
Before very recently, I’d never been to a gun range or even held a real gun, because for the longest time, I was afraid of them and what they empower people to do: kill.
But my fear of the lawless state of affairs in the U.S. is stronger, so I set my anxiety aside and decided to take steps to learn more about guns by taking a concealed weapons permit class. Honestly, I didn’t expect to leave the class with much more than an understanding of how and when to carry a concealed weapon so you don’t get arrested.