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Sparkle (0)
After many years of a strict handgun ban in Washington, DC, last week the Supreme Court ruled in favor of an individual's right to bear arms. I've lived in Virginia most of my life, and just a few miles outside of DC -- in Alexandria -- for almost two years, so the ban has never affected me personally. I've never owned a gun, but I like knowing I have the option if I want it.
I went to a firing range last year for the first time. I haven’t been back since then, but I did enjoy it. I discovered (to my surprise) that I’m a pretty good shot. It took me a few times firing a small handgun to get used to the idea that such a small instrument could create such a loud noise -- not to mention the surge of power you feel in your hands and arms once you pull the trigger.
Would I own a gun? I’ve never specifically sought one out. In my case, learning how to handle it properly, and clean it, would need to be thoroughly explained before I’d be comfortable calling myself a gun owner (not to mention additional firing practice). So I’m definitely not opposed to owning a gun; it’s just that I wouldn’t waltz into a store and buy one without knowing what I was doing (or at least having some sort of plan).
So let’s say I sign up to take a firearms safety class. I choose a handgun that I’m comfortable with, and the mechanics of how to use and care for this weapon are drilled into my head. The next question is, do I actually need to own a gun? And that, of course, is the hardest question to answer.
I don’t see myself carrying a gun in my purse, or in my car, on a regular basis. I don’t feel like I need that level of personal security. I could see myself keeping a gun under my bed, in case someone were to break in – but how often does that happen?
Maybe that’s the problem, though. Maybe I have a false sense of security, and unless something bad happens I’ll continue to think I can go along as I am right now. After all, I don’t live in a bad area. I’ve never lived anywhere that’s been broken into while I was living there. I’ve never been physically attacked. Aside from one incident a few months ago when I had a guy follow me in his car while I was on foot (someone who was more annoying than menacing, and drove off once I finally raised my voice to him), I’ve never been in a situation where I felt like I was in immediate danger.
Some women take self-defense classes. The fact that I have a self-admitted short memory -- which means if I don’t practice something on a regular basis, I’ll almost certainly forget it -- is a big reason why I haven’t bothered to do the same. If I were to be attacked six months after the class ended, I can see myself thinking, “Was I supposed to grab with this hand, and then elbow him on this side, to escape from a choke-hold?” More than likely -- as I look back on situations that I was prepared for in advance, but rational thought escaped me at the worst possible moment (like job interviews) -- I fear everything I’d learned in a self-defense class would fly right out of my head as soon as someone got close enough to grab me.
I don’t know what the odds are of someone my age, late 20s, being attacked by a stranger. When I first moved to Alexandria and lived in a not-as-nice area of the city, I regularly carried pepper spray with me in my purse. At the time I was working a job where I didn’t get home until after midnight, and every night when I got out of the car I had my purse over one arm and the container of pepper spray in my right hand. I never had to use it, but I felt better knowing it was there.
But now? I work regular daytime hours, and I live in a better area, and sometimes I’ll even go running outside after the sun has set. Would I
