Concealed Carry Perceptions

I have always been a leader among my peers. I say this matter-of-factly, not arrogantly. I was first to hit puberty. I was first to start dating. I was the first one of my social circle to get married and the first to have children. Alas! I was also the first to get divorced and the first to find myself back to work as a single mom.

When my home was broken into, I was the first to buy a handgun and take a gun safety training course.

My girlfriends all thought I was paranoid, overreacting, and—quite frankly—nuts. When issues of self-defense and home protection arose, there was a hush when I expressed my opinions. My friends thought Second Amendment rights and concealed carry were for men.

My friends listened to my serious chatter about self-defense and the need to everyday carry with a mixture of amusement, indulgence, and, yes, horror. They couldn’t imagine what pushed me to take this stance.

By this time, all of them had children and several of the ten of us were divorced.  Yet, not one of them felt any need to purchase a handgun and learn how to use it.

What prompted this attitude among fairly bright, well-educated women?

Some of them lived in their own little world, oblivious to the dangers that lurk around them. Some of them were in denial. By pretending the world is a safe place and nothing bad ever happens to people living in “good” neighborhoods, they slept the dreamless sleep of the deliberately gullible.

One of my friends commented, “If I thought as you do, I don’t know how I’d ever get up and go out into the world every day. I wouldn’t be able to drop my kids off at school every day. With your lack of trust in the goodness in the world, how do you do it?”

I wanted to tell her, “Because I take every precaution not to be a victim, that’s how I cope.”

It occurred to me one day, my friends who believe the world is inherently good are using that belief as a coping strategy. On the other hand, my coping strategy is to empower myself by purchasing a handgun, and learning how to use it, educating myself about how to care for that weapon. In my firearms safety training courses and in my hours of ongoing practice on the firing range I’ve met some amazing like-minded people. We’ve formed a tight-knit group.

We often discuss how our friends—both male and female—perceive our decision to daily concealed carry. 

One guy laughingly likened it to his announcement that he was going to learn to weave. I agreed. My friends were as shocked by my acquiring a handgun and hitting the firing range as his friends were about his new hobby.

“So is this a gender bias thing?” I mused aloud.

“Not entirely,” one of my concealed carry male friends added. “My friends—both male and female—were shocked and incredulous with my decision to concealed carry. I think it’s more a cultural thing.”

Whatever the reason, my long-time friends remain offended and uncomfortable with my concealed carry lifestyle.