judge me if you will...

i am american. i love being american. i love my rights, my freedoms, my ability to exercise these rights. so, hooray, two thumbs up for constitutional rights, everyone!

i am lds. i'd like to think of myself as being faithful although (gasp) i don't really go to church on a regular basis, i don't read my scriptures daily, and i do have a differing opinion as far as some church "policies" go. i.e. i support gay marriage and abortion. (that doesn't mean i AGREE with homosexuality or abortion, but i support the right of choice. people need to be allowed to make their own choices and deal with the consequences of them. who am i to tell them they can't?)

so. back to my constitutional rights. as you can see, i am on the more liberal side of (most) things. but. BUT. until i met my hunky hubby, the "right to bear arms" tidbit didn't really mean a whole lot. (liberal, remember?)

as of yesterday, i am officially in the running for my very own, bona fide concealed carry permit. that's right. if i so choose (after my paperwork is processed, that is) i can carry a firearm hidden in my purse/waistband/back pocket/vehicle/bra strap. so judge me if you wish, leave me nasty comments (which i will probably cry over and delete. so really, don't leave me nasty comments.) dh has been trying to get me to do this for some time. i already carry pepper spray and a citizen's issue taser in my purse (at all times, mind you). i guess when your hubby himself is a gun-totin' right-wing badass who works in the field that he does and is concerned with self-defense that's what you get, right? i love that he is so concerned/border-line obsessed with my safety. makes me feel important. :)

so saturday. i keep going off on tangents here. dh's work had a "special" CCW class for the spouses of employees. so i went. four hours--and i was pretty surprised, actually, with how much i learned and how i enjoyed it. the majority of the students were in fact women. we discussed firearm safety, when it is appropriate to use one, how to handle them, how to teach your children about them, how to secure them from children/people who have no business having weapons, why it is a good idea to carry for self-defense purposes, when you shouldn't carry, how to carry, state laws in reference to firearms, where you can and cannot carry, how to travel with them, alternative self-defense weapons and the pros and cons of said alternative weapons vs. a gun. and let me tell you, it was very informative.

i went into the class thinking it would be a good idea to have this permit for three reasons: 1. when the world comes to an end it will probably be necessary to be able to defend myself and my family. 2. the lives of my child(ren) and husband are much more important to me than anything else, and i will do anything to defend them. 3. it will make my hubby happy. (the family who packs together, stays together! according to him.) i do not, in any way, plan on carrying a firearm with me on a daily basis. even a frequent basis. let's face it, no need when i have my dh with me, and in a lot of cases it's not necessary. but regardless of this--the streets will now be safer because i can carry a firearm and protect the masses if needed. and yes, i do know how to safely use one.

i leave you with one final tidbit. guns do not kill people. it is not the gun's fault that some idiot pulled the trigger when he/she shouldn't have. stupid people, careless people, uninformed people, people who will commit murder with or without a gun (with a knife, a bat, a screwdriver, whatever) kill people. so my fellow liberals, please recognize this fact. we should be working on keeping guns from people who are not responsible enough to use them correctly. not from everyone. it's sad that we have to prepare to defend ourselves against jerks who illegally and inappropriately carry weapons like this.

so. let the judging begin....