Examining Gun Culture from the Inside

If you've read other posts on my blog (or if you've not and just looked at the titles), you may think I'm some anti-gun zealot. On the contrary, I learned to shoot at a young age and have recently been looking into taking a concealed carry course and buying a gun for that purpose.

Over Mother's Day, I took my wife out to the range so she could get experience with my revolver. I rented a compact .357, a Taurus Raging Bull (a giant Dirty Harry style .44 magnum revolver), and a .44 Deset Eagle. I just tried out some Hollywood-popularized guns since they didn't actually have much I wanted to try out before owning.

One thing I've noticed about gun culture in my educating myself about various things recently is that people who are fans of concealed carry are very passionate about it. You might say... too passionate.

On various forums, they discuss boycotting restaurants and other establishments that won't let them carry their guns inside. My first reaction was, "How terrified must these people be in order to not be able to feel safe without packing heat?" It can't be that all these places are in bad neighborhoods.

This last Saturday, I went to a gun and knife show that was part of a flea market I visited and noticed that the rules required anyone carrying a gun to unload their weapon before entering. They even had to leave their ammo behind. Do people who conceal carry boycott gun shows? Do they ask, "Why do gun shows hate the Second Amendment." I don't understand how the hypocrisy doesn't reach up and smack these people in the face.

It reminded me of how Georgia recently passed some laws allowing guns to be carried in churches and whatnot. However, the politicians still made sure guns couldn't be allowed in the building where THEY worked. Maybe, they think it's not really such a good idea?

At this gun show, I didn't buy anything from the vendor who sold pictures of Obama posing with Hitler as well as plastic target Obama heads. I get that most gun people probably wouldn't be friendly towards me, being what most would consider radically liberal; however, I'm not going to deal with someone who's in your face about it in addition to being fruit loops. Selling Hitler pictures is just in poor taste.

I did buy two survival knives (for just $17) since they're quite different from the five Swiss Army knives I have.

I also got myself a towering soft-serve ice cream cone... chocolate.
 
I recently watched several Youtube videos by TheYankeeMarshal. He's very entertaining and very educational, despite being what some would call a "gun nut." On the contrary, he's actually very sensible. In fact, he made a joke about guns and ninjas which I myself made just a week earlier. We must really think alike in some regards! The joke was regarding how many bullets should a defensive gun be able to carry? Citing statistics, the chances of needing more than three bullets is the same as being hit by lighting twice. A 5-shot revolver is plenty. The chances of needing three 16-shot clips because you're suddenly attacked by 48 ninjas is very slim. Even then, it probably wouldn't be enough because there might be 49 ninjas or you might miss once. And in 95% of cases outside the home, defensive use of a gun doesn't result in the gun actually being fired.

So, we both made the same ninjas vs ammunition need joke.

Anyway, my point is that I think I'll just carry around a live hand grenade for protection.

But just so you don't think I agree with everything he says on his channel . . .

In other videos, he advises people who conceal carry to just ignore signs that say guns are not permitted and to leave if you get caught and asked to leave. That is a disrespectful attitude bordering on the psychos who take their assault rifles to family restaurants. Concealed carrying where permitted is one thing. Open carrying in a tactful manner is one thing. Upholstering and waving around your weapons in a Chipotle is asshole behavior. I'm waiting for the day when a concerned citizens shoots the guys showing up with rifles because he thinks they're there to rob the place. However so far, all that's happened is employees have hidden in the back when such nuts show up.

All in all, I think it would be best to just not enter a place if they say you can't bring your weapon and you don't think it's safe without one. After all, isn't the best self-defense technique to avoid a dangerous situation in the first place. If you think you might need your weapon somewhere, maybe that's where you shouldn't go with or without your gun.

I'll leave you with some John Oliver since I think he's funny.