I have a concealed carry permit. Most of the time, when you see me I am armed, but it isn't obvious and I don't let people know I have a permit. I fully understand what I am doing and why. Here are my reasons.
RKBA is a DKos group of second amendment supporters who also have progressive and liberal values. We don't think that being a liberal means one has to be anti-gun. Some of us are extreme in our second amendment views (no licensing, no restrictions on small arms) and some of us are more moderate (licensing, restrictions on small arms.) Moderate or extreme, we hold one common belief: more gun control equals lost elections. We don't want a repeat of 1994. We are an inclusive group: if you see the Second Amendment as safeguarding our right to keep and bear arms individually, then come join us in our conversation. If you are against the right to keep and bear arms, come join our conversation. We look forward to seeing you, as long as you engage in a civil discussion. RKBA stands for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
Every day I leave my house, I carry a gun. It gives me no joy to do so. I don't feel I have any special power or am more manly doing so. Although I target shoot for recreation, and reload my ammunition for both the economy and my interest in ballistics, the gun I carry daily is not something I ever have fun with. To me, with my interests, it's a lousy target gun, and although I am developing a self-defense round to carry in it, after I succeed in doing so there's not a lot else I can do with this gun.
My gun is too small a caliber to hunt anything interesting, if I hunted, which I do not. The caliber however is large enough to take down a human being, if I do my part and place the bullets in the right spots. I understand where the right spots are.
I don't love this gun, unlike the guns I use for recreation. I admire it's gunly qualities, that is it's powerful enough round (although some would think it was too small), it's light for everyday carry, It's extremely reliable should I need to actually use it, and cleaning and maintenance is far easier that the guns I shoot for recreation. This is good, I don't want a high maintenance gun.
I am liberal, in the new and old senses of the word. Progressive would be a good description. I'm not worried about my government taking my guns, I follow whatever rules and regulations pertain to my gun ownership. I don't subscribe to conspiracy theories, I leave that to the Fox news fans.
I think safe gun handling is important. I have trouble going to public ranges, because of all the unsafe things I see going on there. I am a member of a NRA based club, and this club enforces safety rules, which makes my time on the range there much more enjoyable. However, I don't have to join the NRA to belong to this club, and I haven't.
I'm not a bigot, judging by the black kid who's sleeping with my daughter downstairs. Brianna and Quan have a child together, and I took them in and sheltered them while they get their lives in order, college for both of them being the first priority. They are in the process of moving into the basement, recently vacated after 3 months by the gay kid who is no relative, but who's father threw him out of his house. Mike comes by and cooks dinner occasionally, always a treat.
I don't have any fantasies concerning gun use. I know if I ever use this thing, when I pull the trigger I am going to be out a minimum of $20,000 in legal fees, regardless if I am not guilty of any criminal conduct. Anyone I shoot has relatives, and the standard of evidence and culpability for civil lawsuits is much lower than criminal trials. I expect to get sued by the burglars relatives, even if he is laying face down in my living room.
Which would be highly unlikely because I have no intention of using my gun for any crime of property. It's all insured, and shooting someone over something I can get replaced is not worth it. If you picked up my TV set and started to walk out with it, you might see my gun, but if you kept walking nothing would happen. If I had time, I'd unload it first to make doubly sure, if not then I'd rely on the safety. What you would never hear is a shot.
So why do I carry this thing?
Because if I reach a situation where myself, my loved ones, friends, people I know who are innocent were threatened in a way that I normally would have no option to prevent, I now have an option. That's what carrying a gun to me is - an option when I have no other options left.