Students who have been through my Basic Handgun courses have heard my speech on “the evolution of a defensive firearms owner.” The original point of the speech was to help comfort those new students who may never have been around firearms and are still trying to warm up to the idea of having them for self-protection. The more I presented this speech in my classes; I began realizing this was hitting everyone at some point. It’s helpful for us to know that we are all evolving and because of that we should be a little understanding of those that are not at our level.
The speech begins with me explaining a few ways in which people get firearms in their home. For some, it is an inherited or otherwise handed down firearm. Others, it’s a purchase of a cheaper firearm (many times used). You have no intention on carrying a firearm, but it does help to know you have one at the house. At some point you have paid attention to the news or what is going on in your town and you realized that you should probably have some kind of a deterrent in your house to fend off bad guys. You start out with having an unloaded gun in your home, likely locked in a case and difficult to get through. Your ammo (if you have any) is stored somewhere entirely different and may also be in a locked case that is difficult to access.
Over time you begin hearing about break ins and other crime near your home. You then begin to think through your process and realize that a gun that’s inaccessible is pretty much useless if you need it. So you evolve and begin keeping the ammo and gun in a locked case that is reasonably accessible.
By: Joshua Gideon
