By Patrick Buchanan
You may have read in this post that I recently became a first-time gun owner. I was pleased to see that the comments offered were supportive and encouraging. I’m not really expecting the same kind of positive response to this one however.
While simultaneously acquiring my first firearm and applying for my LTC (the Texas equivalent of CCW) I understood at that time that I was applying for a License To Carry. My intentions were not necessarily to carry every day — or at all — but rather to be allowed to if needed, as well as expediting the process of acquiring the necessary gun knowledge.
I’m not quite sure what I imagined when the legal right to carry a firearm was officially granted to me.
I did learn that police traffic stops will be slightly more interesting, though I have yet to experience that. I also learned there is yet another kind of insurance I have to worry about. Frankly, the reality that I need to buy carry insurance to feel comfortable holstering my sidearm is a bit off-putting, but I understand that we live in a litigious society and it’s all about protecting yourself.
As I traverse the concrete jungles in the major metropolitan area in which I live, I have begun imagining myself carrying one of my two SIGs. Coming out of Sam’s Club or Home Depot for example, I realized I’m not yet in the habit of checking the front doors for posted handgun regulations.
I also need a plan for when a location does not allow me to carry on their premises. Do I just take it back to the car? I realize too that I need to have a lock box in my vehicle in case I find myself having to ditch my firearm to enter a place of business.
In fact, I’m starting to realize I may have to change more than a few things in my life if I choose to carry a weapon with me. In addition to the aforementioned insurance and vehicle lock box, I now have to more carefully consider my wardrobe and gun selection when leaving the house.
Do I carry the P365 or the P320? IWB or OWB? Is it hot or cold? I can cover a hip holster with a jacket, but what if it’s 95 degrees?
I have yet another dilemma. After getting the P365 for myself and my wife, I ran out and bought the P320, too. What if I want to carry the smaller gun? Will she know where to find the P320 and know how to use it if something happens while I’m out? I understand this is a training issue, but it’s still something that I now have to contend with.
The point is, the number of issues causing me to rethink my desire to carry are mounting. Add to the mix that I don’t feel threatened at any point in my day, anywhere I go. Granted, I did feel a perceived threat during the recent pandemic, hence my original decision to buy a gun. But now that the bulk of that threat seems to have passed, I just don’t feel that I have a reason to carry a gun.
I want to carry, I really do. It may simply be too soon in the process for me and a year from now we’ll all be laughing about this. I also want to make sure my desire to carry is fueled by reason, not testosterone. I don’t consider myself a badass and don’t desire to be one. The intellectual side of me says that people are fighting for the right to be allowed to carry, either open or concealed, so it must be important.
I also have to ask myself WWTWS…What Would The Wife Say? After three decades of marriage, I can fairly predict her response.
If I leave the house with a holstered firearm and she asks why I am bringing a gun to the grocery store, I don’t really have an answer. In our neighborhood, answers like “for safety” or “just in case” will seem to her like thinly veiled attempts to justify carrying my new “toy” with me. I’m not implying that either I or my spouse consider our new guns toys, I’m just trying to predict a realistic outcome here.
Time and social conditions will ultimately dictate my response. If a SHTF moment comes sooner rather than later, I’ll be carrying both guns. If not, then perhaps I will change my habits, my wardrobe, and my expectations and carry frequently, if not daily. Or maybe I won’t.