Susan isn’t her real name and she isn’t your typical gun owner. She was born into a Republican, Christian, but also very anti-gun, family 35 years ago and spent much of her early adulthood in small, conservative towns. She identifies herself as Lesbian, African-American and vegetarian, which made life in small towns a bit stressful. She now lives in a large city where tolerance and acceptance are the norm . . .
As we talk, she mentions that her job involves interviewing people. Some sort of social work apparently, but I don’t inquire further to protect her privacy. Many of the people she meets at work, as well as the folks in her personal life, have a very negative view of guns and gun owners. “There is definitely some prejudice. We have taught people to be terrified of the very idea of a gun, so they tend to have a very illogical, emotional response to guns.” That’s why she keeps her gun ownership quiet.
Due to her upbringing, Susan had a deep seated fear of guns, too, but concern for her own safety eventually prompted her to consider gun ownership. “The majority of women I know have been sexually assaulted,” she states calmly. “I think that right there is enough for women to want to become comfortable with firearms and even arm themselves.”
“Being a minority in multiple ways made me think more about protection issues, but I was still hesitant to get a gun for a long time. When I lived out in the woods, I was surrounded by people with guns and thought it might be smart to stop being afraid of them. So that was what prompted me to want to learn to fire a gun, just to remove that sense of terror… and it worked, it definitely worked.”
About five years ago, her partner’s father taught her to shoot a pistol on his rural property and gave her the nine-shot .22 rimfire H&R 929 revolver she uses now for home defense. She also has three pellet guns in .177 caliber.
Susan owns an old house in a less affluent, high crime, section of the city. She could tell the home had been broken into at least once when she first inspected it. She rents rooms to three women and she sounds frustrated by their lack of simple security sense like keeping doors locked and not inviting untrustworthy people into the house. One woman had a male visitor who walked in on another tenant uninvited, causing considerable consternation. Susan reported this to the police but was informed that they could do nothing until the man actually stole something or hurt someone.
Politically, Susan describes herself as Libertarian, but can’t recall ever voting for a Libertarian candidate. She usually just votes for whoever seems like the best candidate. “I feel that the two party system… isn’t working,” she says. “I’m not a member of the NRA, I have a little hesitancy joining large organizations… which are influenced by corporate money.” She has not looked into GOA or SAF.
What does she think of the current push for more gun control? “I think that it’s very reactionary… I understand the concerns around shootings, those are serious issues, but at the same time I don’t think that trying to get rid of guns is ultimately the answer. I think we have the right to bear arms as a form of protection, also from any government that may come along and decide to mistreat their citizens. It gives me pause whenever the government wants to reduce access to guns, because they are not reducing their own access.”
Susan found the local Pink Pistols chapter by searching online for gays and guns. She went shooting with them once and when her 40 year old H&R revolver stopped working, a Pink Pistols member repaired it for free. She’d like to have something with more stopping power. “I’d love to have a 9 millimeter, but there is the economic reality of purchasing one. And the cost of ammo is astronomical.” She speculates that the current ammunition shortage might be a deliberate way of keeping “economically challenged” people from owning guns.
What would she like to say to readers of TTAG? “People who own guns are not necessarily who you’d expect. They can have very liberal views, they can be vegetarian or vegan and they may not be part of the gun culture.”
There’s two lessons here: First, that someone who identifies with three (at least) typically left-leaning minorities or groups still understands the RKBA. Second, if you eliminate those narrowing classifiers (lesbian, African American, vegetarian), and just make it “a random non-gender-specific person,” her comments could probably come from about 75% of the people in this country.
In my experience, minorities regardless of the fallacy of left/right politics tend toward personal liberties regardless of the party they vote. B/L/G/TG, even more usual to find they very much like being able to defend themselves. Makes sense, really.
Entirely agreed on your second point! I’ve met so many people who own, for example, a handgun and a rifle or shotgun with the simple reason being self defense.
I like this series of articles. Susan, welcome aboard. Hopefully you eventually feel comfortable enough for a 38 special revolver vs the 22lr.
Welcome Susan. I look forward to the day when there’s no such thing as a “typical gun owner”, rights are rights and everyone should excercise them.
I couldn’t agree more with every single word here. Glad to have you Susan, and any of your friends, and anyone else, too.
If I was a terrorist, why would I bother with a gun like that? I can build a few bombs much easier and and cheaper. And use them much more efficiently.
As for password protected optics…. LOL! Yeah, that’ll work exactly for… uh… roughly 5 minutes.
Gottlieb doing what Gottlieb does best.
Lo, a fray.
Nice to see what gun grabber truly want from this fascist pig.
A WAR ON ONE STATE IS A WAR ON ALL THE STATES. BRING IT ON HOLDER. UNITED WE STAND.
I have a Rohrbaugh R9 and love it. I carry it in a Crossbreed Supertuck holster and it is not noticeable at all. It functions very well with Home Defense loads. It is not one to take to the range and shoot all day but I know it will be reliable when and if I need it for self defense.
Hello Susan nice to meet you.
There are all sorts of women that carry guns that I would never guess did. This last weekend a woman from Indiana came out here to Washington state on a visit and wanted to drive the North Cascades Loop through Winthrop. She had read about it. So we took her. She asked about the necessity of bringing a gun! I was a bit shocked and asked why she thought a gun was necessary. She said because there are grizzly bears, cougars and wolves there! She read about it. I assured her that the predators would not tear her out of the car! I told her she can be assured of not seeing ANY large animals except two or three flavors of deer. She saw all three and thought that only the whitetail were “nice” looking because they looked like her deer! She thought the blacktail and mule deer were rather “inelegant” whatever that means. They look like deer to me.
She said that how she travels all over the Midwest by herself for her job and always carries a 9mm Ruger. She has an Indiana carry permit which she showed us. She says it means nothing in Illinois but she carries there anyway because she considers it the most dangerous place she has to visit. Her answer to the law against concealed carry was “Fvck ’em.” Believe me, this woman does not look like anyone you would guess would carry a gun.
I had to assure her that Washington was damn safe from all predators, four and two legged and that she didn’t need her Ruger for a 400 mile scenic drive. I did throw a FN 5.7 with silencer in the trunk for fun though. She got a kick out of that.
Seattle, where we started, is the most dangerous city and it has a murder rate similar to Vancouver, BC. Slightly higher on average but it sure isn’t Chicago. And if you compare the European populations of both cities, well some years Vancouver is higher than Seattle. A Ruger in the purse is not necessary here but it is kind of nice to see women that want to protect themselves.
“…A Ruger in the purse is not necessary here…”
Until it is. As far as I know, no house in my current home town has ever burned to the ground. I still have a fire extinguisher.
Yeah, well she didn’t need it. I don’t think you understand the circumstances. She was with us not alone. We were going to a very remote part of the state where there are few people let alone criminals. In fact morning we drove for two hours without seeing another car or another human being. She commented on how it was like an episode from the Twilight Zone where we were the last people on earth. No, she did not need a gun. In the unlikely event a gun was needed there was one available. I like being prepared too but I don’t like being paranoid and I am absolutely certain my job entails a lot more danger than yours. I know a bit about assessing risk.
I mentioned the incident because it was fresh in my mind from a few days ago and that it was nice to see a lady that carried a gun. I don’t need a lecture from you on how it is possible that something can happen. I know that. In fact I would say I know the situation in my state a hell of lot better than you do.
Give ’em HELL, Ashton!
Good try. BUT, wasting his time. Since when did those in power, EVER give a rat’s behind about our safety?
Get a clue, this University, gun grabbers, politicians of every flavor, every where, only care about their power (and money).
This University is a small example. Simple put……..keep the serfs powerless.
I’m guessing Sen. Leno can’t own firearms. He’s obviously a nut job.
Under the old ASB they could not make or import anymore mags of more that 10 rounds, unless they were made before ban date,,,(that was the reference used pre-ban) they stopped all ammo and firearms imports from China,even Bill Ruger gave in and only would sell 10 round mags or less, same for firearms….no bayonet holders on rifles or military copies, ( post ban had thoumb hole stocks or wood ),and no flash hiders on firearms…also import of some rifles like H @K 91 or 93 , and all Ak’s made after ban date,were banned unless 3 or more parts were USA made,the SKS ,M1 carbine, M1 rifles and bolt action military was ok… Handgun mags limit was 10 rounds…. and the ATF kept changing import rules as they liked, some parts were ok to import, most were not , so a lot of parts were then USA made…Shotguns also had a 10 rd limit, no shotgun mags or steet sweeper shotguns allowed….
Great letter. Also simply issuing it is a sacrifice.
By putting themselves out there like that it puts his son on the radar and it will be dangerous for him to “just carry anyway” which is what any adult student who has the need does anyway. And it doesn’t cause a bother or cause any problems.
That letter was as much (if not more) for those in the NC State House of Representatives as for the school. Valone, as president of our state’s 2A lobbyist organization, is in the middle of fighting to get NC HB937 passed, which would be a HUGE victory for us in NC. It was scheduled for a floor vote on 4/30 but has now been twice postponed.
Frum is the idiot who gave us the “Axis of Evil”. It is a shame he was even allowed into the country.
Frum looks like he could use a hug, but JEEZ, he looks like he’s ready to bite. GET BACK!!!
This strikes me as being auto biographical more than a true description of gun use. I think the author needs professional help.
Frum’s “argument by anecdote” betrays a mistaken viewpoint common to “gun grabbers”. He infers that a typical firearm assault is an act of passion, carried out in a drunken rage. In fact, the vast majority of violent crimes (with or without guns present) are conducted by a small subgroup of the population. These violent offenders typically have a substantial history of violence (whether they were convicted or not). Normal human beings lack the urge to violence that fills these people.
This violent population is the reason that most anti-gun measures fail so miserably. The rules envision criminals intimidated by the obstacles placed before them, not realizing that the criminals responsible for most violent crime see weapons as necessary for their lifestyle and go to great lengths to arm themselves.
Look up irrevlent in the dictionary and there’s a picture of Frum.
I remember learning about the “file-drawer problem” in school, and it applies often in regard to shootings. The reports of a gun owner snapping and committing murder, or of a child finding a gun and shooting himself or someone else, stick in people’s minds, whereas reports of people using a gun to defend themselves against violent attack are quickly forgotten or are underreported.
I would love to know the statistics on how many shootings are “crimes of passion” or negligence versus gang activity and robbery–and self-defense. We keep hearing that owning a gun is a liability because you’re more likely to use it against yourself (or having someone else use it against you) than use it in self-defense. We keep hearing that home invasions are so improbable that they’re a “straw-man argument.”
So what are the stats?
Not to mention that crimes of passion don’t require a gun. Being crimes of passion, they are likely to occur with whatever weapon is closest at hand: knife, frying pan, bowling ball, etc.
The town is Monmouth and its where I live. This is exciting as hell for me to see the money I give to SAF being used in my hometown. Im sharing this story with everyone I know!
Maybe this ammo shortage will make some folks rethink the whole “always buy a gun in common a common caliber because it will always be available” advice for a SHTF type scenario.
The “disagreement gone ballistic” argument is bull. You haven’t heard of a spree of students walking up to their professor in the middle of class and bashing their skulls in with a textbook or a desk. You don’t hear about an epidemic of stabbings (with tiny knives!) or throttlings over Faulkner or field equations. If you have the self-control not to attack your arrogant, pompous windbag of a professor after you humiliates you in class and screws over your grade on a test, you’re probably not going to do it just because you have a gun instead of a 15lb textbook.
Then again, maybe students in Utah and other places CCWers can carry on campus just don’t give as much of a crap about academic arguments.
So let me get this straight — a nine year old kid gave a nice speech and RI’s Governor wasn’t there to hear it? Too bad. I’m sure that Gov. Chaffee would have enjoyed having someone his own age to play with.
Ok, I feel a little better about my recent SAF life membership after this. After Manchin-Toomey, not so much.
He says those things are rare? I wish someone could show the rarity of a legally purchased weapon being used by its rightful owner to commit a crime of the nature he described or any crime for that matter. This should not include the mentally ill ones which seem to garner the headlines of late.
Wait, so you can change the reticles in this scope on the fly?
One day, sometime before November, 2016, you’ll all realize that the crazy old man who has been preaching about reloading your own was right.
Texas has a bikini team?
Thank you for bringing this important information to my attention.
Thank you, TTAG, for this series, which is valuable in showing the breadth of gun ownership and fighting against the stereotypes of gun owners, which are used against us.
What the hell happened to “If it can save 1 child”??
I used to joke about how unsurprised I would be if the antis recruited one of their own to “take one for the team”some day. This just seems too well timed.
OMG he pointed an assualt rifle at a child!!! That monster!!!
/sarcasm
Good job Shawn. Glad that no one was hurt. Now just be prepared for the parents of the 17 year old to start tossing around pics of him from 6th grade and crying about what a good boy he is.
Helpful advice: don’t start a fight with an old guy; he’ll just kill you.
Erica Lafferty was a setup by Ayotte’s democrat opponents. As far as I can tell, Lafferty is not a resident of New Hampshire, and how she ended up at a town hall meeting in a tiny town in backwoods NH is inexplicable. If she isn’t a NH voter, she should not have been allowed to speak. Party crasher!
And as others have commented. expanded background checks would not have prevented Lanza from committing his crime. They would not have stopped Holmes. They would not have stopped Loughner. The burden on the law-abiding gun owner is NOT offset by the lives lost or that could be saved–because they still would still be lost if the world had been more to their liking.
The producer of Hardball just happened to be at the same town hall meeting filming the back and forth….coincidence…I think not! Matthews spoke with the producer after the interview with Erica.
anything connected to a computer can be hacked. that being said, if it’s illegal for Citizens to use, it should be illegal for the military and government to use.
Thanks for the great review. Just picked up one this morning. Cant wait to shoot it.
Time to re-instate gun clubs at every high school in America. Justice Scalia has said he used to ride the NYC subway with a .22 rifle on his way to school because he went to rifle practice.
Breaking: False Flag Shooting Interrupted
I guess the DHS responder didn’t get Obama/Brady’s memo.
The timing? The NRA convention? It’s either false flag or an anti recruiting one of their own. At the very least, given the backgrounds of every mass shooter in recent history, he was a leftist voter.
What’s all this I’m always hearing about Texas being some pro-gun haven?
Well this is the district that keeps electing this to Congress……..
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/4359693
Hey, we killed the million mom march by laughing them right off the media, we’ll get to these other pricks, Randy
Nice kit.
Being a former paramedic, I always have at least one kit similar to the above in my range bag. It also has a good set of shears and a fresh tube of super glue for those annoying cuts.
I don’t think Mr. Sugarman understands the actual definition of “crime.”
Without a victim, there is none.
I am an enthusiastic owner of firearms. I have also been diagnosed with ‘clinical depression with suicidal tendencies’. I have been on medication, and been to therapy, and did not find it helpful. I struggle with thoughts of suicide on a regular basis. Some would say that I should not be allowed to own firearms; I would tell those people to mind their own business. As a younger person who was not allowed to own a handgun without my parents’ permission, I did extensive research on the quickest and most painless way to take myself out of the picture, and went so far as to do some prep work. Since maturing and undergoing some life changes, I no longer fear that I will actually commit suicide, it is simply an unhappy part of my life that I struggle with. In my particular case, it is true that a gun makes it easier to commit suicide. It is also true that a determined person will not be deterred by whether or not a gun is readily available. I know I wasn’t. Owning guns at this stage in my life brings my joy and peacefulness – joy from the joy of shooting; from the ability to use, care for, and appreciate a complicated feat of engineering; peacefulness from knowing I can protect those dear to me if need be. In a world with precious little joy and peacefulness as it is, to take away someone’s rights because you think they might hurt themselves (intentionally and of their own free will) is tyrannical. I believe it is everyone’s right to choose for themselves whether they wish to smoke, drink, do drugs, raise children, own a home, be a mechanic, wear a dress, or yes, remove themselves from the realm of the living. If the pursuit of happiness means taking your own life, I think that an individual should be allowed to make that choice.
All that being said, I think most people who are suicidal (myself included) don’t really want to die, they just don’t particularly like living. Many things can help, including therapy, medication, friends, career changes, and the list goes on. Young people should be encouraged to utilize every resource to make these changes in their life. I’m happy to say I am much better off than I was at 18. And it angers me every time I hear anyone say that gun-related suicides are somehow a good reason to restrict the basic rights of every individual. Thanks.
“Just don’t forget that teaching how to safely handle firearms is a lot more important survival skill than algebra.”
Lola is shooting her father’s Caracal C with a full standard-capacity* magazine and a round in the chamber. Assuming she loaded the pistol from a standard box of 50 9mm cartridges, how many rounds (x) remain in the box? State your assumptions and show all your work.
*not valid where prohibited by law.
See algebra and guns.
…would “super glue” ever come in handy for closing wounds?
Bobby Jindal’s voice surprised me, I hadn’t heard him speak.
Yeah, like most of the Onion’s stuff, some made me laugh, some didn’t. Maybe a little mean-spirited in parts, but let’s be honest, if you’re going to join the NRA, you should probably have a little thicker than average skin. That’s one thing I do like about LaPierre- he’s not well liked by the media or the pundits, and he could give a tin shit less.
…bought a shirt from that booth on Sunday. I can honestly say the picture does not do her justice.
I expect a negative outcome if this goes on.
“Non-violent civil disobedience” is a good tactic, and has been developed pretty well. But it is solely for disarmed people. The left/pacifist crowd uses it all the time, often to good effect; however, they use it because they think guns are evil tools and have disarmed themselves.
Yes, the famous Gandhi used non-violent civil disobedience, because being disarmed is the situation into which he was forced by circumstances; the British had disarmed the Indian people. If the Indian folks had guns, Gandhi may well have used them. He says so.
“Among the many misdeeds of British rule in India, history will look upon the Act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest.” ~Mohandas Gandhi, Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth , page 446
Again, and you can read their own literature, it’s a great tactic for disarmed people.
But it’s a horrible tactic for armed people.
It accomplishes exactly the wrong things like starting a Fort Sumter or getting guns confiscated, lives ruined by arrest, jail, carry permits yanked.
Those are bad, but the worst outcome being a demonstration of the ineffectiveness of arms.
If shooting does break out by accident, the marchers are going to be decimated. The American Revolutionary soldiers of 1776 may has well have announced a date upon which they would march armed into some British stronghold, just to prove how the Redcoats should respect them.
Non-violent tactics do work and firearms do work; however, they do NOT mix well.
“It doesn’t give them the right not to deliver the mail. Just because this place is bad, you’re not going to deliver the mail?”
Yeah I think it’s something like ‘Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night…’ but there’s nothing in there about bad neighborhoods!
BTW, random mailman-related story for y’all:
When I lived in San Francisco there were 21 stairs up from the sidewalk to my front door. One of the postal workers refused to go up them. Even though I worked from home, I would find “sorry we missed you” slips in the slot down at street level if there was a package to be delivered while this one dude was working. One day I saw him come by and went down to get the mail to find out that he didn’t deliver my package again. So I actually drove down the block and found him around the corner and asked him about it. He said, “regulations state that we can’t climb more than 13 stairs to deliver mail. If I broke these regulations and I fell and hurt myself then what? Who would I sue?” <<< word for word. If he trips and falls, his immediate concern is "who would I sue?"
So…. the next time it happened I took the slip and, the next day (since you must wait for the following day to pick up your package if you "miss" it), I drove to the post office and told the district manager that I keep missing packages despite being home. That the mailman is obviously just refusing to go up my stairs, and I was wondering if there's some sort of rule where X number of stairs is too many but Y number is just fine. He said, nope, there's no regulation at all that says postal carriers cannot go up more than a certain number of stairs. Cool… so the guy was just lazy.
I think the creed should be changed to “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night, but bad neighborhoods or more than 13 stairs are deal breakers.”