Just Call Me.... Annie Oakley

Yesterday, the hubs and I suffered through took a 10 hour course to get our CHL. For those of you that aren't familiar with the lingo - that's a concealed handgun license. It's not that I feel like our Saturday was completely wasted, but quite frankly, 10 hours was a bit excessive. We started at 7:30am and could've easily had that bad-boy wrapped up by noon, having learned all that we needed to know in 4 hours. The rest was just story-telling. Unfortunately, the law requires the course to be 10 hours long, so we just made the best of it.

You wanna know how I did??  I passed the written exam with a 98, and as far as the shooting goes - I was the best woman shooter on the course. We shot 50 rounds of ammo. 20 rounds from 11 feet, 20 rounds from 21 feet and 10 rounds from 45 feet away from the target.  Some of the spiratic shots were all from 45 feet away, the rest were pretty close to dead center.

So, why, you may ask, am I interested in having a concealed handgun license? FOR PROTECTION... DUH. Our back yard sits on a busy road here in our city, next to a beautiful city park. There are constantly people walking, jogging and biking down the sidewalk that sits on the other side of our back fence. We live in a very nice and safe neighborhood, however I'm not so naive to think that a break-in cannot occur. I want to feel safe in my own home. There is nothing worse than hearing an unfamiliar noise at night and laying there listening soo hard that your heartbeat starts playing in surround sound and it's all you hear. NOT THAT IT HAPPENS OFTEN, BUT IT DOES OCCUR ON OCCASION. 

Also, let's be honest: our world is getting a little bit crazier with every passing day. You can't turn on the news without hearing of shootings in movie theaters, shootings in schools, shootings in churches.... the fact of the matter is that those places have been relatively safe up until recently. Only a whack-job would think of shooting into a crowd of innocent bystanders who are captivated by a big screen, or innocent children being educated, or a sacred house of God. And let me tell you - there are more and more whack-jobs roaming the streets than we probably realize.

I was raised to respect life. The men in my family were hunters. My dad instilled in me as a child that a person was only suppose to kill something to eat it. And even then, he talked about praying over some of his "kills" after he had shot them, because he felt pity. He had taken a life and it was a serious thing, not to be taken lightly. Kids now-a-days aren't raised in this same respect. They are engulfed with video games full of shooting and killing: zombies, enemy combatants, and Lord knows what else. There is no emotion involved, because it's GAME. There are no consequences, and half of the time, there are no father figures in thier life either to correct this mentality. My personal opinion is that our society is growing more and more callous to life because the old ways have stopped being passed down. There is no emotion left in killing, and these kids who are so comfortable with emotionlessly killing in video games are the same ones who are emotionlessly killing innocent people crowded into movie theaters, schools, restaurants, and churches.

I believe in legally protecting myself. It is currently legal for you to protect your home and property without a CHL. You can even carry a gun (concealed) in your vehicle in most counties of Texas. But what happens if I'm at the movie theater, or a restaurant, or in church? Our instructor advised over and over again (LITERALLY THE SAME STORY FOR ALMOST 2 HOURS) that we have the right to protect ourself, our family and our property, but anyone else - we were sticking our neck out. I do not have the right to patrol my neighborhood for burglars. I do not have the right to interfere in others business (using my gun), even if they are in harms way. This is what 9-1-1 and the police are for. I DO have the right to protect myself if I am the one being attacked, if my immediate family (my husband or children) are being attacked, or if my property is being burglarized.

Let me talk specifically to the ladies now: you do not need a CHL to carry a gun within the confines of your home, or even to carry a gun in your car (as long as it's hidden)... but you need to know how to use it in order to protect yourself. If your husband is away, if you are a single lady, if you live in an unsafe neighborhood, if you live way out in the country....if you are handicapped, or elderly... you need protection. I spent many years as a single lady with no one looking out for me, but ME. There was no one there to protect me in the middle of the night, or even at high noon when some stranger showed up at my doorstep trying to sell something. You never know who you are dealing with in the world today. We always want to believe that people have good intentions, and most do... but predators are out there, and they come in all shapes and sizes - and most are unexpected.

I will be the first to say that I hope I never have to use my gun. I even joked with a couple of the guys in my class, as they were commenting on my target, that I was there for protection and not for pleasure. I don't really enjoy being around guns. They make me nervous. I didn't enjoy sitting on the front row of class while the instructor waived an EMPTY gun all over the place. They can be very dangerous and frightening if you don't know much about them or how to use them. I encourage all of you ladies, to go and take a class, maybe not a concealed handgun class, but at least a gun safety class. Guns come in all shapes and sizes - even little bitty ones that are perfect for ladies to use for protection. Do it for yourself, for your children, for your peace of mind.

You should never be afraid of something that could protect you in the event of an emergency. You may never have to use it (AND I PRAY YOU DONT!), but at least know HOW... just in case.