Usually for Christmas I buy my wife something that sparkles, or gleams, or is made of gold or silver. This year she asked for a .38 caliber revolver. I think that is a good choice, because when faced with a rapist a diamond tennis bracelet is not much of a weapon. It will also increase my peace of mind to know that she is armed. She’s had a carry permit for ten years, but her fingers are double-jointed, so we have to find a revolver that has a trigger pull that she can manage.
Since the 1960s I have never gone anywhere unarmed, unless it is the courthouse and in that case I leave my firearm in the car. I’ve never had to use my weapon except at the firing range and I hope I never do. I don’t “wear a six-shooter on my hip” but I do feel undressed if I don’t have one of my pistols with me. And I don’t advertise that I am armed, but sometimes it will come up in conversation and some gun nut will say something stupid like, “Are you planning on killing somebody?” My answer is always the same. I never intend to kill anyone, but if I am forced to pull that gun I will kill somebody. If I am sitting in Chick-fil-A and some deranged individual comes in and starts shooting, you can bet that I will kill him or her, unless they get me first.
In every instance of mass shootings if just ONE person in that crowd had a firearm and the chance to use it, there would be a lot of people alive today who are in the morgue. Why on earth do you think that demented individuals (the latest ones are Muslims so Carolina and California instances are going to become more frequent) choose to go into so-called “Gun Free Zones” to kill people? If you are going fishing you go to where there is water that might contain fish, wouldn’t you? Going to a place where the shooter knows there are only unarmed people is like shooting fish in a barrel.
My wife will be taking lessons on how to use her new pistol safely. A husband should never try to teach his wife anything. And I would advise anyone to have an experienced instructor teach them how to use a firearm safely and effectively. But I would also advise all you husbands to have your wife learn how to use a gun, and I promise it will make you feel better to know that she can protect herself when you are not around.