I have mixed feelings about open carry and even concealed carry of guns.

I’ve considered getting a concealed carry permit for years, but likely won’t do it. I don’t even have to take a training course, since I was in the military and handled guns safely all the time. (And grew up redneck, but that doesn’t count in the eyes of the law.)

There have been situations where I would’ve felt a lot safer with a gun — not just pepper spray — but that’s only been once or twice. Going into a stranger’s house buying something from Craigslist is one such situation that I can recall.

Those who do concealed carry are pretty safe, and law-abiding. Because, duh, if you aren’t you just carry the gun any fucking way, like my dad used to do before he went down the straight and narrow. The liberal outrage over concealed carry, the statistics show, is unjustified. And it also appears to reduce violent crime slightly, but that’s hard to measure.

But see, growing up with guns, and being in the military, they don’t make me feel manly or powerful. They make me feel guarded and vulnerable, because the worst thing that can happen is for a) Someone to know you have a gun and take it from you or b) Someone to know you have a gun, period.

If I were ever to concealed carry, no one would ever know. Which is the way it should be.

Personally, I’d rather wear a sword, if I knew how to use it (which I don’t). But that’s even more bulky, and at least 60% of the reason I don’t conceal carry is the weight would be bothersome as I hate even keys being in my pocket.

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