i am a former gun grabber

i am a 31 year old woman, mother of 3. i have always been pro gun control. i thought the world should be a happy utopia, and that we should look to canada as an example. i used to say things like, "i don't have a problem with people having guns, but they shouldn't be able to carry them around in public." i thought there should be stricter controls on things like assault rifles. i thought canada's system where you have to wait months for a permit just to purchase a gun was a great idea. i was wrong. <br><br>i got married at 19 and lost my virginity to my now ex husband. he was a complete piece of garbage and we divorced when i was 21. at 22 i met my current spouse and at 23 i gave birth to my first child, a girl. our second child, a boy, was born when i was 26 and the youngest, also a boy, was born when i was 29. i am also a nurse practitioner, so i still have a full time career on top of raising 3 small children. <br><br>my husband, 37, is a good man. he is a phenomenal cook and does 75% of the housework. he always does the dishes, he always folds the laundry, he will always put away the groceries, he always does the yardwork, he always fixes everything around the house. he does 95% of the grocery shopping, and will always pick up food from the liquor store on his way home from work. he is also the type of guy who will always put himself last and will do whatever it takes to make sure our children and i are happy. i am very lucky to have him. <br><br>last year, we purchased a new house outside of a major city in the usa, the house is a beautiful 1950's bungalow. the house is on a dead end street, and was the perfect size for our family. it has been beautifully kept up by the previous owners, and mostly just needs some new flooring and appliances to bring it into the modern era. the neighbourhood is also very quiet, and we are close to the town centre. <br><br>well, just before christmas 2023, it became obvious the economy was going to shit. china bought 400 million ounces of gold in a span of just a few weeks (edit: i am not sure where i read this, but it has happened, do with that information what you will). this made it obvious that china was attempting to devalue the value of the USD, and thus the world currency. the price of oil skyrocketed, gas prices skyrocketed, everything got more expensive, and neighbourhoods that were once considered safe were now becoming crime-ridden. <br><br>a couple of weeks ago, while my mother was babysitting the kids, my husband and i went out to a nice restaurant in the city. we had a couple of drinks, and i got home around 10:30. when i pulled into my driveway, i saw a man feeding my neighbours dog. i thought it was a little odd, but figured he must be a friend or something. i grabbed my phone and sticked around for a couple of minutes to make sure he left, then went inside and went to bed. the next morning, i went to my usual 8am boot camp-style workout and when i got home i figured i would check my ring doorbell cameras. <br><br>i saw a man walking around neighbourhood, going up to peoples' doors and ringing the doorbells. i saw him walk by my house a couple of times, but i never did catch him on my cameras. regardless, i thought this was a little odd, figured the guy was casing houses, and moved on with my day. <br><br>yesterday, i was out for a walk with one of my friends and her dog. as we were approaching my house, i saw the same man from the ring doorbell cameras walking around the neighbourhood, again going up to peoples' doors and ringing the doorbells. as we approached my house, he saw me and immediately ran away at full speed. i thought, "that's fucking weird." but i shrugged it off. <br><br>anyway, i got home and went to do my usual neighbourhood walk with my dog. as i am walking, i get a notification from one of my neighbours on our street's telegram saying, "there is a man going around the neighbourhood stealing people's dogs". i immediately panic for a second, thinking what if that was what was happening when i saw the neighbourhood man feeding my neighbours dog last week. i pull out my phone and pull up the ring doorbell app. <br><br>the man from 2 weeks ago, and yesterday, is in my front yard. he is jumping over my fence and trying to steal my dog. luckily for me, my dog is in my front yard, but i can hear him inside the house. i get inside as quickly as i can. i tell my husband what is happening, i go and get my gun, and run outside. <br><br>this man is now standing by my front door. i yell at him, "do not move". i call 911, and get inside the house. i give him the address, tell them that i have my gun trained on a strange man and that he is attempting to steal my dog. i tell them i will not hang up, and i will not move until the police arrive. i have my gun trained on the man, and i will not move. it takes the police 30 minutes to arrive. the man does not move a single inch. as it turns out, he has a neighbourhood full of stolen dogs in his house, just a few houses away. <br><br>i am no longer pro gun control. i can no longer say that everybody should have to get a permit to purchase a gun. i now fully believe it is each person's right to own a gun. you never know when you are going to need it, and you never know how long it is going to take for the police to show up. <br><br>edit: i am also not saying that all canadians are stupid, and do not deserve guns. this is solely my opinion. i was a stupid anti-gun person, and now i am an advocate for 2nd amendment rights. also, for those commenting that stealing dogs is not a reason to shoot someone, i would happily take a bullet for my dog.