The best method I have available to defend myself, my family, and my community is with a firearm. I'm not sorry.

There's this video going around on Facebook and Chambers of a woman who was raped in the 80s because she was anti-gun at the time. She says she continues to hope that stricter gun controls happen, but now carries a firearm and is glad she did after a recent incident where a man came to her door and she felt unsafe. I don't know if she made the whole thing up or not, because we all know the internet is full of lies, but the gist of it remains the same for me.<br><br>Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, I was terrified of guns. As we all know, that was the era of school shootings. The worst was in 1999 at Columbine High School where two students killed 13 people. Kids bringing guns to school became de-sensitized for me growing up, and I was, in a word, terrified.<br><br>Fast forward to the time I was married, which was in 2007. My husband was a lot like me: we were both anti-guns. The thought of having a firearm in our home was just absolutely out of the question. But then, in 2009, we bought our first house. We went from living in an apartment, where the only thing between the next door neighbors and my front door was a thin bit of wood and a lot of hope, to having a yard and a street and real freedom. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. But then we did something that changed me and my husband forever.<br><br>He subscribed to the local police scanner reports on Facebook and I followed shortly after. These accounts are run by people in our community who listen to police band radio and report back to their followers what's happening in real time. That's when the world came crashing down around me and my perception of our hometown was forever shattered. It was on the same day when I read that a man had walked into a grocery store in the next town over, held a gun to the head of the cashier, and robbed the store. I was absolutely horrified. That was the turning point for me when I realized that I needed to defend myself. I needed to defend my family.<br><br>My parents were absolutely horrified. Both of them were also anti-gun. I think they still are, to be honest. I didn't let that bother me. My husband and I went to a firearms training class, got our concealed carry permits, and bought guns. I got a pistol and he got a rifle. It's been several years now and we have about four firearms. I'm comfortable with the handguns, but I'm not comfortable with the rifles. And you know what? That's okay. I have a method of self-defense that I am comfortable with and I don't have to be uncomfortable.<br><br>This brings me to another point. I have seen a lot of people on social media claim that we pro-gun people just want people to be uncomfortable and even dead. That's just not true, and I think it's ridiculous that anyone would even entertain that idea. I want to be comfortable and safe. So do the anti-gun people. There's a huge difference, though, and that's in methodology. The best method available to me to defend myself and the people I care about is with a firearm. For other people, it's mace, or a knife, or a baseball bat, or running away as fast as they can.<br><br>A lot of the anti-gun people I've seen claim that there's just no point in owning a firearm because if someone wants to break in, then they're just going to break in. I will say that I agree with that. I don't own a gun because I think it will stop someone from getting into my home. I own a gun because if they get in, then I will have the upper hand. I have the choice to defend myself, my husband, my pets, my belongings, my property, and my sense of safety. And if I didn't have that choice, I wouldn't feel safe. I feel safe now, and that's all that matters.<br><br>The same thing goes if someone approaches me on the street and harasses me or tries to rob or abduct me, both of which has happened to me before. If I didn't have a concealed carry permit and a comfortable, familiar firearm to fall back on, I wouldn't be able to go out alone. I would be terrified. The same goes for my husband. If I didn't have a firearm, I wouldn't feel safe staying home alone while he was out at work, especially in the evenings when it's dark and visibility is low. But because I have that choice, because I know I am prepared to defend myself, I don't live in fear. That's what matters.<br><br>What also matters is that I'm not alone in my opinion. I made a Facebook post a few months ago about the 2nd Amendment and how important it is. It got over 120 likes. Most of my friends and family are anti-gun, so it was a big deal for me to post about something that I feel so passionately about. A few people messaged me saying they agreed with me. Even my mom told me that my grandma and grandpa agreed with me when she shared my post with them.<br><br>I'm not here to change anyone's mind. I'm not trying to convince anyone that they should own a firearm. I'm saying that this is my choice, and if you have a problem with this, then that's your prerogative. I'm not sorry for the choice I have made. It was an informed decision and it's absolutely, 100% within my civil rights. I am not trying to take anyone else's choice away from them. Gun control proponents are, however.<br><br>So to those who are anti-gun, who want stricter controls and an outright ban, I say to you that I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry I carry a firearm to protect myself. I'm not sorry that I own multiple firearms for different purposes. I'm not sorry that I am prepared to defend myself, my family, my pets, my belongings, my home, my community, and innocent lives around me. I don't care if you don't agree with me. I don't care if you feel unsafe. What I care about is that I am prepared to defend myself and the people I care about.<br><br>If you want stricter gun controls, then you are trying to take away my choices. And that's just something you have no right to do.