I may lose a few readers over this post and frankly, I'm okay with that.  It is something I feel passionately enough about that I am willing to risk it.  I hope that if you do find yourself frustrated with what I have to say that it will at least open up a dialogue in your home about your personal safety. 

One of the rights that we have, thanks to our forefathers, is the right to bear arms.  While most people think that that means we can own guns if we choose to, the honest to God truth is that it is our right to walk around with a gun clearly visible.  That means if I want to walk into a WalMart with a gun holstered on my hip in plain sight, I can!  You can too!  Think about the "Old Wild West".  A man didn't leave his house without his gun in his holster.   The laws haven't changed!  We are still allowed to do this!  It isn't just for security personnel, off duty police officers, and cowboys.  It is for American citizens.  If someone wants to carry a gun and have it concealed there is a special training and approval process in order to do that. 

I know most people think that guns are dangerous.  They kill people.  Terrible things can happen if you have a gun in your house.  The answer to all of those questions is, "Yes.  They can be.  Yes.  They do.  And, yes they can."  Guns can be dangerous if you aren't trained, knowledgeable, and confident your abilities and your limitations.  Guns can only kill people if they are in the hands of someone who is pointing it at someone and pulling a trigger.  And, if a gun is not kept in a well placed securely locked location, terrible things can happen.

I am a proud gun owner (I wanted a pink one but even though the one I chose isn't pink, I still think it is feminine).  I would one day like to go through the steps of getting a conceal and carry permit.  I am not Rambo.  I am not crazy.  I just want to know that if I ever needed to protect the life of me or my children, that I won't find myself empty handed and wishing there was something I could do to stop a bad guy threatening the life of a loved one. 

When this conversation came up recently, someone said to me, "Killing someone wouldn't be an easy thing to do!"  My response came quickly.  I explained, "I would be willing to suffer with the guaranteed psychological trauma of taking a persons life if it meant that I saved the life of one of my children or their mother."

Most people will say to this whole discussion that, "It would never happen to me."  And, thankfully, for the majority of people this is true.  But if that was the rational behind whether or not to protect yourself or your family, why have smoke detectors?  Why have life insurance?  Why have a home security system?  Why have a gun for a emergency situation that probably won't happen? 

All of that brings me to this story.  By story, I don't mean a story I made up.  I don't mean a story about something I saw on the news.  This is a story that my father, an employee and my dear cousin lived last night. 

My father is a pharmacist and "P" and "Cousin B" are pharmacy technicians.   At about 5:45 pm when buisiness had finally slowed down, a man walked into the pharmacy.  Since after so many years of being in business, it is unusual to see very many new faces.  Cousin B asked him immediately if she could help him and he quickly said "No."  All three of them were leery of this guy and thought that he was going to try to steal something so P went out to the main floor ans asked him if she could help him find something.  He started talking about his mother and looking at the vitamin counter.  P helped him find some vitamins.  Cousin B was standing behind the register watching and waiting to ring up the sale.  When my dad felt like he was going to buy the vitamins, he was less concerned about him stealing something and had gone into the office.  He began looking at his camera that he needed to get batteries for before the end of the night. 

Back at the register, Cousin B had bagged up the vitamins and had them on the counter.  The man then pulled up his shirt a little to show her the butt end of a gun.  He told her that he wanted 3 controlled drugs put into a bag.  Cousin B very calmly went to where the meds were that he asked for while smoothly pushing the silent alarm button.  She put the requested items in the bag and walked back to the counter calmly and put the bag down. 

At that moment, my dad, completely oblivious to what was taking place, camera in hand, started walking in his normal brisk pace in the direction of the robber.  The robber said, "He's going to shoot me!"   He reached in the direction of the gun in his pants

Cousin B, instantly began shouting, "It's a camera!  It's a camera!  He isn't going to shoot you!" 

At this point, my dad is confused but thankfully his stern, hurried, and aggressive walk (for batteries) was intimidating enough that the armed robber took off after grabbing the bag off of the counter. 

Stupid criminal.  All of that and wouldn't you know he took the bag of vitamins and left the bag of powerful drugs on the counter top. 

It is all over and everyone is fine but I am sure that P, my dad, and Cousin B, will never be the same again.  There is an innocence that has been ripped away from them.  We all consciously know that today could be our last day but they all had a day that really could have been their last.  I have been encouraging my dad to not over think the whole night's events but as a bystander, I sure wish my dad really would have had a gun.  I wish that he (or one of the ladies!) would have been able to change the position of power in an instant, taken control of the situation, and not have felt weak and taken advantage of.  Robbed of their innocence. 

The events that took place last night have really renewed my desire to get my conceal and carry permit.  I wish more of us would and recognize that the good guys having guns is what will keep bad guys from doing bad things.  Outlawing guns only takes guns out of the hands of the good guys.  Bad guys will get guns illegally.  It isn't like a bad guy would say, "Sheesh.  If only it were legal for me to get a gun, I would totally rob that place!"  or  "If there weren't so many legal hoops to jump through to get a gun, I would totally murder that lady." 

What will make the bad guys stop is when the store owner has a gun.  When the lady has a gun.  When 50 percent of the citizens aren't going to run and hide, they are going to pull out their gun and point it squarely on the bad guy.  That is how we get the crime rates down. 

Tonight as you enjoy your family time, think about what you would do if someone came into your house at night.  What would you do if someone car jacked you with your baby already inside?  Just think about it, please. 



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