When I turned 21 I got a Concealed Carry Permit. I didn’t live in a high crime area or have paranoia issues. None of my friends or family ever used a gun to protect themselves. I didn’t think I’d be in a situation where I needed a gun. I still don’t. So why then, do I carry a gun?
At this point I could default to the utilitarian (and very valid) argument that, “it’s better to have and not need than to need and not have.” Much the same way that I click a seatbelt every time I get in a vehicle, if it doesn’t hurt to carry a gun, why wouldn’t I carry a gun? But let’s be honest, we wouldn’t be satisfied with much in life if, when asked why we do what we do, our response was, “why not?”
For me, and hopefully many others, the reason for carrying runs much deeper than, “why not?” I do it because it’s independent. It’s self reliant. It’s everything governing bodies from the beginning of time have feared – If we the people have the ability to protect ourselves, our families, and our property, who else can claim such a responsibility? No one. And it is our responsibility! A free people must maintain their freedom by ensuring their own safety. As we know, the government that promises freedom and safety will provide neither.
It’s simple. I am a free man. That is why I carry a gun.