I feel strongly about gun ownership and rights. I own guns for several reasons. I sport shoot; targets, clays etc. I hunt. I have guns for home protection and for self defense. I also CCW, in fact I have a handgun in my waist as I type this.

There are two people who know I carry; a friend who also has his CCW that I shoot with, and the Sheriff who issued it. Not even my wife knows.

Imagine it's the middle of the night, and you hear an intruder breaking into your house...or worse, already in your house. What are you going to do...call 911? What about the time it takes for the police to get there? It's the job of the police to get there, not to be there. It's my job...my responsibility as a husband and soon to be father, to protect my family. Doing so does not mean I'm going to load up and go hunt down the bad guy in my house. I'm going to use my bedside handgun to get to my shotgun, where my family and I will hide out in a room while we wait for the police. Protected. Do not take false comfort in your home security alarm, motion lights and deadbolts etc. They are all good, but are just layers of home security.

I think every responsible law abiding household should have a gun in the home. As far as CCW, it's not for everyone, I understand that. I've decided that it is for me. I've seen all the shootings and terrible things that happen EVERYWHERE at ANY TIME, and decided that I have no interest in being a victim. I can not imagine the feeling of stopping at a Wendy's with my wife for a milkshake only to find ourselves facing the horror of a gunman, and our only chance being that he runs out of ammo.

Of course I'm going to bring this up...what if there was a CCW student at VT, who might have been able to end Cho? Or in the Wendy's? Or any other place where a gunmen has taken out people like fish in a barrel? It's a sad state of affairs that our times have come to people doing just that...walking into a room/school/restaurant etc and just picking people off at will.

If you choose to not carry, that's your choice. I respect that. But you should not speak or think negatively about those who do. I might be the guy at the table next to you, when a hell-bent psycho storms in and opens fire. There's a good chance, that I might be able to save your life. Now, don't get the wrong idea here, I'm not saying I may be your hero pistol packing saving knight. I used the words "chance" and "might", because that's what my CCW gives me; a chance. I'm not a cop. I'm not a bodyguard. I'm just a guy who made the choice to carry a hanggun to protect my family and myself, as a last choice .

It's a big change in lifestyle, to carry a gun. Where I used to put my moneyclip in one pocket and my chapstick and pocketknife in the other...I now stick a holster and gun into my waist. That's a big change. I'd rather not carry it, trust me. But unfortunately, the world we live in does not share the same views as I. I'll tell you another thing about CCW, is that it makes me MUCH more likely to avoid ANY kind of confrontation. I'm not saying that I was a hothead quick to fight etc. before...it's just that carrying a firearm brings a WHOLE new level of responsibility and accountibility.

What I'm saying is, just because YOU might not agree with CCW and gun ownership, does not mean that it's wrong, or that you should look down on those who do. The same as I don't look down on those who do not (CCW that is, I still think a home gun is important).

I know it's quite cliche, but true...
"I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it".