Fears & Myths Dispelled: “My husband carries a handgun so I don’t need to”

In this series, I am continuing to dispel common fears and myths that some ladies (all folks really) have about owning a firearm and carrying concealed. So many ladies that I instruct are SCARED of this tool. So as we continue this series on common firearm fears and myths keep an open mind.

First, let’s recap the list:

1. “I don’t want to have it in the house; I have kids here.”
2. “I don’t need a holster if I carry in my purse.”
3. “I plan on carrying a revolver because they’re small.”
4. “I carry a .22 because I am faster and more people are killed by a .22 than any other caliber statistically.” / “I thought anything bigger than a .22 caliber would be too hard to shoot.”
5. “I got it because it’s cute.”
6. “I don’t know anything about guns.”
7. “I don’t keep the gun loaded in the house.”
8. “My husband carries so I don’t need too.”
9. “I just went with what the guy at the gun store suggested.”
10. “My boobs are too big; they get in the way of shooting.”

 

As we cover number 8 in this post, “My husband carries so I don’t need too”, I want to ask you one question that could, in fact, change your entire mindset. What happens when a bad guy tries to rob you in the grocery store parking lot with your kids in the car, AND YOUR HUSBAND ISN’T THERE?! I could end this blog right now and let you contemplate all the ways that a situation could go horribly awry but let’s talk about a few big points first that you might not think of.

First, the obvious, unless you live, work, play and just generally enjoy being with your spouse LITERALLY 24/7, you will have those moments when you need to run to the store for a gallon of milk and go alone. There might be moments where you’re home alone, where you’re in your vehicle alone waiting for your spouse to pay for gas so you can fill up the tank. Point being, there will be moments in your life that you’ll be without your significant other. If you’re a typical household who works separately, you’ll be separated (pretty obvious right?!); whether it’s one spouse working outside the home and one working at home with the kiddos. There will be times, a lot or a little, where you’ll be alone!

So let me ask you this, if your husband is at work, and you’re at home, who is going to protect you? It’s a proven fact that all home invasions happen at home. Are you prepared for that? What about going to the grocery store with your children? Who is going to protect you when you are carrying a child on your hip AND pushing a cart at the same time? That’s a difficult enough situation even if you do carry concealed!

So here’s the deal. The only person who can protect you at all times is YOU! Silly as it sounds, you’re always with you right? You’re also always with your children (if you have them). How can your spouse defend yourself and your children when he’s at work? In short, he can’t. If you want to have the perks of a full time body guard, then you need to step up to the plate and do it yourself.

Let me switch gears here. A handgun, is a DEFENSIVE firearm. Why do we carry a handgun you ask? To be able to fight our way to a bigger gun! Like a rifle, or a shotgun; which are inherently offensive weapons. Another reason we carry a handgun is that society frowns on us carrying a bigger gun! Granted, in most states open carry is legal. Legal open carry means that you can sling a rifle on your back or a pistol on your hip, not concealed, and be perfectly within your legal rights. However, it’s not to your tactical advantage. It takes away your option to get into the situation if you don’t need too. Open carry also scares people. There’s just no need for that unless you’re walking around your own property that involves 20+ acres out in the middle of nowhere.

Now, we’re not law enforcement. We can’t walk around public with our firearms at the low ready looking for some kind of perceived threat. This is where our OODA loop and the Color Codes come in handy. (Check out this previous post to learn more) We will cover more of those in some upcoming Youtube Vlogs. What this means is that we have to use our common sense and situational awareness to discern the situation we may be in. Honestly, if I’m out with my kids, and there’s commotion or people yelling or something that looks like it might escalate into something dangerous, I’M GOING TO LEAVE! That’s always my first choice. There are a few exceptions to this, but I’ll get into this later. This is why carrying concealed is so important. When a bad guy, with a gun, comes into the place of business that I am in, who do you think is going to be his first target, if he sees a firearm on my hip? ME! Do you know what else this does? Puts a giant bulls eye on me and my kids too. I don’t want that and I’m pretty sure that you don’t either. I want the option to get involved; I want that to be MY decision.

So the moral of the story is this: if you want a 24/7 body guard to protect and defend you then YOU need to put your big-girl panties on and get it done. Go buy a Glock (26, 43 or 19), go take a class and never stop trying to learn how to function with a firearm in your daily life and shoot better.

Cheers,

Nila