Growing up, I had a decent amount of exposure to guns. My dad, uncle and stepdad all own firearms, some of which have even been stored in the house that I was living in. Several times, I have stood in my grandparents’ yard while my uncle has shown me how to properly handle a gun. This meant showing me how to aim and hit a target, load and unload the gun and turn the safety on and off. I was taught by the men in my life at a very young age how to respect and use a gun to defend myself and the loved ones in my life. I even had a close friend once who, for his birthday, invited a group of his close friends out to Caba Farms Gun Club where we spent the afternoon shooting trap. There were 15 or more teenagers there who spent an extended period of time with loaded shotguns, and miraculously, no one was injured. We actually had a great deal of fun shooting those guns at clay disks flying through the air.

It’s because of these past experiences that I can truly say that I will never fear a gun as long as I live. I can say that even in light of recent events. One day, I plan to have a handgun carry permit. Because of the training I have already received and the instruction I will receive before I carry around a handgun every day, I will not live in fear. On the contrary, I walk around every day knowing that I am safe. I will live with the knowledge that I have the ability to protect myself if I am ever put in a dangerous situation. But, even though I will always have a gun with me, I will never be a threat to the people around me.

This is because it’s not the gun that is the threat to people’s safety. A gun does not walk itself into a crowded place and pull its own trigger, harming the people there. The gun does not plan for months to kill people and ruin the lives of the families of the victims. All of these actions are committed by the lunatics who are full of hatred and do not value the sanctity of every life. When are we going to learn that guns are not the problem? When are we going to learn that, when some psycho wants to take the lives of those around them, they are going to find a way -- no matter kind of weapon they have to use? Now, saying that in no way means that we should give everybody who wants one a gun. There should definitely be precautions and background checks and records kept of who has what gun.

I have never been, and will never be, afraid of guns. When it’s legal, I will have a handgun on me at all times, and when I own a home, I will have one near my bed. I don’t understand fearing an inanimate object, and I’m not sure I ever will. I only fear the evil, sick and twisted individuals out there who seek to kill and destroy fellow citizens. In spite of the awful tragedies that have been committed by these criminals, I refuse to live in fear. I refuse to fear an object that I have been taught how to correctly use -- one that could provide my family and me with invaluable protection.