There is a quizstar thing going around Facebook called “who’s in your cartel?” Several of my friends have posted this and on two of them I popped up as “weapons expert”. I will be the first to admit that I am not an expert on any weapon. I did qualify expert on the range exactly one time while in the Marine Corps and I could take apart and reassemble my weapon in a fairly swift manner. Does that make me an expert? I think not.

I know that guns and gun control is a hot topic at the moment and I don’t want to get into a debate about that. I do want to talk about responsible gun ownership. You may be thinking, “where do the Girls fall into this conversation?” There was an episode in season one where their home gets robbed while they are away at a Madonna concert. Out of fear, they decide to get a security system. That didn’t help Rose so she went out and bought a gun. She stated that she was taught to use it, but when she displayed her target to the other girls Blanche said, ” Honey there are no holes in it.”  Dorothy just freaked out and said that she can’t live in a house with a gun. Nonetheless, Rose keeps the gun and when she hears a noise in the night she comes out shooting. She shot toward Blanche and her date, missing them, but destroying a large Chinese vase.

The scene that I described makes for good comedy, but is by far no argument for owning or using a gun. In fact, it could be quite the opposite. It could prove that having guns in your home is dangerous and irresponsible. In that light, let me dig a little into safe, responsible gun ownership and personal protection.  As stated before, I am by no means an expert on the topic, but I do have opinions and a few tips.

I grew up with guns in the house. My father wasn’t a hunter, although I do think that he hunted before I was born, there were shotguns on an open rack in the basement family room. I remember my oldest brother talking about rabbit hunting. My father was also a police office and I remember the forbidden “gun drawer”. We were told as children to never open that drawer and growing up in a generation where the parents were boss the drawer was never opened. Today we have to have locked safes, long discussions, even debates with children about household rules. That is another topic, so I digress…

Most of my adult life I never had guns. My first husband wasn’t against them, just wasn’t interested in them. My current, second, and forever husband is a hunter and is very interested in handguns, rifles and shot guns. He has encouraged me to learn the handling of each. I am most comfortable with handguns mostly because I am not a hunter.

We travel together a lot and he travels some alone. In either case, I find myself with large blocks of alone time. My husband taught me to shoot and encouraged me to take safety courses and apply for a conceal carry permit, which I have and utilize.  As with anything, if you are going to be good at it, it takes practice. As in the case of The Golden Girls, Rose bought a gun and just started shooting towards any bump in the night. It’s these types of scenarios played out in television or the movies that blankets all gun ownership as bad and irresponsible.

Lately there has been a huge attack on a large section of Americans. I am talking about the members of the NRA. Most members, including myself, are responsible gun owners that take ownership very seriously and know that without practice and common sense one should never just start wielding a weapon. We also believe that having a weapon and knowing how to use it properly is our first line of defense for our families should an armed home intruder choose our home.

I have, thankfully, never had to shoot my weapon outside of a range setting. I hope that I am never in a situation that requires shooting. I am, however, prepared for it. I practice often with an unloaded weapon. I mostly practice drawing from a concealed position. Having a gun in your purse is useless if you can’t get to it.

Contrary to what mainstream media tells you, gun owners are not a bunch of paranoid preppers waiting for the world to end. they also are not trigger happy individuals waiting to shoot someone. Other than hunting, many never fire a weapon outside of a range type setting.

Getting back to the show; Rose was being irresponsible with her gun. Did she have the right to purchase it? Yes. Was she prepared to use it? No. I am not advocating that everyone should own a firearm.  Simply owning a gun because it’s your legal right does not keep your family safe. You need to learn how to use it properly. It’s much more than just pulling the trigger.  It takes time, care and practice, practice, practice!

When I got my first handgun I was much like Rose. My first target had very few holes in it. I was glad to have at least hit it, but if I had fired in the night as she did, I too would have shot the vase. With practice and knowledge of my weapon, I now feel confident that if I were ever in a life threatening situation I will be able to protect myself and hopefully those around me.

Until next time… Thank You for being a Friend

MLG