This is my first attempt at a diary post making it an introduction as well as a discussion of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, otherwise referred to as the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
I would like to begin with a brief introduction, at least as it relates to gun rights. I was raised in home that was against guns. An environment that can best be summed up by quoting my mother, “I hate guns.” Interestingly enough, my parents had a gun. A .410 shotgun / .22 over under rifle that originally belonged to my mother's uncle. My father took me out to shoot it once and for the first 40 years of my life, this was pretty much my experience with guns.
This changed about two years ago. My wife's family was coming for a visit and her uncle called and asked if it would be alright if he brought his handgun with him. While neither of us were gun owners, not having a strong opinion either way, we agreed. While he was here, he and I went to a local indoor gun range, where I got to try shooting his .45 automatic. The first time I fired it and felt the recoil in my hands, my initial reaction was a bit of shock, followed by “wow, that was pretty cool”. At the end of the session, the range owner offered a package deal where instead of paying for the range time, I could sign up for a class to allow me to obtain a concealed carry permit and it included a six month membership of unlimited range time. I chose this option. The following weekend, I took my wife to the range. To be honest, I all but had to drag her there, but we went. I put a gun in her hands, and she had pretty much the same reaction that I did and she too chose to sign up for a concealed carry class. We took the class in July, made an appointment at the sheriff's office, filled out the paper work for our permits, and finally received them in November. A few months later, we both purchased our first handguns, 9mm semiautomatic Glock 26's.
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