Dodging Responsibility

“Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.” – Anon

I am utterly fascinated by the lengths that people will go to in order to avoid carrying a gun on their person. I’m even more fascinated by the ferocity that they will defend their decision to have a gun near them (where it’s less secure, harder to get to and slower to use) rather than on them. 

And it’s common to all forms of off-body carry. With the advent of the Phlster Enigma, on-body carry is now possible for pretty much everyone and in all types of clothes. On-body carry is also the preferred method of carry for 100% of law enforcement officers who work inside their cars, yet somehow a significant portion of armed civilians think they know better than the people who make their living carrying a gun while driving a car, and use a car holster instead. 

And then there is the huge market in gun bookshelves and wall art and whatnot. Maybe (and I know I’m being wacky here) but just maybe the best way to have a gun near you when you’re inside your home is the same as when you’re outside you’re home. In a holster, on your body. 

This sort of thing should be obvious, yet the resistance to carrying on your person is absolutely FIERCE. People will go to almost any lengths to come up with reasons why they shouldn’t carry a gun on their person, or even carry with one in the chamber.

This puzzled me for a long time, but then I realized that the reasons why this sort of thing happens isn’t because of the action of wearing a gun on you, it’s because of what that action means. 

When I carry a firearm, I myself am in charge of it. It’s me who is responsible for keeping it safe and for determining how it is used. I have the responsibility for the gun. It literally weighs on me every second, and that is a big deal. It’s the difference between being the driver and the passenger in the car. Are they both going to the same place? Yes. Do they have the same amount of responsibility? Oh heck no. 

That level of responsibility can be intimidating, and some people will go to almost ANY length to avoid it. Those of us who carry everyday can’t understand it, in much the same way why gym rats can’t understand why everyone doesn’t work out. 

How do I know this is true? Ask me about how I’m avoiding going to the gym. That’s my weakness. We all do this sort of thing, the only question is how often and what we’re avoiding.  

Creating fanciful scenarios to get out of doing something that’s obviously beneficial is a common sign of avoidance. We justify our (bad) decision with all sorts of “Oh, it’s okay, I’ll do this instead” plans, and that’s why we have car holsters and gun bookshelves and other kinds of gear that is designed to keep us separated from the responsibilities of owning a gun. 

How do we get people to stop doing dumb things like buying car holsters? Focus on the problem, not the gear. The problem is people don’t want to accept the responsibilities that go along with the right to keep and bear arms. If you choose to bear arms, do so whole-heartedly. Man (or woman, or whatever) up and do it properly, with a good holster that’s on you whenever you’re conscious and moving about. 

Anything less is just dodging responsibility.