Granny, Get Your Gun!

 

 

 

 

 

I never thought I'd get excited about buying a gun.  Don't get me wrong, I've had handguns for over 30 years.  However, I've never really felt the need to carry one with me until the past couple of years.  But, like everything else, times have changed.  When I was younger it was only really bad people you had to be afraid of....and there weren't many of them.  Now, people will kill your butt for $10 to buy drugs with.  Old women are being mugged in the parking lots of grocery stores, houses are being broken into at high numbers...and your favorite neighbor's teenage grandchild might come for a visit and knock you over the head in your backyard just to get enough money to get high.  I know to some of you this sounds ridiculous...but it's true.  I've seen it all.

 

 

I grew up in a household where the men were all hunters.  There were always shotguns in our house and I was taught to shoot one at an early age.  Daddy would take me out and teach me to shoot his "sweet 16" and once I had the hang of it I wanted to go hunting with him.  He was a good teacher and a smart man.  He finally took me out and let me kill my first quail.  In our house we ate what we killed...it wasn't just for sport.  So when I proudly arrived back home to show my mother the rewards of my first hunting trip Daddy stopped me before I could go in the house.  He explained to me that shooting the quail was only the beginning...I had to learn to "dress" the bird before taking it in the house.  Lord have mercy....I wound up cryin' and snottin' all over myself trying to get the feathers off of what was now a poor pitiful bird that I had shot in cold blood.  I never wanted to go hunting again and until recent years never let a taste of cooked quail pass my lips.  I was a wuss.  Smart man, my daddy.  He never had to worry about me begging to go hunting with him again.

 

Later on, when I had children of my own I had a gun that I inherited from my first husband...a .22 Ruger.  It felt humongous in my hands and other than occasionally going to the dump to shoot rats I couldn't imagine ever having to use it.  I DID keep it handy, though.  I was a single mother with two young boys and might be an easy target for a break-in. I always kept it well hidden but within easy access for me...and me only.  The ever dreaded break-in reared it's ugly head late one Halloween night when a local peeping tom decided he wanted to come into the house to peep a little closer.  My little dog first alerted me that something was amiss, and when I realized that the crazy man was pulling the screens off of my children's bedroom window, natural mother instinct kicked in.  I let my dog out the back door...knowing she would immediately head up front to where she knew this guy was...and she wouldn't be quiet about it.  As soon as I let her out the back door I had my big 'ol gun and headed to the front door.  When I heard her barking at the front I flung the front door open and ran outside with my gun.  I won't go into details about what else happened. Take into consideration that this was before cell phones and here I was standing on my porch with nothing on but a tee-shirt and my big girl panties with a gun aimed at a man on my front porch.   I was in a dilemma.  I couldn't go back in the house and call the police!  After what seemed like hours I finally told him he'd better not move...that I was going to raise my gun and shoot in the air to see if the police would come....and I also told him that if he moved I was going to bring it down and shoot him with the second shot, and I told him where it would be aimed.

 

 

He jumped a little but stayed right there.  Two police cars came roaring down the road a few minutes later and I was so happy I finally started crying.  I also started shaking uncontrollably.  One of the officers came and took my gun away....the bad guy immediately hightailed it with cops running after him.  As long as this crazy woman had the gun aimed at him he was scared to move...but when the cops showed up and took it away he knew (or hoped he knew) that they would not shoot an unarmed man so he ran.  The story goes on...but this was my first experience with using a gun for self-defense and that's enough for now.

 

I kept that gun up until a few years ago when due to increasing break-ins around my neighborhood and the popularity of the new Concealed Weapons Permit I signed up for, took the class, and received my CWP .  It was brought to my attention that the gun I owned was kinda big to try to hide...and it was only a .22, which might just piss somebody on drugs off if I shot them in the wrong place...or missed completely.  I spent some time at a shooting range and learned the "proper" way to handle a handgun.

 

 

 

Now I have a job that sends me all over the county to inspect houses in all phases of foreclosure.  Some of these houses have already been taken over by the banks and I have to go inside and take photos and notes on a monthly basis.  Most are in  neighborhoods but a few are way out in the middle of nowhere in areas that make the hair rise on my neck when I pull into the driveway.    Two weeks ago I  was coming up on one of these houses when I saw a car pull out.  That's strange...nobody has lived there for a long time.  I thought maybe it was an inspector for another company and waved as they passed me.  When I got to the door of this house it had been broken in to.  Oh, Law!  I had missed being there by just a few minutes! I ran back to my car to pull out my gun and make a phone call. I always carried the "newer" gun, a .38, that I bought after my weapons class.  It also is big and clunky and can't be put in my pocket.  Realize that doing this work I have a camera in one hand and a clipboard and pen in the other hand...hard to hold a gun when I don't have a third hand....so it was always left in my glove comparment.  Wouldn't have done me much good on that day!  So when all was over, I went shoppin'.

 

 

 

With a little help from my friends (lot of help, really)  I shopped and found me the perfect firearm for an old lady to carry in her pocket.  You would think it was Christmas!  I've had it less than a week and it is already my best friend...goes with me everywhere (while working that is).  My big gun stays closeby in my house and my new little buddy stays with me.  I'll swear to you...I am  not a gun fanatic....but like I said...times have CHANGED!

 

Hope I never have to fire it other than at a shooting range, but I have already felt a lot more comfortable while working.  Thank you, Lisa and Ded, for all your help!  I LOVE my new gun!

 

Oh well, that's all I've to to say today...Gonna leave you with my favorite "gun" song that always reminds me of a beautiful lady who is no longer with us.  Every time I hear it I can still see her and Ded jumpin' on the dance floor!

 

 

 

Until next time...when all else fails...just dance!

 

 

 

Thanks for stoppin' in...while you're here won't you leave a comment?