I like guns and love animals. Grew up with a father who hunted and used to tag along. Even helped field dress what he shot. I was taught never to kill anything that wasn't going to harm me or someone else or that I wasn't going to consume. I was also taught that I should take a certain amount of responsibility for my own safety and that included knowing how to use a gun accurately.
Fast forward a few years to marriage and a hubby who wasn't brought up around guns and didn't like them. We had no guns in the house until the morning I woke up and realized someone had been bold enough to enter our yard and steal a battery out of our truck. No, I am not going to shoot a battery thief, but it made me realize I may not be as safe as I would like to think in my own home. Time to have a gun. Made a trip to my parents' house, shot a few of Dad's guns and brought home a .32.
Fast forward a few more years to birth of our child, carjackings in the news and being threatened by an employee. Time to get serious about self defense.
Tried out a good many more guns, took a course for concealed carry, got permit and purchased S&W 3913LS and a Mossberg 12 ga. Around that time, certain politicians started talking gun control and hubby decided he didn't like his right to own and carry being messed with. He jumped on the bandwagon and took the concealed carry course with me.
OK...no laughing here guys, but I picked him out a nice CZ99. He learned to use it well.
I like guns and the practical applications of them for defense, ability to get rid of nuisance/threatening creatures and provide food if needed. Always thought they were one of the things a well rounded person should be familiar with.
The snake in our creek that became aggressive toward the kids playing in the water had to be removed. The little bunny rabbit who nibbled a bit of lettuce is ok but the ground hog who gobbled the cantaloupe and burrowed under our barn causing foundation damage had to go. The day the neighbor's long horned steer wandered around our yard snorting at my dogs, the Mossberg and I stood between him and our dogs while I called the neighbor and asked him to come get his steer or we were having hamburger for dinner.
Worked for many years as a psych nurse and twice had either a patient or visitor bring a handgun onto the unit. Not in a threatening way but they brought them. I was the only one on staff on the unit who felt comfortable asking them for the gun and holding on to it until our security staff could arrive. Practical applications.
I love animals, have 4 cats, 4 dogs and a cockatiel. All of them were rescues. I have guns for self defense and hunting if need be. I have taught our son to be familiar with and safe around them, and to shoot accurately if he ever needs to. Just makes sense to me!