Amidst all this Coronavirus craziness and panic taking hold of (seemingly) everyone, it’s refreshing to get a bit of good news here and there.
So, what is good news to us? Obviously, if you are healthy and able to feed your family, that is great news, but we’re a website about guns, so good news for us also includes a recent article by a formerly rabid anti-gunner who changed their mind about the need for private gun ownership due to the Coronavirus panic around him. Someone by the name of Ilya in Michigan writes,
If you’d have met me three weeks ago, you’d unequivocally know my stance on guns. I was not only against the ownership of AR-15s, I was in the minority of folks who thought all private gun ownership should be illegal.
Fast forward to today: I own a GLOCK 19 Gen5.
I’m still in a bit of disbelief that there is a dangerous weapon in my house: one that more frequently contributes to accidental deaths, violent homicides, and suicides, rather than the romanticized personal protection experiences.
What happened? The world changed overnight and my opinion…evolved.
I’ve always been a strongly opinionated person, but I pride myself on the idea that my beliefs are loosely held. Strong opinions are great, but what you don’t want is to be egotistically blinded by them. I don’t want to be held hostage by a belief that is no longer valid, given new information.
My hat is off to Ilya for doing what so few anti-gun people will do: look at the evidence and change their mind about guns when they see the truth. Ilya continues,
At about the same time [that I was reading about countries shutting down due to the Coronavirus and supply chains falling apart], I was chatting with friends who are gun owners and they mentioned the long lines at gun shops. People were buying out all of the guns and ammo. But instead of my typical reaction of “guns are bad and those people are crazy,” my mind started wondering about all of the tail risk possibilities during this event.
What happens when food supply chains fail? What if my area becomes unsafe? Do I need to learn how to hunt? With what? Will civil unrest break out?
People will do anything they can to ensure the survival of themselves and their families. Our preparedness models are based on past assumptions of stability and civil obedience. But we’re in an uncharted territory.
The question I asked myself: What do I need to do to feel safe and protect my family?
I called my friend, who advised me that for personal protection, I should get a handgun. The next day, I walked into a store I never thought I’d set foot in. The line was long. I patiently waited while periodically watching the Fox News station on TV.
The store employees were all armed — very stern, but also very nice. I’ve never felt as safe around so many firearms. That’s when I filled out the background check form and I bought my first gun.
This former anti-gunner gets it: it’s about protecting yourself and your family from people who are dangerous and without scruples. And that is why private gun ownership needs to be legal everywhere at all time.