Survival of the Best Armed

A couple of weeks ago Terence and I watched (via YouTube) some show from the History Channel on what if we had a flu pandemic that wiped us all out. Well, not all of us, but most people. One of those "doomsday" situations. It became very, very clear to me that the family depicted in the movie would have been killed super early on, at least if circumstances were as the show described. There were lots of reasons these people were not really likely candidates for survival in a worst case scenario (like the wife being surprised when her fridge stopped working because the power was out! Really????) Somehow the show's creators wanted us to believe that this family survived for days and days on a couple of flats of bottled water too. Right. (Two weeks' worth of water for a family is A LOT of water. Trust me!) Anyway, one way where it became very clear these people would have bit the dust early was because of the roving gangs. Obviously in this kind of no-holds-barred environment, those with firearms had an advantage over those who didn't, and the family had one pitiful little gun that they didn't even think to take out until they decided to abandon their house. The dad didn't even take it with him when he went to scavenge for food in their LA neighborhood!

It got me thinking a little bit. I've never really chosen a side on the gun control issue, but when I started seriously considering the issue, I realized some important things about myself.

1. I'm not comfortable holding or firing guns.

2. But I feel much safer knowing that I have a husband who has been trained on a lot of different kinds of weapons and has access to them.

3. I truly believe that I am much safer from random home invasions or break-ins because there is a cop car sitting in front of our house. But why would someone be afraid to break in to our house knowing that a cop lives there? It's not just because he has a badge. I think it's mostly because any criminals KNOW there is going to be a gun in our house and someone who won't hesitate to use it. (A cop is not much of a threat without a weapon.)

4. I have no problem with someone who has gone through training and a background check getting a permit and carrying a concealed weapon. I even think such people should be entitled to carry their guns on college campuses.

These are my personal beliefs, of course, and you may have much different ones. But the point is, I didn't even realize that I believed these things until I took some time to really think about it. Kind of a fun self-journey!

Now Terence and I are kind of at odds when it comes to this issue though. He believes that I need to learn how to shoot and perhaps even get my own gun. He insists that I need to be able to protect myself and the kids. I agree with him mentally on all this, but the reality is, even holding a gun gives me the willies. The few times I've had to pick up his gun and hand it to him (even knowing it was unloaded) have been a disturbing experience. Plus I have my doubts about how useful it would really be-- it would have be locked up all the time because of the children. In an emergency would I even be able to get to it in time? (Terence's guns are kept locked up at all times when he's off duty too, but he can unlock and load his gun faster than I can get out of bed, so I don't really worry about that.)

Stalemate.

Well, if we do ever find ourselves facing that flu pandemic scenario, it might just be better if the kids and I die in the first wave of the flu. I don't think we are cut out to survive in a world of eating beetles and hiding from roving gangs.