Things this new gun owner wants to tell other new gun owners.

I’m sorta new at this. I grew up around guns. My dad was a gunsmith and gun dealer, but I was always just peripherally involved with those things. Growing up, I was much more interested in cooking with my mom. I don’t regret it. 

I became re-acquainted with firearms and gun culture a little over a year ago. It was the tail end of the Trump presidency, Proud Boy trash bags, capital storming, horn wearing, Qannon hippies, and a teen by the name of Kyle Rittenhouse were all up in my news feed. It seemed that the reactionaries were armed to the teeth and more than willing to use those arms against, well, people like me.

I decided to look for a basic firearms safety class and after about a month, found an instructor who was involved in the local chapter of the Socialist Rifle Association. I signed up for the class in order to apply for my license to carry.

I waited three months for my LTC to clear. In that time, I started researching pistols, reading about the laws regulating the types of rifles I can own in my state, trying to understand the rules around concealed carry, and so so so much more. It was a daunting and at times, cringeworthy three months. I also began engaging with the personal and political implications of gun ownership. I’ve had to think about gun violence, how my personal safety and the safety of the community intersect, and the ever present issue of gun control. 

Here are some things I’ve learned and have been thinking about as I become more involved in the fascinating and often vomit inducing world of guns. I have a lot to learn and am allowing my positions to evolve as they will. 

Note: These are my personal thoughts and by no means at all represent the ideas of the Comrade Center or anyone else involved in the CC. 

Everyone has an opinion.

Especially when it comes to firearms. Yes, do your research and by all means, read and watch reviews (there are soooooo many chuds out there though so brace yo’self). At the end of the day, pick the tool that will do the job you need it to do. I say tool because a gun is not a fashion statement. It says nothing about who you are as a person, and is definitely not something to be fetishized — it is a tool with a specific purpose, so make sure it's the right tool for you. Look for reliability and useability and most importantly, train with it. I don’t care what fancy firearm you end up buying, if you don’t train with it, it’s about as good as a box of rocks.

Guns make up .09% of community defense.

Personally, when I think about self-defense, I immediately think of community. Violence does not exist in a vacuum, its effects ripple through the community. Yes, agents of the state kill people (and their pets) everyday, but state violence in the forms of food insecurity, houselessness, and addiction take more lives than firearms every year, hands down. One way to make the community safer and more resilient is by connecting with your neighbors, working with groups doing mutual aid, and checking in on each other. If all you do is arm yourself, you are not really doing anything to shore up the community as a whole. My safety is tied to your safety and so on. We are stronger together and guns alone can’t build the structures we need for survival.

Be sensitive to people's real and valid fears around firearms.

Firearms are scary to a lot of people, and I think it’s ok to be sensitive to that. Not everyone is going to want to shoot a gun, or even touch a gun, and that’s ok. People who have experienced violence at the state or personal level deserve to have their experiences heard and validated. By dismissing peoples real, lived experiences, we are not much better than the “fuck your feelings” crowd. Worse, alienating our own people by not acknowledging their very valid fears is itself a form of violence. Not cool.  

Gun control REALLY sucks.

I’ve had a very very hard time coming out to some of my friends about my gun ownership and I’ve had to get really clear on my personal beliefs around gun control. 

Guns don’t cause more violence:

1.Toxic masculinity in a patriarchal society causes violence.

2. Isolation, alienation, and never ending competition cause violence in a dog-eat-dog, capitalist economy. 

3. The lack of universal, free, and accessible health care causes violence (mental health services should be available to all, all the time, forever).

Suicide accounts for the bulk of gun deaths in the United States every year. I must admit that to my mind, having access to a firearm and not a therapist is some really backward shit. This brings me back to my thoughts on community defense — check in with each other and show up for your neighbors. You never know what someone might be going through, so bring a lot of empathy to the table. It could save someone's life. 

Take your time and take a break when you need it.

I’ve had a lot of fun learning how to shoot. But it’s also a really emotionally intense hobby. The fact that I enjoy learning how to use tools that were designed to kill is NEVER lost on me. At the same time, I like knowing that I am at least taking some of my power back from the people who, up until now, held the monopoly on force. The right has always dominated the sphere of guns, gun rights, and gun ownership. It might be a purely symbolic gesture, but it feels good to know that I’m at least on level ground with people who have demonstrated a willingness to hurt and kill people on the left. 

The personal and political implications of gun ownership require a lot of consideration. I find that I am reflective on issues of life and death a lot more than I used to be, and that is emotionally taxing. For that reason, I have given myself permission to take it easy when things get intense. 

Setting my sights on the future.

These are just some of the more important things I’ve been thinking about now that I am a gun owner. Understanding and respecting the physical and psychological power of firearms has made me reflect on the meaning of personal safety, community resilience, and the very real fear that guns bring out in the most well meaning people. Balancing those sensitivities with my own desire to defend myself in a volatile world is a challenge I am happily (and humbly) taking on. I hope you will too.

See you in the streets!

-Left_Eye