Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Guns...



I was not raised in a family that had guns.  A little surprising since I grew up in Alaska where people had shotguns in a rack behind their heads in their pickups.  We had neighbors that hunted and brought us elk and caribou meat.  But my parents never owned their own.  (That I know of.)  Noah was raised by a single mom that also did not own any guns.  So where am I going with this?

We had an earthquake not too long ago that kind of freaked me out.  It got me thinking about earthquake preparedness and how stupid I would feel if "the big one" happened and Noah and I had nothing.  So my big project lately is getting ready for a disaster.  We cleaned out our closet of some shelf space and got to work.  We got the usual:  water, batteries, and non perishable foods.  Simple enough, I thought.  Then I tried to imagine what it would be like with no electricity or gas and no fresh running water and I got a little Y2K.  I went to REI and bought candles,  a huge box of matches, water purification tablets, and a camp stove with tanks of propane.  I stowed our important paperwork in one waterproof container.  Noah and I have stashes of cash in small bills in different spots in the apartment.    I stocked up on basic first aid supplies including antibacterial solutions, large amounts of gauze, butterfly bandages, and ace wraps.  (Also some first aid supplies I won't list but believe me, I'm prepared for anything).

So Noah and I were feeling quite contented and prepared.  Then one night we were watching the news regarding the latest hurricane disaster in Texas.  One story focused on the fact that people were looting and stealing from other people and that the option of calling the police (on phones that no longer work) was not an option.  One woman told the camera, "We are our own protection right now".  Well, that really freaked us out.  We live in LA.  A lot of people live here.  A lot of weird, crazy, unethical people.  We already have a lot of crime.  Multiply that tenfold when people are desperate.  So we've decided to buy a gun.

We are trying to do it as smart and responsible as possible.  I won the football pool at work and used the winnings to sign me and Noah up for a gun safety class.  Next Sunday, we have one on one training and will get to shoot five different guns (three handguns, two shotguns) in a safe environment with a professional to teach us.  We wanted to get a feel of different guns to guide us in our "home protection" purchase.  We have spoken with several of our friends who either grew up with guns or were trained in the military.  The overwhelming response is that we should buy a shotgun.  Number one, if anyone were to come into our house uninvited, the sound of the shotgun being "pumped" usually drives the bad guys away.  The sound is unmistakable.  Number two, if it comes down to actually having to fire it, accuracy is not an issue.  Noah and I do not have children and in four years have never had a child in our home so that issue is negligible.  Also, gun cases come with locks on them that can only be opened by whoever knows the combination.  

Chances we will actually use it?  Less then 1%.  Feeling super protected just in case?  Priceless. 

Thoughts? 

2 comments:

leahsmom said...

Different times call for different means. Knowing how much you love your new drill I know you are going to love your gun. Scarey to have that power in your control but also power to protect yourself if you need to. Love you and I care that you are safe and taking care of yourselves. mom

Leah Perlingieri said...

i agree. we do have a handgun although i must admit i was very stressed about having it in a house with kids at first. but once i understood the safety features better i feel good about it. we also have a small rifle on our to-get list so we would be able to kill small animals like rabbits if we had to (we've been on the what if it got really bad trip for a while;)...can't imagine there are many rabbits running around santa monica...heeheee.

i'd love to hear about your class ...firing a gun feels amazing! you guys are so smart.