The gauntlet has been cast down

[koconcept]

I have never been in a car accident but I have car insurance.

[recaffeination]

I prayed for guidance and the answer was to leave their fate in His hands.

[Jasonw560]

My shotgun is in the house. My compromise with her is it's unloaded, but shells by it. Being a bird hunter, I can load quickly when I have to.

We do go to church, and she's often asked, "what would we do if something happened at church?" Well, I hope I know what I'd do.

I'll keep y'all informed as to the progress.

That's completely out of character with your description in the original post and makes me wonder what's really going on in this woman's head? Why would she even ask about church yet think guns inside your own home are outlawed? Which is more likely to occur?

Now I'm really confused.

She's uneasy about the shotgun in the house, but she knows it's staying, so she lives (uneasily, according to her) with it. And yes, it's the only one in the house.

She's a woman, so she's naturally confusing. Comes with the territory.

She asks about churches, but doesn't want to hear the answer.

It's frustrating, but I just keep saving money and work towards that goal.

I think she's worried about my boys getting at the gun, and the NDs she hears about in the news. The only way to asuage her fears is to show her these things won't happen.

[SewTexas]

start teaching the kids gun safety before you buy your smaller guns, you should already be teaching them; but do in her presence. get the Eddie Eagle video....do they still have that? we had one when the kids were little, Luke Perry I think? My kids loved to watch it and sing the song sometimes in strange places

Tell her you will put the gun in the top of the closet?

[Dragonfighter]

I prayed for guidance and the answer was to leave their fate in His hands.

Fair 'nough

[VMI77]

Mrs. W560 and I were talking about the firearms issue in relation to the CT tragedy.

To give you some background:
She's somewhat of what I call an "academia nut". Started out as a teacher, now after school program coordinator, with aspirations on being an ass't. principal.

She leans almost as far right as I do on most issues, been around guns her entire life, etc. etc. (If you search my posts I've talked about her in the past).

She doesn't think that people should own AR type rifles. Every argument I give her she sniggers at, calling them unreasonable or not likely to happen.

Anyway, she told me that if I pursue my CHL, it would be a "deal breaker" for our marriage because she wouldn't "feel safe" and that not everyone who doesn't carry has the victim mentality.

She's blowing smoke, IMO. If not, I'll be looking for different accomidations. I have told her my family's safety is paramount. She asked what I am afraid of, and half jokingly said, "nothing if I was carrying." I then proceeded to look at budsgunshop website for a CCW.

Just wanted to vent.

Sounds like she doesn't take her vows seriously.

[VMI77]

What are her objections, other than not wanting to give in to "paranoia"?

Pull up the crime stats for your area and show them to her.
"Won't happen to me" should go right out the window with real local data.

Good luck with working through this. I'd hate for this to cause big trouble for your marriage.

Well, she thinks that carrying is "extreme". There's no need since we don't deal in drugs, or do anything illegal.

She doesn't just stay in her comfort zone--she has her bed and comfy blanket in there and snuggles down deep in it.

She told me point blank don't show her stats...she could show me stats that prove her point.

I live in the Valley. We have shootings every day. She believes that it's only the cartel and other assorted scumbags shooting at each other and we're safe.

Like I said, she's blowing smoke.

thanks for letting me vent.

I used to live in the Valley.....a lot of what happens there never gets reported. Crime is rampant. Geez, on the West Side there are convenience stores with concertina wire around their roofs. I lived in Cameron county and cross border home invasions and kidnappings were a regular occurrence.....I heard many such stories that didn't make the news. Granted, these things are more likely to occur in the rural areas, but then can happen anywhere. And it's a lot worse there now than when I lived there.

[VMI77]

That's how academics view gun owners. They think gun ownership is something to be hidden, if you have one. They think of themselves as superior and secure in themselves, and they think that the "need" for a gun is a symptom of weakness and insecurity. That's why they always ask that question, "Why do you NEED a gun?" It would never occur to them that it isn't about a current "need," it's about being prepared for the Black Swan event that cannot be foreseen, when the unforeseeable need arises. THAT's when you have the need. They would never comprehend the argument that having a gun on your hip is like having a fire extinguisher in your kitchen or a pocket knife. It's not that you fear a kitchen fire. It's not that you think your kitchen will burst into flame any moment. It's simply that you want to be prepared in the event that you do have a fire, which is not an unheard-of thing. When you view it in that light, if you have the fire extinguisher, you can relax and forget about it, because you know you're equipped to stop one instead of helplessly watching your house burn down. It doesn't dominate your thoughts. Or, maybe here is an argument a teacher today would understand: "I carry a gun for the same reason that you tell your students to keep a condom in their wallet. It's not that you want them to Same with CHL. When I'm carrying a gun, it doesn't dominate my thoughts. I don't worry about a "kitchen fire" because I've got a "fire extinguisher." Academics make fun of the Boy Scouts of America motto: "Be Prepared."

There's an apocryphal story about an old woman who challenges an older Texas Ranger for wearing his gun to some public event or other, and she asks him if he's expecting trouble. "No, ma'am, I'm not expecting trouble. If I was expecting trouble, I'd have brought a rifle."

I'm not so sure....I think this kind of person really is afraid. Their way of dealing with that fear is to deny to themselves that there is anything to be afraid of. I don't necessarily mean physical fear in most cases, but a fear that the life they enjoy is tenuous and subject to disruption or termination by persons or events beyond their control. Preparing for such events or persons intrudes too deeply on the perfect vision of the life they have constructed and is a constant reminder of uncertainty. Maybe it could be called a craving for certainty rather that fear. The feeling of moral and intellectual superiority is compensation for what is essentially the inability to cope with uncertainty.