Twilight in Northwest Georgia: Why Carry a Gun?

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Why Carry a Gun?

That's a question I ask myself every time I strap on the ole' hogleg and mosey into town. Technically my gun is not a hogleg. Hoglegs were typically long-barreled revolvers like the iconic Colt Single Action Army, aka "Peacemaker'. My gun is a compact semi-auto 9mm...the kind of gun that Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickock would have laughed at, taunted me for carrying a toy, and challenged me to a showdown. What them boys don't know is that I can dodge bullets pretty good, and after they'd fired their 6th and final shot my 13 round capacity 'toy' would have sent them both to Boot Hill lookin' like Swiss cheese. Granted, it ain't as dramatic blowin' smoke off a tiny 2" barrel after a shootout but I'd a done it anyhow.

During the days of Wyatt and Wild Bill you weren't supposed to carry your gun in town. Most western towns had ordinances requiring that guns be checked at the sheriff's office upon entering town. That was to prevent liquored-up cowboys from shooting each other or the sheriff. In the more civilized east you couldn't carry a gun without a permit, and they weren't automatically handed out.

Fast forward to the United States today. In many states if you've reached legal age and are not a convicted felon you're free to carry a gun just about anywhere you please, without a permit. The only place I go where I don't carry my gun is the medical clinic, because there are signs prohibiting guns. There are businesses that have signs saying, "The legal carrying of concealed guns is welcome."

Many political hopefuls include concealed carry in their platforms. This screenshot is from the website of Kandiss Taylor, who wants to be Georgia's Governor.

Forget about the economy, infrastructure, healthcare and education...her #1 priority is to get and keep guns in the hands of the people. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with that, just seems a little unbalanced. I only briefly glanced at her website so I don't know what the connection is between "Jesus, Guns and Babies."

So back to the title of this post; why carry a gun? Right off the bat, I don't really like carrying a gun because it's a pain in the butt. First, I have to remember to take it. It's not laying out in open view so I'm often half-way out of the door before I remember it. Then I have to undo my belt to thread the belt through the pant loops and the holster. Then I need to think about my shirt. I could just carry the gun in the open but that's not the culture here. In five years of living here we have seen just three people openly carrying guns...two men and one woman. What you do is wear your shirt untucked so the gun doesn't show. So I have to be wearing a shirt/polo/tee shirt that is long enough to cover the holster, and roomy enough so as to minimize the bulge. Actually it's easy to spot the bulge if you know where to look. And there are an amazing number of bulges to be seen.

I carry a gun because I read the news, and read about the daily mall, school, church, tavern and street shootings. There are too many nut jobs out there ready to blaze away anywhere at anyone. I want to be able to protect myself, Maribel and others. Carrying a gun gives me the means and the confidence to do that if necessary.

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What this blog is about

Hi. My name is Tom. I am a long-time blogger, having started in my native Wisconsin some fifteen years ago and continuing during my ten years living in Peru. I all but stopped posting to my blog when my wife and I returned to the United States and moved to Rossville, Georgia in July of 2017. We don’t actually live in Rossville. We live in one of those census-designated places, a term I really don’t understand and am not interested enough to learn about. The only practical difference I can see is that the city does not pick up our trash.

I’m starting a new blog because my old one was Peru specific, and that was yesterday. I chose the title ‘Twilight in Northwest Georgia’ for two reasons: twilight because I am old and for me age is playing an ever-increasing role in how I view myself and the world around me. And Northwest Georgia for obvious reasons. It’s not a great title but it identifies and introduces what it needs to. Good enough.

This blog is not going to have a central theme…it’s not going to be about anything specifically. I like to write and will post about anything and everything that may interest me at the moment. I do know that my wife Maribel will be mentioned frequently because she is everything to me.

A comment here about my writing style and philosophy might be in order. We live in an era of political correctness…a time when the broadcast and print media, politicians, and petty people in general are lined up like vultures, eagerly waiting to pounce on anyone for the slightest faux pas, no matter how innocent and unintended. The media do it to sell their services. Politicians do it to advance their careers by degrading others. Petty people do it because…well…because they’re petty people. It is never my intent to be politically correct, politically incorrect, obnoxious or offensive. I can be critical and sometimes very critical but try my best to be objective. I do like to praise when praise is warranted. I do have pet peeves, am very opinionated and can be very vocal about them, which in the past has drawn the ire of some readers on my old blog. But that’s life. We all have different likes, dislikes, values and beliefs. The key is how we handle those differences.

The purpose of this blog is to provide a platform for me to write. I am opening it up to the public simply because someone may find something of interest in my ramblings. Any reader comments or criticisms, provided they are civil, are welcome.