Marcella —
Please permit me to offer this to you, because I infer you are on the edge of living in fear/ allowing others to restrict your life:
To NOT carry is to choose to be defenseless (non vehere est inermus)
Get licensed, get training, grow confidence, regain liberties they smirk at taking away from you.
After a while, perhaps three months or so, bringing your firearm with you, condition 1 (ready to fire), will be as natural and as comforting as grabbing your keys, cell phone and wallet/purse.
the hardest part is not learning to use a firearm safely and effectively, nor will it be getting over thinking EVERYONE knows you have one. The hardest part of “carrying” is developing the will to use it WHEN (and only if) NECESSARY. Self defense is a mindset more than a physical state.
REM: 99.9+% of licensed carriers NEVER draw their firearm in self-defense, but ALL feel more confident and capable.
I just really encourage you to consider coming over to the ‘defended side’. It may look scary now, but it is very comforting when you get here.
Marcella, with a few legally-binding exceptions, I don’t go anywhere without my gun.
I’ve taken the classes, learned the laws and the rules, put in the range time, and gotten the permit.
I’m not a bad shot. People I love have said that I look quite competent handling all sorts of ordnance.
As the joke goes, What am I afraid of? — Absolutely nothing.
Every Constitutional Conservative should carry. When seconds count, the police are minutes away.