The time has come for me to join the “Pew Pew” community, and I have finally decided to take that step. I will be purchasing my first firearm in the next few weeks, and I am looking forward to it.
As you might already know, I’m not the only one who has made this decision recently. Over the past year, gun ownership has seen a remarkable increase amid the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide rioting and looting.
The New York Times reported:
In March last year, federal background checks, a rough proxy for purchases, topped one million in a week for the first time since the government began tracking them in 1998. And the buying continued, through the protests in the summer and the election in the fall, until a week this spring broke the record with 1.2 million background checks.
Apparently, it’s not just individuals who already possess firearms that are contributing to the increase. First-time gun buyers like myself make up a sizeable portion. The Times also noted that “new preliminary data from Northeastern University and the Harvard Injury Control Research Center show that about a fifth of all Americans who bought guns last year were first-time gun owners.”
Interestingly enough, gun ownership among black Americans has seen a considerable increase as well. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reported:
The highest overall firearm sales increase comes from Black men and women who show a 58.2 percent increase in purchases during the first six months of 2020 versus the same period last year.
This isn’t something I thought about much until a couple of years ago. Like my fellow southern California natives, I am genetically predisposed to not liking guns. However, a decade in the Lone Star State has purged my system of its ambivalence towards firearms. There are a few reasons why I decided that now is the time.
For starters, crime has been increasing at an alarming rate in Austin, where I live. This upward trend is in large part due to the city’s decision to defund its police department. Texas’ capital city remains one of the safer cities in comparison to others, but the drastic increase in violent criminal activity is a cause for concern.
Secondly, President Joe Biden’s brazenly anti-Second Amendment agenda is an issue. In general, gun sales tend to rise whenever Democrats gain control of the government. The president’s objective when it comes to firearms is to ban the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. He also wishes to impose background checks for all gun sales. These are only a few of the anti-gun measures he hopes to put into effect.
Despite the fact that Democrats control Congress, there is still a good chance that the president will fail to enact his agenda. Still, the fact that they are willing to go this far demonstrates they will not stop fighting to further restrict our Second Amendment rights. There are also indications that the Biden administration plans to use the threat of domestic terrorism to crack down on gun ownership. This president has done just as much as any gun video or salesman to persuade me to purchase a firearm.
Lastly, I am buying a gun because it is fun. Yes, that is not the most important reason, but it’s a good one nonetheless. Being in the conservative political space has allowed me to meet many people who love practicing with their firearms.
I could use a new hobby, so why not enter into the exciting realm of gun ownership? As 2A activist Colion Noir said in one of his videos: “Having the Second Amendment and not using it is like having a trust fund and not spending any of it.”
Last weekend, I participated in the Solutionary Summit, an event created by Black Guns Matter Maj Toure. On Sunday, he led a class for beginners, and I got to handle a SIRT gun and learn how to hold, aim, and fire it. And yes, I learned the “four rules.”
This event pushed me over the edge. It was fun learning about the weapon, and I’m looking forward to finally making my first purchase. I have never fired a handgun before – although when I was a kid, I shot a .22 rifle. Additionally, I know very little about guns – but I am learning. I’ve been watching gun videos on YouTube almost nonstop. I might be addicted.
However, I am not going into this haphazardly. I’m doing tons of reading and research and speaking with friends who are knowledgeable on the subject. I’m trying to determine which guns I’m interested in so that I can try them out before making a decision. I am not going to purchase a weapon that I have not fired – at least not for my first firearm.
Since I already know you’re going to ask, I’ll tell you that the guns I want to try are the Sig Sauer P320, M&P 2.0, Canik SC-Elite, and the CZ P-10 C. No, I’m probably not going to get the Glock 19 – it doesn’t feel all that great in my hands. Of course, I am open to any other recommendations.
The bottom line is that gun ownership is a right for which people bled and died to protect. We already know there are forces in America that seek to destroy these protections. As an American, I believe I must do my part to safeguard this right.
This is a fun journey for me. I’m learning quite a bit, and I can’t wait for the moment I finally become a gun owner. When this happens, I’ll write a follow-up and let you know what I choose.
