A little over a week ago, I wrote about my decision to finally start exercising my Second Amendment right to bear arms. In the piece, I discussed some of the reasons why I chose to take this step and outlined parts of the journey that led me to this place.

I am now proud to say I am a gun owner.

In a live stream on my show, “A Fresh Perspective with Jeff Charles,” I discussed the process I went through to choose the firearm I would purchase as my first gun. It was a fun journey filled with copious levels of research and consulting with friends. In the end, I narrowed it down to the Sig Sauer P320, Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Compact, and the Canik SC Elite (or TP9).

On Tuesday, I went to my local range and shot all three. It was my very first time shooting a handgun, so the experience was thrilling. When I pulled the trigger for the first time and heard the “boom” and felt the recoil bucking against my hand, I was both terrified and exhilarated. As I continued, I began getting more used to it.

To put it simply, I’m hooked.

If you’re a gun person and you’re reading this, I know what you’re thinking: “Well, which gun did you decide on???”

I went with the M&P 2.0 compact. In my video, I explain why and also outline my experience with the other two firearms. But it is worth noting that I loved all three of them. In a month or two, I might just pick up the Canik as well – the M&P just barely edged it out.

But while I am excited about this step into a new world, purchasing the weapon was a sobering process. One of the reasons why I procrastinated was because a gun is something you buy hoping that you never need to use it. I don’t want to ever need my gun, but I do want to have it for having fun at the range and other activities.

The plain truth is that nobody ever wants to consider the possibility that they will be in a situation in which someone is trying to endanger their lives. It’s not exactly a pleasant thought, is it?

Even though I know that statistically, it is highly unlikely I will ever have to use it to defend my life or someone else’s, it is far better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. But the other reality is that now, more than ever, many (not all) on the hard left wish to move the United States to a system that more resembles Australia than what the founding fathers intended.

Indeed, everyone knows that the best salespeople for guns are Democrats like President Joe Biden and his ilk. Gun sales tend to climb when a Democrat is in the White House. But as you already know, gun ownership has been on the rise since even before Biden took office. While I do believe the pro-liberty crowd is still winning out against the gun control movement, that could easily change. I’d rather obtain my weapons before – and in case – that happens.

Along with the serious side of owning a firearm, I am also looking forward to having fun with it. I’ve been to the range twice and I’ll be doing it again soon. The second time, I spent 90 minutes with an instructor who showed me the basics.

But I can’t wait to get back to the range and will probably be going at least once a week so I can become proficient with my firearm – it’s what any responsible gun owner should do. One thing the instructor told me is that honing one’s skill with a gun is a journey that does not end – and I intend to make the most of it!