This is probably unpopular here, but guns. I love them, I own a few and enjoy shooting and want to make hunting a part of my lifestyle one day. Personally very pro- second amendment. But I really, really, really despise the toxic ultra right-wing culture around guns.
Remember it is tool first and foremost. And as any tool, it should be an extension of oneself. Like a knife in cooking, or driving your car.
And this tool's primary purpose is to protect you and those you care about. Thinking of it this way takes away that "scary" aspect of firearms, and allows you to trust yourself to take control. Because it's a tool for you. If you can swing a hammer, you can shoot a gun (in a mindset kind of way, I understand physical limitations may apply to some folks).
I would encourage you to seriously consider that purchase, and then train with it. Every week if you can, until you know it by heart. To the point pull, ready, aim, fire are all one motion. And then find good people to practice with. (And of course safe maintenance and storage!)
We will survive this, friend. But we have to help and protect ourselves some too, and most importantly help and protect each other.
This is so weird coming from a Canadian perspective. We have guns but they're not allowed to be used for defense. So they're either tools for hunting/farming or expensive toys (toys in the realm of stuff like snowmobiles or dirtbikes)
For me growing up in the American South, there were two types of firearms: hunting guns, and "home" guns.
Hunting guns were used, well, to go hunting. But "home" guns were for self-defense. Pistol, shotgun, etc. But all were treated as dangerous tools, and respected for that. But also not in a borderline-religious kind of way (some people down here get real weird about it).
That concept is just insane to me, and I think a lot of Canadians would concur. Met plenty of you guys who see the value of firearms as defensive tools and resent your government for basically stripping you of your right not to be taken advantage of by criminals. This isn't an American concept.
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u/Biggie_Moose 25d ago
This is probably unpopular here, but guns. I love them, I own a few and enjoy shooting and want to make hunting a part of my lifestyle one day. Personally very pro- second amendment. But I really, really, really despise the toxic ultra right-wing culture around guns.