I was taking a leisurely walk around the neighborhood with the boy. I like to think that these walks give me an opportunity to teach him a thing or two, and I might even learn something myself, or at least be reminded of how the world looks through much younger eyes. Sometimes that's not so good, like the other day, when he stopped in front of a house, gave it a brief appraisal, and loudly proclaimed how the house needed a lot of work because it looked like it was going to fall down. That was an opportunity to talk about how keeping some opinions to oneself can be a good thing. (Yes, I see the hypocrisy there.)
These walks are usually leisurely because the boy will stop to examine every bit of flora and fauna that crosses our path. While he scraped two twigs together in an attempt to get all their bark off, a woman drove up and parked her car a few houses down the street. She got out of her car and walked to the side entrance of her house. She was wearing a loose white tunic-like outfit, which made the gun holster on her hip all the more visible.
I wasn't sure what to think about this. While I know how to use a gun, I wouldn't want one in my house. While I support the right to bear arms, I don't think anyone really needs to keep an assault rifle in their home. It's legal to openly carry guns in Wisconsin, but I'd prefer not to see them in my neighborhood, if only because of my irrational desire to, well, reduce my chances of getting shot. Admittedly, a NIMBY perspective.
I don't know anything about this woman. She might have been a cop returning home after a long day at work, or maybe she was just making a statement. She's not wearing that holster to accessorize with her purse; she must have a good reason for carrying a gun.
I've since decided that I think the right to openly carry a weapon is a good thing, because it provides a visual cue that the person might be a nutjob. For example, that woman may simply be batshit insane, and that might be good to know if I were to strike up a conversation with her at a block party, the farmer's market, or in a clock tower somewhere. Because most of the people I've encountered who are adamant about the right to bear arms have a bunch of other beliefs that I can't get behind.
Comments