How I changed my mind about guns

I went from supporting gun control to being a staunch supporter of the second amendment. Here's how it happened.

“I don’t like guns”

This was something I heard in my house often, along with “I don’t like tattoos” and other hallmarks of the so-called Silent Generation.

I didn’t question it much. Growing up in suburban Los Angeles, guns weren’t a big part of my life and culture. I assumed they were something that only criminals have and considered them dangerous.

The first time I shot a gun, I was 20-something and my friend took me to the range and we traded off shooting his Glock. It was exhilarating, but I didn’t think much of it at the time.

While I was never staunchly anti-gun and you wouldn’t catch me hanging out with David Hogg’s types, I did think gun control seemed reasonable.

I even advocated for voluntary buy-backs of AR-15s during my 2020 Congressional run.

My thoughts on guns were greatly influenced by my Democratic ideals and upbringing, as well as the media.

I vividly remember Columbine and the shooting in the theatre in Colorado during the Batman movie.

This is embarrassing to admit, but I watched Bowling for Columbine and thought Michael Moore made compelling points.

Today? I own firearms, and I can’t wait to get more.

I’ll tell you all about what changed, why I changed my minds, and offer some pointers for discussing the issue with liberals and left-leaning friends and family, if you’re so inclined.

The Second Amendment

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Let’s break this bad boy down and see what it’s really saying. It’s short, but every word’s a lightning rod.

"A well regulated Militia"

This might be the most argued-over chunk of the Second Amendment. People split hairs over two bits: “well regulated” and “Militia.”

“Well regulated”: Back in 1791, this didn’t mean choked with red tape like it might sound today. It meant organized, disciplined, ready to roll—like a volunteer fire department with their act together. Think less “government micromanaging” and more “citizens trained and capable.”

“Militia”: Here’s where it gets interesting. The Founding Fathers weren’t picturing just the National Guard. The militia was everyday folks—farmers, shopkeepers, you and me—who could grab their muskets anytime. It was the people, armed and prepared, not an army.

"Being necessary to the security of a free State"

This part’s a bridge, and people fight over which way it leans.

Some say it means the militia’s job is to protect the state—like a guard dog for the government. If that’s all it meant, maybe gun rights only apply to official soldiers.

But historians and Second Amendment buffs argue it’s deeper: a free state stays free because regular people can defend it—not just from invaders, but from tyranny too. Think American Revolution, ordinary colonists keeping the redcoats in check. Without armed citizens, “free” doesn’t mean much.

"The right of the people to keep and bear Arms"

“The people” doesn’t mean the militia as some collective blob—it’s individuals. You. Me. My wife. The right to “keep” means owning guns, not borrowing them from Uncle Sam. “Bear” means carrying them, ready to use if push comes to shove. It’s personal, practical, and in your hands.

"Shall not be infringed"

This is my favorite part—the gut punch. It’s not a suggestion or a “pretty please.” It’s a line in the sand: no one—government, busybodies, whoever—gets to mess with this right. Period.

How things changed for me

The main thing people want to know is ‘what was the moment that changed things for you?’

For me, it was feeling unsafe. I had an incident that made me wish I had a fireman to protect myself. Then I found out how potentially difficult it is to get a gun when you really need one.

I went about things the correct way.

I went to a local gun shop and took a gun safety class.

I thought it would be irresponsible to buy a firearm without some sort of training. I found out that almost all gun owners think this way as well.

The instructor started off by asking “Do guns kill people?”

My wife, the genius, said “No.”

Me, the idiot, said “Yes.”

He looked at me and said “No. They do not. If you put a gun in a box it’s impossible for it go off randomly. It needs a human to pull the trigger. People kill people.”

Fair enough.

Then we did some target practice with a fake gun.

The best part was when we played with the simulator.

They had a large projector in the room and you used a laser pointer gun. We popped a couple Modelos and got to work.

We were presented with different realistic scenarios.

You’re in your bathroom and a tweaker opens your bathroom door. Do you shoot? When do you shoot? Where do you shoot them? You’re judged by all these measures by the instructor.

One scenario had my wife in the driver’s seat and me in the passenger seat. We’re parked in a lot. Someone comes up to me asking for money. Suddenly they reach for a gun and my wife pops them in the chest.

Good job. Most people don’t catch that, said the instructor.

Consider me a proud wife. She won’t let me die.

There was another scenario that I failed. You walk into a bar and you see two dudes fighting. One is your friend. You have a clear shot of the dude who’s hurting your friend. I took it.

The instructor was like, “You know you can also decide to walk away right? You’ll be in a lot of trouble in that scenario since your life was not threatened”

“Oof. Okay.”

Concealed Carry License

Now that we felt pretty comfortable with the mechanics and responsibilities of own a firearm, we decided to get our concealed carry licenses.

In Multnomah County, this is quite a pain.

We had to get fingerprinted and then wait for the county to process them.

In our case, it took nearly six months to get our licenses.

After we got our concealed carry licenses, it took us some time to get our gun. We had some financial issues, and it was not a priority.

Until it was.

Love thy neighbor

We were living in a lovely home in Northeast Portland, which we intended to buy from our landlord. We had negotiated, got our credit approved, and gathered a down payment.

I loved spending time in the garden and grew plants for the first time. One neighbor's son, who had recently moved back in with his mother, often chatted with me. He planned to connect all our backyards with gates for communal gatherings and suggested turning part of our garden into a community space.

He claimed to have lived in the house in a past life and was digging up things he buried then. I thought it was odd but didn't mind. My wife found it weird but not worrying.

A conflict arose when he removed the fence between our backyards. When we asked him to replace it for privacy during my birthday gathering, he refused to do it for free but eventually helped with tarps.

Despite odd conversations, he seemed harmless. However, he soon asked neighbors to help clean up an old, senile neighbor's yard. We ignored his texts as we were busy with other things.

Soon after, we heard him chopping down a tree in the backyard. My wife confronted him, and he threatened her physically. We called the police, but they couldn't do much as it was a civil matter. If you want to hear more about this story, I have a thread about it here.

Following this, we bought a Ruger SP101 for safety. I prefer revolvers for their simplicity and reliability, reminiscent of old westerns.

The point? You can't rely on the police. You are your first line of defense.

Getting Educated, Licensed, and Armed

After that unsettling encounter with our neighbor, the theoretical became real. My wife and I realized that waiting six months for a concealed carry license wasn’t just inconvenient—it could be a liability. We doubled down on our commitment to responsible gun ownership. The safety class was just the beginning; now it was time to take the next steps.

The concealed carry process in Multnomah County was a slog—fingerprints, background checks, and a waiting period that felt like forever. When those licenses finally arrived, it was a mix of relief and anticipation. We didn’t rush out to buy a gun right away, though. Life got in the way—bills, work, the usual. But the incident with the neighbor lit a fire under us. We weren’t going to wait for another wake-up call.

Choosing the right firearm was its own adventure. I’d done my homework by then, talking to folks at the range, watching videos, and lurking in online forums. I kept coming back to revolvers—simple, reliable, no fussing with magazines or slides. There’s something about the Ruger SP101 that feels like it belongs in your hand, like a tool from a bygone era that still gets the job done. My wife teased me about channeling my inner cowboy, but when I took it to the range, I knew I’d made the right call. Five shots, .357 Magnum if I need it, and a weight that says, “I’m here when you need me.”

The first time I carried it concealed, I felt hyper-aware—like everyone could tell. Turns out, no one notices a thing if you’ve got the right holster and a decent jacket. That’s the beauty of it: you’re prepared, but the world doesn’t need to know.

The Bigger Picture

Owning a gun didn’t just change how I felt about safety—it changed how I saw the Second Amendment. That line, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” isn’t some dusty relic. It’s a promise that you don’t have to outsource your freedom or security to anyone else. The militia bit? Sure, it’s tied to history, but the core of it is about individuals—people like me and you—having the means to stand up for ourselves.

What flipped the switch for me wasn’t just that one creepy neighbor. It was the slow drip of realization: the police can’t always get there in time, gun control laws often punish the law-abiding more than the lawbreakers, and the media’s narrative doesn’t match the reality of millions of responsible gun owners. I’d bought into the fear once—Columbine, Aurora, Moore’s sanctimonious rants—but I’d outgrown it.

Talking to the Skeptics

If you’re trying to nudge a liberal friend toward understanding this, don’t start with politics.

Ask them: “Have you ever felt unsafe and wished you had a way to protect yourself?”

Most people have. Build from there. Share stats if they’re into that—millions of defensive gun uses every year, far outpacing the tragedies. Or just invite them to the range. Nothing shatters myths like popping a few rounds and seeing it’s not chaos—it’s control.

Closing the Loop

I’m not someone who grew up hunting. I’m a suburban kid from Los Angeles who once thought “gun violence” was the whole story. Now, I’ve got a revolver on my hip, a concealed carry license in my wallet, and a perspective I never saw coming. The Second Amendment isn’t about militias or muskets—it’s about me, my wife, and our right to sleep soundly. I changed my mind because the world showed me I had to. Maybe it’s done the same for you already, or maybe it will one day.

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