TOWNSHEND — I carry a sidearm, usually on my hip. I also wear a smaller, concealed backup firearm.
I wear them when I go to the bank and when I do farm chores. I wear them when I go grocery shopping and when I attend meetings. There is a shotgun in the back of my car and a rifle in my pickup.
If you see me, then I'm not far from my tools. Look around: I'm not the only one. If you look carefully, and if you know what to look for, it is not hard to find plenty of Vermonters who refuse to put their safety completely in the hands of our sorely underfunded, widely dispersed, and overstressed law enforcement institutions.
Responsible firearms carriers are everywhere. On any given day, I can pass through downtown Brattleboro and point out others like myself. The same goes for the winding back roads of our county.
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The firearm on my hip is not always concealed, and this is no accident. I don't have to hide my firearms, nor should I be asked to.
To the contrary, it is important to remind people that they have the right not to be victims, to remind them that they too have the right to defend themselves.
It is also a statement of solidarity with my fellow firearms carriers. If money can be a form of free speech, then so can firearms.
My firearm is a tool, but this tool also makes a statement. It says that I know my rights. It says that I will not be taken advantage of. It says I can defend myself and that I am in a position to defend the lives of those around me.
My firearm should put people at ease, knowing that just because an officer is 25 minutes away, help is not.
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Yet we as firearms owners are often discriminated against because of a few bad apples.
Some would try to shame us into hiding our tools or worse, try to prohibit them. Well, shame on them. A “no firearms” zone is a really just a “no help” zone. When I openly wear my firearm, it is because I understand the limitations of rural living, and I care enough to be able to offer my assistance if required.
I train regularly with my firearms, as do all of the concealed-firearm carriers I've ever met. I am qualified as an expert rifle marksman, according to the U.S. Air Force, and there is a silly little ribbon on my uniform to prove it, though this is not, nor should it be, a prerequisite for defending yourself.
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I am at the range, training, every opportunity I get. Is it because I'm some kind of gun nut or just because I'm deploying to Afghanistan?
Not even close.
It is because I recognize that the right to carry comes with a personal responsibility to do so in a safe, dependable manner. I train (off duty) to save lives, whether it is with a fire extinguisher, a med kit, or a sidearm. I take responsibility for my actions and am accountable as such. Public safety is a matter that goes well beyond certified law enforcement and rests on the shoulders of our citizens.
As the nation waxes introspective as to the role of firearms in our culture, it is important to believe that we can remove assault weapons from the hands of violent criminals without infringing on the rights of law-abiding armed citizens.
Regulations are only followed by those who care. When we limit what law-abiding citizens can do, we give the power to criminals.
We have the unique right to bear arms. Not to brandish arms, not to flaunt them, but to bear them, and I do so proudly. I do so to defend my country and I do so to protect my community.