I don’t know which of the mass shootings in 2015 prompted me to apply for a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Certainly by the time of the San Bernardino, Calif., killings in December of that year, I had decided the time was right.
But not because I was actually going to pack heat or carry one in my truck. Hell, I don’t even own a pistol or any concealable weapon.
Like hundreds of thousands of others at the time, what was driving me was the threat posed by then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and the potential for banning concealed carry permits. I figured I’d get one just in case she won and made good on her anti-gun plans. At the clerk’s window at the Loudoun County, Va., courthouse, the woman who took my application said many had aired similar concerns, prompting a rush on the $40 permits.
Now with another presidential election a year away and candidates such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., threatening gun ownership after the Virginia Beach, Va., shootings, I’m wondering if it’s time to get a handgun.
It’s certainly a good time to buy one. Supplies are up and prices are down, and many makers have come out with weapons specially designed to carry.
Before the Virginia Beach office shooting that left 12 dead, my buddy John came over to show off a new Glock in a thin-framed 9 mm. He’s also a big Glock fan, and our local gun store has dozens on sale. Another friend prefers Sig Sauers, and a third Walthers and Berettas.
To test which one felt best in my hand, we conducted a shootout in the backyard. We shot 9 mm, .40- and .45-caliber, and a big “Dirty Harry” .357 at paper targets. I liked the Glock and the Sig 9 mm.
They even showed me how to conceal a pistol. Some are so small they can be carried in cargo pants pockets. Others are easily hidden under a T-shirt. One thing was sure after their show and tell: I think a lot more people carry guns than I ever imagined.
But at the time, it wasn’t enough to drive me to plop down $500-$700 for a new gun.
The question stopping a purchase was the same. What’s the chance I’d ever need one? I work in Washington where guns are pretty much banned, at least legal guns. And I’m just not the kind of guy who shops at Safeway or Sears with a hidden gun.
But the latest mass shooting just three hours away got me thinking again about buying a gun to carry.
Many in the media typically focus on those who react to shootings by calling for gun bans. But what they don’t consider are those who think the exact opposite. It’s not vigilantism, say gun proponents. It’s just being prepared for the worst.
And there are many cases of people with concealed carry permits using their guns to stop bad guys. The National Rifle Association writes up a weekly internal email about those cases, and pro-gun blogs regularly highlight the stories.
This time, gun ban proponents are also focused on extended magazines and suppressors because the Virginia Beach shooter used both. I can predict with 100% accuracy that there will be a run on both as the election nears.
I had already decided to get a suppressor for one of my hunting rifles in the belief that folks sleeping in on Saturday mornings don’t want to hear the bang-bang signal that deer season has opened. Maybe I should consider another to fit a Sig or Glock.
For now, I’m still firmly on the fence, unable to, pardon the phrase, pull the trigger on buying a pistol. But I’m closer than ever.
Paul Bedard is a senior columnist and author of Washington Secrets.
