The real reason why I carry

I've owned firearms since I was legally able to buy (and afford) them. Bought my first .44 Magnum at age 22, then a nice used P220 during the Clinton years. Never got a Permit to Carry, as we had may issue, and the Democrat sheriff only allowed his buddies and special people to get permits. Iowa used to be real insipid about loaded magazines in cars, too. So, never even tried to get one- didn't want to waste my money getting all the training to be denied. This info was straight from the guy who did the training for the sheriff. So I never pursued a permit.

A few years ago, I got a phone call. My mother asked me a very strange question:

"Did your uncle ever, um, touch you?" (Uncle is by marriage to an aunt)

Me: "No, what the hell are you talking about?"

"He just got arrested for molesting ALL of his adopted and foster children!"

Me: "Holy hell."

So, now I am wondering if this sick fuck I used to call an uncle was going to turn up near me and need put down. A week or so later, the story turns sideways.

Mom on the phone: "They just found your uncle's parents dead on their farm."

Me: "Me- bye mom, got to call my wife and tell her to go somewhere without our last name in the phone book..." In the meantime, I sit tight at work, thinking, "Great. I guess I have this stick here." It turned out, my uncle's brother did it, guess the crazy really did run in that family. (No clue what that site is, but the link has the story pretty well laid out)

So, I still have this feeling that a gun would be a damn sight better than standing around with a stick, so I leave a loaded mag hidden at work and keep an empty gun cased to meet Iowa's pantywaist laws in my truck. Woo, that makes Israeli carry look pretty bad ass, huh?

A guy I work with, but lives in another county, came in a year or so later. He just got his permit to carry. I told him, "I wish, Polk County sucks."

"No, all you have to do is take the course and write 'demonstrated responsibility' in the 'reason for permit' box." My co-worker went on, "When the sheriff changed a few years ago, they threw out all that bullshit buddy system crap."

Me: "!!!!eleventy1 Wonder why that wasn't published in the Des Moines Register?" Wait, they probably bumped that story for a Reka Basu or Don Kaul rant on eeeevvvviillll gun owners.

So I did jack crap, of course. Kept putting it off, not signing up for the course, feeling intimidated by all the paperwork. Midway through 2010, Shall issue was passed- so I waited until the end of the year. Funny how gun bans take effect the second they are signed, but laws allowing some semblance of freedom to be returned to you need time for the government to 'figure out how it will work.' All in all, I was not happy with myself during that time frame.

Some of you from Iowa might point out that we could always CCW at a place of business. Well, that is fine and dandy if your place of business is stationary...


****Details of conversations have been altered. For instance, I believe I answered my mother with something to the effect of "I know he didn't touch me, he is still alive, right?" but that conversation --may-- have happened at a later date.****