License to carry

March 24, 2013
It was sometime last week that I got my license to carry. I arrived home and there it was, on my kitchen counter top.
I was excited and disappointed at the same time.
Excited because, as a citizen, I am now able to exercise my right to keep and bear arms.
It was a long way to get here.
First my husband had to convince me that this whole weapons thing is an ok thing. Where I was raised only cops and bandits have guns. Normal people don't. So, since I am not a cop, owning a gun made me a bad person ... It took my husband some work to convince me it was actually not a bad thing.
Then there was the shooting at Sandy Hook. Being a first grade teacher, that really freaked me out. Those teachers and children had nothing to protect themselves with. Evil people with guns will not be stopped by the sight of children crying and teachers trying to keep them safe.
That did it to me. I was scared for my life. Everytime there is a code red in my school, my heart almost stops.
So in the last Sunday of January, with an awful fever and sore throat, I attended the training. During February break, I went to the police to apply for my license. And a little bit over a month later, it arrived in the mail.

Why am I disappointed? Because I know that this license means nothing in the place where I fear the most for my life - my work place. Schools in MA are gun free zones. I know in some states, governors have allowed teachers to carry their guns while in school. I really wish I could do that here, but our governor won't do it anytime soon.

I know that my life is in God's hands. I know that no one dies a day before (except for the Thanksgiving turkey).  I don't feel helpless, because I know my God has every thing under his control. But God's control doesn't exclude my responsibility to take care of myself. As a matter of fact, that is one way I believe God shows his care, is by enabling me to take care of myself.

I pray that God will allow MA laws to allow teachers the right to defend themselves from ill-intentioned, gun-bearing criminals.