She was scared

Wasn't sure what title to put but that was the bottom line.

I had breakfast with a dear friend yesterday. She is very liberal, but we leave politics out of our friendship. While in the restaurant my friend noticed a lady sitting out the counter. The lady had a gun under her jacket. My friend immediately alerted me by frantically saying... "she has a gun!!!!" Yes, the lady was carrying concealed.

My friend was terrified. Her eyes, her face, even her shaking showed that she was really scared. I can't get it out of my mind. I don't know if I need to address the incident and ask if she would like to learn about firearms so she can respect them and not be scared. Or do I let it go?

 

Perhaps you should have taken the time to calm her there and give a short explanation of concealed carry.

 

"Yes, and because of that gun, she does not need to be a victim, if someone tries to rob or kills us. It is a good thing, called Concealed Carry. Citizens, concerned with rising crime and violence in public places, have with the blessing of the state, taken it upon themselves to help protect themselves and others. Because she is armed and trained, we are safer."

 

I talked with a man recently who had a similar experience. He was at a black powder event when this young boy walked up to see what was going on. The man offered to let the boy shot the gun he had. The boy would not and was obviously scared. When the man asked the boy, the boy told him that gun would kill him. This man took the time to disassemble the gun and ask the boy what part of the gun would kill him. Then he put the gun back together and allowed the boy, still scared, to shoot the gun, explaining safety along the way. The boy took his paper target and left. A few minutes later the boy's parents showed up. The man had to go through the same process with them and allowed them to shoot. The end of the story is that this couple wound up starting their own black powder group. They just needed someone to show them to respect, not fear guns.

 

Her fear was real. I saw the woman that was carrying concealed, I looked, saw no threat and carried on. All your suggestions and responses are affirming that I do need to address this. I have never encountered this and I find it alarming. I think I will go to the local shooting range and talk to them and see if they would be willing to help me get her over this fear.

 

People are liberal primarily because they ARE afraid...and the chances of overcoming that fear even enough to get your friend to the local range are very slim.

I won't recommend either way (addressing it or ignoring it), but I do feel I must warn you that the chances of losing the friend are greater than those of changing the liberal mindset.

 

heh if was me & my friend was THAT scared of guns, I'd have dropped her as a friend & scooted over to the woman with a gun & made a NEW Friend. An after couple minutes chatting politely let her know her Concealed Carry, wasn't very Concealed LoL

Aw wait, I'm a guy, I'd prolly be trying to get a Date with the Woman carrying. If she was single

 

after you talk to her, make note that the CCW lady didn't do anything to scare anyone and nothing happened.. see? irrational fear.

 

Remember 'what they do not understand, they fear'. The shooting range is a good idea. My oldest was afraid of horses (they were so much bigger than her at the time, she was 5), so we took her to a stable and started with a Shetland pony. In three visits, she was riding a Morgan. It just takes some work and patience, lots of patience.

 

F.E.A.R. stands for False Evidence Appearing Real... It's best to debunk the False Evidence and explain the Reality of the situation....

 

As someone pointed out above, I may lose a friend or damage our friendship but I don't want her to be scared. The lady at the counter was no threat, she actually looked like an interesting person. Much of this stems to how you were raised and how you live your life. In my world guns were associated with fresh meat or going to the range with Dad. My friend has been citified, but I hope she will be open to learning in order to conquer her fear.

 

Be careful Ms Moto, if ya let her know you have firearms, an thats the least disturbing word to use to them, she might spread it all over town. Including to sum you'd rather not know yer armed. Like her fellow skeered sheeple!!!

 

Alot of people have misconceptions about guns. In a discussion on the local paper's Facebook page about arming teachers, I was pointing out why someone's comment was fallacious, and of course their brilliant reply was insults. I've learned that people only do that when they know they have no case. I'd suggest just asking your friend why she is so afraid of guns, and gauge her response to see if she'd be willing to learn about them.

 

Vhestin, I won't give up but...

Well.... I mentioned to her
since she was scared.....
that we could rent and someone could teach.....
if she learned and then she wouldn't be uneasy....

she is currently not speaking to me.
she says she is to busy right now.
I am not a gunnut, I love my country
I cried as much as anyone else over Sandyhook.

 

Well all you can do is try. If she doesn't want to, that's her issue. You can't reason with someone being emotional, and you can't fix stupid.

 

I refuse to give up. I will let her alone for a while. She may have a Obama Biden sticker on her car but she has potential to think for herself. I do hope she will think long and hard about what we talked about. Much is in how you were raised and one should always be open to learning about how others live.

 

Fear has been with us as long as we have existed. We have been conditioned to live in a state of fear since 9/11. First from terrorists and now from domestic terrorists, be they mentally ill people or patriots. It is all the same fear. Preparing brings comfort and decreases fear. The light bulb I believe comes on when some people wake up and realize it is your responsibility for your personal well being. Not the police, fire and rescue , DHS, FEMA etc..

This is a favorite quote

"
“Beware of the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry, [who] infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How will I know? For this I have done. And I am Julius Caesar.

"