Behind Enemy Lines, Part IV

Parts I, II, and III focused on the bad parts about being a gun nut in "enemy territory" (gun-unfriendly states). For this part, I'd like to look at some of the good things about living in MA as a gun nut. And yes, there are some good things, even in MA.

For starters, we don't have an awful lot of restrictions on where we can carry. Schools and the post office are the only places we definitely can't carry, and there are folks who dispute the PO. There's no such thing as "binding signage" here - a store can put up all the "NOE EVIL GUNZ ALLOWED" signs it wants, but the most they can do is ask you to leave. Bars are okay. Restaurants which serve alcohol are okay. Your car is okay. There are very few places where CCW is expressly forbidden.

We don't have waiting periods, purchase permits, monthly limits, or other extraneous hoops to jump through once the MA LTC is obtained. Now, granted, that's a pretty big hoop, but it's a one-time deal. Once you obtain it, you can walk into a gun shop on a whim, buy a gun, some ammo, and a holster, and walk out with a new carry piece. You can even do it the next day, too. You're limited by the Approved Firearms Roster {spit}, certainly; but you don't need a sheriff's inspection, a permit to purchase, or a specific card to buy a specific gun.

Another benefit is one that's not readily apparent - the general "Condition White" of the rest of the population. I've carried a concealed firearm for almost 15 years, and have yet to lose that "ZOMG what if someone sees my gun" feeling. I have, on occasion, revealed a clip (to the holster) or even a muzzle once or twice (Darn slider holsters!). I've even done stupid shit like pull my back-up mag out of my pocket when looking for change at the store counter. Fortunately, in MA, people in general don't know the difference between a G21 magazine and a left-handed torque wrench, so my faux pas have gone unnoticed...

And there's something about belonging to the "Brotherhood of the Oppressed Gun Nut" that I've jokingly likened to the Christians in ancient Rome. When you come across a fellow gunnie here behind the Red Curtain, you feel an automatic kinship with them; a bond shared between folks who spend their time looking over their shoulders and talking of their passion in code... There's a fierce passion for the Second Amendment among the gunnies behind enemy lines; perhaps it has to do with being on the razor's edge of bans and confiscation that help us appreciate how fragile the Bill of Rights could be without the teeth of the Second Amendment...

I've been to many shoots here in MA, and a handful in NH as well, and while they've all been good, the ones in MA have been eager to pass the hat for GOAL (MA firearms owners advocacy group). I'm certain that it's no different at other ranges, certainly, but the folks I've met at the range are almost universally wonderful, caring, sharing folks. I've had folks offer multiple thousand dollar race guns to me to shoot simply for saying "Wow! Nice STI!" or "hey, what's that, I've never seen one of those before". (Of course, I'm always quick to offer my own gun to anyone who expresses interest as well).

Our local gun board, the Northeastshooters forum, is replete with "Karma" offerings - folks realize they have an extra magazine or pair of grips or holster and offer it up to the other members. Group buys are common on anything from flashlights to pre-ban magazines to even laser-engraved AR-15 lowers. We recently had a member pass away unexpectedly and took up a collection for his family. There's just so much good that's done simply because one belongs to this group of misfits, outcasts among outcasts, the MA gunnie...

There are benefits to being a gun nut in MA. They don't outweigh the negatives - not by a wide margin - but there are benefits.

That is all.