America, in the year 2020, dished out some unimaginable acts of violence. All across the news—literally all year long—were reports of violence: human trafficking, riots, cell phone footage of brawls, etc. You can’t bring up your social media profiles anymore without seeing something that sends negative chills up your spine. There’s so much hate and division in this country, in this world, and while I am an unwavering believer that Jesus Christ will come back and deliver us from evil, I carry a firearm everywhere I go.
I recently wrote a post on social media that seemed to resonate well with women—especially moms: “In the past several weeks, I’ve seen countless videos of attempted child abduction, several news articles about police finding hundreds of missing kids, and even one in my home state of a young woman murdered while out for a jog. Evil is rampant in this country. In this world. And while I believe with my entire being that love will conquer all and Jesus IS going to come back and take us all home—I promise you, that you’ll meet your maker sooner if you come at me and my family. Ladies, if you are not carrying a firearm, now is the time. Train, learn, and carry. Men—watch out for us. I’m 5’0” with a 10’0” attitude, but even I know that it wouldn’t be hard for someone to hurt me. Add three small children to the equation and that equals 4 victims. But you know what? I REFUSE to be a victim. Taking someone’s life is never something I want to do—but I’m ready, willing, and able if my family is threatened. Say when.”
These are words that I believe with my whole heart. I will defend my life, the lives of my family, and your family's lives until the very end if need be.
According to www.gunowners.org :
Guns are used 80x more to save a life than to take one.
Less than 8% of the time, people are actually having to shoot at their attackers—they are actually able to scare them off, just by revealing their gun or firing a warning shot.
As many as 200,000 women use a gun every year to defend themselves against sexual abuse.
States which passed concealed carry laws reduced their murder rate by 8.5%, rapes by 5%, aggravated assaults by 7%, and robbery by 3%. If those states not having concealed carry laws had adopted such laws in 1992, then approximately 1,570 murders, 4,177 rapes, 60,000 aggravated assaults, and over 11,000 robberies would have been avoided annually.
The old saying “A good guy with a gun is much better than a bad guy with a gun” is so accurate. Now, I’m not—whatsoever—saying to go out, buy a gun, and immediately begin carrying if you are not familiar with firearms. Accidents can still happen, even if you have good intentions. Safety is most important. Practice is essential. Train, practice and be responsible. Learn your weapon and PLEASE be responsible.
Concealed carrying is my new normal. It’s crazy how my mind is more at ease when I have my gun on me. Although I’m still alert and guarded when I’m out in public (especially when my kids are with me), I feel much more comfortable when I have my pistol. Thankfully, companies like Hiding Hilda have made it easier to conceal carry while maintaining fashion-forward designs in each purse. They also have a line of conceal carry corsets, shorts, and bras—and everything is top-notch quality.
Now, more than ever, it is SO important to be able to protect yourself. Don’t allow yourself to become a victim. Make the choice today, go to a gun range, seek shooting lessons, get your concealed carry license, practice, and prepare yourself in the event something might happen. “Be Your Own Hero,” -Hiding Hilda.
-Huntress View Team Member Cajun Bradley
Follow Cajun on Instagram at @cajunbradley.