Concealed Carry: Great Power, Great Responsibility

By Chris Chumita

“With great power comes great responsibility. This is my gift, this is my curse. Who am I? I’m concealed handgun license holder.”

If you think you recognized the above quote, then you probably know that it is a blatant rip off of what Peter Parker said at the end of the first Spider-Man movie. Its original intent may have referred to the responsibilities of being a super hero, but it also applies to your average concealed handgun license holder.

There is no question that carrying a handgun gives you great power. It gives you the power to protect yourself and your family against anyone who attempts to do you harm. The power that comes with carrying a handgun can easily be summed up in a single sentence. It gives us the power to take a life and to save a life. That is where the responsibility part comes in.

There is also no question that carrying a handgun is also a great responsibility. You have the responsibility to carry the handgun in a safe manner and to follow all of the basic rules of gun safety. You also have the responsibility carry the handgun in accordance to the law. Even though almost all gun laws are overbearing and in my opinion, unconstitutional, it is your responsibility to obey them while working to change them. You are definitely neglecting that responsibility if you are not an active member of a pro-gun organization such as the Buckeye Firearms Association, Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), Gun Owners of America (GOA), or the National Rifle Association (NRA).

You are legally and ethically responsible for every single bullet that comes out of your gun, even if firing in self-defense. We all know that shooting skills deteriorate very rapidly, so it is entirely up to you to practice shooting as often as possible. All concealed handgun license holders have the responsibility of knowing how to safely and proficiently use their handgun.

The two greatest responsibilities that come with carrying a handgun is knowing when we can legally use it and only using it for just purposes. We all must be familiar with the self-defense laws of the state that we are in and only fire when our life or the life of our loved ones is truly endanger. We must also never use the power that a handgun gives us to victimize anyone.

Carrying a handgun is also a great gift from God who gave us the inalienable right to self-defense. The handgun is merely one of the best tools that are available to an average person to carry and use for self-defense. They give us the ability to fight back against evil.

Handguns are great equalizers. For example, my wife is just under five feet tall. Realistically, she would not be able to physically fight of a large male who attempts to rape her in a parking lot. However, a handgun would give her chance to fight back and to survive.

Carrying a handgun can sometimes be a curse. It requires us to always pay a little closer attention to what is going on around us and makes us have to always stay vigilant. Sometimes, it makes us have to alter how we dress, and where we can go. The large number of places that you cannot carry is hassle, and is a huge inconvenience. Prior to the passage of the Castle Doctrine in Ohio, concealed handgun license holders could not even pick up their children at school while carrying without violating the law.

When all is said and done, the pros outweigh the cons. I definitely will deal with the inconveniences of carrying a handgun then be unable to adequately defend myself and my family. How bad would you feel if you were unable to stop a thug from killing your child, because you did not want to deal with the hassles of carrying a handgun that evening?

Concealed handgun license holders are not superheroes like Spider-Man. However, like Spider-Man, they understand that with great power comes great responsibility.

Chris Chumita is a leader with the Buckeye Firearms Association.