By Jacob Christie
I have always loved guns. From playing cops and robbers with bent tree branches to playing airsoft with a couple of buddies in an abandoned field behind my house, they’ve always been a staple in my life. The day when I finally turned 18, and could buy my first rifle, was one of the happiest days of my life, but it was also one of the worst.
That day I realized that some people would hate me just for owning one. I realized that some people would expect me to step up and “be a hero” if someone was in trouble. I realized that I stepped into a world that would have me burn through my paycheck faster than any fire ever could. But I also realized I’m completely ok with that. I believe that guns changed my life for better and for worse, and I never want to go back.
Guns have seen me through a lot of hard times. Going through 14 credits worth of engineering classes, I was stressed out all the time. Couple that with a 40-hour work week, and you have a recipe for disaster. It was hard trying to find something to relax with that didn’t revolve around being at school or requiring a huge time commitment. My life was a living hell and sent me into a downward spiral. My friends eventually told me about going to shooting competitions that they were involved in. At first, I hated it. Imagine being in humid 90-degree heat with constant bangs and pops. The people were not very friendly either. Most had an “I’m better than you” vibe that I thought was very irritating.
After that, I didn’t want to keep going, but I was too invested with all my money just to walk away. I went to a few more and realized I had just had a unique experience. It started to grow on me. I came to like being able to just focus on something that didn’t relate to flipping burgers or advanced math. My life didn’t get better then, but it became tolerable.
Life can change from bad experiences just as much as good ones, and boy, have I had my share of bad experiences. I’ve been on the receiving end of a pistol just because I wanted to tell a woman she left her truck door open, I’ve gotten judgmental stares and people following my every move when I open carry, and even had someone come right up to my face in a Walmart and scream at me that I’m the reason that children are dead.
I would be lying if I said that this hadn’t affected me. It made me question for a long time if I really was making the world worse just for one choice that seemed so small and simple to me. Over time, I realized that people would sometimes just not like you if they see something they disagree with. I took a hard look at myself and realized that if I was going to be judged and hated for one aspect of me, then I was ok with being hated. Even today, I have never regretted that decision.
We all have things that we like to do. We often see them as just something to kill time or relax until we have to go back into the unforgiving rollercoaster known as life. I found one that made me see it as much more than that. It made me see that what you decide to do for fun really can make a difference in your life. For me, that was guns, and I wholeheartedly believe that guns have changed my life.
Jacob Christie is a part-time student at Delta College who believes that people should speak up for what they stand for, even if that means the world will stand against them. He currently goes to school and works a full-time job with the goal of becoming a Michigan State Trooper.
