A Flaming Liberal and Her Guns

[Listen to an audio version of this blog HERE.]

This week we’re taking a sharp left turn into the world of guns and hunting. “But Sarah, I thought you were vegan?” you might be thinking. Yes, I haven’t consumed animal products for years, for myriad reasons, the most tangible being that I don’t believe factory farming is sustainable. I know the havoc it wrecks on the environment, and my humble opinion is that factory farming is just kind of…gross. I’m vegan, but I believe people should be able to hunt, for no better reason than hunters at least earn their meat. I’m pretty damn liberal, but I believe people should be able to own guns. The seeming contradictions inherent in the above statements exist in all of us, I promise.

I’m not afraid of guns, but then again, I’ve never stared down the barrel of one. Where I’m from, guns are a means to an end. Guns were for shooting clay pigeons and wild game. Guns meant my family had meat in the freezer. Guns, in short, meant food. I remember attending a gun safety course with my dad and brother when I was in grade school. Guns were treated with gravity: “they are tools, but they can also be weapons,” we were told, “wield this tool/weapon with care.” I learned early on to respect guns and use caution around them. When I was 18, I moved away to larger cities where guns were treated differently. Guns were weapons, and shootings…