[molson]

It seems like just in the last couple of decades gun ownership as an expression of politics has become more of a thing. Those people I worry about the most.

The people in the rural parts of my state have always been heavily armed for hunting, protecting livestock, home protection where there are no nearby police services etc. I feel very safe around them. I had to tell my New England parents, when they were visiting, not be alarmed in those rural areas if someone has their rifle over their shoulder out and about - they're not showing off, they're not expressing their 2nd amendment rights, they're working or hunting or between one or the other.

Then in a place like Boise you have another category that I never ran into anywhere else - the very well armed, liberal, gun-control supporting, firearm enthusiast. I haven't quite become one of them, but I've enjoyed shooting out in the desert with them (first time I ever touched a gun was out here in my 30s). They are certainly safety-first, have the guns for recreation, and also as a hedge against economic or climate change catastrophe. And really, with what we've experienced the last few years, being in Idaho with NO guns would make me feel kind vulnerable. I don't expect the complete fall of civilization in my lifetime or anything, but, a temporary or gradual emergency bringing about more dangerous conditions locally is much more likely. The party isn't going to last forever. If the pandemic was just a little worse, shipping and food supply would have been an issue. I think it makes sense to have some basic emergency preparations for that kind of thing, and firearms are a part of that.