Hesitant, Hopeful

So, Matt and I replaced our guns this last week. What happened to the old ones is a long story for another time, but we replaced them with something very similar to what we had. I got the Magnum Research Baby Eagle (.9mm). The one I had previously was all steel, this one is polymer with a steel slide, and it feels great. We went shooting this weekend, at a range outside town, and we both had a lot of fun shooting this baby. Very easy to hold, very easy to load, very easy to shoot, very little recoil, very accurate. Matt got the Magnum Research Desert Eagle Mark XIX (.44 magnum), in steel. Both guns are black. I don't have a picture of his, but here's mine. . .

Sorry for the bad photo. I took them inside, at night, and the light's not really good. Since I still have the iPhone 3GS (no upgrade until May), my camera has no flash. So, for now, that's the best I can do. I intended to get some pics at the range this weekend, but I never got around to it. Maybe next time. Anyway, we went in to the gun shop in town on Monday, expecting to have to order them, but instead they had them in the case. Since MRI's guns are so difficult to come by, we considered it serious good luck to find them there, just waiting for us. They ran a background check, which took about twenty minutes, and we went home with our new babies. Together with a bunch of things like ammo (yikes, seriously pricey right now!!), targets that look like zombies, a cleaning kit, cleaning rags and gun oil, and ear protection.

I've actually been procrastinating about this post because of the huge anti-firearm outcry of late. It seems, even in Texas where guns are prevalent, that everyone with a gun is automatically labeled a psychopath, nut case. You wouldn't expect it here, but that's how it goes. It seems to be so divisive lately that no one's on the rational side of things. Everyone's either screaming that guns are evil and should be taken away or they're screaming that the government can have their guns when they pry them from their cold dead hands. I'm actually getting really tired of both sides. Guns are what they are, more regulations aren't necessarily a bad thing, and the government isn't trying to take away all guns, I just wish the Facebook crowd would shut the hell up about it already!

Our primary motivation is, of course, home defense. I'm home alone at night quite a lot, we live outside of town, and just behind our fence is a rodeo barn that attracts people from all over the state. So, I feel unsafe without a gun, which is ironic because when I moved in with Matt years ago--in 1999--I felt incredibly uncomfortable with the idea that he had a gun, in a box, beside the head of the bed. It was a .357 magnum revolver (I believe it was a Colt, but I could be wrong). Then, when it came up missing, I was particularly freaked out, but we filed a police report and several years later got a call out of the blue that it had been recovered. We went and picked it up and it was filthy, but Matt was able to clean it up. Nice when the law works to help and protect you.

So anyway, I'm planning to get another gun in the near future and so is Matt. While he has his eye on a Colt (or Magnum Research) 1911a, I'm looking a bit smaller. I'm going to get myself a Charter Arms .38 snub nose revolver. Though I like the shamrock green, I'll probably get the Pink Lady. I've always wanted a .38 special, ever since before I got my first gun, but Matt talked me into a semi-automatic pistol instead. Still, the desire to have it never went away, so I'm going to get it in the near future, maybe when our tax refund comes in (assuming it's enough, that is).

Anyway, I set out to talk about something completely different when I started this post, but I erased that stuff and left this topic because this topic is plenty long enough, I think! I'll write about how my job and the semester is going so far another time--probably next time, which should be soon.