I’m a “Hippie Liberal” Mom and No One Knows I Own Guns…Until Now

I grew up in the suburbs of California, surrounded by fellow progressives and liberals who also champion civil rights, access to justice, and the role of the government in providing a social safety net. I’m the mom who hosted a lot of playdates at my house because I was worried other parents had guns in their houses. I’m probably the last person you think would own guns. Yet I left the suburbs and now live in the <a href="https://medium.com/illumination/i-am-a-coastal-elite-who-prizes-living-in-the-rural-countryside-b9d51ef6c398" rel="noopener">country</a>. When we moved here, I reluctantly agreed to purchase a shotgun and a handgun for self-defense. I resisted the idea when my husband first brought it up because I worried about gun safety with kids in the house, as well as what owning a gun would signal about me. <a href="https://annaesq.medium.com/im-a-hippie-liberal-mom-and-no-one-knows-i-own-guns-until-now-ac2d720f99d4">Learn More</a>