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 country.
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.