Sometimes, in the blogging world I feel really out of place when it comes to the other bloggers I associate/interact with.

Actually? A lot like this…

My opinion on guns is not of the “popular one” particularly among the “mom-blog” community.

I really don’t get worked up over many things. I’m pretty laid back. I realize that everyone has their own opinion on different matters and that a lot of the time, they’re not the same as mine and that’s ok. Normally, I just keep my mouth shut, but I read a post the other day, and some of the comments that accompanied it and my blood started to boil.

It was all I could do not to start typing up a frenzy in the comments. To me, the post touched on two very different aspects of guns but wrapped them up into the same category. One being people that have guns that shouldn’t for reasons such as mental issues, criminal past, etc. The other aspect focused on kids and guns and how kids are killing other kids with guns and how many millions of homes in the US there are with kids and loaded, unlocked guns. There was also the generalization that all guns and all people that have guns are bad.

First of all, I completely agree with the post in regard to the fact that there should be a better screening process for someone purchasing a fire arm. Plain & Simple some people should not be able to purchase, or have access to, a firearm. About a year ago a local police officer lost his life in a “routine” traffic stop because the woman he pulled over had a mental illness and fatally shot him as he approached her vehicle. Would he still be here today if the state of Oregon had different screening processes/laws in place? Probably. Should there be some sort of formal gun handling/shooting training required in order to purchase a gun? Perhaps.

And what about that little girl that was recently shot accidentally by a classmate because the kid brought a gun to school? Thank God that little girl is alive and recovering. Is it the guns fault for shooting that girl? Hardly. Is it the little boy’s fault? I would go with a no on that one. When it comes down to it, his parents need to be held accountable for what happened. Whether or not they should own a gun, they do and it was their negligence that harmed that girl…negligence for leaving a loaded gun somewhere a young child could get it and negligence for not teaching that boy about proper gun safety. Again, I agree with the author of the post that there are better ways that we can protect children when it comes to firearms.

So, I agree there are people that should absolutely not have guns, have access to guns, etc. And there are opportunities for better gun laws that would protect children. But, when it comes down to it? Not every.single.person. that owns a gun is irresponsible and unfit to do so.

Guess what? I have a gun. Multiple guns, in fact. Some to be used specifically for hunting {another unpopular topic among the vast majority of mom-blogs}, a few that are just fun to shoot and yes, even one for {GASP!} home defense.

In absolutely no instance are there guns just laying around loaded! In no instance does my daughter have any access to any firearm in our house. All of our guns are locked up in a gun safe. Most, in addition to being locked up, also have trigger locks on them. And all of our ammo (aside from our hand gun) is locked in a separate cabinet. And even though our hand gun is loaded, it’s locked away in it’s own safe. To be honest, to me, it doesn’t matter that one is loaded and the rest are not, because the number one rule of gun safety is that you treat every single firearm as though it’s loaded.

And when the gun(s) do come out? We take every single opportunity to teach our daughter about gun safety. Yes, even at 3 years old. She knows she’s never to touch a gun. If she sees one, she needs to immediately find a trusted adult. When we hold guns,  it needs to be held in a safe direction, away from people. If we’re in the house, or if we’re taking the guns in a vehicle, the first thing we do is make sure it’s not loaded. We never point them anywhere but where we are planning on shooting. We never put our finger on the trigger until we are ready to shoot.

Does this make me a bad person? Would you not let your kid come over to my house and play just because of the simple fact that I have guns in my house?

To be honest, if you told me that you wouldn’t let your kid come over because we own guns, I’d probably be offended. I certainly wouldn’t be offended that you asked, because it’s your job as a parent to keep your child safe, and as Rylee gets older and goes on playdates at other people’s houses, it’s something I’ll certainly be asking. I’d take offense to the fact that if you asked, and I took the time to tell you, heck even show you, that we take precautions when it comes to firearms that you would still make the assumption that your child would not be safe in my home. If anything, knowing that you, and your child, are uneasy when it comes to guns, I’d go above and beyond to make sure everything was locked away, and stayed that way, as it should be as long as your child was in my home and in my care.

For me, it’s not the guns that scare me. It’s the people that have access to them that shouldn’t. It’s the people that don’t respect them. It’s the people that don’t know how to use them properly. It’s the people that don’t teach their little ones about said respect and proper use.

So, there you have it…my unpopular opinion on guns. We might not see eye to eye on the subject, but just like Sandra Bullock says at the end of Miss Congeniality, “…I really do want world peace.”

End rant.

Outside it was just like any other drizzly Oregon spring day. All loaded up in my dad’s white truck, we were headed out for a family fishing trip. Andy was driving. I was in the passenger seat. Rylee behind me buckled safely in her car seat, snoozing away.

For whatever reason, we decided to drive along the creek to our desired fishing spot. Being early spring, the water was high and fast…more like a river than the creek we were used to. The moss on the rocks along the creek bed, glistening in the sunny mist of the morning made for a beautiful, peaceful drive.

It all happened so suddenly. The back end of the truck slipped on some moss and before we knew it we were upside down in the water. Adrenaline took over and in less than a second I was in the back seat trying to unbuckle my sleeping girl.

My fingers wouldn’t work. I couldn’t get the chest buckle undone. I looked to the front seat, my eyes flashed with fear to Andy.

As I continued to struggle, the windows of the truck started to crack under the pressure of the water. Freezing, brown water came rushing in the cab and I knew it was over…

My eyes flew open and my breathing was heavy. I sat up on my elbows. Phew…just a dream. I must have been stirring in my sleep because as soon as I sat up Andy asked if everything was all right.

Just a bad dream, I said.

It was all I could do not to rush straight into Rylee’s room right then and there, scoop her up and not let her go for the rest of the night.

I’ve always been a vivid dreamer, but I’ve never had a dream like this. Taking my two worst fears, drowning and something awful happening to my baby, and stirring them together.

To be honest, I don’t even know why I’m afraid of drowning. It’s completely irrational considering I know how to swim, I can tread water and I love being out on the water…on a boat, on the bank…fishing, kayaking, sunbathing.

I tried to calm my racing heart and get back to sleep. Nothing worked.

I tossed and turned for the next 30 minutes.

When Ry ended up at the side of our bed, I leapt at the opportunity to take her back to bed. I snuggled her close, resting my cheek against the top of her head.

Once her breathing grew heavy, my breathing slowed.

As she melted up against me, I melted into the bed and was finally able to sleep again.