I am a 36 year old deputy and I am pro-gun. I am sure that doesn’t surprise anyone.
What might surprise you is I used to be an anti-gun Democrat. Oh, and I am a female. Not by choice or as an identity. God made me a woman and that’s what I am, just so there is no confusion. I am also a wife, a mom of sorts, a daughter, a sister, and a God loving American conservative of Puerto Rican descent.
I suppose the appropriate place to start would be with when and why I was a Democrat. I was in high school preparing to go to college. The thought of how much money it was going to cost to get my degree was a crippling number, considering my family did not have much money and my parents were newly divorced.
I was going to be putting myself through school.
The political narrative around lower education costs, making tuition free, and student aid sounded like little miracles which would ease my financial stressors. It all sounded glorious, but not once did I stop and identify where that money was going to come from. I clearly did not seek out that information because I did not care. I just wanted to go to school and get my degree.
Well reality hit me and it hit me hard. Tuition was not going down, in fact it went up. Every. Single. Semester. And I was not going to a well named university like Stanford or USC. I was going to a California State University where tuition was a fraction of the cost. I was working two part time jobs and I still struggled to pay my tuition. But I NEEDED to go to college. It was the only thing I knew to do.
I tried grants, scholarships, and working more. I did not meet the demographic for the grants and scholarships. My parents who lived under the poverty level somehow still made too much money for me to get grants. I didn’t qualify for most scholarships even being a minority (Hispanic). Even being the first person in my mother’s immediate family who would be in a position to graduate from college made no difference as far as tuition assistance went.
So I worked more. More hours and more jobs. At one point I juggled three part time jobs while attending college full time. I don’t say that as a ‘woe is me’ or for sympathy mongering. I worked my ass off and I am damn proud of the fact I can honestly say I put myself through school. And working those jobs is where I learned the hard truth about taxes.
The more I worked, the more taxes I paid. It was paying those taxes that prompted me to start paying attention to the ballots and the measures to increase taxes. I understood paying taxes to help fix roadways which I used, but the idea that my hard earned money was paying for someone else’s rent or food was angering. I don’t disagree with temporarily helping those who are down on their luck. I disagree with those who leech off the system supported by my tax dollars and the tax dollars of those who actually work. .
Long story short, I lost belief in the unending handouts Democrats readily supported.
My new found conservative stance on a lot of political issues did not change in regard to guns. I was still fairly anti-gun. I was not against the military or law enforcement having guns. I believed they actually needed them to protect me and the citizenry. I definitely was not pro gun. After all guns killed people. Or so I had heard.
I was in an abusive relationship during college. I thought at one point the guy might come after me, with a gun. Even then I did not want one to defend myself or give myself an added extra level of protection. I believed the false narrative that if you try and use a gun to defend yourself, you’re more likely to have it taken from you and used against you.
Fast forward past the long story that led to my starting a career working for a sheriff’s department as a civilian staff member at the age of 28. I learned quite quickly from the officers I worked with that I lived in a not so great part of town, with a lot of parolee’s and violent criminal activity, to include shootings.
My new big brothers told me I should get a firearm for protection and get a concealed carry permit so I would be able to have it on me as I came and went from work. I told them I appreciated the concern but I wasn’t interested. These guys were so concerned they repeatedly brought up the issue and even asked around to see if anyone was selling a particular firearm which would fit my size well. I still declined.
I was coming home one night/morning after my graveyard shift ended. My street was surrounded by officers with their patrol lights flashing. I pulled up near one of the cars and recognized the officer in it as someone I had briefly worked with before he left my division. I asked if everything was okay to which he replied that there had been a carjacking and the suspect crashed the vehicle before he fled on foot just a few houses down from mine. I asked if it was safe to go home. The deputy told me to go straight home, pull in my garage, and call 911 if I saw or heard anything strange. He also instructed me to stay in my house and keep my dogs inside since the K9’s would be searching yard to yard.
I did as he said and the entire time I was thinking what if I pull into the garage and the suspect is hiding in there armed? What if he broke into my house and is hiding in a closet? I could grab a bat from the garage, but what use would a baseball bat be against a bullet?
I returned to work the next day and bought a gun. I scheduled the concealed carry interview, and signed up for the 16 hour mandatory firearm safety and qualification course. After the mandatory waiting period, the time came to pick up the gun and it was very intimidating. I had purchased a Ruger .380 LCP. Super scary I know.
The deputies at work taught me how to load and unload it safely as well as the fundamentals of firearm safety.
Still, I wasn’t convinced. I now wielded a weapon which could take a human life. That did not feel right.
A couple weeks later I arrived at my two day course with all the necessary materials. In the classroom was a myriad of students with varying capability and experience levels. I had ex-military all the way to the lady who had never even seen a gun before she bought the one for the class.
During the course I had many of my fears assuaged. I learned something that most gun owners consider common sense: guns don’t kill people, people do. I also learned that guns don’t spontaneously go off if handled and stored properly. I learned the proper way to defend myself in a number of situations both inside and outside of the home. And more importantly, I learned guns aren’t so scary after all; I learned that a gun is just a tool, and like any tool it can be used properly or improperly.
I successfully passed the course. I passed the concealed carry interview and background check. In short order I was able to take my firearm all the places I needed to protect myself. It felt good. I was no longer a small, defenseless woman. I had a way to protect myself, to even the odds.
A few short months later I was enrolled in an academy to become a peace officer. I knew part of the training requirement included firearms proficiency and scenarios involving using deadly force. I was slightly intimidated by the idea I would be shooting a firearm significantly bigger than the one I owned. I quickly adapted to the Sig Sauer 226 in 9mm I was assigned for training.
I became proficient in utilizing my firearm and learned how to safely and effectively neutralize threats. I learned the value of training and not just shooting at a target from a stationary position. I gained skill in shooting on the move, shooting in various body positions, and how to care for and maintain my weapon.
After graduation I was lucky enough to be sworn in as a peace officer and begin a career in law enforcement I had never planned on having. As I progressed through my career I saw many instances where citizens who had armed themselves inside their home has fended off danger to themselves and their family members, sometimes without even having fired a shot. I saw business owners protect their store and their employee’s paychecks by having a firearm at the ready when a criminal came in and attempted to rob them.
The surveillance video on some of the attempted robberies at businesses was almost comical when the bad guy comes in acting like they have a gun in their waistband and demand money, only to be met with a shotgun being racked in their face. You could probably get Olympic record breaking times from some of these idiots because they ran so fast the other direction. Sometimes they ran faster than they were even prepared to and ended up running face first into the exit door or tripping along the way. And not once did I see a case where a gun owner had their firearm taken from them. I’m not denying it has happened or will again, but clearly the information surrounding gun ownership and having the gun used against you was not the issue it was being portrayed as by those who seek to ban guns.
Because of my personal and now professional experiences, I am now firmly pro-gun and support the idea everyone who legally can and is comfortable with firearms should own them and carry concealed. I do believe very much in responsible gun use and ownership. If you’re not going to regularly practice and follow gun safety rules, then firearm ownership may not be ideal for you. You can’t shoot a firearm every 2-3 years to qualify and have that suffice as training for life and death.
This piece was written by the newest contributor here. You can read about Officer Hopps and all the other contributors on our Staff page.
