Growing up I never thought I was going to be a mom- and now I have three kids. Life can sure throw some curve balls at you that you never saw coming and this has never been more true than by me saying these four words: I have a dog. I honestly hated them and previously thought anyone with one was crazy, however I have her curled up with me while I am writing this. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would have a dog but now I have Marlin and I can’t imagine life without her.

I don’t think there was much I was as against as the fact that I was absolutely never, ever, getting a dog. We have people that come into the store that are absolutely against firearms. In some cases they have had bad experiences with them. This was me with dogs. I have been bit more times than I can remember. Sometimes it is just a matter of taking a few minutes to talk to people. I do acknowledge that some people will never get beyond their experiences to be a firearm owner but if we can even just make them understand that the firearm was not responsible then some good has been done that day. The days that people can change their mind and even continue down the road to being owners are so rewarding. It is wonderful to know that you have removed an unnecessary stigma from an item that is simply a tool.

One of my previous staff told me a story years ago of him handing his mom an AR-15 (which she was previously completely against with no basis to that opinion) and she though it was a great, until she found out what it really was and then she had to change her mindset. At a gun show this week I was asked by a customer if a firearm on my table was legal. I answered with a very exaggerated NO!!!! I think I stunned him and caught him off guard then proceeded to explain that it absolutely was legal (I would never consider selling anything that wasn't) and that just because a firearm looks “scary” doesn’t mean it is any different from something your great grandfather had with a wood stock. Its just a costume-kind of like bondo, makeup or paint, it’s the same thing inside- just looks different on the outside.

Things change in life and so can your opinions. My life today is not at all what I would have thought it was going to be as a child, a year ago or even a month ago. Marlin changed my mind on something I could never have thought possible and now I love her. But I will say I have never picked horse poo out of the mouth of a firearm, had one wake me up at all hours of the night or had one pee on my bed. I could have bought another truck the amount of money this crazy, funny creature beside me cost me but it is somehow all worth it for the love she gives. She is proof that sometimes we are wrong in our opinions and with some education and learning sometimes you can find a whole new world you didn't know existed.