Well, here we are yet again. Staring down the harsh reality of yet another madman killing many people for no reason. The videos I have seen, show it was in fact a massacre.
And, yet again, the media and the majority have shifted focus away from the madman himself, and put the responsibility of the event on the weapon – and the millions of Americans that own the same exact rifle. Myself included.
Even on NPR this morning, people were barking the familiar rhetoric of gun control, and passing “tougher” laws to prevent these shootings from happening.
Want the reality? You will never be able to pass ANY law that will prohibit these events. They will continue to happen. There are two primary reasons for this.
As many of my readers know, I am a strange blend of liberalist, centrist, and conservative. While I voraciously support equality – marriage equality for one, I also advocate strongly for second amendment rights and smaller government.
I also believe unequivocally – that without our second amendment, we cannot protect the others. That single right – to keep and bear arms – allows us, the citizenry, a poker chip against a future government that steps too far. It was baked into our rights from a group of founders, that had just recently witnessed an armed citizenry resist an oppressive government – and succeed. It is core to our nation.
That all boils down to the fact I am a staunch believer in concealed (and even open) carry.
I remember when I lived in Alaska and was a meat eater. The whole concept of “veganism” was an odd one – a stereotype of skinny, pasty, punk kids sitting in a drum circle eating lettuce and gravel. They were angry at the world,and irrational. I never took the time to meet or understand vegans, so my irrational vice held. That is of course, until I gave away all the meat and fish in my freezer and became an Alaskan vegan myself.
Like a broken record, it has happened again. And, like a broken record, legal gun owners must mix defensiveness with their mourning for the victims. And, I am pretty sure it will happen again.
Perhaps the one potentially positive outcome from these shootings, is that the national consciousness comes together for a discussion about guns and gun ownership. That debate is often heated, and polarized with little needle movement from either camp.
In my opinion however, we do need to look at current and future gun policy with an eye to both rights preservation and compromise.
I submitted my thoughts to Vice President Joe Biden’s “Gun Control Committee” in the wake of the shooting in Newtown and was thankful to hear from his staff that my comments were included. Most of that stance remains unchanged.
NOTE: In a recent poll where I asked my readers what type of content they would like to see on this blog, a handful asked for more personal opinion pieces. This is my first in this series.
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Sometimes I like Bill Maher. Emphasis on sometimes. He tends to have anger at a time when I need some sort of angry consolation prize. But on a recent show, he and his guests were discussing how America needs to completely redo gun policy and implement tough new controls. But Bill Maher has never really been a fan of gun rights.
It made me realize how far off the liberal, anti-gun agenda is (and I consider myself pretty liberal so this is not a jab).
UPDATED! I have purchased another vegan holster, from Bladetech and included it at the end.
I’ll save the whole “Wait…you’re a vegan and you have guns!?” discussion for another day. Yes, yes I own guns and enjoy self-defense and target shooting. Moving on.
One of the hardest things to find for me, is a vegan concealed carry holster. Most brands, made by companies like Galco and others are made mostly with leather and polymer.
BLACKHAWK
Fortunately, when I recently purchased my Springfield XDS .45, the store had an ample supply of vegan holsters made by Blackhawk.
My Springfield Armory XDS chambered in .45 in the Blackhawk size 5 holster.
It is important to note that these holsters are not marketed (for obvious reasons) as a vegan holster. They are basically an inexpensive option for people that can’t afford (financially or morally, I guess) the leather versions.
I’ll take it! This puppy was $12.00 and works like a charm. It’s like the Payless shoes for vegan gun owners (vegans will get the joke)!
The holster material is already forming to the shape of the pistol in only 2 days.
The nice part about their website is that they also organize the holsters by material. So you can quickly identify which are vegan and which are not. The nylon options are here.
My only complaint is the tapered section (as you see in the image) leaves the grooves on the rear of the slide exposed. When seated, this presses those metal grooves into your back which is not the most comfortable. Eventually this may affect the gun’s finish, but we’ll see.
For a $12.00, non-leather holster you cannot go wrong with this option!
BLADETECH
In December, 2015 I was strolling the aisles of my local cabelas, and looked at the plastic CCW holsters they offered. I found this option for the XDS, priced at $23.
Unlike the Blackhawk above, I wanted something that offered more positive locking of the pistol. The holster from Bladetech was inexpensive, solid plastic, and has a positive “click” when the gun is fully seated.
The Bladetech offering.
The belt clip also has a much better “barb” that provides more secure carry in the belt.
I have not spent a ton of time with the holster, but the past few days I feel it is comfortable and easy to carry.
UPDATE #2! 12/18/2016
I added a beautiful Sig Sauer P320 to my arsenal and added a Streamlight TLR-1s tactical light to it. This is a full frame pistol, so I gave up on CC.
I added a kydex Multicam holster for it, which accommodates the light. Holster is from TR Holsters. It’s an OWB configuration and so far, so good.
Off-road Vegan 