One of the biggest changes I’ve undergone since I got into crypto is my view on guns. I went from being totally against, to totally in favor of gun ownership, all thanks to crypto.
But this article isn’t going to be about explaining why I changed my mind on guns. Instead it’s going to be about my experience so far as a gun owner, all the parallels I see between gun ownership and crypto ownership, and finally, what I learned in a CCW (carrying a concealed weapon) training class I recently attended.
Let me start by saying that buying a gun can be not only intimidating, but tedious. It means filling out paper work, taking a test, deciding which gun you want to buy, and then of course there’s the cost of the gun, not to mention the ammo, the safe, the eye and ear protection, and what if you want to buy more than just one type of gun? Plus there’s the waiting period before you’re able to actually take your guns home and giving them a try.
Doesn’t it sound a lot like buying crypto? The process of signing up for an exchange, figuring out which coins to buy, how much you want to spend on each one, and there’s also a waiting period before you’re able to withdraw your crypto and give it a try.
Something else that guns and crypto share are that both involve very high stakes. With the former, you’re dealing with people’s lives. With the latter it could be their life savings. This is probably why it’s intimidating for many people to try their hand at either, and why I recommend finding someone you trust to teach you the basics such as best practices for safety and security.
I think the crypto community can actually learn a lot from the gun community. Recently the governor of New Mexico tried to order a 30-day suspension on the open and concealed carrying of firearms in her state. This was immediately met by multiple lawsuits and protests making it clear that the citizens would not give in so easily. If crypto is going to succeed, I believe its supporters will have to act similarly when facing off against authoritarians.
Another important lesson to be gained from gun enthusiasts is the emphasis they place on actually learning to use your firearm. Because simply owning a gun will do you no good if you have no idea how to use it. It’s the same with crypto. Just investing in crypto isn’t enough. You need to familiarize yourself on how to use it, how to store it safely, and how to use it responsibly.
This is why when a neighbor recently invited me to go to a CCW training course with him, I accepted even though I don’t have a CCW license. I’m definitely glad I did, because it was one of the most educational experiences of my life, and I would recommend a similar course to anyone whether you plan on owning a gun or not.
Since I’m guessing many of you out there have never taken one of these classes, I thought I’d share what my experience was like and what I took away from it. Here’s how the class works. An instructor takes you into a room with a small stage surrounded by 5 large screens as shown in the picture below:
Actual guns are used in the training, but instead of real ammo, they use CO2 cartridges to mimic live rounds being fired. You take turns being placed in the middle of the enclosure and a scenario begins to play on the screens before you. A crazy person starts yelling at you on the street and brandishes a gun in his waist band, what do you do? You’re in a store and two gunmen come in to rob the place, what do you do? And so on.
I learned a lot about the law. I learned about real cases and what happened to the people involved. I learned that you must alert the police if you ever unholster your gun in public even if a shot wasn’t fired. I learned about when it’s legal to resort to deadly force, how fast a situation can unfold, and that if you can see the barrel of someone’s gun, it might already be too late.
But more than anything, the experience gave me a lot to think about. Much like my experience with crypto, I believe taking the course opened my eyes in unexpected ways. It made me consider what it takes to live in a civilized society, the level of responsibility required, and that just as you can never reverse a transaction once it’s been spent on the eCash network, you can never take back a bullet once it’s already been fired.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoy this content, feel free to show your support by tipping me with eCash below. You can tip as little or as much as you want, but I recommend doing it on a computer with the sound on to get a little surprise. Create an eCash wallet at Cashtab.com and try using eCash to discover what it’s all about.