There's something exciting about getting a gun for your birthday. Cold, hard steel molded into a sleek and deadly form. What's not to like?
Some women prefer clothes and jewelry. I am not one of those women.
For my birthday, Larry hooked me up with the perfect gun for concealed carrying — a Ruger LCP, ultra-light and compact enough to slip into a pocket.
I already own an H&K USP Compact .40 pistol, which I love and would recommend to anyone, but it's a bit too heavy to carry every day. It's also too bulky to conceal easily, especially here in hot, sunny Florida where a jacket or overcoat would look conspicuous. I wanted something smaller and lighter, and the LCP is a perfect fit.
I'm not a weapons fanatic and not a violent person by any means, but the time I've spent practicing at the firing range has helped me gain a better understanding of firearm safety and usage, which in turn gives me a stronger foundation for writing stories with gun-toting characters.
Over the past couple of years, Larry and I have unintentionally established a tradition of giving weapons to each other for every holiday. On Valentine's Day, ASP expandable batons. On our anniversary, Urban Pal knives. For Christmas for him two years ago, a Rock River Arms LAR-15 rifle. For my birthday last week, the Ruger LCP.
I was dreading my birthday but it turned out rather nice. We held two separate birthday gatherings, one with his family and one with mine. My sister indulged my Lost obsession with the gift of a Dharma Initiative t-shirt. (If you don't know what the Dharma Initiative is, rent the first season of Lost on DVD and start watching now. You won't regret it.)
By the end of the second gathering, I had landed $150 in Barnes & Noble and Amazon gift cards, all of which I've already cashed in for a hefty stack of books to keep myself occupied during the holiday weekend.
