Evan
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For Evan, firearms were an important part of his life growing up. “I’ve been around firearms ever since I was a toddler.” While in the Marine Corps, Evan’s training reinforced the firearm safety practices he’d learned growing up. He advocates for teaching kids about firearm safety at a young age. “I’m a firm believer that parents need to teach their kids firearm safety at a young age. And then if a kid chooses to go into the military, the military will just help instill what they’ve already learned from their parents.” After an incident that led to Evan being shot through his finger with a BB, his message to others is to double check the firearm’s barrel, not just the chamber.
Evan believes that there is often a stigma towards firearm owners from those who do not own them. “I think people that don’t own firearms and disagree with firearms and think that there should be stricter firearm laws, I think they just need to be more educated on firearms themselves and what good they can do...A firearm can save your life along with your family’s life.” He feels strongly about the 2nd Amendment and the right to own firearms. “Everybody in my family loves their firearms. Almost everybody that I know—friends, family, whatnot—have firearms, or at least everybody that I associate with… We’re all gun conscious. We love our guns.”
For Evan, the best part about owning a firearm is the security they provide, both in terms of safety and the ability to hunt for food. “Knowing that I can keep my family safe if it comes down to it. Knowing that I can go up in the hills and I can shoot an animal and put food on the table for me and my family.”
Evan experiences ongoing numbness in his finger from his injury.
Evan experiences ongoing numbness in his finger from his injury.
The BB went through the tip of my finger and it chipped the bone in my finger. So yeah. My fingernail to this day still curls at the end when it grows. But the hand doctor that I went to see said that my fingernail will always curve there at the end for some reason. Something to do with the nerve damage that I did inside my fingertip.
No, there was nothing they could do about it. The BB just went…it was just clean through. Went in one side and out the other. Knocked off part of my fingernail. The only treatment they could do was they just wrapped it up and put a Band-Aid on it pretty much for a couple days and called it good. I mean, there was nothing they could really do. I mean, the hole was just so small that there’s nothing they could do. And like I said, it was right there on the tip of my finger. There was nothing they could do except clean the entrance and exit wound and wrap it and keep it clean.
Evan talks about how hunting is a “big part of our life” and enables his family to put food in their freezer.
Evan talks about how hunting is a “big part of our life” and enables his family to put food in their freezer.
Peace of mind. Knowing that I’m safe. Knowing that I can keep my family safe if it comes down to it. Knowing that I can go up in the hills and I can shoot an animal and help support…put food on the table for me and my family. That’s something me, my dad, my brother, and my nephew, we put in for our tags every year. If we get drawn, it’s a tradition for us. I mean, hunting is a way for us to get away from society and just worry about nothing. Just go up in the hills, set up camp for however long we’re going to be up there, however long the season is, and we just forget about all of our everyday problems and just enjoy our time together up in the hills trying to go out there and shoot something to put food in our freezer. So yeah, it is a big part of our life.
His time in the military has made Evan more aware of his surroundings.
His time in the military has made Evan more aware of his surroundings.
The only transition problem that I have, it just deals with my PTSD and with me being over there in the combat environment in Iraq. I don’t know, I just…the hardest thing for me is when I go out to a public place, I’ve got to know…like when I go out to eat to a restaurant. As I’m walking through the restaurant, I’m always aware of who’s in there, who’s doing what. I’m always aware of where all the exits are; entrances and exits. It’s just something I never looked at before the military, but after the military, I look at stuff like that now. And even though it’s been 18 years since I was in the Marine Corps, I still look at all that stuff to this day. I’m just more aware of my surroundings than what I used to be.
Evan describes the basic principles of safety that he learned from his family and in the military.
Evan describes the basic principles of safety that he learned from his family and in the military.
Firearm safety in the military is the same way that I’ve been trained my entire life. Pretty much never point your weapon at something you don’t intend to shoot. Always know if your weapon’s loaded or unloaded. Just gun safety in general. I mean, like I said, if you’re not going to shoot something, don’t point your gun at it. Always have muzzle awareness. I mean, that’s been instilled in me since I was a little kid, and the military did the same thing for me. They taught me everything that…well, I already knew.
Once again, I’ve got to go back to how I was raised. Start at a young age, and then the military will just help re-instill it. I’m a firm believer that parents need to teach their kids firearm safety at a young age. And then if a kid chooses to go into the military, the military will just help instill what they’ve already learned from their parents.
Evan feels firearm safety devices could impact his ability to protect his family.
Evan feels firearm safety devices could impact his ability to protect his family.
Like me and my family and friends, we don’t use trigger safeties. We don’t use those cable locks. We think they’re ridiculous. Then you do have some parents out there who have little kids who refuse to teach their kids gun safety or whatnot. I do think that since they refuse to teach their kids about firearms that they do need to keep theirs locked up. I mean, if you’re not going to teach your kids firearm safety, at least keep your guns locked up. If you want to teach your kids firearm safety, you don’t need to worry about locking them. That’s just how I look at it. Growing up, my parents, I had access to their firearms at any given time, and millions and millions of other Americans were raised like me and my brother, and we don’t go out and shoot people because were taught at a young age. So, it varies from case to case on whether or not people want to use trigger locks or those cable locks. To me, I think they’re ridiculous in my case.
Hypothetically speaking, somebody breaks into your house in the middle of the night, and you need to grab your firearm real quick to protect you and your family. You may not have that time to remove that trigger safety or remove that cable lock and then load your firearm. It’s a hindrance in my opinion. It slows you down from being able to protect yourself and the ones you love.