As John Mellencamp (Ah the heck with it Johnny Cougar) once said.
"I married an LA woman
brought her to this small town,
Now she's small town,
Just like me."
My wife was never around guns growing up (being from LA.)
She had a frightening incident before we met while rock climbing at the Red River Gorge where her and her friends lives were potentially saved by a Kentuckian, his 12 year old son, and a 1911 in the glove box of that beat up old car.
Her (and his) exact words to her (and hers to him) when he saw her running barefoot down a gravel road (she was putting her climbing shoes on when the incident took place) was this. They are forever burned in my memory.
Kentuckian.."Whoa, Whoa Missy, slow down...What's wrong."
Wife to be.."These seven guys have blocked our car and are beating one of my friends and threatened our lives. One put his knife near my throat"
Kentuckian.."Boy..Glove box. (12 year old grabs 1911 and racks one in the chamber before handing it to his father). My name is Mr. Goodparson..Get in and let's go help your friends..
As they pulled up to where the incident was taking place Mr. Goodparson fired two rounds (maybe three) in the air and skidded the car in a cloud of dust. Bad guys scattered like a covey of quail, jumped in their vehicles and left.
Local police show up and lecture my wife and her three friends about "folks from Louisville showing up down here with their fancy equipment and these poor kids got no jobs or future etc...And these things kind of happen."
Lesson learned by my wife...Always have a gun at all times...