My name is Mommy. At least 95 percent of the time it is — other times, I’m lucky if my rambunctious preschooler isn’t calling me by my first, middle and last name, like I do to her when she’s on the hot seat. I’m a stay-at-home wife and mom to two little girls, age 4 years old and 6 months. And while I’m like many other moms across America, there is one little twist in my daily routine that may set me apart. When I go to the grocery store, I grab my car keys, my purse and I put on my holster. Yes, I am a mom with a gun. (Or possibly more than a few guns. But I’ll never tell.)

So was my mom. And someday, my daughters may be too. Teaching them to handle guns responsibly is part of my way to help them stay safe and protect themselves.

As a girl, my mother always told my two sisters and me stories about growing up in the Arizona desert. A sidearm was just as important to her as her boots to protect herself from snakes and other unwelcome critters. No one questioned her when she holstered her daddy’s revolver on her belt and went for a walk. She was trained and perfectly capable of using a gun to defend herself in a safe, effective manner. She raised me with the basic knowledge that a girl could safely protect herself by using all the tools in her “toolbox.” It’s that vault of knowledge that sits on our shoulders, and when used properly, can give us awareness of our surroundings and a sense of when we are in danger.