Regulations vary by state, but in our home state, he has to renew every 5 years, I think it is? They run a background check again and make sure nothing has cropped up, but I’m honestly not sure what other checks they do. It’s also not transferable from state to state (although some do honor it), so if he wanted to…

EXACTLY. The people I know that are like this are all wannabe military or LEO. My husband is in the military and *shockingly* doesn’t find himself in any of these situations, despite being very well trained and having seen combat. He does have a concealed carry permit, but it’s literally been years since he’s carried…

I know more than a few people like this, and it scares the shit out of me, because they’re the ones that somehow find themselves in *dangerous* situations where they’re aware of the *threats* that no one else noticed. It’s the armed corollary to the saying about when everyone around you is an asshole, maybe you’re the…

It’s madenning - we can’t even talk about gun control on a legislative level without people losing their collective shit, but we’re fine with imposing more useless TSA regulations to prevent airline attacks, which are statistically far less likely to happen.

That has to be so hard as a parent, especially being able to relate to some of those feelings. I remember what so many of my friends went through coming out 20 or so years ago, and it's been amazing seeing how different it is for LGBT youth now. I sincerely hope we don't see a backslide into that kind of fear and…

I'm so, so sorry - I can't imagine what you're going through right now.

Thank you for sharing this!

I don't like to be angry - I'm not an angry person. But dammit, this is a mess of our own making, and I'm so tired of the same useless reactions where we all pray and think good thoughts until the next senseless shooting.

Sadly you’re right - the quote rings true that gun control stopped being an issue when we as a country decided we were okay with children being shot after Sandy Hook.

As you do.

I don’t think that makes you a bad person, or is selfish at all quite honestly. I’m a straight lady, and I’ve been to Pulse, so yeah, I guess it could have been me? But I’m under no illusion that I don’t have the same kind of target on my back. I’m so, so sorry that a safe space for you has been violated in such a…

I woke up this morning to a whole bunch of Facebook messages from my Orlando friends checking in safe, and my day has been flooded with people sending thoughts and prayers. I know people mean well, and some find comfort in these things, for which I begrudge no one. I’m sad about what happened, but more than that I am…

This is heartbreaking. I am originally from the area, and have a lot of friends there still, many of whom are LGBT. Most everyone has checked in somehow, but I’m still waiting on one in particular, and it’s been making me nauseous all afternoon. I can’t even imagine what this woman is going through right now.

Um, he could have just been that elusive good guy with a gun!

I’ve revived my long abandoned Twitter, because I can't bear the thought of losing this community! I'm Cereal Monogamist there now too.

My BAC doubled just reading this.

Black & Tans with Smithwicks while watching Copa America! I’ve been married for more than a decade, and I would be a fucking disaster if I had to date again. You have my deepest sympathies.

You rock! I just did my first 10K a couple of months ago, and it's tough!

Hi actual neighbor, then!! We’ll be drinking wine on the back porch in about 20 minutes :)

At the risk of doxxing myself, hi neighbor! My husband and I moved here last year, and bought a house off Broadway. Everyone FREAKED OUT that we didn’t go to Portsmouth, but we freaking love where we live, and wouldn't change it for the world. We don’t have kids, but per the parents we’ve met in the neighborhood, the…