This is long, but the reason I wound up getting the vaccines is related to the reason why I carry and why I try to prepare for emergencies. If you want to get to the main point skip to the last 2 paragraphs.

I recently got the vaccine. A lot of thought and research went into whether I wanted to get it. I*ve read both pro and con thoughts here as well as many other places which got me thinking and I took both pros and cons under consideration. In the end my consensus was get it. Two of the biggest reasons are that I see it as a matter of preparedness which is why I put the post in this forum, and involves the same mental mechanism that says *a gun for self defense is a good thing.* I see it as a matter of preparedness the same way I see having medical supplies for an emergency as important. If things go bad in a shtf situation, the best way to cope is to see potential problems and avoid them. The vaccine is a way to avoid potential problems and hopefully avoid needing a medical kit to cope with the potential effects of Covid. To me the vaccine is a prep.

I think that last March there rightfully were serious concerns about the virus and that no one knew how serious or not serious the virus would be. I think that it quickly turned out it was not a Spanish flu situation and quickly became politicized and seen as a way to hurt the economy and Trump. I think the reaction to the virus has wrongly hurt business owners and society in general on many levels.

I want to be clear that I do not think anyone should be required to get the vaccine anymore than people are required to get the flu vaccine. People have free will,(at least in the America I want to live in) put out the most accurate information and let people decide. I have the same philosophy about masks.

The virus is real and it has killed 10*s of thousands and will kill thousands more. Hopefully it is on it*s downward spiral. One of my philosophies in life is to hope for the best, prepare for the worse. It*s why I wear a seatbelt in the car and have a smoke detector in the house. It*s why I keep extra food and water in the house. It*s also one of the reasons I carry a firearm for protection. And for me, I see a lot of parallels between carrying a firearm and getting the vaccine.

I hope that I never have to use my firearm in self defense and will be perfectly happy to never have it leave my holster. The chance/percentage that I will ever use it in a self defense situation is honestly very low. But I realize that I am not immune to situations where a firearm may be needed. I carry to protect my family and myself from harm. I know the firearm may not be useful in every self defense situation. I know there are scenarios/side effects where it could be a detriment. But in the end I carry because there are many potential scenarios where it can save my family*s life or my life.

Same thing with the vaccine. I think that the chance I need it is low. I hope I don*t need it. But I am not immune to viruses. I got the shot to up my percentage of not getting the virus with its potential serious side effects. I want to be around to grow old with my wife and see my son grow up. I have made other lifestyle changes over the last 4 years to try and accomplish those goals. I see the shot as a means to help this much as a I see carrying a firearm a means towards doing the same thing. There may be potential side effects. It may well be that I did not need the shot, but I would rather get it based on what I know and not need it than find out that I did in fact need it.

In both the case of carrying a gun and getting the vaccine there was a wake up moment for me. Many years ago I found myself in a situation where others thinking I had a firearm avoided a potentially bad situation. It was a wake up call and after that I started carrying.

I have known a lot of people who had Corona to varying degrees, most not that bad but there are some exceptions. In May two people I went to high school with died from it but I did not really know them other than their name. I know other people who talked about how they had it and it kicked their ass. At least one is still feeling the effects today.

In December a friend I went to high school with died from corona. She was my age and nothing physically wrong with her. She was extremely energetic and active. After she went in the hospital her husband and sister posted updates about her condition as she was dying and how/the ways Corona was destroying her body. She and her husband were unabashed Trump fans. She had thought the virus was overblown. Her husband did not have a pro Biden, pro mask or pro vaccine agenda. I will admit that reading about her being hooked up to a ventilator and how the virus was destroying her organs shook me up. Following how she went from apparently healthy person to dying over the course of 14 days was a wake up call for me much as the situation that convinced me carrying a gun was a wake up call.

I do not think the government should mandate shots any more than I think they should mandate everyone carry a firearm. But I think that the way many are reacting to the virus can be transferred to the gun debate. Millions of people are/will be getting the shot to protect themselves from a potential enemy that wants to harm them. The same reason millions of people carry firearms*. As a means to protect themselves from potential enemies that want to harm them.

The main purpose of the post is for the last analogy. I have noticed that a lot of people who can*t wait to the get the vaccine also are people who don*t think people should own guns/ be able to defend themselves. Maybe pointing out that people carrying firearms serves a similar purpose to getting the vaccines will get something to click in their heads. Maybe, maybe not, but it is one more argument to use.