So, the last state to not allow any conceal carry has fallen. People making the exact dumb arguments (“It will be the Wild West!”) they’ve been making for the last few decades while gun rights have increased and gun crime have gone down is just no longer effective in stopping freedom.

Anyway, there seems some dispute in whether what Illinois will now have is shall-issue or may-issue, but as the total currently stand for states other than Illinois, we have 38 shall-issue states, 3 constitutional carry states (no permit needed), and 8 may-issue states. Yes, there’s now only a handful of states left that wants you to be someone famous or connected before being allowed your right to defend yourself. There has been all this focus on gay marriage and how inevitable it is, yet no one seems to be shaming these last few holdouts on conceal carry and their archaic views on individual rights. We have more than forty states where any law-abiding citizen can carry and all the crazed scenarios the loons against guns predict haven’t happened, so what are the objections they have left?

Views on guns have moved in only one direction for the past fifty years — towards further recognition of one’s right to a self-defense that shouldn’t be questioned by the state. And now the only ones left against it our the most stubborn and the most dumb. They all makes these wild-eyed predictions of “If we allow people to carry guns, X will happen!” but they never actually can point to one of the states with conceal carry and give an actual example of their crazed scenario occurring in real life — because they can’t. You’d think that might convince they aren’t good at understanding human behavior and guns, but once again: Stubborn. Dumb.

Still, universal carry — where you can get one permit and carry throughout the country — is in reach. And then we need to get carry rights worldwide. I don’t want some sissy in Europe telling me I can’t carry a gun. Especially since they’re sissies and I have a gun.

So, as Harvey pointed out, I complete missed IMAO’s 11th blogiversary yesterday. Just been pretty busy with the new kid and travel and family visiting and I just totally blanked on it. Oh yeah; I’ve been meaning to put up pictures of the new kid. I’ll get to it… soon. He looks like a baby, if you’re curious.

Anyway, eleven years is a long time to be blogging. I’ve probably learned a lot all these years… though I’m not sure about what. How to write every morning even if you don’t quite feel like it, I guess. I’m sure that’s somewhat useful.

And I guess I’ve progressed. Before, I was just a 23 year old living alone putting some opinions on the internet, and now I’m a 34 year old who is married and has two kids and has a publisher (busy on my third book!) and writes columns that sometime appear in actual newspapers… and hopefully will get a contract for his fiction soon. So that’s sort of a journey, I guess. And you’ve been with me throughout it all. Well, I don’t know if any of you in particular have been since I don’t know if I have any readers are left from back when I first started — the blog was much better back then. Well, Harvey is still around, if he counts. And if he’s real.

Anyway, I was hoping this blog would eventually evolve into a vanity site for when I’m super famous and everyone just wants to come fawn over me. Hasn’t happened yet, but it could still be in the cards. And I certainly don’t plan on giving up blogging any time soon… though I often fantasize about it. What would it be like not having to get up early ever morning to write before going to work? Actually, the thought kind of scares me a little. I guess I don’t want to know what that’s like.