I’m confident most of you heard the quote, “Life happens while you’re busy making plans.” The older we get, the more apparent it becomes. Life has a way of distracting us. So much so that we sometimes make decisions that seem good at the time, but later come back to bite us. We can’t do something we really want to do today because of a decision we made years ago. Can you relate?

Exercising our 2nd amendment right is no different.

It says that our right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. However, it’s not that black and white. There are still conditions and restrictions that can infringe on your 2nd amendment right, and you may not even know they apply to you. So, today, I’m going to share 5 common “innocent” practices many gun owners have and that many of them aren’t aware can strip them of their guns and their rights:

1. Marijuana Card

Did you know that in Florida, you may legally have both a medical marijuana card and a concealed carry permit?

However, even though marijuana is a legal substance in Florida, it is still illegal on a federal level. Federal laws trump state laws. That means that if you’re a user of marijuana even if prescribed by a doctor, you are prohibited from owning, carrying, purchasing, or handling firearms. PERIOD!

2. Medications

In Florida, there isn’t, as far as I know, a list of medications that prohibit us from owning a firearm. However, if you take medications that are also prescribed for mental and/or cognitive conditions, even if you’re not diagnosed with a mental illness, you may be at risk.

If you used your firearm in self-defense while taking such medications or being on a regimen, a prosecutor may use it against you even if it would have no impact on your ability to lawfully defend yourself.

3. Wellfare check

Recently, a student called me with a crazy story and I want to share it with you to demonstrate this point.

He was out for the evening, but when he returned home, there were several officers and EMTs waiting for him.

He was shocked and confused, but remained calm and cooperative. When he inquired as to what the heck was going on, he was told that they received a call from a concerned family member saying that he was threatening to take his own life using his gun.

Granted, my student was going through a rough time back then. His guns were ceased, and he was taken to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he was indeed dangerous to himself. He was found clear and released. However, to get his guns back will be a long administrative process that may take 12–18 months.

We all go through rough times. Sometimes we need to vent to friends or family about what’s going on in our life. It’s such an innocent thing to do, but… your friends and family may feel that they cannot take the chance that “You’ll get over it” and may call law enforcement to perform a wellfare check. The officers at the scene cannot take the chance of leaving firearms in your possession and must play it safe or they will never hear the end of it from their superiors and the public.

So, be careful to whom you open up and what you share, or you stand to lose your guns and rights.

4. Telling Jokes

Telling jokes, be it dirty, violent, or clean may seem innocent and funny at the time. However, you ought to consider and know your audience and social setting well enough to tell them. Not everyone may find your jokes funny. Someone may even find them offensive or concerning enough to escalate.

For example, my student who’s story I just told, was at a family gathering. Someone made a suggestion to which my student’s response was, “I’d rather blow my brains out than do that…” Soon after the cops are at his home and you know the rest.

Cops and prosecutors are not the only ones who would use what you say against you.

5. Idle threats

These days you don’t know who you’re dealing with. We live in a letigious society where people can sue you or shoot you for looking at them the wrong way or offending their sensitive nature with what you believe is an innocent remark.

So, if you make idle threats, be they verbal, such as “I’ll kick your ass” or non-verbal, such as pointing a finger in their face or giving them the finger accompanied by a nasty grimace, don’t be surprised if the cops show up at your door with a warrant for your arrest on the charge of assault based on video evidence taken by a bystander with too much time on their hands.

Say goodbye to your guns and rights and hope your lawyer can minimize the damage.

Look, I’m not here to judge or sell a moral compass. Just to remind you that we live in a day and age where discrimination against gun owners is right up there with race, religion, and political affiliation. So, as gun owners, we must learn not only to control our firearms, but even more so our emotions, actions, and words. What we see as “innocent” and “harmless” no longer applies and can be twisted to make you look like a lunatic who is a danger to society.

Am I suggesting you live in fear, tell no jokes, and not socialize? Of course not. Just be more mindful when you do.

Until next time, train Hard, Often, and SAFELY!

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