Archetypes of the Gun Owner: Sheepdog Shane

The second installment of my Gun Owner Archetype series. If you haven’t already, check out the Introduction and the first installment about Fudds. Without further ado, I give you: Sheepdog Shane.

Sheepdog Shane is a hard archetype to pin down. The idea of a gun owner who carries a gun often enough to be considered a regular carrier isn’t a good way to narrow your scope to something specific. In fact, Sheepdog Shane might be the most ambiguous gun owning archetype I cover. Everything from recently reformed Fudds to Threepers to proto-Tactical Timmys, Sheepdog Shane can vary wildly. Even in the face of this seemingly-overwhelming set of possibilities, I believe that there are some common threads that end up stringing them all together into a more-or-less cohesive group. Since I’m going to be making wide, sweeping generalizations of this group, most people who fall into this category won’t 100% match this profile, but they will probably be close. As always, if you disagree, let me know in the comments.

Who is Sheepdog Shane?

Sheepdog Shane gets his canine moniker from a concept popularized by Dave Grossman. Grossman’s work has been debunked and is generally looked down upon in the circles that I inhabit online, but the idea of an oblivious, unaware, “thinks he’s a bordeline superhero”-gun carrier being called a ‘sheepdog’ is funny and sticks around.  Not that Shane is that specifically, but that guy falls under the umbrella of “Sheepdog Shane”.

Shane himself is a guy or gal who carries a gun regularly, frequently, or even daily, for defense. Sheepdog Shane always (read: about 50% of the time) carries a gun when he walks out the door in the morning. Sheepdog Shane goes around in what he considers condition yellow, always keeping his head on a swivel. In public, Shane always sits with his back to a wall facing the door.

Sheepdog Shane practices with his defensive guns regularly. Maybe not often, but regularly. Some Sheepdogs feel the need to be ready at a all times so that they can respond to any lethal threat with only a moment’s notice. The other Sheepdogs know that they are ready at all times to respond to any lethal threat with only a moment’s notice. Sheepdog Shane’s formal training is mostly comprised of his state’s mandated carry permit class. Shane doesn’t need to pay some firearms instructor to show him what he’s already learned from the hundreds of hours of YouTube training videos he’s seen in the last 6 months alone.

Sheepdog Shane also has a bunch of guns he carries based on how he feels, or his outfit. They range from small J-frame sized revolvers to full sized Glock 17’s. He doesn’t see this dramatic change in hand feel, trigger pulls, and reloading methods as a fault, but as a feature in his ‘carry rotation’. He also usually carries a sub-compact striker fired gun most days that he actually carries anything at all.

Finally, Sheepdog Shane’s guns are for defense of himself, his family, and his home. Sheepdog Shane’s gun buying decisions are made with the idea of “I may have to use this against another person” in mind. Shane may be a hunter, but he knows that guns are made for more than just taking game and breaking clays.

Know Them by Their Phrases

“I’d carry a cop, but they’re too heavy”

“Open Carry is a deterrent to crime.”

“When seconds count, the police are only minutes away”

“I’d rather be judged by twelve, than carried by six.”

*non-ironic use of the term “EDC”*

*non-ironic use of the Cooper Color Code*

*refers to non-gun carriers as “sheep” or “sheeple”*

“Most people are too oblivious to notice my gun printing anyway.”

“Minute of bad guy”- as an accuracy standard

“Combat Accuracy”- as a backup accuracy standard

Who is Not a Sheepdog?

The Sheepdog concept covers a lot of modern gun owners. Pretty much everyone in “Gun Culture 2.0” is most closely typified by Sheepdog Shane. The only place where you get people not exhibiting this archetype is someone not carrying a gun for defense, so basically Fudds and Boogaloo Bobs (though for very different reasons).

What Makes Them Dangerous

Not a whole lot, honestly. Some people would say that your standard CCW-ing Sheepdog is a walking liability with their lack of formal training, but empirical evidence gives us a completely different story. Sheepdog Shane makes up the vast majority of the people who carry, and gun carriers are the safest, most law abiding demographic in the country.

Sheepdogs also vote. Unlike Fudds, Sheepdogs are politically active because they see gun control for what it is: a way for politicians to disarm them. Shane’s main gun buying decisions are defensive-oriented, and he knows that these so-called ‘assault weapons’ are the most efficient & effective tool for keeping his home safe from violent criminals. When some politician gets up on a podium calling Shane’s personal home defense tool a “weapon of war”, it only furthers his resolve to stay politically active.

Combine the above two paragraphs with the fact that most Sheepdog Shanes have normal 9-to-5 jobs. Most Sheepdog Shanes can actually serve as a good ambassador of gun rights to the general public. Just a normal mom or dad, with a normal job, who also carries a gun regularly.

Some Sheepdogs can become a little too enthusiastic, though. The guy who’s truck is covered in stickers for right-wing politicians, Punisher skulls, and Threeper signs isn’t doing a whole lot for making gun carriage normal.

What We Can Learn

There are a few things we can learn from Sheepdogs.

Be a normal person, who also carries a gun. Don’t make a big deal about it. Don’t make it the cornerstone of your identity and you will probably be a decent ambassador of gun rights to those around you. Don’t describe yourself as a Threeper, don’t put “From my COLD DEAD HANDS!!”-stickers on your back windshield, and maybe leave the Punisher skulls at home.

Take your defense serious. Even though most Sheepdogs could do a lot more in the way of getting training and practicing more/better, they are on the right track. They are generally better shots and far more capable with their guns than the Fudds and other ultra-casual gun owners. They may not have the mindset aspect quite figured out yet, but they know that it’s important. They understand that the world is a dangerous place, and that they are their own first responder. If we learn nothing else from Sheepdog Shane, learn the mindset of being responsible for your own personal safety.

You don’t need a lot of training to be safe and effective with a firearm. Most people who use a gun defensively in this country don’t shoot themselves, don’t shoot innocent bystanders, and have little to zero training. I’m not saying that training isn’t worth it, or that formal firearms education won’t make you better with your guns. All I’m saying is that the evidence overwhelmingly supports the notion that a person usually doesn’t really need a lot of training to keep themselves safe. Check Active Self Protection on YouTube for daily videos of this in action.

Conclusion

Sheepdog Shane is the one that I identify with the most, including the unflattering parts. Shane is probably the one the you, dear Reader, identify the closest to as well. Just remember to take away the lessons of having a good mindset, carrying your gun often, and not being obnoxious about it. Sheepdog Shane has a great potential to normalize gun carriage in this country. Please don’t screw it up.

Next week we’ll have a guest post about an archetype that I totally missed: Gamer Gary.