In a country locked in bitter debate over guns, I did something I doubt many gun control advocates would consider: I bought a firearm and carried it everywhere for a month.

I thought I understood the issue. I had testified in statehouses, marched with mothers in Washington, organized vigils, written op-eds and served on the board of Brady, the nation's oldest gun violence prevention organization. But I had never stepped into the world of those I disagreed with, and I never understood how deeply guns are tied to identity, not just ideology.

As mass shootings continued and gun sales surged , I began asking different questions. Not about policy, but about people. What makes someone feel the need to carry a gun? And what does carrying a deadly weapon actually do to them — emotionally and

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