J.D. Vance made his first national address as the Republican vice-presidential nominee on Wednesday night in Milwaukee, and took the opportunity to introduce himself to the American people. For those who've read his biography Hillbilly Elegy (or watched the Netflix adaptation), Vance's story of growing up in Middletown, Ohio and being raised by his "Meemaw" after his mother became addicted to drugs wouldn't have come as a surprise, but Vance included a few anecdotes that even many of his fans might not have heard before... including one story about Meemaw's gun collection. 

“And our movement, ladies and gentlemen, is about grandparents all across this country who are living on Social Security and raising grandchildren they didn’t expect to raise,” he said.”And while we are on the topic of grandparents, let me tell you another Mamaw story. My Mamaw died shortly before I left for Iraq in 2005. And when we went through her things, we found 19 loaded handguns.”

Members of the audience guffawed and cheered. Vance explained further. 

“Now, the thing is, they were stashed all over her house,” the senator continued. “Under her bed, in her closet, in the silverware drawer. And we wondered what was going on. And it occurred to us that towards the end of her life, Mamaw couldn’t get around so well. And so, this frail old woman made sure that no matter where she was, she was within arm’s length of whatever she needed to protect her family. That’s who we fight for. That’s American spirit!”

Over at HotAir's live blog, my friend Ed Morrissey called the story "awesome", and rightfully guessed that I loved Vance's story. 

I did, but not just because Vance's anecdote was one of the first moments where the Second Amendment took center stage at the RNC this week. Vance's story about his grandmother was a poignant reminder that while the right to keep and bear arms is a right of We the People, it's also a right that benefits the most vulnerable members of our community. This "frail old woman" wasn't going to be able to take down a home invader with her bare hands, no matter how tough she was or how strong her fighting spirit. She knew that a firearm was an equalizer; a tool that would help to keep her and her family safe. 

It's also fascinating to me that gun control activists have largely ignored Vance's tale, at least for the moment. I figured groups like Brady, Everytown, and Moms Demand Action would have been quick to label Meemaw a danger to herself and others for leaving 19 loaded handguns stashed around a home; perhaps using Vance's story as a springboard to tout mandatory gun storage laws or to repeat their call for gun rationing laws that limit purchases to one per month. Maybe they'll trot out those talking points today, but with the Biden campaign imploding I imagine the gun control lobby is also a little distracted at the moment. 

Vance's story helped to show that (as sociologist David Yamane says) guns are normal and normal people own guns. Of course, some pretty extraordinary people own guns too. I'd put Vance's grandmother in that class, and I love that he gave Meemaw and her gun collection a shoutout from the RNC stage on Wednesday night.