“Do try to bring it back in one piece 007”
–Q, in most if not all appearances, in some variation or another.
With these words, Bond is off. He’s been briefed by M, but before he leaves for his next mission, he is issued a variety of new gear from Q Branch. Gear that, in most cases, seems to be coincidentally tailormade for his exact scenario. While we can easily brush that aside as plot armor or scenes just designed around the idea of a cool Bond gadget, there’s something deeper here that I believe requires our attention.
Q issues equipment that suits Bond’s unique needs. Most important is the message that comes with the gear. Q demands that everything ought to return in pristine order. This demand includes Bond. As Q puts it in Licence to Kill, “Remember, if it hadn’t been for Q Branch, you’d have been dead long ago.” While that line is an ego check to Bond, it carries a second meaning. That is, the equipment issued to Bond is meant to ensure that he too returns in one piece. This brings us to our hashtag and the heart of today’s post.
“Remember, if it hadn’t been for Q Branch, you’d have been dead long ago.”
Everyday Carry—Our Preferred Kit
EDC. You hear that fun little collection of letters a lot if you engage with the firearms world, discussing critical kit, things one can’t seem to leave the house without feeling exposed.
When we say everyday, we mean it. For example, my Walther PPK and its companions come with me pretty much everywhere. Whether I am scrambling up a mountain in Colorado or on a casual stroll downtown, having kit I trust is unparalleled.
To celebrate this idea, I started the hashtag #backinonepiece007. This tag of course is in reference to Q’s iconic quip, but also the underlying fundamental truth of the line—that is—the items we choose to carry everyday are ones we trust to bring ourselves back in one piece. Over the past year, I’ve shared a variety of EDC’s on the Instagram page with this hashtag. The tag has been a great way to connect with a variety of individuals from every walk of life, with equipment designed around their unique lifestyle and requirements.
The Philosophy Behind EDC
This mission is one that hits incredibly close to home for me. For over six years, I have had the pleasure to work within the world of firearms. Helping connect people to equipment they can trust, and the education to ensure their capable handling of it, is truly my why in life. I genuinely believe that our lives are our most valuable asset, and helping people from all walks of life learn how to safely protect that asset is what inspires me daily. Everyday, we do a million small things to make sure we are safe. We buckle into our car, (some of us) use our blinkers when turning, we look both ways before stepping into traffic, toss out those gross leftovers so we don’t get miserably ill, and so much more. Working to curate a daily carry that effectively works in our lives and provides us a different layer of protection is a great practical exercise.
With this new avenue of communication, I would love to continue fostering quality dialogue on everyday carry. If you are interested in writing a short form blog summarizing your everyday carry, and why each particular piece is in it, contact me, and we can get you published on the website. We all deserve to come back in one piece, and I really hope this blog can be a good gathering space to discuss critical items to make that return home a reality.
