[spacemanspiff]

do you carry because you are 'afraid'?
is the only reason you obtained a CCW because you fear for your safety?
have none of you chosen to carry because you felt threatened by criminals?

call me 'fearful', call me 'fraidycat', and you're absolutely right. i am afraid, afraid that some scumbag may try to bring harm to me or my loved ones and i'll be in no position to stop it from happening.

yep, i am afraid. with the healthy type of fear that i feel helps ensure longevity. it feeds my situational awareness. it sharpens my senses. it opens my ears to the inner voice that sometimes says 'this doesnt feel right'.

what about you?

[Quartus]

For the children, spiff. For the children.

MY children. They are rather fond of Daddy, and I don't want someone else raising them. OR hurting them.


So I do what I can to keep me around. For my wife and my children.

[keederdag]

Just plain sensible. Allthough I could answer yes to pretty much all of the above. Especially the zombies and bears:D

[sm]

Because I can.
Personal Responsibility, the way I was raised.
Taught to be aware of my surroundings, and to be prepared.
Everyone carried growing up, this is before one had to have pc of paper giving permisson to do so, I did. Later I got multiple pcs of permisson paper.
Yep seen bad stuff happen to good people, Had it happen to me...I was carrying tho'.
Might happen again,I'll continue to carry.

[Jammer Six]

My reason isn't up there.

I carry because I want to.

When I don't want to, I don't carry.:cool:

[jrhead75]

Because I can't afford to hire an armed bodyguard to follow me and mine around 24/7, and it's my responsibility to protect and defend us all from zombie ninja bears.

Because I want to.

Because I can.

[clipse]

My reasoning is not up there. I am in Missouri so I do not carry yet but will once all the legal matters are ironed out. I have been married for a little over a year. I love my wife with all that is in me. I will do every thing in my power to keep her safe and out of harms way. She works at the local hardware(not guns) store and alot of construction working idiots like to be wierd around her. We even had a poblem with a guy calling our house several times. This is why I will carry.


clipse

[LeonCarr]

I believe Clint Smith once said, "If you carry a gun, people will call you paranoid. That is ridiculous. If you carry a gun, you have nothing to be paranoid about."

I carry a gun for two reasons:
1. For my job.
2. The zombie ninja bears (and criminals too) are carrying them, and I like an even playing field :).

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[blades67]

I carry because it's better to have a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not have it.

Most of all, I carry a gun because I can.

[Keith]

Because the voices tell me to...

Keith

[El Tejon]

Because the neighbor's dog warned me about the zombie ninja bears.

[Edward429451]

Voted sensible, but all of the above really. Plus they're fun!:cool:

[jacketch]

Because God gave me this life and he expects me to protect and care for it.

It's a religious thing!

[CleverNickname]

The reason I carry a gun is the same reason I wear a seat belt and have a fire extinguisher in my house. I've never needed any of them, and hope I never will.

[Delmar]

So I can tune into the next thread of The High Road!

[jercamp45]

Oh, no...some other critter to ponder stopping power for!
I was interested in the results of this poll, and I was laughing when I saw that nearly every on felt the same. It IS the sensible thing to do! Because we want to and because we can!!
Life is full of uncertainties, interesting folk and Mr Murphy loves to show up and through his wrench in the smooth running machine. A concealed sidearm just gives us options during the really challenging times and shows that we take responsibility...for our security, for our well being and that of our loved ones and, on some level, for our country and being an American that has the freedom and the Right to Keep and Bare Arms(just not arm bears...especially the zombie ninja ones!). For We Are The Militia regardless of the vast amounts of hot air spewing between the rapidly flapping lips of political liberals and hollyweird wusses.
And we have to avoid the little conflicts because we are armed. And that, as Heinlein said, makes us more polite (and aware!)(and dangerous!!).
Soooo, tell me. The Zombie Nina Bears were not covered in Zoology class...and I have never seen one(ninja for sure)...are they black bear size or brown or Kodiak? Makes all the diff for my next firearms purchase, for as a former Boy Scout/Alaskan/Marine Grunt/Disaster Worker/ Security guy(with the subsequent mental warping that came with each experience, a rather interesting cumulative effect) I like to Be Prepared.
I was just starting to warm up to a AR with the .458 Socom upper...think that'll take care of a ZNB?
Now I gotta go buy some more Plus P ammo...every week it gets worse listening to you guys!! Zombies, now ZNB's.....a most dangerous world we live in!!
DVC,
Jercamp45

[Standing Wolf]

Life is too short and precious to throw away to simple carelessness.

[winstonsmith]

All of the above. A gun is like any other tool, good to have, good to know how to use well.

[keederdag]

Oh yea, and I forgot that I have too, as I just used up my last grenade on a lizard; hey .....He was a big sucker:confused:

[Ala Dan]

Reason?

I carry because, "It's better to be tried by twelve, than
carried by six". Lots of folk's in my area have been the
victim of violent crime here lately. It will only increase as
Christmas gets closer. I don't plan on being a victim!:uhoh:

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[JohnKSa]

Closest to my reason was "sensible".

I carry because it's the responsible thing to do.

Fear doesn't really enter into it. I'm not afraid of fire but I have fire extinguishers. I'm not afraid of flats, but I carry a spare tire.

Being prepared is being responsible.

[Hypnogator]

.....because as a retired Fed, I've seen what happened to too many people who didn't.

.....for the same reason I pay for life insurance.

.....because I believe I can still make the world a better place for everyone.

[Kenneth Lew]

In my area:

Home invasions.
Robberies.
Car Jackings.
etc.

Ministers and preachers pack around here.

Kenneth Lew

[SapperLeader]

I chose sensibility on the poll, but I really carry for a combo of all those reasons and none. It really boils down to not wanting to place the safety of my family and myself in a random persons hands, and I prefer to have a hand in my own safety and control of my destiny.

[taoshooter]

Because when the Second Ammendment gives me that right I like to make use of it so I don't lose it someday - because I live in the US (not CA) and can - and because it's the sensible thing to do.

[BluesBear]

The right tool for the right job.

I also carry a Leatherman tool, a mini maglight and a pocketknife capable of cutting through seatbelts.

So that when the Zombie Ninja Bear who lives down the street has a wreck on his unicycle at night, I can both rescue him and make minor repairs.

[280PLUS]

D. (E?) All of the above.

and its not that i FEAR for my safety, its that i choose to take responsibility for it.

:D

m

[standingbear]

i dont carry,ohio doesnt think its citizens are worthy of it.i have been robbed and beaten up over 3 lousy bucks,carjacked(attempted rather because they couldnt stay on and the other got his fingers slammed repeatedly till he let go)and had a crazy driver bent on getting someone for not going fast nuff,follow me for some 50 miles.ive ran at an rapist raping a girl in the parking lot of a motel- to give her some time to escape and nearly got my own self stabbed.thank goodness he was drunk or something and kept falling down running after me.the police did catch him and i was scolded by the officer for doing such a dumb thing.kinda poed still over that one and that was 20 years ago.ive been lucky so far..im not afraid,just have a good healthy respect for nutcases.i dont carry concealed,its against the law here.

[Rogelio]

hehe..I would just love to get a hold of some ninja zombie bear....

Noe, I carry because Peru is a very dangerous place...and besides because I shot for 12 years before I could purchase my first firearm!! (I started shooting at age 6, my dad teached me!)

[Mike Irwin]

Because they whine and bark if I don't take them with me.

Or is that my dogs?

[rayjay]

I carry a concealed weapon because I believe in protecting my family and myself. I was was a police officers for many years so I know what evil lurks about. My present job requires me to carry a concealed weapon and my wife decided that she would get hers as well. She started to understand that I wasn't always going to be around since I travel so much and she wanted to be able to protect our children as well. She too wondered why I had so many guns until she started to take an interest in shooting.

[pbman]

I carry because i can.

[Lancel]

Sensible, logical.
I'm a tool-using human. Safeguarding the lives of myself and loved ones may require more than teeth.

Larry

[PATH]

It is my God given and Constitutional right to be armed! Aside from that it is fun!:D

[geegee]

I certainly carry for several of the reasons already cited, but when I read the following op/ed piece written by a Memphis pastor and music director, I had to agree that he gave my reasons in a much more eloquent way than I could have hoped to. Enough so in fact, that I now quote him in my signature line. geegee


Defense of self, family is a personal duty
Guest columnist Will Dougan, 30, is director of music ministries at a local church.

August 17, 2003

The question "why do you choose to carry a firearm?" has haunted me.

I am a fairly normal guy. I love to eat barbecue, I pay taxes, I vote. I'd like to take my wife out more often (to eat barbecue), I attend church and I'm a baseball fan - just like many other men in Memphis.

One thing that makes me different from some of those men is that I carry a gun. I do so because I truly believe that preserving the safety and well-being of my wife, my children and myself is my duty.

Do I think there are villains around every corner waiting to pounce? Certainly not. To quote the Boy Scout motto, my intent is only to "be prepared."

I carry a spare tire in my car, have emergency supplies at home, and always wear my seatbelt, all so that I will be prepared. I have used my spare tire twice, never used the emergency supplies and found my seatbelt's restraints necessary only once. So why do I still maintain all those safeguards? Because I know that when I do need them, I'll need them desperately.

For me, a handgun is much the same - a safeguard. I carry it and train with it just in case I ever need it.

I hope never to need my gun. I avoid places I think might not be safe. I pay close attention to what is going on around me, so that I can stay one step ahead of potential dangers. I do not look for trouble nor go around with a chip on my shoulder.

I love my family more than anything on Earth. I want my children to grow up, go to school, move out and give me grandchildren. I want my wife and me to live and love each other until death do us part - when we are very, very old. The thought of losing them or having them lose me makes my eyes well up and lodges a lump in my throat.

I grew up in rural Madison County, where guns were a part of life, not something to be feared or mistrusted. We all had them, we all used them, and we all respected them.

A gun was and is a tool - nothing more, nothing less. You would never know my gun is there; it is safely tucked away in a manner that renders it harmless unless it is called upon. When you are at my home, there is no sign of a firearm; they are all stored in locked safes.

I take my duty as husband and father seriously. Part of that duty is being willing and able to protect my loved ones - from drugs, economic dangers and physical threats. The words of my father ring in my ears: "With great privilege comes great responsibility." I carry a gun because it is my responsibility alone - not that of the police, nor the government, nor the community - to defend the precious lives that God has entrusted to me.

Although I have great distaste for the possibility of taking a life, I recall the words attributed to St. Augustine: "Though defensive violence will always be a 'sad necessity' in the eyes of men of principle, it would be still more unfortunate if wrongdoers should dominate just men."

Fathers are like sheepdogs. We must be persistent, gentle, playful and, at times, ferocious. On occasion, we must become like the wolf that threatens our flock.

For me, that means owning, carrying and undergoing extensive training with a firearm, so that when the wolf appears out of the shadows, I will be prepared to defend what the Master has given me.

[Hillman]

This article from yesterday's Detroit News gives me about 17,000 reasons.
http://www.detnews.com/2003/politics/0311/09/a01-319985.htm

It's too long (IMHO) to post in it's entirety. This is the jist of it:

-------------------------------

Michigan could free inmates to save cash
As many as 17,000 could be paroled; critics warn of public safety concerns

"The potential savings are compelling. About one-third of all state prison inmates, or 16,000 to 17,000, are parole-eligible but still locked up at a cost of about $29,000 each per year.

At present, roughly half of those inmates aren't considered good parole risks by prison officials because of the nature of their crimes or their behavior in prison.

"The more (prisoners) you release, the more (money) you save," said Barbara Levine, executive director of a Lansing organization called Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending."

------------------------

Enough said.

[Lennyjoe]

Im in agreement with Quartus

[Hardtarget]

...and I was reminded just this evening. Stopped by the bread store,(1.5 mi. from house). As I got out of the truck, The lady unlocked the door. Seems they were robbed yesterday just before close. No injuries...just nerves. So I've seen the effects...and it continues to errode the quality of life. :mad:
Mark.
oh yes...I'm scared too. I've got two sons living in the area...and I'll be a "first time grandfather" by Christmas. Now theres even more to be scared for!

[rollerdave]

I carry because even if only one people in a hundrend in your area are attacked by Zombie Ninja Bears, the fact that you are the exception to the rule is of very little comfort if YOU are the "one"

I agree that a gun is like a fire extinguisher, you hope to God in his heaven that you never have the need of it but if you do, you need it desperately and nothing else will do.

I would never try to extinguish a fire with a kippered herring, and I wouldn't try to forestall my own personal extinction with a can of seasoning.

I might add that as a person in a wheelchair, my options for retreat are somewhat limited, so it is only sensible to possess the best tool for my own defense.

Stay safe and sensible,

Roller

--
This is my first post, I don't have a clever snarky sig yet!

[BluesBear]

Welcome aboard RollerDave.

[4570Rick]

Because I have been a victim of crime in the past and am resolved to never let it happen again?
Because I have seen firsthand the effects of crime in my area?
Because its the sensible thing to do?


:( :mad: ;)

[Deepdiver]

Voted sensible - but,

I carry because:

1. I can, and will whenever I choose to
2. Seems kinda stupid to have the ablility to defend yourself, and not take advantage of it.
3. Although I live in a very safe area of the country, I am old enough to know that the world is not the warm and fuzzy place that the "let's have a group hug" - liberals think it is (i.e. sh%# happens!). I carry a spare tire and a jack in my car as well, and I have not had a blow-out or flat tire for over 15 years.
4. It pisses liberals off to know that people can and do carry:D ! ( and, I consider pissing off liberals to be great sport!!)

[Newton]

I think we should all have a sensible well thought out reason for carrying. I don't think that "because I can", "because this is America", or "to piss the antis off" are worthy of the effort that went in to getting us those rights.

I can't carry here in Maryland, but I am often asked if I would if the law allowed me, when I answer yes, I usually get the "why, are you scared", sneering kind of question.

I normally reply as follows : "The World is still a dangerous place, and it's full of a lot of nasty people who are prepared to harm you if you get in the way of what they want. The last thing I would ever want to do is shoot another human being, but if I had to, I would. If you believe that you will go through the rest of your life without ever suffering a violent attack, then I respect your decision to trust to chance, I prefer not to".

[Stevie-Ray]

Because it's sensible. I carry to protect my wife and myself when we're together. I also protect myself when alone, because I don't know what my wife would do without me. I refuse to be a victim, or die like a dog on my knees.

[ACP]

Because if I knew when and where something bad was going to happen, I wouldn't go there. But I don't, so I take precuations.

I work in an industry where a lot of people say 'I can't believe that happened!" (i.e. carjacking, rape, viscious assault, home invasion, murderous road rage, etc. etc.) several times a day. And I tell them, what makes you think it won't happen to you? So what are you doing about it?

I get a lot of "I dunno.." answers. :rolleyes:

[Lone_Gunman]

Because I choose to.

[P95Carry]

Voted ''afraid'' but that ain't strictly accurate.

I carry for reasons of ''caution'' ....... not fear per se. I also, as a rider to that, feel it is ''sensible'' and because i can.

Who else is gonna protect me in the (hopefully very unlikely) event that I am under lethal threat ... or my loved ones. Not the cops that's for sure .. no disrespect to them but they'll only arrive in time to measure up and mop up.

ME! I am responsible to and for my own safety .. period!!