Really---why do you carry

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this beautiful, wide & wonderful world was not designed foremost with my comfort and well being in mind. i therefor comport myself accordingly.
 
That's a "leading question" we discussed several times why questions like this, can lead to problems. Without knowing where this stuff goes, it's a bit self indulgent to put stuff like this out there.
 
....it gives me OPTIONS in possible bad situations.
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What he said. Sometimes, the better option may not be to draw. But if it comes down to it, I have the option of drawing something.
 
I carry because... I could write a book... I feel that we can't whine about not being safe in our own homes and communities unless we are willing to contribute to that safety. In my state of Oklahoma armed robbery is down over 20% since we adopted the concealed carry law. I heard a quote once that went..."People who are looking for trouble usually aren't a problem for people whoe are prepared for it"... OK maybe that's from a movie, but I try to be prepared. I feel our right to keep and bear arms is one we need to protect at all costs. As they say use it or lose it. I intend to use it.
 
I'm an old boy scout.

I keep a fire extinguisher by the grill.
I keep a jack and tools in the car.
I keep a folding knife in my pocket.
I keep a gun on my hip.

Be prepared.
 
Because I'm an American and it's my duty...... Lighter note, because I'm too old to fight and too fat to run.:neener:
 
My motto while a boy was "Be Prepared."

No one told me what I was to be prepared for, so I just assumed that meant I have to carry what I might need in case something happens.

Why doesn't anyone ask me why I carry a handkerchief or my library card?
 
because i have a wife and kids and it is my role to be their fence betwixt them and the world.
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I tried that for a while and found myself incapable of doing that job. 8( these days Pietro Beretta does that sort of thing.

I read a lot about keeping others safe and having a duty and all that, but I frankly don't feel like I can do this as a private citizen. Hells, the Police can't do it! And they're at it without having to go to school, work a job or whatnot.
 
Because bad stuff happens to good people.

Also, apparently, i've been setting an example for my daughter. Just this week she asked me the legal age for carry in Texas.

Couldn't be more proud. :D
 
Peace of mind

I carry because its my duty as a husband and a father to protect those I love,God forbid I ever have to use it but at least I dont feel completly helpless if the shtf. At least I have a fighting chance to do all I can in the event someone would try to harm me or my loved ones.
 
I could lay out a long list of why, but since I am an American, and by virtue of that i have a right to carry a gun, nothing more needs be said

Cliff Notes Version-

Because i can!
 
Really---why do you carry
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Although the likelihood of being attacked by one or more violent criminal actors is very low, the potential consequences, should that happen, are severe indeed. I find the choice of accepting that risk without mitigation to be unacceptable, and I know of no other practical way to mitigate it effectively.

Carrying a firearm (and being able to use it) is not my only mitigation strategy; it is done in concert with the avoidance of risky situations and areas; staying alert regarding surroundings and goings on; avoiding behavior that would make me the subject of attention from potential predators; carrying a cell phone; carrying a chemical agent; and carrying a walking stick, the temporary need for which recently arose for other reasons.

Although I have owned and used firearms for more than half a century, I do not carry one "because I can"--there are many other more useful things that I could keep on my person that I choose to not carry. It comes down to a simple matter of risk management.
 
I will certainly say that my way of thinking has changed a lot since I started carrying in 1995, when I was 21. I was a walking Freudian inferiority complex, it felt SO COOL.

I barely recognize that guy anymore. I am much better trained and informed. Now carrying feels like my seatbelt. If I am not allowed to carry (as when I spent a year in California on orders,) I feel like I have been prevented from putting on my seatbelt. When you have been carrying for a while, you start to view the world differently. You notice a lot of things you never paid attention to before, because there was nothing you could do about it before. You just walked blindly and blissfully. When you are armed, you are much more impressed to pay attention to your surroundings and be responsible. You are aware that there is a very different possible outcome if you get into trouble, and it conditions you to think a few steps ahead to avoid it.

I carry for the same reason I have fire-extinguishers, seatbelts, and smoke alarms. Being prepared for bad things that may happen doesn't mean you are paranoid.
 
Why? Hmmm.

I carry for the same reason I have fire-extinguishers, seatbelts, and smoke alarms. Being prepared for bad things that may happen doesn't mean you are paranoid.
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I do agree with that statement. I would - and will - say it more generally for myself. The word is "empowerment". Another is "readiness".
Pete
 
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