CCW

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Steve S.

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All, as with lots of the members here, I have a CCW; I carry most of the time. I have a concern that the culture, society, tempernent etc of my surroundings are becoming more aggressive - people are angrier today and much more willing to act on that anger. Drivers are much more aggressive today - I have learned to surrender the road and back off however, I am fearful that an angry, aggressive party will not do the same - other angry and aggressive people may be willing to become violent over simple stuff that years ago would have not even been on their radar. I often think that I am exposing myself to more “danger” having a handgun on my person than not; I am torn between protection of me and mine vs exposure to the legal system. I think in pragmatic terms (better to have and not need) than the consequences BUT, the consequences can be brutal - wishing that I had never owned a handgun. Anyway, what do you people think?
 
It's a Catch 22. One feels the need to become more aggressive to protect themselves, thus escalating aggressiveness overall. One carries a gun for protection, but at what cost is that protection?

SD/HD is a very personal thing. Folks sometimes tend to take advice from others instead of listening to their own head. Not everyone's scenarios are the same. Some folks chastise others for not carrying all the time while other chastise folks for always carrying. Comes down to doing what you feel you need to do. Not comfortable carrying everyday and not eager to accept the responsibility that comes with carrying? Then one needs to rethink their needs. Could be even tho you're not comfortable, you still need to. Could be the perceived risk is overblown and there's not really a need. I hear/see this old phrase "better to have and not need it, than to not have it if and when you do need it." all the time. While I agree with it, it's not always true. One needs to be able to read need and amount of risk along with being able to operate their firearm safely and shoot accurately. Along with carrying, one needs to be observant and aware of what's going on around them at all times. Sometimes CWCing enhances one's awareness and sometimes folks get complacent because they are CWCing. Lot more to it than just "strapping it on". Know your needs and risks and address them sensibly. Know the consequences of any scenario that may occur. I carry a firearm maybe 60% of the time, when I'm not at work. (cannot for legal reasons carry at work). I feel just as safe at those times I don't carry as those times when I do. I don't give two cents what others feel my risks are.......I know what they are and address them the way I feel is best. Others are free to do the same. While I respect the opinions of others, they are just that, opinions and we know the old saying about them. Do what makes you comfortable....period.
 
It has been said “It’s better to be judged by 12, than carried by six.”

It’s extremely simplistic, it’s also true. At least it is from my point of view.


On top that, when we look at crime rates they indicate a less violent society than we’ve had in the past. So hopefully, and most likely, if you keep your nose clean and don’t associate with the criminal element you are likely to never have to unholster your weapon.
 
If you're going to carry a handgun, it's necessary to be the most mellow, hard to offend person around. If there is no pressing need to draw your weapon, nobody will know that you have it. Leave it that way. If you're faced with a belligerent person, look at their hands. If they have a weapon in hand and are moving aggressively toward you, you have the option of drawing and firing. Or not. But make your decision before your assailant is within 7 paces.
 
I have found that since getting my carry licence I have become a much more considerate driver, more observant of traffic laws, and less offended by the dumb SOBS that aren't. Still wish folks would learn what that little stick under the left side of the steering wheel was for. Some wise statesman once observed, "An armed society is a polite society."
 
Violent crime and property crime have been trending down for thirty years. Public perception does not meet reality. Everything is blown out of proportion in the era of the internet and instant news.

That said, by all means edc if you are comfortable doing so. I don't think you place yourself at more legal risk by responsible concealed carry.
 
I’m gonna just let you in on my experience. Every time you squeeze the trigger and a round goes off you will need a lawyer. It’s not cheap, it’s not fair, but it’s worth it to know my family isn’t in danger. Plan ahead. Even the criminal gets free legal in jail and will likely sue.
I hope no one ever has to go through what I did. My best advice is stay out of unfriendly gun states.
 
I have found that since getting my carry licence I have become a much more considerate driver, more observant of traffic laws, and less offended by the dumb SOBS that aren't. Still wish folks would learn what that little stick under the left side of the steering wheel was for. Some wise statesman once observed, "An armed society is a polite society."
Didn't know Robert A Heinlein was a statesman. If he were, he'd have been a Libertarian.
I advise those who ask me about carrying to evaluate themselves honestly, and to start their training immediately by becoming more situationally aware.
 
Having a firearm in your possession gives you the upper hand in 99% of most street type confrontations. They might not know it but you do and that's all that counts. Be immune to obscene gestures and speech. Deescalate, walk away, cross the street, take the next exit whatever you have to do remove yourself from the situation and care not what others may think of you.
That being said, carrying a firearm is a responsibility and with that responsibility comes an element of risk for you and, potentially, others. If you, as you say, think you are exposing yourself to "more danger" by carrying a firearm maybe you should reevaluate your needs. No one will think less of you if you decide not to carry and if they do so what.
 
I'm of the same mind as PapaG. After I was done jumping through hoops to get my permit here, I took a hard look at my attitude and response to situations around me, especially behind the wheel.
I won't deny that in my younger days I was a lot more hotheaded, but I had to be. Working as a bouncer in a number of college bars required I be able to 'turn it on' in the blink of an eye and I moved in less than savory circles as well.
Now that I carry, I still can flip that switch but know enough to not put myself in a position where I might have to. If trouble does find me, I'm quite prepared mentally, but I strive to not let raw emotions get the better of me.

If anything, carrying has made me a more conscientious person who doesn't take offense at minor slights against me anymore. It's also forced me to be more aware of my surroundings and more importantly, the attitudes of those I find myself around.

Don't know if this helps, it's just my opinion on the subject.
 
Having a firearm in your possession gives you the upper hand in 99% of most street type confrontations. They might not know it but you do and that's all that counts. Be immune to obscene gestures and speech. Deescalate, walk away, cross the street, take the next exit whatever you have to do remove yourself from the situation and care not what others may think of you.
That being said, carrying a firearm is a responsibility and with that responsibility comes an element of risk for you and, potentially, others. If you, as you say, think you are exposing yourself to "more danger" by carrying a firearm maybe you should reevaluate your needs. No one will think less of you if you decide not to carry and if they do so what.
Yup, check your ego at the door when you carry. Drawing is your last option, not your first.
 
It is common to bemoan the age that one is in. Even Jesus (PBUH) bemoaned that times were not as they were.

Here is the truth. We are living in the least violent age that humanity has ever seen. Remember the "Crack Baby epidemic of violence" that was predicted in the '80s? it didn't happen. It is normal for people t not have a single personal acquaintance that has died by violent means. Historically this is unprecedented.

A good book on this, with a lot of focus on the historical trend of deviolencing (not a real word) in the world, yes, the whole world, is The Better Angels of our Nature. It is very numbers focused and he fails to present a complete account of why this is happening, that is because it is not a single simple cause.

Frankly, I am not going to go into much detail into the causes here because it is an issue that cannot be given fair explanation in a short webpost. It is okay to be prepared, after all, I am no Pangloss of Candide, I also regularly carry; after all, even though, this is not the best of all possible worlds, it is arguably the best we have ever had. In being prepared, one should not lose focus on the reality that these are not the worst of times, not by a long shot. Moreso, we can objectively measure these as the least violent tat humanity has seen.
 
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While we're worrying about carry permits, reciprocity, "constitutional carry," and the wisdom of whether or not to actually carry, the antis are making strides to ban guns altogether. It seems to me that we're rearranging deck chairs on the sinking Titanic. (Already they're introducing a bill in Virginia, of all places, to outlaw all semiautomatics that can accept a 10+ round magazine. And if it doesn't pass this year it will almost certainly pass next year. Then -- maybe -- you'll be able to carry only your 6-shot revolver.)
 
Violent crime and property crime have been trending down for thirty years. Public perception does not meet reality. Everything is blown out of proportion in the era of the internet and instant news.

That said, by all means edc if you are comfortable doing so. I don't think you place yourself at more legal risk by responsible concealed carry.

Exactly. The Weather is the perfect example. We have a snow emergency before the snow even comes down.

I just carry everywhere all the time. That way I don't even have to think about it.
 
CCW is a tremendous responsibility. Your concerns indicate that you are aware of this.

CCW to me is no different than sticking my pocket knife in my pocket. Not that I plan to cut something that day but it is there if I need it.

My attitude is flight and not fight. To protect. And then, and only then, if backed into a corner.

To me those of us that responsibly carry are a serious deterrent for those that would harm those can not defend themselves. Crime drops for reasons. And maybe we are one of those reasons.
 
Exactly. The Weather is the perfect example. We have a snow emergency before the snow even comes down.

I just carry everywhere all the time. That way I don't even have to think about it.

Me too. Do not pull it if you do not intend to shoot. Don't shoot unless you intend to kill.
A living assailant guarantees a lawsuit. Dead ones are usually cleaner.
As has been said do not live or work in dangerous places.
 
I'm in the "it's just a fool I'd rather have than not" group. Even in a confrontation you cannot avoid (as seems to be the concern of the OP) you still get to decide if you need to draw.

I cared less about carrying all the time when I was young and single, somewhat concerned as you are. Now that I have young kids and they are usually with me whenever I'm out "in the wild" I am both doubly conscious about what is going on and what folk are doing and insistent about being armed. Because when it comes to keeping them safe, there is no consideration about future legal trouble. For them, any price is well worth it.

But the key is to stay aware, stay calm and stay in control as much as is humanly possible.
 
I do not see how carrying affects ME. I control my own actions -- and because I control my own actions, I control my own fate.

I can see how me carrying affects OTHERS -- like the guy who's trying to mug me. I have the means to prevent him from doing that -- and that's a good thing.


Well put. That should be on a sign or a shirt.
 
One "rule" that I always follow when carrying a gun concealed for self-protection: No one knows that I have a gun on me; not my companion(s) ever and certainly not the assaulter. There is always the chance that the friend you are with will prolong a provocation if he knows you are armed, secure in the knowledge that you will intervene with a gun on his behalf if things go too far south.
I want to see very surprised looks on the faces of both "sides" of the fence if I ever have to draw my gun in self-defense.
 
I often think that I am exposing myself to more “danger” having a handgun on my person than not; I am torn between protection of me and mine vs exposure to the legal system. I think in pragmatic terms (better to have and not need) than the consequences BUT, the consequences can be brutal - wishing that I had never owned a handgun. Anyway, what do you people think?
Please explain to me how LETTING someone maim or murder you exposes you to MORE danger than defending yourself.

Take as much room as you need.
 
Seems like by this logic I should stop lifting weights or sparing and shrink a foot. Since being 6'4 and a lean 190lbs makes me more physically capable and likely to be aggressive? If being more athletic, trained, fit and physically larger than most doesn't make me more aggressive, then why would having a completely hidden firearm. If your attitude changes because you have a firearm then you likely have deeper issues, self confidence/ age etc? Not pointing fingers or throwing insults but I don't understand. When I'm carrying no one knows it so I cant imagine how that changes my attitude? In a fist fight my gun won't come out, if it comes out someone already escalated the situation. As far as that goes I know u fan seriously injure as large percentage of the population without my ccw anyway but I'm a quiet guy who isn't out to prove anything. Maybe I'm just missing the question or perhaps I'm outside of the target demographic. Idk.
But my answer is no having my ccw doesn't worry me at all and I'm no more likely to hurt anyone with it than without it. The odds are astronomically low and I'm prepared to accept them
My gun may be handier but does nothing a pipe off the ground, tire tool from the car, brick, rock, my knife, or the jaw bone of an ass hasn't done before.
 
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