Do You Compromise?

Good Ol' Boy said:

Do you compromise where you go based on whether or not you can carry?

Click to expand...

Yes, but I look at it as choosing my venues, and businesses. For instance, I use PPG Paint, because the owner of all the Sherwin-Williams franchises in town has them posted; same for the gun shops that are posted (yes, really).

If you have kids, You're likely to be places that dont allow.
Street fairs, sports events, places that charge admission......the list is long.
So yes, I compromise. I have a zippered pistol case in the console if the truck for that reason.

My state is super pro 2nd amendment. I stay away from large crowds and large events. I carry everywhere I go. The ole saying "better to have and not need, than to need and not have".

Depends on how much I want to be there.

A good band, yeah I’ll leave my gun at home. Target stores or Starbucks? The hell with them. I don’t go or go and am just ready to leave if I do go and I’m made. Stores and coffee shops are everywhere. An awesome band that makes me happy isn’t.

Signs don’t have the power of law where I live.

Most medical facilities have legal force signs in TX. Thus, I don't carry there as I need to go to the docs. I'm past roller coaster age, so amusement parks aren't a problem.

It depends. I am loathe to be unarmed. I avoid venues and areas that prohibit firearms. Large crowds are pretty much a no-go. Government buildings have the technology to detect weapons, so I don't attempt that. For the most part, day in, and day out, if my firearm truly is concealed, nobody will be the wiser.

I don't get to go to crazy sporting events or anything fun most of the time so I am not worried about stadiums however as the parent of two young children, one set to start kindergarten this upcoming year I'm sure for school events I will yield to the law on that account. The school is a rural/ semi suburban area and there's a cop there at all times with an AR in the vehicle so I'm sure hes doing his best when the kids are there.

I'm in TN, I can open carry in any non-prohibited zone. I CHOOSE to carry concealed, usually OWB but I don't worry much about printing. I don't open carry because I see concealment as a tactical advantage as I do my level 2 holster.

For me, this would exclude medical facilities and banks. Also, I've seen some folks with a permit shoot. It's kinda like throwing hand grenades.

I will go without a gun, but I loathe to spend money where I'm not welcome.

Good Ol' Boy said:

Do you compromise where you go based on whether or not you can carry?

I am not referring to places of work, govt buildings, or the like. Think more theme parks, fairs, stadiums, concerts etc.

Basically I'm not asking whether or not you try to break the law with regards to places that we all know are a no go, but rather not go places that either have a sign or have legitimate means of you not being able to get in, whether that be metal detectors, security, LE or a combination.

Do you just choose not to inhabit such places or do you give up your gun for whatever reason?

Click to expand...

Yes. My best friend finds it frustrating, but I tell them to go there when I am not with you, all good. The good thing is here in AZ the list of places that are posed/prohibited isn't really that large.

I was a teacher. I spent my career in places where having a gun was a felony, so I’m used to the feeling. What’s funny in retrospect is that CCW became legal here in 1996 and after that it became more uncomfortable because of the contrast of being armed outside of work.

I will carry in private establishments with no guns signs because it’s not illegal here. I prefer not to spend my money in such places, but I have no problem walking thru the mall. Do I avoid post offices and government buildings? No, I just leave my gun in the car and do my business.

In the last few years I have taken my gun with me when traveling by air when I could, presuming the destination state recognizes my permit. I’ve also done an increasing amount of stuff where taking a gun isn’t allowed like going on cruises and foreign travel. Would I rather have my gun? Sure, but that’s simply not an option.

I try not to let the gun be the central focus of my life. I don’t want to be one of those people who is so wrapped up in preparation for defending their life that they don’t have any time left to actually experience it.

My guns are tools. Sometimes I have them, sometimes not. I have lived half a century that way and am still kicking.

I don’t give a hoot about some corporate stores stupid sign. As long as its legal, I’ll completely ignore it and discretely CC.


What I do respect is someone’s home. Their house their rules. I attended a kids birthday party and the homeowner was not a gun person. They didn’t explicitly say no guns but I didn’t ask because I knew they’d be uncomfortable.!I just left it at home and had some pepper spray.

Kaybee said:

What I do respect is someone’s home. Their house their rules. I attended a kids birthday party and the homeowner was not a gun person. They didn’t explicitly say no guns but I didn’t ask because I knew they’d be uncomfortable.!I just left it at home and had some pepper spray.

Click to expand...

I respect your personal decision making , but I am curious ...
Why not carry in a completely discreet manner in that setting , in which case the homeowner would not be uncomfortable?

Do I compromise?

I compromise when deciding to have a ham sandwich for lunch so I will have leftovers for supper tonight.

I do "Risk Assessment" for my safety everytime I step out of my house. As soon as the grass dries out enough this morning I am going outside to do some mowing. My risk assessment will be I do not need to be armed. If I do feel I need a gun with me then I probably should not be going outdoors.

Likewise I do the same whenever I leave my property. While I choose the time, route of travel and what places I go to I realize that bad things can happen anywhere and plan accordingly.

Concerns about safety may include places that a known to be unsafe. There is one Wally World in the community where their is a drug fair nightly. Nobody in their right mind is going there after dark. My kinfolks drive into Georgia to the Wally World to avoid potential situations in the daylight. Why go looking for trouble.

Do these citizens have a Second Amendment right to put me at risk?Another concern involves open carry. We were eating lunch at a good local diner. Some old coot my age was present with his open carry firearm. His carry firearm was a SKY pistol of some sort in a fabric holster with no retaining strap. Who is at risk in that scenario? I have seen exactly one citizen with a legit retention holster. People with a carry permit have asked me to show them how to shoot. That's after the class with permit in hand. They are quickly told that I'm no teacher and rarely carry a firearm?

Elkins45 said:

I try not to let the gun be the central focus of my life. I don’t want to be one of those people who is so wrapped up in preparation for defending their life that they don’t have any time left to actually experience it.

Click to expand...

I feel the same way. I carry anywhere I can, and choose not to patronize a lot of businesses where my right to carry isn't respected, but I'm not going to revolve my entire life around whether or not I can carry a gun. I am not legally allowed to carry at work, so I'm used to not having a gun on me most of the time, despite the fact that I've been carrying for 10 years.

Waveski said:

Why not carry in a completely discreet manner in that setting , in which case the homeowner would not be uncomfortable?

Click to expand...

Respect.

This is just my take on a situation like that, but my brother and sister in law are very antigun, and having two young kids probably doesn't help. In fact my SIL is openly afraid of guns, despite several attempts by me to point out that a gun, when properly handled, and carried is no threat and that people are the concern. They have never said anything to me about my carry habits, but I know they would not be comfortable with me, or anyone carrying in their home at all. I think this is a terribly naïve and ignorant standpoint, but I choose to have a relationship with my family, and I choose to show them the respect I would expect with in my own home. Introducing young kids to the situation increases your chance of being made also when you're an uncle, as some kids crawl all over you.

Let's say I lived in a state where pot was legal, but I did not want someone in my home to have it on their person, or to come to my home under the influence of pot. Pot usage is against the rules of my employment, I think it makes people stupid and unpleasant to interact with, and I don't want to be around the stuff. Now let's say I found out a person came over to my home knowing how I felt about it, but showed up high, and had pot on them, but I didn't know. If I found out later that person didn't respect the rules of my home knowingly, I'd be pretty pissed at them, even though pot may be perfectly legal in the state that I live and there was no harm done.

If you know your gun is unwelcomed in a private residence and you choose to carry anyway, you aren't respecting the rules of that person's home, or the owner of that home, and it reflects an "It's only wrong if you get caught." attitude in my opinion.

Public places are a little different in my mind, as the masses are invited in to conduct business, and being exposed to a lot of strangers increases your risk exponentially that someone may choose to victimize you. It's still a privately owned or leased property, so maybe I'm being selective, but I just feel the situation is different there, and signs prohibiting carry may or may not make it a crime depending on where you live.

But it's just an opinion, so do what you like.

Reasonable assessment.

Occasionally. Sports stadiums or the Milwaukee Zoo with the kids are posted so I don't carry. If I'm visiting friends in Madison I generally will forgo carrying both because everything is posted and because I tend to have a beer or two with them while I'm out, and guns as alcohol do not mix.

On the other side, businesses in my regular life that are posted I simply avoid most days.

I compromise where I need to.

I compromise when it comes to attending school functions for my kids.

I compromise when it comes to hospitals.

I compromise on certain activities out of necessity, such as going to the beach with my family.

I compromise whenever I'm required to fly somewhere.

I compromise when my wife and I make certain travel/celebration plans (such as our 20th anniversary celebration and our upcoming 25th anniversary in 2021).

To say that I will be totally uncompromising and, therefore, totally intollerant of no-weapons-allowed areas would be impractical.

But yes...I do also avoid such areas as a matter of routine in my day-to-day life.

I don't rightly mind. I carry when i can, where i can. Carrying a gun does not come within the top 4 top-of-mind decisions I make every day. I get up, i work out (no gun), come home to eat and shower (no gun), get dressed (now I'm armed with a pocket pistol), and go to work.

Every single decision and action I take for the rest of the day has to do with one thing...business. I gotta eat. My wife's gotta eat. My daughter has to eat. If i can carry where I go, i carry. If I'm not allowed to carry, i stuff the pistol in the safe in my truck and go about my life. Maybe I'm whistling past the graveyard. Maybe going into a place with no carry signs will get me killed. Maybe I'll get hit by a bus or choke on a chicken bone.

My gun is a tool. An important tool, but I do not live by the gun enough to let carrying dictate my life.

Then again, most places with no carry signs carry no legal weight beyond being asked to leave. There are plenty of times I simply forgot I had a gun in my pocket, did my business, and left without anyone the wiser...me included.

460shooter answered pretty this exactly how I feel. For me it’s a matter of respect, and also I consider myself an upfront guy.

Like I said, no issue breaking some corporations stupid rule, but for me, in a persons home I’ll either respect their wishes or politely decline to go.

Waveski said:

I respect your personal decision making , but I am curious ...
Why not carry in a completely discreet manner in that setting , in which case the homeowner would not be uncomfortable?

Click to expand...