Is Concealed Carry A "Lifestyle"?

To some degree, yes.

I patronize businesses that support the 2A and CC.

I DO pay attention to what is going on around me more, than ever before.

My life doesn't revolve around cc. With that said, yeah it is a lifestyle in a way. The reason I say that is your attitude has to be appropriate, you can't (or shouldn't ) go around picking fights. You have to remember that you are capable of lethal force at a moment's notice and act like it. A guy that loses his temper at the drop of a hat isn't going to be a good person to have armed walking the streets. Beyond that, your clothes will likely be intended to accommodate concealment . your belt will likely be much more substantial than other people. Your free time should include consistent training to be proficient with various handguns. You may choose specific insurance to help shield you from legal issues associated with self defense . you'll likely have an area designated to keep your handgun when it comes off your belt. You should be more aware of your surroundings to avoid having your gun taken, even if it's concealed. You'll learn what stores ect to avoid due to their cc policy and scan for no gun signs when you enter buildings. And on and on and on.

So it does become a lifestyle choice . not something your life revolves around but a bit of your time every day you carry (should be everyday) will have to be devoted to it. It's not like just putting on a watch .

Do folks that smoke consider smoking a lifestyle? I think they should, it's kind of the same but different.

Likely does not even need to be a discussion subject in initial stages.
In the age of Match and similar…first dates are usually just a coffee.
Find other content to talk about and save the serious topics for later.

As to ‘do you tell your date,’ before he got married my son would only date ‘gun girls’ – so for him it was never an issue.

Not a lifestyle here either. I've just got a constant companion. I was watching my surrounding and avoiding conflicts long before carrying a gun was ever a possibility for me, so it's not changed my behavior much.

Telling a date? I think that's a good idea some time before hands start interacting with waistlines. Prior to that point, nah, too many preconceptions to worry about.

A large part of your "lifestyle" would depend on your experiences. Based on the statistics, it would seem that most people have never experience, suffered, endured, survived, .... violence in their own lives. It would seem the vast majority of people who carry, do so in the hope that they never have to use it. And even within this largest of all catagories, there is a great disparity -- on one end of the spectrum are those folks who obtain the license and never practice while on the other end of the spectrum are those who practice one or more times a week. If you practice that often, maybe you consider it part of your "lifestyle." But for that smaller group of people who have suffered and endured, it is a "lifestyle" because the consequences of you either carrying or not carrying are with you every minute of every day. In my case, I can't "not remember" those who I lost because neither they nor I were carrying -- 1976 fiancé beaten to death, 1982 friend severly stabbed but survived, 1985 mugged and beaten but survived permanent damage, 1986 witnessed armed bank robbery, 1988 witnessed 2nd armed bank robbery, 1990 house shot in drive-by, 1993 wife beaten and raped, 1995 armed house burglary while sleeping, 1997 armed robbers crash in yard, 1999 friend beaten to death, 2001 wife dies as a result of beaten and raped, 2004 friend and mentor shot and killed. And then there were all those people who were murdered (22 at last count) by the folks who bought guns, and in one case a cross bow, from me in the various store where I worked. So yea, it's a "lifestyle" for me to try to protect those folks I care about because the ones I've lost are with me every minute of every day.

Whenever I see "lifestyle" mentioned, I assume the word is being used to sell me something. In the case of the CCW "lifestyle", it's usually sunglasses or insurance or pants with lots of pockets.

So no, I don't live the CCW "lifestyle". I'm just a guy who carries a gun, trains hard, and hopes to hell I never need any of it.

.38 Special said:

Whenever I see "lifestyle" mentioned, I assume the word is being used to sell me something. In the case of the CCW "lifestyle", it's usually sunglasses or insurance or pants with lots of pockets.

So no, I don't live the CCW "lifestyle". I'm just a guy who carries a gun, trains hard, and hopes to hell I never need any of it.

Click to expand...

Nailed it.

Yes it can be a lifestyle. If you are serious about your relationship you need to train together.

I think of it as a lifestyle as the way someone who CCWs and has guns lives is different from those that don’t.

The clothes you wear are a size larger or cut different to accommodate a gun in a holster.

Your home has a gun safe (or more), along with targets, target stands and cleaning supplies.

You likely have two or three guns and holsters for different purposes. A small one for deep concealment, another for EDC, another for outdoor adventures.

When you go out with friends, or on a date, you’re not going to be drinking much—if at all.

How many of us sit with our backs to a wall where we can see the entrance? And have already spotted another exit or two?

I would guess that quite a few look people over with a ‘once over, hands-hands and belt line’ survey.

So, it’s a different life than many others live. After awhile it just becomes second nature and you don’t think about it.

I consider it a "practice" vice "lifestyle". And telling your date you are carrying is definitely a situational scenario and not something I would advise doing in all cases.

I am going to comment before I watch the video.

The OP is so correct, wearing a gun day in and day out is a HUGE PAIN IN THE ASS. It is also hard on your car, the furniture, if you lean against a wall....yea that too. It flat sucks.

The word lifestyle is critical here. Do you alter your choice in shirts, pants because of what you carry. If yes in my book you are changing your lifestyle around that item. Pretty simple.

Now tell your date.....that one I don't think I am qualified, last time I dated someone new was in 1982, so it has been a while. If I had to date someone new, that thought make me think I would just live out my days with Rosie and her five sisters.....but if I was, in this day and age. No, I don't think I would at the start. I look at it like, would you tell someome you have a replacement knee, or hip, (all valid in my age group), no not on a first date. Perhaps the second depending on how things go. I would wait till I know the person a little bit, and they know me. If they come across as very anti gun, I would likely just end it with a I don't think we would work out, and if pushed say we have very different views on the 2A.

Been married 32 years, we had the limo stop at the local gun store after the wedding - not kidding.

I'm 55 and have had concealed carry for 30 years; so, I've been able to carry majority of my life.
For years, I've bought clothes with carry as a factor.
When I get out of bed, I put on my shorts which have a belt and a Glock goes on that belt.
Exceptions to shorts with belt being push mowing yard / jogging wearing gym shorts with Smartcarry.
I don't change what I'm carrying based on where, I carry a handgun I shoot best (quick & accurate) everywhere (do it right).

Is carry a lifestyle? Its a part of my life, same as having a dog.
I plan to always have a dog and I plan to always carry.
Fortunately, I chose wisely long ago and my wife is of like mind.

Guns are NOT my life. I know for some people they are. I would characterize CC as a habit more than a life style.

Concealed carry is not a lifestyle. The lifestyle ("living dangerously"?) is what prompts a person to feel the need to carry. So the whole question has it backwards.

Is CWC a lifestyle? Sure it is. Just as is hunting, fishing, riding motorcycle, etc.. But does it control your life? Big difference.

Most people also drive cars everyday. When would it become a lifestyle? If I was to take a gander at it I would say it depends on whether you are driving a car for utility or for fun. For me it's about 90% utility, although I do go for joyrides occasionally. Aside from an impractical 1981 Firebird I owned eons ago, pretty much every car I have ever owned was bought for its efficiency and utility value.

That said, I have also carried concealed almost every day for the past 12 years. With that comes the responsibility of safety, and maintenance of both the gun and one's own skills within reason. I have also never really bought a gun for its looks. In spite of how much I carry I really wouldn't call it a lifestyle on my part. Perhaps early on when I was experimenting I did flirt with it a little. When people start investing in guns for their debonairness, maybe going out of their way to have engravings and the like added, and they start spending as much time or more on those superficial details than on the nuts and bolts and meats and potatoes of gun use and ownership, then I would also start to think of it as a lifestyle in that case.

Your miles may vary, but when I hear the word "lifestyle", it makes me think of vanity and superficiality, neither of which is necessary in order to to keep a gun near you and at the ready at all times while knowing how to use it safely. However maybe the word could also apply to a person whose career involves guns and or gunsmithing. Obviously that is a person who would have to be directly involved with firearms all day everyday, or close to it, including in conversation. But maybe then it should be called a niche or a career and not a lifestyle.

Is carrying a wallet a lifestyle? How about keys? A concealed weapon is a tool to be used towards a particular end in much the way my wallet contains tools (as in identification, credit cards, etc) and my keys are tools. I am long out of the dating business, but on a first date I would no more mention a CCW than I would mention whether I was wearing underwear or carrying my wallet.

At some point on future dates it may become necessary to mention it, but by then I hope I would have had a chance to discern my date's feelings on such matters.

In my way of looking at it a CCW is no more a lifestyle than wearing trousers with pockets is.

I purposely avoid places that think my life is so worthless, that I should not be allowed to protect it with the most effective defensive tool I own... i.e. the entire state of NY, or NJ for instance. Or my local shopping mall ever since they started patrolling it with gun sniffing dogs, and harassing legal concealed carry permit holders. (It's dumb, because they don't even have a "no weapons" sign on the door)

I also train a lot, partially to keep sharp, but also simply because I enjoy it as a hobby. I carry every single day, barring the rare times I need to go to the post office, or jury duty... etc.

I have made some adjustments in my life to be able to carry every day, I guess that would classify it as a lifestyle.

IMHO Lifestyle has become an overused word, CC is a commitment that takes priority because I want it that way.

My life’s activities seem to be CC friendly but not necessarily based around CC

Carrying a gun does not a lifestyle make. The premise is flawed.

Does every little act create a lifestyle? Do I have an "Eating" lifestyle because I eat? What about bathing? Is that a lifestyle?