Is Concealed Carry A "Lifestyle"?
- Thread starter The Night Rider
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Elkins45
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It’s a lifestyle in the sense that you have to behave a certain way and avoid certain things while carrying. No bars, no schools, no government buildings.
My wife and I were in Las Vegas a few years ago and walked down the strip to ride the High Roller giant observation wheel. Imagine my joy when I saw the “no guns allowed” signs right in front of the metal detectors. So she got to play the slots for an extra 30 minutes while I hoofed it back to our hotel and dumped off my gun. So my “lifestyle choice” caused me to get some extra exercise that evening.
My wife and I were in Las Vegas a few years ago and walked down the strip to ride the High Roller giant observation wheel. Imagine my joy when I saw the “no guns allowed” signs right in front of the metal detectors. So she got to play the slots for an extra 30 minutes while I hoofed it back to our hotel and dumped off my gun. So my “lifestyle choice” caused me to get some extra exercise that evening.
WheelGunMan
Member
I tend not to patronize places that have signs saying "No Guns Allowed"...what that tells me is they won't allow me to defend myself in their establishment, so they don't value my life as much as I do.
Elkins45
Member
I guess you don’t spend a lot of time on airplanes then. Or cruse ships, or post offices or VA hospitals…
I refuse to let a gun dictate my life.
davethedog
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Dated a gal one time about 5 feet/100 pounds and looked barely 18. She asked if she could shoot my .45 which had some hot loads. I wasn't real sure about that and told her to be careful and just shoot once to see if she could handle it. She grabbed it and started blasting away at(and hitting) a target like she was born with one in her hand. She was a keeper(for a while).
I believe that. I think that it's VERY different--to the point that experiences with one might not even be relevant to the other.
Yes, of course. Anything can. Of course that doesn't mean that someone who prepares to a different level than you is automatically carrying things to an extreme.
If there actually were some chance of needing a gas mask and if there were a way to carry one very easily then I suppose it could be reasonable. If there were no chance of needing one, or if the reason one used to rationalize carrying one didn't make sense, or if carrying one were a significant burden and the odds of needing one was vanishingly small, then things would be different.
You understand, of course, that how you feel may not be how everyone feels. Right?
Or not. When it's legal, I carry. When it's not I don't and it doesn't bother me. I don't carry because I think "they" are going to get me, I carry because it's easy to carry and I like the idea of being prepared. And it's not just that I carry a gun, my philosophy of preparedness extends to other areas, including areas that have nothing to do with self-defense or firearms or even just general physical well-being. Carrying is just one of the many ways I choose to be prepared.
skfullen
Member
I feel naked without clothes. I feel naked without a knife. I feel naked and vulnerable without my firearm, and I avoid places/situations which cause me to feel naked or vulnerable.
Then again, I have a firearm with me in the shower.
Remember, just because you're paranoid does not mean they're not out to get you.
Then again, I have a firearm with me in the shower.
Remember, just because you're paranoid does not mean they're not out to get you.
You just carry if/when you "feel the need"? Psychic ability?
Of course if you suspected you might "need" a gun you wouldn't go there, right.
Maybe one is too lackadaisical to encumber themself with carrying a gun everywhere, they think the odds of needing it are not worth the effort.
I carry everywhere legal and avoid where I can't so you suspect I'm paranoid.
If I was paranoid, I could not have worked unarmed for 20 years where carry was a felony.
Can't be paranoid, so perhaps you should suspect that I'm not psychic nor lackadaisical.
I like carrying.
WheelGunMan
Member
Actually I don't fly anymore and not a fan of cruise ships. There are exceptions to everything...post offices and hospitals being necessary are those exceptions.
I carry my wallet with me everyday. I don’t live a wallet lifestyle. I started carrying a gun because I finally woke up to how screwed up the world was and how unprepared for potential threats I was. I made it a habit to carry now 99% of the time. Everyone is different. You just have to do whatever works best for you and your situation.
gnappi
Member
Anyone who says it's not a lifestyles is delusional.
We pick clothing to conceal our firearms, do not go places the law prohibits or commercial businesses who request CWL holders stay out, travel to (or not) where our licenses allow us to carry, associate with like minded people and divert resources, time and energy to the sport.
If all of this doesn't influence or create a lifestyle I don't know what does.
We pick clothing to conceal our firearms, do not go places the law prohibits or commercial businesses who request CWL holders stay out, travel to (or not) where our licenses allow us to carry, associate with like minded people and divert resources, time and energy to the sport.
If all of this doesn't influence or create a lifestyle I don't know what does.
Fine Figure of a Man
Member
I carry everywhere, everyday and do none of those things so count me in as delusional.
gnappi
Member
You're only delusional if you claim it's NOT a lifestyle
AlexanderA
Member
That's a perfect summation of the decision process to carry, or not carry, a gun. You could make a flow chart, or decision tree, out of this.
If this (rational) process was applied, I'd bet that there would be a lot less carrying. But in the end, carrying, in most cases, is not a rational decision. It has to do with emotions or "feels," often on very deep levels. Ironically, that's exactly what underlies the antigun crusade. In both cases, it's people's insecurities coming to the fore. Some people deal with their insecurities by carrying guns, and other people deal by banning them.
And since guns (pro and con) are so tied to emotions, it's easy for grifters and charlatans (on both sides) to exploit the situation. Such is the nature of the gun "debate" in this country.
herrwalther
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I say yes. It takes dedication to carry every day. A conscious effort to get up, get dressed, get armed. Most of us have belts for carry and probably belts for non carry. Holsters, mags, ammo, and the gun(s) themselves are an investment into this lifestyle.
Old Dog
Member
Trying to stir the pot by making a controversial statement?
'Splain please, then, why you think concealed carry is a "lifestyles" [sic]. Because making some choices to accommodate other choices we make in the course of daily living doesn't make something a lifestyle.
I personally don't pick clothing to conceal my firearms, I pretty much dress in the manner in which I have my entire life (when not wearing a uniform); any business or locale prohibiting concealed carry is typically not any place I'd habitually patronize or enter anyway, and only associating with like-minded people will most certainly render one's life far more boring, as well as ensuring that one is never exposed to opinions other than one's own, which really diminishes opportunities to learn and grow.
How about those that have homeowner's insurance? Automobile insurance? Spare tire for their vehicle? Fire extinguishers in the home and vehicle? First aid kits handy in home and vehicle? Personal files back up on external drives or the cloud? A supply of water and emergency food in the house and car? College fund for your children?
You're buying into the mythology of the gun as a magical talisman, rather than what it actually is -- a form of insurance. Now, if you're carrying a firearm without any other form of insurance (as noted above) it may speak to a form of insecurity, at best, some really mixed up priorities. And if the gun is the central focus of one's existence, and one has no other interests or hobbies, yeah, Houston, we have a problem.
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RKRCPA
Member
How many lifestyles can a person have? Do they change over time? Are they full time or part time? Can you have two at the same time?
unclenunzie
Contributing Member
People have been carrying handguns for personal protection since they came into existence. It's no more a "lifestyle" now than it was then. As used currently - "Lifestyle" is a marketing term used to generate interest in products. That's all.
GBExpat
Member
Since the issue can be so very charged for some folks, yes, I would ... and before the date began so that there is no chance of her feeling trapped and/or uncomfortable about the situation.
Lifestyle? For me, perhaps, but I started when Gerald Ford was the President.
kmw1954
Member
Now the List of Other Life style Choices;
Never have Pets
Never have Children
Workaholic
Forever Retired
Gambler
Substance abuser
Wild animal consumer/Hunter
Never own a Glock believer
Never Shoot reloads
Never Shoot Lead bullets
My Spouse/Partner Should at all times be armed too.
md7
Member
I draw a delineation between lifestyle and habits.
Snow Skiing for example…. I Like it. May go once every few years. But I don’t think about it and agonize over it, and plan my every spare dollar and vacation time over it. It doesn’t define me for sure. Not a lifestyle.
Others… man they commit. It might be the thing they pursue and plan for and think about all the time. Condos, clothing, equipment, time, energy, resources, conversations, different parks, relationships, etc can all revolve around that one singular and personal defining aspect of their interest and life. That’s a lifestyle.
Carrying a gun is as routine as lacing up my boots. If someone wants me to take my shoes off at the door, off they go. If a place I need to go is restricted, off the pistol goes. And if not, on they stay. Simple.
But to say carrying is an overwhelming thought and consuming desire is a far stretch. Daily habit for me, absolutely. Personal defining lifestyle for me, no.
That’s my opinion. Worth every cent you paid, too.
Snow Skiing for example…. I Like it. May go once every few years. But I don’t think about it and agonize over it, and plan my every spare dollar and vacation time over it. It doesn’t define me for sure. Not a lifestyle.
Others… man they commit. It might be the thing they pursue and plan for and think about all the time. Condos, clothing, equipment, time, energy, resources, conversations, different parks, relationships, etc can all revolve around that one singular and personal defining aspect of their interest and life. That’s a lifestyle.
Carrying a gun is as routine as lacing up my boots. If someone wants me to take my shoes off at the door, off they go. If a place I need to go is restricted, off the pistol goes. And if not, on they stay. Simple.
But to say carrying is an overwhelming thought and consuming desire is a far stretch. Daily habit for me, absolutely. Personal defining lifestyle for me, no.
That’s my opinion. Worth every cent you paid, too.
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.308 Norma
Member
My “steady” (my wife of 51 years come June) and I both carry concealed. I’d hardly call concealed carry our “lifestyles” though. If there was one word that would best describe our “lifestyles,” I guess it would be “retired.” Or in my wife’s case, “semi-retired” because she still works part-time for our church.
On the other hand, I think a couple that are real close friends of ours also carry concealed when they’re not on their ranch. “Ranchers” best describes their “lifestyles” though - not “concealed carriers.”
BTW, is “steady” still a term for someone you date exclusively? Or by using the word “steady,” am I just proving that “old guy” best describes my “lifestyle?”
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The Night Rider
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