Why should I get a CCW?

Why not? Do you know the amount of rapist, burglars, pedophiles, Armed robbers, Serial killers, Mentally impaired ext.. walking out there? People do some very stupid things and will not consider your valued life and the lives of your loved ones. Just watch an episode of Cops for a day or read the newspaper and it might change your mind. If you have the commitment to protect your love ones and are capable I suggest u get a permit.

It's kind of like "why wear a seatbelt if you're not a racecar driver?" Or "why wear a lifejacket in the boat if your not going in the water?" Well, you can't always see bad things coming, if you could you would simply avoid them. But sometimes bad things blindside you, so best to be prepared for any possibility. Plan for the worst, pray for the best.

If you live(d) in New Orleans, why have food and water stashed away? After all, the government is more than prepared to help citizens out of a jam... right?

ETA: I see you (the OP) live in Florida, are you prepared for a hurricane, or do you depend solely on others? I don't mean to sound derogatory, it's just that a lot of people choose to do what they can to take care of themselves to the best of their ability.

Why do people carry concealed ( other than those in high risk professions or store owners)? It seems to me that it could get you into more trouble than it prevents.

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I have been carrying concealed for somewhat more than thirty nears and do so because, a long time ago, I became both concerned and aware that the police simply could not be everywhere. Thirty years ago I was a young father and took the responsibility for protecting my wife and kids and myself very seriously - so I started to carry concealed. I am now a 70 year old grandfather and am fortunate to be able to spend time with my grandchildren and take my responsibility to protect them quite seriously - so I still carry concealed.

Carrying concealed is a matter of personal choice which absolutely should not be made lightly or casually! To opt to carry a firearm concealed is to make a number of very serious choices and to take upon one's self a great deal of ongoing responsibility. To carry concealed effectively requires, IMHO, more than just a little personal study and self education. To become, and remain, competent with a particular firearm requires some personal study and ongoing practice. If one does choose to carry concealed and is not willing to do what it takes to become knowledgeable and effective then, as the original poster suggests, it could get one into potentially serious trouble.

I carry concealed because I choose to take a high degree of personal responsibility for proctecting me and mine. Don't know if this is any answer at all to the poster's question - but it is my answer.

My jugs of water and canned tuna can't be used to shoot myself or my family.

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Neither can your gun if you're well trained and versed in usage and retention.

I don't see a very big difference between general preparedness and owning firearms. Of course, firearms require training and responsibility in order to be used safely, but supplies, tools, etc, as well as guns are all essential in preparing for the worst.

Why would you shoot yourself or your family?
If you are properly concealed, a potential bad guy doesn't know you are armed. If you are trying to draw your gun with the guy 3 feet away, you ought to come up with ways to do so without giving it up. Or don't draw.
If you are concerned about accidents, that can be taken care of with some training and education even for kids. Letting your kids shoot a few rounds and handle the gun under your supervision can take away a lot of their curiosity.
Safes are a good way to prevent unauthorized access by kids or burglars.

On the other side, if someone is going to put you in the position of defending yourself, it is likely they already have a deadly weapon. You improve your position by having the means to defend yourself.

Also, in Texas, you can skip the background check when buying a firearms if you have a CHL. The paperwork is still required, but the state has already done thee background check before issuing the license.

Down Side: if you commit another crime such as drunk driving while carrying, you are up for more severe penalties.

If your feeling is that you need to ask why , then you shouldn't . You dont need a ccw to enjoy firearms and shooting , and I can say that ccw is a true pain in the butt to do all the time ( having carried since 82 ). I have reasons to carry anytime i am dressed , but my checkered life is not yours . If you want to take responsibility for yourself and your loved ones then by all means train up ( not just the state mandated courses ) and carry . If you feel that you have no need to be the " first responder " for yourself and loved ones then dont go with a ccw .

Good point about the background check. In Indiana, a background check is still required at stores, but not at gunshows if you have a permit. Makes for a lot less hassle.

Personally, I've survived several life threatening incidents just by my luck and good looks; I'm not as pretty as I used to be, and I'm not so lucky either.

If you figure that will keep you safe, 24 hours a day, every day, for the rest of your natural life, then I would say you certainly should not carry a gun to protect yourself or your family. And don't even waste your time practicing shooting or training.

Don't worry about it. Move to NYC or DC, sell your guns. No violent crime ever happens there.
Why are you here anyway?

--Travis--

I saw something similiar to this on another list, but it applies to my personal thinking: " If my Wife, family members or grandson was with me, and something tragic happened to them or they were killed, and I wasn't armed to protect them .... I could never forgive myself ".
Let it be known to all that I would walk thru the gates of hell to protect my family. There are millions of very bad people out there waiting to make the common good folk targets of their evil doings. I will be armed and stay armed to ensure they stay happy and safe as long as I'm able to be their guardian ...... That is why I CCW. I can think of no better reason.
Ohio Rusty

if you can get a permit/license to CCW, there is NO reason not to. period.

I am sure that I'm like many others here whose power to tell the future is limited at best. I do not know when some BG plans to do me or mine harm. If I knew this was not the day I had to be concerned about I might not carry. The problem is I have no idea if this is that day. Crime can happen anywhere at anytime to anyone. Being a police officer I can tell you that my brother and sister officers will be lucky to get to you in time to see the attacker running from the scene, most of the time the BG is long gone before we get there. Who is going to protect you before we get there? Whose responsibility is it to protect you from BG's? The answer to both is YOU. If you can't protect yourself when it hits the fan who is to blame? The BG's, police, government, you, or someone esle? I carry to protect me and my family from any unforeseen danger. It doesn't matter if that danger is from a rabid animal, street thug wanting money, drug dealer wanting to show how tough he is, or a terrorist wanting to scare or kill anyone not like him. Why should you carry? I would ordinarily say you should do so because you value your life and the lives of loved ones more than you do the BG's of this world. Since you asked the question in the first place perhaps you should take some time and do some real soul searching and find your own answer.

Harthamm, if you don't feel the need to carry on a daily basis you are on the same wave length as most Americans. (your in the minority as far as THR goes ) The fact is that on most days you won't even feel the need for a CCW but you have no way of knowing when those days will be. Most THRers arn't carrying because they have a dangerous job, but because this is a dangerous world. That's why cops carry even when they're off duty. If you are not willing to accept the responsibility of / see no reason for CC on an everyday basis that's your decision, but imagine this:

Your teenage daughter calls you, she's at a party and is extremely drunk, she called you because she told you she was going to stay at a friends house but really went out with some guy who took her to this party in a really bad part of town and shes scared but said guy won't take her home. Its 3am and you know what happens on the streets in that part of town when its dark.
Now you have choice, go pick her up totally unarmed and hope that nothing happens to you even though you know that as soon as the "gangstas" in the "hood" you're going to see your nice car you won't be able to stop at red lights safely until you get home. --OR-- You could strap on the handgun that you've practiced and trained with and feel that if there should be an incident you could protect yourself and your daughter.

Now I don't know if you have a daughter,or a wife, mother, cousin or anyone else that could end up in a similar situation. Maybe you need to meet someone for your job and in order to get where your going you need to go through a bad area. Maybe one day you'll need to carry large amounts of cash. Whatever the reason, its alwasy a nice capability to have. There is no real downside that I can think of. Just remember to get some training.
(sorry for the bad example, its late on this side of the world)
All the best. -Sniper

A long time ago, I came to the conclusion that my system of beliefs and code of ethics were concomitant with the mindset that I could take a life to defend my own or that of someone I love - or even some stranger being victimized for that matter.

I'm no Wyatt Earp. I have no Walter Mitty type of aspirations of any sort. I simply know me for who and what I am. I love my family and friends more than my own life. So, should "the threat" occur - be it on the street or in a home - I want to be able to defend myself and mine. I refuse to entrust the safety of my family or myself in the hands of someone who has already threatened to kill us. These days, many criminals are deciding that witnesses of any stripe are too much of an inconvenience. So they eliminate them. Personally, I'd rather stack the odds a little more in my favor.

Having a CCW is neither a badge nor a magic protective talisman. It is a responsibility and a right. You should practice and be more than competent if you are going to tote around your package of man portable whuppass. As an aside, though it is perfectly legal to do so, I never was comfortable with leaving my firearm in my car. I feel that it is much more secure when it is either on my person or in its safe at home.

I've fended off a couple of violent attempts on my safety or life. Both times I had my gun in a holster on my person - legally. I am absolutely convinced that in both circumstances, had I not been armed with a pistol, I would very probably be dead or worse. Fortunately, both circumstances resolved in no shots being fired and the BGs not hurting me. Win Win.

Take responsibility for your own safety and that of your family/friends/loved ones. Cops are not always around when you need them and life has a way of happening.

I appreciate your question and the polite tenor of it. I'm curious though... Have you ever been the victim of a violent crime?

Travis... I'm sorry to hear about your condition. I keep getting better looking each day.

Two very young teen-age girls go on long bicycle rides with me out long lonely country roads.I pack---they don't even know it.(I'm their grandfather)

I live in Florida and sent away for my CCW a couple of weeks ago.
My main reason was to stay out of trouble. I like to keep a pistol in my truck and don't want to be in the position of having a LEO interpret the law as to whether the way I'm carrying it is legal or not. If I've got a CCW it IS legal.
I don't believe you can just put it in your glove box. There's a 2 step rule. I believe its got to be in a holster or zippered case also.
See what I mean? I don't want there to be any question. I don't need the hassle.
Also, if you have a CCW there is no 3 day waiting period on handguns. I can take it home with me from the shop or gunshow.
And I always have the option of putting a pistol in my pocket if I think there might be a need.
I think it's a good investment.

It's a personal choice. I carry & have carried for many years because I would rather have the option to: a) defuse a situation, or b) defend my family/myself. I am unwilling to become a helpless victim. With CCW comes responsibility & the need for training/competency. I've been involved in a couple scenarios where CCW made a difference (and NO shots were fired!). My choice. I can't make that decision for you . . . the Boy Scout motto says it best: "Be prepared."

I was "anti-gun" until a few months ago, when out of interest I took a handgun safety course and started spending time at the range. That led to me buying my own gun.

After I had it, I decided it would be silly to just leave it at home in the safe. I'm not expecting to need it, but I'd like to have it with me just in case.

Unlike a lot of other THR members, I don't think it is dangerous to be unarmed, and I don't think it is wrong to be concerned about the risks associated with gun ownership. If you're not comfortable carrying concealed, then don't let anyone here scare you or shame you into it.

People carry for the same reasons they have fire extinguishers in their homes or a spare tire in their car, to be prepared for unforseen problems.

The only person who can protect you is YOU.

Here's a simple exercise to see how safe you are at home:
1) Call the police
2) Call your local pizza parlor and make a take-out order
3) Wait and see who shows up first.