Convince me on a ccw

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GambJoe

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I live in the great state of Texas and they make it relatively easy to get a ccw. I come from mostly NY and NJ areas where a ccw is hard to get. Let me give you a little back ground I grew up in NYC when it was really a high crime area. From a young age I always carried a knife as self protection. Guns were unheard of as a self defense weapon. For the most part guns were carried by cops and criminals. I was neither.

As time moved on so did I, I worked in Maine for about seven years. It was pretty much crime free where I lived; you could leave your doors and windows unlocked and street crime was non-existent. I felt safe, no need to carry a weapon for self defense. I felt free.

I moved back to NYC due to family illness. Being back in NYC I refused to get myself into the frame of mind, whether I need one or not, to carry a weapon. Maybe be I got older, but I didn't want to live with the fear of an eventual crime against my person.

Now that I'm in Texas I'm debating with myself ; should I get a ccw. There are allot of reasons to carry. From the yoboh's with their pit bulls, Dobermans and rotwilders to the wild animals like boars, deer's and snakes . Oh yeah then there's always the threat of crime.

Yet I'm torn. When I go hiking or when I'm somewhere I think there could be a problem, maybe I would want the option to defend myself and my wife. But as I told a young guy I was working, when he asked my opinion on ccw, I told him, I don't want to strap on a gun every morning thinking I might have to shoot someone.

Thing is, I have two weapons at home for self defense. After being beaten in a burglary, I went against my grain and I purchased my first firearm, a shotgun then latter a pistol for home defense. I'm wondering do I need another incident to finally get me motivated to get a ccw.
 
I think that getting a permit would be a good idea. IMHO, if you have to use a gun, it would look better for you if you had the little piece of paper that said a group of people thought you could be trusted with a weapon. It would also provide some nice legal padding if you ever transport a gun.

I see very little reason not to get a permit. You don't have to carry. There is no law saying that everyone with a permit has to have a gun with them 24/7. Most of the people that I know who have a CCW rarely carry. If it was me, I'd rather have the option of carrying if I knew I was going to be someplace where trouble is just a bit more likely or out in the boonies.

Just my .02

Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson
 
How long will it take you to get one if something happens that makes you want one?

Why not get it and not use it if you choose - and still be able to carry (legally) if you do choose to start immediately? It isn't like you will be required to carry if you get a permit.
 
I do not know what Texas has for rules and benefits. But I took the UT class specifically for the class, it is a well known and very good local class on laws and much more. But the benefit of a Washington state permit, other than having the permit, is that there is not a waiting period for a handgun.

If you don't feel the need to carry then don't, but there might be other reasons to get your permit.
 
I've had a couple of discussions with friends about CCW. They ask just as your said, "Why strap a gun on everyday in preparation to possibly shoot someone?"

My answer is I don't think of it that way. I am prepared to defend myself should a situation arise. But I don't think that will happen everyday. I feel as though I will need to flash my carry pistol only one or two more times in my life to go with the one other time a few years back. That is the super worst case scenario.

Thing is, I don't know when those two more times will be, or how much those situations will escalate. You can do plenty to manage this risk beyond CCW, but it comes down to this:

When the moment arrives where you do need to defend yourself, are you willing to bet your life that the criminal threatening you won't harm you?

By the way, you'll have to make that decision in a shorter amount of time that it took to read that sentence. If you get a pit in your stomach thinking about that, then you've realized you're risking bringing either a knife or nothing to a gun fight.
 
We can argue the need to carry concealed all day but ultimately it's a very personal decision.

I look at it this way: you have your cellphone in case you need it. If you ever need to call 911 you know it's there. Same way with my gun.
 
My wife recently began her career with the Mo Department of Probation and Parole. She had her CCW for nearly 2 years prior and she rarely carried. She now carries daily...
 
My reason is I don't want to have to live with regret, and by that I mean what if someone tries to harm one of my family members. I don't want to be just another statistic of someone that had to watch his family harmed because I didn't take advantage of an opportunity to protect them like the one provided by a CHL.
 
Ditto TacoMalo. I have carried a gun nearly daily for many years. I've never had to shoot anyone with it, I don't want to shoot anyone with it.

But it's not about what you or I want. It's about dealing with business when a career criminal decides to target you and your family because you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and he's not planning to leave witnesses because he's already on strike two.

Most crime is indeed small scale, but if the above scenario seems outlandish, you obviously don't read the paper much.

I simply choose to be as capable as possible to defend my family. Being middle aged with an arthritic back means no super ninja stuff from me. It does, however, mean carrying an effective tool.
 
Every time i watch the evening news i feel like i need to get a bigger gun and add another one on my body to carry as a back up.
I had to quit watching the news due to this.
Thats why i carry, But i also like guns so it gives me an excuse to have them with me in case i need to protect myself or family or save someones life.
 
Its good to get a CCW just to have it even if you don't plan on carrying. If you do feel the need to start carrying you don't want to be in the situation of breaking the law or waiting weeks for the class and paperwork to go through. When I got mine I had no plans to start carrying. Then suddenly things got a bit crazy here and I was glad to have one already.
 
Why should we try to convince you to get a ccw?

You either see the need or you do not. If you don't see the need you probably shouldn't have a ccw.

If random people on the internet can convince you to do anything, how about we just convince you to send everyone who responds $20? I'd be happy to forward you my paypal address... :)
 
Why should we try to convince you to get a ccw?

You either see the need or you do not. If you don't see the need you probably shouldn't have a ccw.

If random people on the internet can convince you to do anything, how about we just convince you to send everyone who responds $20? I'd be happy to forward you my paypal address...

Sorry, but I agree with this.

I carry, for the same reason that I wear a seat belt in a car, have smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers. I have a mind set of trying to prevent problems, rather than relying on others to react to the incident after the fact.

It really is a personal choice and the OP sounds like he had already made his choice not to carry. And thats OK, it's not for everyone.
 
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there is nothing to convince you
either you decide to buckle up in a car or you don't,
only YOU can make this choice, and like a seat belt, some people will never be convinced even if they are the person picking up body parts and washing off the highway every day....

if you have your reasons, they are yours, and while we can say, that it would be a wise choice, in the end it is YOURS to make or not.
 
Historically one of the most dangerous places you can be in Texas is just sitting and eating in a family restaurant.....

chances are you will never need a carry weapon.... but the chances are also that if you did there is no way you could predict it.....
 
I don't want to strap on a gun every morning thinking I might have to shoot someone.

I live in Texas, and I've had to pull my weapon several times. In at least one of those incidents I was theoretically legally justified in pulling the trigger. I have never actually pulled the trigger anywhere other than the range, and am happy. On the other hand I don't have stab wound scars either where the burglar attempted to run me through with his giant screwdriver. All because I was PREPARED to shoot someone.

Besides 'want' has nothing to do with it. Having said that, if you're not PREPARED to shoot someone you shouldn't be strapping on a weapon ANY morning. If on the other hand you're PREPARED to do EVERYTHING possible to make sure you get home to you family in the evening then you should. Your call. No one else can make it for you.
 
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Ive been there and wrestled with the same thoughts. I concluded That I will NOT ccw. Here in Va its rather easy to get a permit. A lot of my friends do. Va is also an open carry state. I currently live in a large metro area and am working on some property near the Dismal Swamp to retire to in a couple years. I concluded that to defend my home I do not need to ccw. I use a Mossburg Maverick as my bedside piece and with two one hundred K9's Ive never had a problem with B&E. The wife and I do not go to places where trouble is likely to occur ie crack houses and nip joints. Ive trained myself and my family to be on guard and watchful. Being aware of your surroundings and where you are in proximity to those around you. Before I leave a store at night I have my keys in hand and am not fumbling around looking for them outside my car in a dark parking lot. It a defensive train of thought thats just automatic.
In the woods, I keep the Mossburg handy with two gameloads and then buckshot. A side arm to me is useless. Daddy always said if you were close enough to kill a Rattlesnake with a pistol you were too close. I can tell you from experience the game loads will dispatch any snake Ive run across thus far. Most other larger animals that pose us a threat which include Black bear coyote and the occasional bobcat steer a wide path around our chainsaws tractors and 4 wheelers. I tried it Yessiree carried a 1911 while exploring our new property but found it cumbersome and heavy. I wound up putting a gunboot on the rancher and keep the Mossy in it JIC. When I hunt I carry a 935 and thats it. I guess its all in where you are and what you may encounter but for ccw is not what I consider necessary.
A couple other thoughts that Ill toss out there. Concealed means a potential threat is unaware of the fact you are armed. That is not an effective deterrent in my opinion. I do not want to ever be faced with having to kill someone. Concealed would make me more likely to put myself in a bad situation than not. It also causes more scrutiny. If you have a tail light out and get stopped buy the constable, Its no longer a routine stop. As soon as he runs your license he knows you have a permit and guess what. Its hassle time. Nope I dont and wont ccw but thats my personal decision and how I got there.
 
somebody said it
get the permit
then carry or don't as it pleases you, the option is yours alone, every day, any day

me, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't
and prone to believe that - outside of gun forums - it's like that for the majority of CCW permit holders
(but do practice with what you do or might carry)
 
I grew up around Guns all my Uncles had Snub Nose S & W Pistols, sense the mid 60's I've always had at least a MD36 S & W with me. I've never shot anyone or threatened anyone, I'm just used to being prepared for anything that may happen, and I have always liked Guns.
 
I don't want to strap on a gun every morning thinking I might have to shoot someone

I am from WNY originally. I understand this position and where it comes from. That being said, this is not the true question. The worry is that you will meet a lethal threat that day and any given day, while remote, you may meet that threat. You have some control over that but not full control.

So the question is do you strap on a gun, giving you a chance to meet a lethal threat with lethal force and go home alive that day or do you chance it that you either will not meet that threat or that the criminal pushing that threat on you, is good natured enough to value your life.

It is that thought process that I consider every time I strap on my weapon. It is very unlikely that I will need it and I have absolutely no desire to kill anyone. That being said, there are evil people out there that will kill you just to see what it feels like, or to laugh at how you squirm on the floor as you are dying. I am not going to be defenseless against those types of people in the unlikely event i meet them.
 
You should not need to be convenced. If you still have to be you don't need one . Just because you have a ccw does not mean anything will change or happen to you or yours but if it does you can atleast defend yourself. 26 years and never cleared my handgun but as a deterent but it is always on me.
 
GambJoe - From your OP I think you are looking at CCW in the wrong light, one that many people assume by default, but if you read the experts on the subject, they don't think this way. A lot of people ask, why do I NEED to carry? Let me just say this right now, no one NEEDS to carry any weapon to live life. You may suffer from not carrying, but you don't NEED it in the same way you need food, water, and shelter. Many people fall into the trap of deciding when they NEED to carry. For example, I'm going to go to the bank today, so I'll carry for that, but then I'm going to the mall, so I won't carry there.

This shows a lack of understanding of the unpredictability of crime and the false assumption that having a gun will somehow keep you safe. See, many people carry the gun to FEEL safe, when they FEEL they NEED it.

The data show that crime happens everywhere, in good neighborhoods and bad, at all times of day, to everyone. It is actually a relatively uncommon event, but dangerous enough to cause severe danger and will be life altering. The way to combat this is to be prepared to use an effective defense against violent attacks. What is an effective defense? Okay, now we are getting somewhere...

A gun within arms reach and the ability to use it properly, along with a mindset of not being a victim, is an effective defense. If this is the defense you choose, you don't wake up each day and strap on a gun thinking that you might have to shoot someone, because each day you don't make that decision. You make the decision to carry all the time once, and then every day that's just what you do, whether you are going to somewhere you may consider dangerous or not. It's not about being paranoid, it's all about just having the tools with you that you may need.

So, you need to decide if carrying a gun is for you or not first. Some resources that are worth the cash (all books):


Cornered Cat (even though this is for women, I think it's a great resource for everyone)

Armed and Female: Taking Control (same as above)

More Guns, Less Crime

Lessons From Armed America

If you read and educate yourself, you will have the facts and framework to make this decision much more clearly than just a bunch of posts on the interwebs.
 
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