Am I the only one are am I just paranoid?

[rogertc1]

I have held my CCW for almost 37 years...before they became the fashion of the times. My small town midwestern area of residence is very low crime. Hardly ever carry.
I guess it is where one lives. Bigger the city. The more diverse and density of the people, the bigger the crimes.

 

[altitude_19]

Paranoid or not, I'd say it's your call. Some people call us paranoid for carrying ONE. I make it a point not to criticize your (legal) decisions lest the trend spiral out of control and I start catching flak for carrying my J-frame. Just be sure of a couple things.
1.) You're on the up-and-up with local ordinances (with which I imagine you're intimately familiar).
2.) You're not compromising public safety. Positive retention on all weapons, good concealment, etc.

 

[xxxstarmaniac]

I know people who carry at least 3 when riding a motorcycle...1 full size glock under each arm and at least one back up glock or revolver. They say you never know what can happen; if someone decides they want your bike, what do you do if your in a parking lot, traffic, etc. If your on the bike you have very limited options, especially while riding, so its nice to be able to choose with either hand.

 

[MCgunner]

My wife worked for Texas Children's Protective Services for 13 years. 5 years after retirement, we still run in to former "clients". They're not model citizens, normally. I do understand the problem.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Why do ya carry three in the first place? If it was a good decision then, has something changed to make you re-evaluate that decision?

Are there guys in the locker room giving you crap because they choose not to carry more than one gun? If so... ignore that!

My backup is a 9mm 5-shot S&W as I could use the same ammo they issued for the duty gun when I bought it (lowered liability), and I figured that if I went to it, I'd probably be fighting to maintain my duty gun in its holster, or I was wounded, or the dang duty-gun broke, and a simple revolver would be a more reliable choice. Folks gave me crap for carrying a third speed loader when the custom was two, but nobody said anything when I got the backup..., so if you are getting funny looks it's probably not logical, but do to "conventional wisdom". History is full of folks that died as a result of conventional wisdom.

OK, so lets say you are paranoid..., I'd rather be paranoid, and come out alive on the other side of a gunfight, than have a malfunction and die because I coulda, shoulda carried an extra gun or more.

LD

 

[22-rimfire]

If you don't mind carrying all that weight, go for it. Like another mentioned, I have a problem carrying a reload for my Smith 442 and I know I should.

 

[krs]

My firstline is one of those Kimber sprayers and my second is usually my Colt New Agent modified. I carry eight full mags for the NA in one of those leather double ammo cases that come when you buy a Russian milsurp rifle in the car. (neat fit of the officer size 7rounders, BTW) I keep a KT 3Pat in my back pocket at all times and if I'm wearing a jacket my off hand is probably holding the grip of my Sig 232 or a j-frame 442 or M49.

If you go to the FBI website and look around a little you'll eventually find the 2008 Gang Report. It tells you that their are gang activities of some sort near you, pretty much wherever you are. There are well organized criminal activities in response to the high demand for guns and 4x4 vehicles in Mexico now.

The other day some poor guy in his early fifties was out cross country skiing not very far from me. He was in a fairly remote area, miles from Portland, OR. Two hispanic guys assualted him and beat him very badly to the point that he very nearly died. They left him for dead apparently, but he isn't dead. They took his Ford Explorer type 4x4 and the news is posting his license plate for everyone to watch for and report, but I'd bet large that that truck crossed the border before dawn the day after.

A typical guy enjoying the great outdoors we have up here in the northwest. Nowhere near any area where a person might think to expect trouble. He'll be maimed and physically messed up, in pain with difficulty doing normal things like eating or taking a dump for the rest of his life.

Someone tell me how it does not make sense to try to prepare to be able to keep something like what just happened to that guy happening to me or to mine.

Call me paranoid? Uh-huh.

 

[drjoker]

Well, if you had to carry a backup gun on your ankle, it would be understandable to carry 2 on each ankle to balance the weight. Being a LEO, it would be understandable for you to have a backup gun. So, no, you're not paranoid.

I personally carry a pepper spray, a Kel-Tec P3AT, a sure-fire flashlight, and no backup gun. I carry the pepper spray because I want to end confrontations in a non-violent manner, if possible. I really don't want to kill anyone. I just want to defend myself. If the bad guy doesn't have a gun, I'll try my best to use the pepper spray first before using my gun. If the bad guy has a gun, then, I'm not fooling around. I'm going to shoot him.

By the way, if you're going to need a back-up gun, keep a rifle in your car. I'd rather have a rifle than a pistol of any caliber, any day. One time, a BG threatened my wife at work and she called the cops. When the cops were about to come, the BG left. After the cops left, the BG came back. So, she called the cops again and the whole ordeal would happen again. Well, the cops quit coming after the 3rd call. They thought that it was a prank caller. So, she called me. I took my AK-47 and put it underneath a trench coat. I escorted her from work to her car and I spotted the BG coming towards us from the other end of the parking lot. I "accidentally" let my AK slip out partially from my trenchcoat. The BG backed off. There are no long gun restrictions in Texas. Thank god! The concealed handgun law wasn't in effect at the time because this was many years ago.

The AK makes a LOUD clak-clak sound when you chamber a round plus the muzzle and banana shaped magazine were sticking out of the trench coat. I had both hands inside the body of the coat holding the gun, the coat was unbuttoned and the sleeves were empty.

 

[Stainz]

I am a retired college instructor. When I see former 'customers', whether they did well or not in my classes, they have all been friendly. I don't carry a CCW for them - it's for the level society has dropped to today. Home invasions, houses burgled day or night, armed assaults in public, carjackings, etc - all within a mile of my home. A 642 is likely in my pocket while I am walking the neighborhood or mowing my lawn; shopping at the grocers or the discount store; enjoying food out, fast or otherwise; or even greeting folks at the door at church. When the 642 is at home, I have a 296. It's a sign of the times... when I raised my sons, I never 'carried'.

This all started when I had to protect myself, after three robbery attempts, as an Americorps VISTA volunteer upon my retirement from education nearly fourteen years ago. I had to start carrying then - or quit - which I did soon afterwards, reasoning that I 'had' to carry while I was in the service - and chose not to now - so I got out of 'harm's way'. Sadly, that's not possible today.

No, a LEO is never completely 'off duty', so protection is required. If three 'feels right', carry three.

Stainz

 

[RudeMood]

I don't feel that you are paranoid, though I think it may be a bit excessive in most (but not all) situations. Odds are you will only have time to pull one should you ever need it, and that is an argument for and against your current setup.

That being said I'd just like to throw something out there. Do you carry three firearms off duty because you are insecure about defending yourself in any other manner? I know that LEOs are issued and trained in a multitude of defense tools to get the job done. If you are just most comfortable with the guns and chose them as a result, then by all means carry on. (pun intended) However, if you examine your reasons for carry and find that you don't feel confident in your ability to defend yourself without a gun then you need to ease back a bit and take a look at the picture again. When is the last time you had to go hand to hand with some one, even in practice? How often do you use a non lethal alternative in your line of work? Does it work? If so, then why not concealing one of those options instead of another firearm? There is a lot to be said for just knowing and practicing simple self defense setups for the exact reason I mentioned in the previous paragraph: You may only have time for one ... or not at all.

Just some food for thought, i'm sure you'll work it out on your own. Keep fighting the good fight sir, and be safe.