Calling all OLD GUYS! And GALS!

[ExSoldier]

If you've been lawfully carrying under permit for 20-30 years, tell us about your first ccw experience and whether or not it was common practice to carry in such a manner.

I've been ccw'ing since 1978 and had permits in four different states. My FIRST experience, IIRC was into my Criminal Justice senior level class in 1978 at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and the room was filled with cops. Nobody ever made me. If they did nobody even so much as smiled. It was common for the folks who were army ROTC seniors to get a permit. All you had to do was to go to the local chief of police in your cadet uniform and he'd strut outside to the parking lot and circle you as you stood at full "locked heels" until he was satisfied. Then you'd hand over your $5 and he'd issue the permit good for three years. He'd always admonish you that carrying a gun was a great responsibility and not to shoot nobody who doesn't deserve the gesture!

The only solid rule against the practice of ccw was that you couldn't keep guns in any of the dorms. That's it. That was THEN, however. Nowadays, BAMA is just like all the schools in their elitist policies. When I was there BAMA rolled up back to back national championships in football and we had the largest noncompulsary Army ROTC program in the nation. Recent, folks at BAMA tried to pull a Harvard or a Brown University and kick ROTC off campus. Da noive of dem nincompoops!

In my time there was never an incident or even an unintentional discharge at the school by an armed student. No VA Techs there! Any such shooter would've been riddled before the cops could even have arrived on the site. As simple as:

CLEAN UP ON AISLE FIVE. NEXT?

 

[Winchester 73]

That's sad to hear about 'Bama acting like Harvard.
I was a big Bear Bryant fan and rooted on those 60's and 70's teams.
Did have to pull against you when you played my Canes in '92 for the national title.You crushed us in a big upset.
I've been carrying since 1987 since Florida went shall issue.
Never have had a problem and felt comfortable almost from the first day.
Hopefully open carry will be in our future.

 

[Treo]

Ummm, yeah

 

[Winchester 73]

Ummm, yeah

Hmmm.....

 

[sailortoo]

OLD guys and gals? How old?

Yeah - long time ago in Washington state - DD 214, fingerprints, a fee (forget what it was!), and have at it. Wife had to have an 8 hour class from local PD, plus the rest. Now days, all you need in Washington state is a driver's license (from anywhere), fingerprints, and $60 (and some patience, like 60 days), and you are good for 5 years. My much newer (and concurrent) NM license is way more particular, both for information required, and legal, safety, and practical training. I see one as too lenient, the other as too restrictive. In the really old days (1953), I tried for a CCW in Santa Barbara County, Calif. I even had my interview with the county sheriff. He flatly told me that I was in no danger, and had no good reason for CCW - forget it! I then carried openly, as long as in the county, as that was then legal there. The times are definitely getting better for CCW ( of course, not counting Calif, NY, MD, etc).
sailortoo

 

[Winchester 73]

1953

My gosh, tell us more amigo!

 

[Prince Yamato]

of course, not counting Calif, NY, MD, etc)

Actually, NYS has had CCW since 1936. It's only recently (and with the exception of NYC) that CCW has become the difficult task that it is.

 

[sailortoo]

1953

Uh - like what? I made an honest effort to get a concealed license through the sheriffs office, but he didn't even want to discuss it - you know - I was a youngster, not a big contributor (not a contributor, period) to his re-election, not a big wig in town, had no leverage at all. The classic "sheriff's discretion", rather than "shall issue". That's what I meant about the CCW getting better, more "shall issue" states.
sailortoo

 

[Winchester 73]

1953
Uh - like what? I made an honest effort to get a concealed license through the sheriffs office, but he didn't even want to discuss it - you know - I was a youngster, not a big contributor (not a contributor, period) to his re-election, not a big wig in town, had no leverage at all. The classic "sheriff's discretion", rather than "shall issue". That's what I meant about the CCW getting better, more "shall issue" states.
sailortoo

No,no, I meant about all your adventures then ,when I was a mere child.
And now that I look back, that was the greatest time in world history to be alive,the late 40's and early 50's in the USA.And we had Williams,Musial,Mays and Mantle.
You are a lucky man,sailortoo!

 

[loop]

My dad had a Chicago right to carry license in the late '60s early '70s.

I saw his license. He carried an S&W Chief's model. I don't have a lot of details beyond those. I was 16, he was kinda strict.

Shall issue came about in the early '90s when Florida set the pace.

Since it has become legal in the Western states, I've been a certified instructor.

New Hampshire and Vermont never did require anything unreasonable.

If you carried concealed prior to 1990 in any state but New Hampshire or Vermont you did so illegally.

I don't really care. I violated the letter of the law more than once prior to 1990 (and since).

Once upon a time the police used personal judgment. Not any more.

Meet the criteria set forth by the feds or die.

Got to admit, I have a certain amount of hostility for the U.S. govt. When it begins to represent the people I'll climb back on board.

 

[El Tejon]

If you carried concealed prior to 1990 in any state but New Hampshire or Vermont you did so illegally.

Not true. Many states had reformed their carry laws by 1990, e.g. Florida in 1987. As well, several states, including my Indiana, had carry statutes many decades before Florida became the first state in the Union to begin CCW reform.

Shall issue came about in the early '90s when Florida set the pace.

No true. Several states had "shall issue" by statute or judicial decision before Florida's 1987 reform.

 

[El Tejon]

I've been carrying 20 years now. $25 for 4 years. The license was pink 4"x6" thin sheet of paper with your thumb print (no photo of course). I applied as a senior in high school.

 

[Dismantler]

I got my first CCW in 1977 at the age of 22. I had to schmooze up to the local chief of police to get on his good side. I did this successfuly, and he met me at the county courthouse and told the clerk that he needed a CCW. There were no questions asked of my "mentor."

In 1980 that CCW probably save me from a violent attack, as the two thugs that stepped out of the dark to accost me wanted a conversation instead of action when they saw my hand on a IWB carried gun.

 

[Savage99]

I have had a permit to carry in the car to a range since I was 18 and on my person since age 21.

Here is a different story. Keep in mind that this took place in about 1957.

A state cop called me where I lived with my parents and made an appointment. He said he wanted to meet me in person.

So this big tall cop shows up at the door and asks where will I shoot targets with this gun? This permit at age 18 was only for target shooting.

I said the Armory in CT where our club shot was closed so I would use the clubs outdoor range at the farm. He said "lets go, I want to see it".

He followed me out in my Hudson Jet to the range. It was way in the back down a very rough road. Since we did not have high ground clearance trucks I told him we would have to park here and walk the 1/4 mile to the range.

At this time I need to point out that I was an extremely good shot. I shot every week with my dad who was the CT gallery pistol champ. I could keep most shots in the black at 50' on the rifle target!! My gun was and is a Colt Woodsman Target 6 1/2" barrel.

We get to the range which was just some gravel on the ground with 100 yds cut out of the woods way back against the cliff.

I put my target up at 50 yds which is the distance I shot most outside there. I put most of my shots on the target and then the cop pulls out this little snub nose revolver and misses the target every time.

Finally he says that "we shoot at 7 yards" and I put up a target on a stick in the ground at 7 paces. I shoot at it and hit it well every time. He shoots at it and does not do nearly as well.

He turns to me and says "I should have driven the car down here"

 

[TurboJeff]

I first got a carry permit about 20 years ago. This is in Shelby county, Tennessee. Home of Memphis.

At that time, you had to write a letter to the Shelby county sheriff explaining why you needed a permit. Once he approved, I had to take a class presented by an attorney who represented the sheriff's department in any LEO shooting by their dept.

Next, you had to go out to one of the sheriff's department shooting ranges to qualify. The range officers did not seem to enjoy having civilians on their range.

After that, you had to go down to the courthouse, get fully fingerprinted and photographed. You also had to carry an insurance bond. I believe the renewal was every year.

My father, mother, and wife also went through the process and have had their permits all this time. I think it was somewhere in mid, maybe early 90s when the state began issuing permits. We were grandfathered in.

Fortunately, I have not had to shoot my weapon in self-defense during that time.

 

[sailortoo]

Winchester 73 - Thank you for your kind comment, and yes, it was a "different time". We've gone from Glenn Miller to (filthy) Hip Hop; from a sense of being international "winners", to being perceived a bully country (whether right or wrong); from relative freedom of arms, to highly restrictive and a sense of weapons being inherently dangerous. It seems that all of life runs in long term cycles, and I am hoping the upcoming generations will see a return to some of the values that are currently missing, especially the youth attitude of me first, me all the time, and largely a lack of respect of others. Sorry for the rant, but just thinking back a long ways, we have lost a lot.
sailortoo