CCL/CCW Holder who actually carry.

[sigmashooter]

Since my work does not permit carrying (Military Installation), I carry if/when I leave from the house to go somewhere. Most times, in the interest of efficiency, my stops are on the way home from work, so I don't carry as much as I'd like. Even tho VA is OK to Open Carry, I always carry concealed to avoid the hassle of an Ignoramus calling the cops while I'm in Wal-Mart or Food Lion.
Now since Ft Hood shooting, I wish they would allow CCW on-base, but I doubt that would ever come to fruition...

 

[MyGreenGuns]

I originally got my permit so I could buy a handgun and take it home same day.

My first handgun was my XD9, it is full sized. I bought it because I shot it really well. The idea I might one day wear it concealed was not a priority.

At first the option of carrying a gun was a novelty. I carried because I could more than because I thought I might need it.

A lot of the guns that my students have are full sized autos.

I'm not saying you can't conceal those, but I think after some of these people haul around these full sized 35 or so once pistols, they wont carry every day all day, day in and day out.

I agree. I stopped carrying daily. I would wear it when I would do banking/shopping primarily, with the occasional "random" day.

That all changed when a group of us were approached after calling out a potential prowler. When we told the prowler to leave, his friend stepped out of the car and started towards us.

The funny thing about conceal carry is, if done correctly you will never know if someone is carrying or not.

I had my gun that day, and before I even thought about it, my hand was on it. So were a couple of my friends hands on their guns. I thought I was the only one who carried and I've known these guys for years. None of us had to draw, the two retreated from the neighborhood.

Since then my percentage of daily carry has spiked. My XD is my favorite gun, but a bit awkward in some situations. My .38 has been a constant companion and has the EDC wear to prove it.

The family that carries together...

As my interest in firearms grew, so did the family's. My brothers are always armed, so is my sister-in-law. My sisters are shopping for their first guns. My g/f applied for her permit on the 5th, she has already purchased a revolver.

Once at a BBQ we were picking on mom, asking when she would get her gun. She stood and asked, "Who here is wearing a gun?" The majority of us raised our hands. She said she didn't need a gun, she has an army.

Who carries at home, in their own house?

If I'm moving around, its on me. If I'm lounging its laying next to me.
I'm 100% at home.

I would like to say I'm 100% overall but that would be a lie. I go out drinking on the weekends, I go to concerts, hockey, school, and lately court.

I carry because I cannot predict what will happen tomorrow.
I carry to defend my family.
I carry to defend my 2A rights.
I carry for those of you who are not allowed to.

(Sorry so long, I got carried away.)

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

Perfect, GreenGuns....Thank you.

VooDoo

 

[mdauben]

I"m kind of restricted, in that I work in a place where I cannot legally carry and can not even have a gun on the property (parking lot). So, weekdays I can't carry unless I go home and go out again after work. I do carry 100% of the time on weekends and other days off, though. I can't really understand the mindset of obtaining a permit and not using it. Neither am I clairvoyent enough to know when "I might need it".

 

[Tacoma]

In my state, there are only two levels of permits that allow you to buy a handgun and /or handgun ammo. Class B requires you to keep the gun and ammo locked separately while transporting the gun. Class A allows you to carry concealed. The silliness is that if you don't qualify for a Class A ( because of something on your record), you don't qualify for the B either. Consequently, almost everybody goes for the class A so as to avoid restrictions .
Under these guidelines, you get many folks (like my wife) who get a permit but don't intend to carry. Ever.
Lastly, I think environment has allot to do with it. In my sleepy country town, I rarely feel the need/want to carry. However, when going to the city or attending a large event with my family, I'll often slip a snubbie or BG380 into my jacket pocket "Just because."
To each their own

 

[GBExpat]

So my question is this: In THR Forumites opinion, why would someone get a permit and not carry?

Easy: In order to be able to carry legally.

I got my 1st CWP in 1975 (while living in VaBeach) and, even then when the whole experience was fresh & new, I did not carry all of the time.

As the years have gone by, I have found myself carrying more of the time. Now I am almost always carrying ... even in my house.

EDIT:
BTW, my Carry Permit has never cost me bundles of either money or training time. IIRC, my early (VA) permits (annual) cost a $30(?) application fee & no training requirements. With the 1995 Shall Issue legislation, the fact that I had had Permits previously issued to me waived any training requirement, so it only costs me $50 every 5 years.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

EDIT:
BTW, my Carry Permit has never cost me bundles of either money or training time. IIRC, my early (VA) permits (annual) cost a $30(?) application fee & no training requirements. With the 1995 Shall Issue legislation, the fact that I had had Permits previously issued to me waived any training requirement, so it only costs me $50 every 5 years.

If you think that's a good price what about only $20 for five years? That's how much it costs in my County.

 

[vettekiller]

i got my permit a 2 years ago and didn't carry for a year. got a good conceal gun and carried a couple times a week during work, as needed. carrying iwb kind of sucked even with a thin 9. broke down and got a little .380 and it is in my pocket every day. love it.

 

[GBExpat]

If you think that's a good price what about only $20 for five years? That's how much it costs in my County.

Yes, $20 is much better.

In VA $50 is the legal maximum that a locality can charge so, of course, that is what most charge, even though it costs them nowhere near that much. They have made it into a Profit Center.

That is one of the many items on which the VCDL is hammering for us.

 

[krs]

Easy: In order to be able to carry legally.

Yes, to establish the right to carry personally, with a card or document that says so is enough for a lot of licensees and I shared that feeling at first. It's a little bit special to open the envelope that says that the state or county agrees that you can be armed.

When I first got the CCL my wife and I liked to hike the trails in the Columbia river gorge and there had been two separate incidences in which people were attacked in the same areas. A guy was severely beaten by two or three, and a young couple had been killed. Also there were numerous reports of cars being either stolen or broken into so it seemed clear to me that the beautiful areas not very far out of Portland had become hunting grounds for AHs. I went armed .

Today I take my Sig 232 most places I go usually in an inside pocket of my jacket. Otherwise I pocket a Keltec .380. I don't strap on a 1911 much at all anymore, but if I go into the city I carry my Glock 19 on my belt.

 

[enine]

My problem is its forbidden at work and most anywhere else I go is on the way to or from work.

 

[poetdante]

g_one
How do you like your Nano? I'm thinking of getting one to keep in a shirt holster/belly band

LPSharp88
I so love that ruling. I just wish we could CC on campus. My reasoning is, you have to be 21 to carry. For most people that means you are probably in your senior year of college. I go to UofL and every semester we get a handful of REPORTED robberies if they happen just outside of campus. For me CC is even more important because I'm at the med school which is deeply downtown. We have had a spike of heroin use and there are 3 homeless shelters in a 2 mile radius, plus I walk a couple miles to get to school.
Now do I CC at the school (I think grad/med/dental students should be made exceptions for since we obviously have showed we can keep a clear head during crisis? right?) The penalty for weapons on campus is "disciplinary action" but it is not illegal. That said, I know several employees (not students) who carry in their purse
If you're in KY, what parts?


As for how many people I know that carry, well the instructor of our class asked who PLANNED on conceal carrying every day, and 2 people raised their hand out of 30....

 

[JohnKSa]

In TX, people used to get their CHLs so they could have a handgun in the car. Until a few years ago, it was generally illegal to have a handgun in the car without being licensed.

Some folks who buy a lot of firearms get their CHLs so they don't have to do the background check and risk getting delayed or denied.

A very few get their CHLs because their are a few circumstances in which having a CHL is advantageous for reasons having nothing to do with firearms. For example, at the TX state capitol, there is a separate screening/entry line for CHL holder and that line is generally much shorter and moves much faster.

From informally polling the members of my gun club, it seems that less than half the folks who have CHLs carry on their person on a regular basis.

In TX, the initial required CHL class costs upwards of $100 dollars and the initial license fee to the state is approximately $140. Renewals occur every 5 years and require payment of a fee of approximately $70 to the state each time. Renewal classes are no longer required.

 

[Catshooter]

I don't live in so I really don't know but I would imagine that the permit fee is $0.

Here in South Dakota it is $10 for five years. And they treat you like a citizen, not a criminal they just haven't caught yet.


Cat

 

[poetdante]

Must be nice. We pay $85 for the course and $60 in fees. But beats DC where it's closer to $300, I hear.

 

[Nar]

I carry most times, my work for safety reasons doesn't allow firearms in the building (flammable materials).

However i am on a collage campus at least once a week (I am still young and most of my friends are still in school) so i cannot carry there.

The one other friend i i have who does have his carry permit does carry most of the time.

 

[rudeguy]

I don't talk about carrying with most of the people I know. I don't want people to know that I carry, so I have never brought it up. If it comes up, I shut my mouth.

I carry every day. If I leave my house, I have a gun on me. It's part of my routine and I don't plan on changing it.

However, if you were to ask me your question in real life, I would not improve your numbers since I will not talk about it in real life.

 

[Pointshoot]

About 10 years ago I jumped in my car for a 'quick trip' to the grocery store to get some snacks for watching a football game on t.v. Since it was a 'quick trip' I didn't bother to carry. Well on the way to the store I saw a man beating a woman & ended up driving up on the sidewalk to separate the two. I won't go into all the details, but he was a mean muther. Afterwards I thought about what might have happened if he pulled out a weapon.

Lesson learned.

The benefit of a sidearm is that you can have it with you in case its needed. Emergency situations usually hit when you don't expect it, even on a 'quick trip' to the grocery store.
I know guys who have CCWs and don't carry and I know people (family members) who had permits and let them expire even though the renewal fee is very modest. Some people don't want to think about bad things happening - as though not thinking about it will keep it away. IMO they are foolish.

 

[Johannes_Paulsen]

You don't have to carry all the time.

You just have to carry the days you're going to need your gun to defend yourself.

Of course, carrying all the times makes sense if you're not sure which day(s) that's going to be....

 

[rudeguy]

About 10 years ago I jumped in my car for a 'quick trip' to the grocery store to get some snacks for watching a football game on t.v. Since it was a 'quick trip' I didn't bother to carry. Well on the way to the store I saw a man beating a woman & ended up driving up on the sidewalk to separate the two. I won't go into all the details, but he was a mean muther. Afterwards I thought about what might have happened if he pulled out a weapon.

Lesson learned.

The benefit of a sidearm is that you can have it with you in case its needed. Emergency situations usually hit when you don't expect it, even on a 'quick trip' to the grocery store.
I know guys who have CCWs and don't carry and I know people (family members) who had permits and let them expire even though the renewal fee is very modest. Some people don't want to think about bad things happening - as though not thinking about it will keep it away. IMO they are foolish.

Very much this.

The one and only time I ever even thought of pulling was when I was picking up my car from the shop. Some guy started going crazy in the shop and decided he was going to come at me. He was about half a second away from having a very bad day.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

Of course, carrying all the times makes sense if you're not sure which day(s) that's going to be....

I have learned a lot of perspective in this thread and understand why some folks have their paper but do not actually carry...similar to me having a CDL but not driving for a living. I have it as a back up if I think I might need that.

That said I *will* carry all the time and everywhere I legally can when I get my CCL.

A few years ago I used to be a part time musician playing weekends in local night clubs and bars. We finished in the wee hours of the morning and by the time I'd get packed up and out the door it was usually 3ish in the morning. Always hungry and needing a nosh before bed I'd usually stop at a convenience type store for a microwave burrito or whatever.

One night I was stopped at a red light on a lonely stretch of street next to the interstate bridge...under the over pass. I was startled when a guy knocked on my passenger side window and pulling vigorously on the handle of the door which was locked. I rolled the window down a crack and could hear the guys saying "There's been an accident...let me in!" I asked why and all he would say was let me in, let me in. I had a bad feeling and asked a couple questions thru the cracked window and he got angry and punched the glass...hard!!

So, I dropped the clutch and left him there...turned right at the next corner and popped down the ramp onto the expressway. No accident to be seen, no stalled cars, nothing but routine traffic. I felt bad but justified in driving away...got a bite to eat and went back looking for the guy or an accident 1/2 an hour later. Found nothing and went home. That was Friday night...told my Wife about it the next morning and on Monday she told me about a news story. Apparently some guy from my neighborhood had been found some distance away (160 miles away) murdered in his car. The last time anyone had seen this guy and his car he had stopped to pick up a rider 6 blocks from where I had the guy trying to get into my car.

Sorry. I want a gun and will carry it all the time. You never know when it might be your turn to get tapped on the shoulder or just be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Could have been me....

VooDoo

 

[Johannes_Paulsen]

@VooDoo: there but for the grace of god, eh?

I do know quite a few who have licenses but rarely, if ever, carry a firearm.

I also know several people with a license who slip a .22 or a .380 into their pockets, almost never go to the range, and consider it 'good enough'.

Training is a hassle and can be expensive (esp. last year,) dressing around a heavy-duty pistol can be annoying at first, and if you regularly go into legally verboten areas, it can be embarrassing and (due to handling the firearm) introduces an additional risk.

I don't judge. Heck, I started out as someone who occasionally pocket-carried an MK9 "if I thought I might need it" almost 10 years ago.

I just know that when one of my firearms instructors mentioned that above quote to me, everything kinda clicked for me. There was no going back.

 

[Grumulkin]

And then there is always the second question: Who carries at home, in their own house?

That would be me. It has gotten some odd looks and questions from some who come to work on stuff like the furnace, etc.

My wife has a CCL but usually doesn't carry. I guess she figures that either I'll save her or that she isn't going somewhere dangerous.

I don't drink at all, don't look for trouble, try not to go into bad areas of town and hopefully will never have to use my weapon.

 

[TRX]

> why would someone get a permit and not carry?

I finally got my permit after Sandy Hook, when so many legislatures started introducing gun-control bills. I got the permit to assert my 2A rights, not because I have any real need to carry a gun for self-defense. And I do carry, all the time, even though the occasional no-go zones are a hassle, and lugging the gun around is a minor annoyance.

My wife got her permit at the same time, and bought a shiny-new gun, and about a dozen different purses and holsters... she has yet to leave the house with the gun. She doesn't feel comfortable with the idea, so I haven't pressed her about it. But she's legal and ready to go when she decides to step out the door.

As I've said in other discussions, "I want a society where I *can* carry a gun, not a society where I *have to* carry a gun!" If I wasn't making a political statement by lugging the stupid thing around, it'd be in the gun safe, not on me.

 

[guyfromohio]

Lots of good posts. I carry pretty often. I'm not that guy who swims with it, but one is generally on me. I was the one of the first 50 in my state to get my permit ten years ago. I have many, many friends and associates who have their permits but don't generally carry. Most just got them for the training and the ability to carry if they chose to. Good for them. I respect that.