Concealed Carry-why do you do it?

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There are a million reasons to do so:

-A gang puts out a hit on someone and you happen to be driving the same car.

-Someone you work with has an altercation with an individual outside of work, who later comes back to shoot them and you as well, because you happen to be a witness.

-Someone with a weapon takes you to an ATM, forces you to withdraw money, and then kills you anyway.

I could go on and on, and there are numerous examples of all these events actually happening in real life. The people they happened to didn't wake up in the morning knowing they were going to die.

If you are competent and not intoxicated, you have no reason not to.
 
Concelaed Carry-why do you do it?

I used to be a Boy Scout. "Be prepared"

Actually, what prompted me to get a license is the out of control violence just a few miles to my south in Mexico that's escalating and threatening to spill across the border at any time.

I've had guns all my life, and always kept a loaded .45 or 9mm in my home, just in case. But I figured that since I'm not wealthy and live in a decent working class neighborhood and I'm not engaged in any high-risk business, that the chances of me being a target of crime was almost zero.

That's no longer the case.

Now, I keep a .357mag and the 45 in the house, keep the 9mm in my vehicle and carry either a 38 snub or subcompact 9mm.
 
I've read every response to the OP on this thread....all of them interesting.

I have had my CCP in SC for a number of years, but have been lazy about carrying.

Fired a guy a number of months ago for driving a forklift into a control panel at high speed. FOund out the next day he had been bragging in the lunch room about how if we didn't hire him on full time after his 90 day probationary period, he was going to come in a "blow away everyone in the office"........

I made a decision that I was coming home to my wife and daughter......if that entailed putting that pistol in my pocket every morning, I was coming home that evening.......
 
I made a decision that I was coming home to my wife and daughter......if that entailed putting that pistol in my pocket every morning, I was coming home that evening.......
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I also had a situation at work a while back where one of my employees had told another employee (who he thought was his confidential friend) that he was going to kill me.
Turned out that he had been bringing a pistol to work for several days in a row trying to get up enough courage.
As soon as the friend told me about the threat, I fired the guy making sure that I was holding a pistol under the counter. I also reported it to the police and told the guy so, so if the guy ever came onto my property again, I would be justified in shooting (immediately).

Lot's of crap out there. Even being ready isn't always enough.
 
AKElroy said: Brilliant, CDH. Wrap up tight in that "I refuse to be a victim" blanket when you are wiped out financially for using excessive force & racked with guilt over blowing one of God's created off the planet over the $6 in your wallet. As for me & hopefully the majority of my piers, I carry to PROTECT life, not to find a reason to take it. Take your "I refused to be a victim" stance before a jury & see how that works out for you. Given your prideful posture, this may be an impossibility for you, but the ONLY words that will save you from that jury will be "I was AFRAID FOR MY LIFE". Say it with me...
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Well boo hoo. Anti-gunners like yourself come in to forums such as this all the time trying to somehow change people's minds.

First of all, there are tons and tons of reasonable self-defense cases that are never even referred to a grand jury, and if so, are then dropped due to the obvious nature of a "good shooting".

Secondly, if you don't want to carry to protect yourself, fine. When push comes to shove, you just act like a good little Liberal and beg for your life. I'm good with that. But here's something to consider, although you may not be so lucky as this lady who had some help that she didn't count on:
http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/reborn_20001012.html

Third, there are things more important than money, and among those things I count self-respect, freedom of movement, and the freedom to live a life unafraid of predators. In my world, predators are afraid of me (and others like me), and rightly so.
You seem to think that trigger happy gun-nuts are what people who carry are, so you keep right on believing that. I don't care.
What we are is a group of citizens who understand our country's history and what it means to defend our own freedoms. We refuse to board up our homes at night, or quit going to movies or restaurants, and be afraid to go places that we would like to.

You might think of taking your fearful victimhood ideas and float them over at millionmommarch.com or someplace where people will pat you on the back all day long.
 
if a someone keels over in a public place, and you're a doctor, you ought to use your skills and knowledge to help out!

i feel the same about shooting, if you're in a public place and some psycho starts spraying, and your skills and knowledge happen to be along the lines of shooting, you're morally obligated to help.

i, like many others on this forum, have acquired some skills shooting, if some situation were to go down, it would be to my eternal shame if i was cowering behind cover with the little old ladies and children
 
I carry for my protection only however I would of course use it in defense of family or friends of mine. I'm not into the idea of jumping in random situations I might sumble on. I believe its not always the same situation you think it is and you can easily get confused over who really IS the bad guy in the situation. That and the fact that I have guns for protection and not for jumping into problems whenever I see them. Just because other people don't carry guns on them or practice sef defense techniques doesn't mean I'm supposed to go around trying to be a hero. Nothing against those who dont caryy becasue everyone I looked up to growing up never carried it's just my take on it.
 
The crime rate, including violent crime, armed robbery, murder, etc... has been steadily rising in the large town/small city in which I live.

I was in a gas station that was being robbed, the clerk locked himself in an office and called the cops. I was in the back by the coolers trying to decide at what point I was going to draw. They decide to run out the front door, and drove off just 30 seconds before the cop pulled in.

The just as easily could have decided they wanted my wallet.

Several things could have happened:

They take my wallet and leave... we all live.

They take my wallet and kill me.

I shoot them before they take my wallet.


I'm glad I didn't have to find out.

Don't stop by a gas station late at night just because you want a gallon of milk for the morning.
 
Fishnjake:

I am former LEO so possibly i should not reply , but i will lol . I started carrying because of the job policy that as a small town cop i would be armed at all times , and required to take action for " serious " crime 24/7 on duty or off . Now this was not only in the policy manual ( two , yes count them two pages ) but expected by the good folk who all pooled their resources to pay my salary meger tho it was. As the years wore on it did not take long to see that MY response time , no matter how i tried , was at times lamentably late , and i became a secretary with a gun. I could take the report , investigate the crime , and likely in the small towns bring the offender before the bar of justice , none of this helped with the violent trauma inflicted to initiate the call . I took consolation that MY family did not face quite the same situation ( this was before " shall issue " ) as i could and in fact was required to go armed freely . I got out of LE and settled back at the family farm in Colorado which has some fairly good gun laws ( except denver lol ) , and for a time did not worry about it as i considered not lugging the pistol around as a vacation , it was but it was a vacation from common sense to figure that a gun in the pickup is " good enough " . After some time the local Sheriff informed me that not only should i get a ccw , but i needed to come down and pick it up , as a family member had made some credible threats to me and my family ( long story and not for here ) . The long and short of it is that i went back to packing the dammed thing everywhere i go .... That threat is gone now forever , but it did re awaken me to my responsibility to protect myself and my family . My wife now has a ccw , as does my daughter . We dont carry to be rambo , but good things happen to bad folks occationaly , and if someone should try to victimize one of my petite girls well it will . Now i aint in shape , but i am 6-0 200 lbs and i can still see my belt buckle , that dont mean a thing against the fella with meth mouth who wants my wallet and is waving a pistol like a dog crapping peach pits . Some day i may well die for the pitiful contents of my wallet , or even anothers till , but it wont be because anyone was put on their knees and shot in the head for whatever thrill that might bring the perp . Money is not worth a life , no matter what . However point a firearm at me and you have expressed an intent to kill me and mine , i no longer trust your good will .
 
I carry for my protection only however I would of course use it in defense of family or friends of mine. I'm not into the idea of jumping in random situations I might stumble on.
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But being aware of your own surroundings for your personal self defense also means that you will, by default, be aware of other's who surround you.

True and quick story: About six months ago, a personal friend and his wife (both in their late 50's) were walking out of a grocery store in Galveston where they live. My friend is not exactly the imposing type because he has diabetes and walks with a cane.
They both noticed (at the same time) a woman who was unloading her cart into the back of her SUV, oblivious to what was going on within just feet of her.
An obvious shady type was visibly stalking her and only moments from coming up behind her when my friend and his wife who were about 20 feet away from them shouted "Hey!".
The woman looked up to see what was going on, and the predator looked at my friends and appeared to want a confrontation. My friends wife already had her hand on the grip of her revolver in her purse, and my friend had his hand on the grip of his IWB pistol and simply said to the guy: "Not here, not now".
They didn't have to draw either weapon before the predator got smart and took off, hopping into a waiting car, and the woman with the SUV only then figured out what was going down.

No one goes looking for trouble, but when it's right in front of you, good people refuse to let it happen.
No macho, no Rambo; just doing the right thing even when there's a risk to yourself. It doesn't get any more "American" than that.
 
I carry for the basic reason cited by everyone; I take responsibility for my own safety and that of my family and do not that expect anyone else can or will. I will add for the OP that carrying is really only a small part of that responsibility as it relates specifically to the ability to use force to repel violence. I ride my bike to work, year round, sun, rain or hail, 6 miles each way. I run 18 stories of stairs, 3-4 times, twice a week. I lift weights. I watch what I eat. I run on the treadmill and do long rode trips on my bicycle. I shoot IDPA, steel plate matches, bullseye and silhouette matches with rifle and handgun. At one time I used to take Karate and remain versed some aspects of that discipline. I carry pepper spray, a light and a knife when ever possible. And I pray everyday for protection and that I will not have to use any of that stuff against another person that day.
God bless and be safe.
 
Well boo hoo. Anti-gunners like yourself come in to forums such as this all the time trying to somehow change people's minds.

First of all, there are tons and tons of reasonable self-defense cases that are never even referred to a grand jury, and if so, are then dropped due to the obvious nature of a "good shooting".

Secondly, if you don't want to carry to protect yourself, fine. When push comes to shove, you just act like a good little Liberal and beg for your life. I'm good with that. But here's something to consider, although you may not be so lucky as this lady who had some help that she didn't count on:
http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/reborn_20001012.html
Click to expand...

Anti gunners like me? I own over 50 firearms, and I carry everyday. I am both a student and instructor for proper use of force, and I am passionate about enlisting people into the fight for responsible ownership & carry. I HAVE drawn a weapon to defend myself and my family, and that experience has caused me to spend a great deal of time studying this issue. After your first response, I started a thread on "When do you draw?"---Maybe you should read some of the thoughtful posts in that thread before you judge me as a gun hating liberal.

No one goes looking for trouble, but when it's right in front of you, good people refuse to let it happen.
No macho, no Rambo; just doing the right thing even when there's a risk to yourself. It doesn't get any more "American" than that.
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To this quote, I say Amen! This is NOT the same attitude you showed in your original post.
 
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This is my second post on this thread but I also have other reasons for carrying concealed. I am an aerial applicator and since 9\11 the FAA and FBI have been monitoring our business very closely. We are checked yearly to see that our aircraft are secured and that we have contingency plans in order to counteract any problems that might occur. I can't get into specifics but I will tell you that all airstrips and public airports that are being used for "cropdusting' are safe from terrorist incursion. All the pilots I know that are applicators are armed and so are their ground personal. And one other reason some of us have always carried side arms goes back to WW2. We know that this is a dangerous business and we have all lost friends to accidents. Fire has in many cases been involved. I personally do not want to burn to death if I am in an accident because we are shoulder-belted in with helmets and most of todays ag planes have strong roll cages. If I can't exit the aircraft and if I do not have people helping me I will NOT burn to death. I've known 3 very close friends this happened to and it will not happen to me. To hell with the the insurance people!
 
Concelaed Carry-why do you do it?
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Honestly, I hate CC. It is the gun owners equivalent of "keeping it in the closet". I wish it was more acceptabe to open carry like they did in the old days. I would love to toss my Glock 20 into my Serpa retention holster and set off to the office. Instead, I have a mouse gun in my pocket, and a "don't ask, don't tell" policy I have to adhere to.
 
and a "don't ask, don't tell" policy I have to adhere to.
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Is that a requirement of where you work? Open carry is legal in Utah. Anyway, you wouldn't have to conceal until you got to work, if that is the case, it's a choice that you make.
 
I love most of our gun laws in Indiana. There is no difference between open or concealed carry. If you have your LTCH, you can carry any way you wish. You still have to deal with the occasional business proprietor who might ask you to leave since that is considered private property.

We have not given into anti-gun fascism here in the Hoosier state.
 
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