Question For Those Who CAN Carry But Choose Not To

[FoMoGo]

If I did, and was confronted with a situation like a mugging, would I be able to pull the trigger when it comes right down to it?

It comes down to the question of "Do you care about your family?".
I will talk about me for a moment.
I have been attacked a few times.
I have had guns pulled, and have been shot.
I have been attacked with knives, and had to defend myself unarmed in this situation.
If you care about yourself and your family, you wont have difficulty in these situations... it will be harder to stop pulling the trigger.


Jim

 

[Bubba613]

There are some people who's moral or religious beliefs would preclude them from carrying. I can respect that.
Some people bet the odds that given their lifestyles they will never need to use a gun in public. It isn't an unreasonable position. The facts actually bear them out. I've known people who carried for decades and never had to pull their gun.

 

[Kat144]

would I be able to pull the trigger when it comes right down to it?

I think I'd probably be able to pull the trigger in a heated moment where my life or health were in danger...what I am not sure of is how I would feel afterward. The next day if I woke up and it really hit me that I had killed a person....regardless of how bad that person was...I might feel very guilty indeed.

 

[cavman]

I got a fair number of students in my CPL class who say they never intend to carry.

Some typical reasons they take the class and get the permit include:

So they have more legal protection when transporting handguns in their vehicle.

That was me. That and it allowed me to buy more than one a month if I so wished.

Loaded guns in the car was verboten in VA unless one had a CCP. I thought how stupid it would be to be a prisoner due to forgetting a round in one of the guns when CCP was so easy.

That, and extreme issues from girlfriend, should I actually have pursued it ...I know, I know....

Although downtown Richmond is crawling with panhandlers and there were plenty of real bad guys around, I personally never felt truly unsafe.

 

[commygun]

Quote:
...what I am not sure of is how I would feel afterward. The next day if I woke up and it really hit me that I had killed a person....regardless of how bad that person was...I might feel very guilty indeed.

Alternatively, what if there was no next day because you hadn't the will to defend yourself? Self-defence isn't isn't about morality or judging character. It's about a legitimate response to an honestly perceived or realized threat to your physical integrity and life.

 

[wickedsprint]

I know if someone pointed a gun at me, I'd probably feel different, but I simply feel for my everyday life it's more of a hassle than it's worth to carry a gun.

A first aid kit could also save your life..do you always have one on you..to include a portable defibrillator..cause you're a zillion times more likely to have a heart attack than get shot or mugged is my guess.

 

[Big Bill]

One should ALWAYS hope for the best, but prepare for the WORST!

BTW wicked... It's hard to carry a defib. concealed!

 

[Sport45]

I have a CCL. I don't carry because I don't feel the need to.

I got the CCL to avoid the hassle of having to explain handguns in the passenger compartment of my truck. Texas law only allows that when travelling. Commuting to and from work and stopping at the range on the way doesn't qualify as "travelling". The law makes no distinction between loaded/unloaded, cased/uncased, etc.

I also have a Type 3 FFL. But I don't use it to buy a lot of curios and relics. I use it for discounts on reloading equipment and supplies.

 

[CoRoMo]

what I am not sure of is how I would feel afterward. The next day if I woke up and it really hit me that I had killed a person....regardless of how bad that person was...I might feel very guilty indeed.

Then again, you might hit your knees every morning for the rest of your life, thanking God for being there for you and your family in that time of danger. That is how I would look at it.

 

[Furncliff]

I checked my astrology chart. I don't carry cause I know I will die at the hands of a jealous husband in the arms of a beautiful woman. In bed. At the age of 97.

It's been a good life.

 

[c5_nc]

This is an interesting topic for me. A group of friends and I are going to be taking the carry class soon, I think, as everyone keeps changing their minds. We have all had a difficult time desiding. Its a $75-100 class and $100 for 5 year permit here. That is some cost, not much but I could get a hipoint to toss in the car or another 22lr to play with for that. I've never been in a situation EVER where I would have needed it. While maybe I would carry in some very rare cases, I would not have to buy handgun permits and can keep it concealed in car while traveling. I've never had my person or car searched by police, so I could have been carrying my entire life without any reprocussions.