Really---why do you carry

[jiminhobesound]

Why do I carry

Because I am old and cannot fight hand to hand. Because I live in Southeast Florida where even small towns have high rates of gangs, dope and assaults. Because it is my God given right to be able to defend my family and mysel.

 

[CTPhil]

I like to be prepared.

 

[toivo]

In no particular order:

• Because I like guns.
• Because I can.
• Because it might come in very handy at some point.

Each one of those has multiple layers and facets to it. I could go into a lot more detail, but I won't right now.

 

[mrcooper]

I am a cripple and have to walk with a walker so I am a easy target for the younger people I have been knocked down a few times because I was not walking fast enough, the older generation are more careful, I carry a 44 special bull dog.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Good luck kingpin008. I hope very soon you can tell me I was wrong.

 

[22-rimfire]

I carry when I feel I have a need to protect myself or others with me. At first I carried because "I can", but that wore off. I just don't live in an enviroment where self defense has ever been an issue, but I work in environments that are potentially dangerous from time to time.

 

[ErikO]

We got broken into in December and then found out after that the gun laws here in MO are much smaller in scope and number than IL where I grew up.

Police response times in my area are horrible. When I would call in gun shots, I was largely blown off by the cops if I did not see the shooter, even if I saw the muzzle flash in my back yard. I've learned that here cops show up between the event and when the insurance adjuster comes out for the claim filing unless they were there for some other reason originally.

 

[tangomike706]

1) Above all else , I , and I alone am responsible for my own safety, and protection. no one else . having worked in law enforcement for a few years now, I'm very much aware of the average police response times in my area, even if the cops where instantly available, it's not fast enough to save me, or mine, from some lunatic wielding a knife, or any other scenario you want to come up with . point being, I take personal responsibility for my safety , and protection. It's the only mature thing to do .

2) Because I can.

3) Because work makes me lol.

4) Having the gun , and some ammo stashed in the car , can often lead to range trips, which is never a bad thing no ?

 

[rugerman]

As you've most likely heard before "Because I'm too old to run and just mean enough to kill your ass if you mess with me". Ditto on protecting my stuff and my family.

 

[Loosedhorse]

Because I can do it safely and legally. If I was risking injury (to myself or another) or arrest by carrying, those risks would outweigh the personal safety gains. For me.

That's the economics of it, anyway.

I took a CCW class years ago, and the intructor had us "break the ice" by introducing ourselves around and answering the question, "Why are you applying for a CCW license?" I started my answer, "Well, I've got a wife and three kids, and I--"

The instructor cut me off: "That's all the reason anyone would ever need."

 

[bearcreek]

I like the quote " I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy". Really, though I carry firearms because I have the right, as a human being, to defend myself and others from those who would do us harm, wether that be a thief, murderer, rapist, tyrannical government, etc. using the most effective means possible. I'm thankful to live in a place where that right is recognized and protected by the Constitution. Exercising that right while it is protected and legal is a way to ensure that it will not become a right that is illegal to exercise. A right unused is a right lost.

 

[cambeul41]

My wife wants me to because I work in Detroit and because we are all be default our own first responders.

 

[Impureclient]

Because the next time some guy who decides to get inside my vehicle while I'm stopped at a light might not just walk away after
I yell at him for attempting to jump in because he "just got out of jail and needed a ride down the road."

 

[skoro]

Just in case

 

[au01st]

Same reason I vote: because it's my duty as an American to use the rights that men I didn't know, better men than me, died to protect. I owe it to them to use my rights so that they didn't give up their lives in vain.

 

[kayak-man]

I carry for a few reasons (OK, technically, will carry, my permit is in the mail)

1- I don't have the best luck in the world, and when it runs out, I want to be ready.

2- I do not want to go back to the hospital.

3- There are a few people in this world that I care about very much, and when thier luck runs out, I have no intention of just standing on the sidelines.

4- Why wouldn't I?

Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson

 

[killchain]

Because I am ready, willing and able to defend myself and those around me. Some of the experiences I have had make me more capable and confident of myself in a bad situation than some others. I also have a stubborn protective streak. I'm also not so pretentious as to think I can be a superior protector with inferior protection.

Any self-respecting human being in any sort of protective role should have a mind for defending themselves and others. This includes parents, big siblings, etc.

 

[Southern Rebel]

Once upon a time, my father explained to me that there are two times in our lives when we are allowed to be ten foot tall and bullet-proof: Aa a wild-eyed drunk and as a wild-eyed teen-ager.

Well, I have outgrown both of those phases of my life and find myself feeling a subtle amount of vulnerability as I search for the golden years.......thus I have traded my Superman outfit for a couple of discrete companions.

(Not to mention the fact that I spend a great deal of time with two granddaughters that I would walk thru Hell at midnight to insure that no harm comes to them! )

 

[skiwi]

I carry because it's my right. I am a 4th degree black belt and certified master instructor. My chances in a hand fight are better than most, but should the fight change to include knives or guns, the martial arts training can only go so far...Add to that equation, multiple attackers who mean you harm. Answer: gun is at minimum an equalizer, or improves the odds of the out come. If we have the right to own and carry firearms, why not? I'm not letting the first responders determine my fate...

 

[smalls]

I heard getting stabbed/shot hurts like hell, and dying puts a damper on any future plans I might have.

In all seriousness, the world is full of people who would like to cause me and my family harm, and I don't plan on letting them succeed.

 

[Scipio Africanus]

Because it is not only my right but my duty, both to my family and my community.
Because I have two children and a wife whom I love and they depend on me.
Because there are things worse than dying.
Because I have seen enough of the world to know evil people and their works; and that only good people standing up to evil will stop it.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Because I need something to hold all my bullets together so they don't rattle around in my pocket.

 

[henschman]

Because I consider my life be my supreme value. I also highly value the lives of those I love, because they give my life meaning. I always try to engage in behavior that promotes my life and all my other values.

 

[JellyJar]

I found this on the Blog, The smallest Minority. Posted February 25, 2005......

Being armed goes far beyond simple self-protection against thugs or even tyrants -- it's an unequivocal and unmatched lesson that you are politically and morally sovereign; that you, and not the state, are responsible for your life and your fate. This absolute personal sovereignty is the founding stone of the Republic. "A well-regulated militia" (where the militia is "the whole people") isn't just "necessary to the security of a free state" because it provides a backup to (and defense against) the police and the army. More importantly, keeping and bearing arms trains sovereign citizens in the art of freedom, and accustoms us to our authority and duty.

I agree.

Take care

JJ

 

[stonecutter2]

I certainly hope anyone who can carry does, because I can't. In Illinois we're denied the right to carry open or concealed.

So, cherish the rights you have, and exercise them if you choose to do so.

I do have a PA non-resident carry permit though ;-)