What made you carry?

[SiG78]

Hi all,

Being new to handguns, I see an awful lot of talk about CCW... carrying at the grocery store, at home, etc. What made you decide to carry a firearm at all times? Was it something that happened to you or someone you know in the past? Is your part of the world THAT bad, that you have to have a weapon on you in your own home during daylight hours? Please don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to personally attack anyone; just pure curiosity I suppose.

 

[sm]

I am a 1955 model.

How raised - what you do.

 

[orionengnr]

Nope, nothing "really bad" has ever happened to me (Thank you, Lord).

But watching the news for the last 40 years or so was enough for me

Finally moved to a Free State three years ago, and just the idea that I could actually do it was a new experience, so I got my CHL.

BTW, I still watch the news, and every day reinforces the opinion that I made the right choice....

 

[BullfrogKen]

Some people simply feel being armed is more natural a state than going through our daily activities disarmed.

I happen to be some of them people.


Its not about fear, or living in a bad area, or a past bad experience. For most of us its about empowerment, taking ownership of our lives, and assuming the responsibility to take care of ourselves and those we love.

 

[birdv]

My pants do not fit without my P229.

I lost weight so I might have to start carrying a 50 DE.

 

[jwr_747]

why "pack"

any part of the world these days is "that bad" at any given moment. I started to carry at most times ,even around the house when folks started having their front door kicked in by local crack heads needing quick cash.home intrusion is the newspaper term.bottom line is "elderly person" beat with pipe for $ 17.00. not scared,not paranoid,just getting cautious in my old age. jwr

 

[eric.cartman]

A combination of things:

1) My Dad raised me right in good old conservative values of liberty and personal responsibility.
2) My familly (and I) came to the USA from behind the iron curtain, where we were disarmed, and lived and loved practical socialism... from the lack of better choice that is
3) I was a fence sitter on the issue. I mean, I did shoot a lot of air guns as a kid, but that was it. A year ago, me and friends went camping to PA. Friend sugested we go to the range. OK, off we went... it took 7 shots out of 1911 to fall in love... i will NEVER forget the combination of rush/adrenaline/excitement/fear in every cell of my body, incredible feeling.
4) 82-yo Grandmom got jumped by 2 thugs: hit on the head, thrown down stairs, kicked in the ribs. Not gonna happen to me.
5) My wonderful wife is such a fragile and delicate creature, I KNOW I'm the only thing standing between her and all the EVIL in the world (yes, I very much believe in evil). Of course, she shoots too, and is in a process of getting her CCW

Yep, I think that's it. Oh wait, one more thing...

6) After 17 years spent vegatating, not living, in communism, the idea of controling people, and the concept that "someone knows what's better for me", ABSOLUTELLY TURNS MY STOMACH

 

[ZeSpectre]

Like Eric I spent a while as a fence sitter but then...

30 day crime summary..CCW suddenly feels more important

And this one
Affluent friends question desire for CCW in DC

Well, I think that about sums it up.

 

[Ala Dan]

Born in 1947, and living in a very low crime area until 1968 (21 yrs old) I saw
no need to even own a handgun; even thou I lived in the south during the
turbulent times of the early 60's. But, in '68 things seemed to have changed
somewhat; with violence becoming more prevalent every where you looked.
In December of '68, I got married; wanting protection for my wife, I bought
my first handgun during the summer of 1969.

Fast forward to 1994~! Still with the bride I took back in '68, on Oct. 13th
of 1994 she experienced a traumatic car-jacking in the driveway of our
home; with a firearm put too her head, a threat issued by the perp that went
kind'a like this: "If you throw them F- - K- - G keys away I will blow you GD
head off"~! Luckily, my wife was not harmed further; but lost the car
and all contents inside of it, including a Iver Johnson TP-22 with serail #
AE-23221.

The perp was arrested five days later (Oct. 18th) driving her vechile. He
was locked up in the county jail on Robbery 1st, and TOP 1st charges;
but it took over two years for this scumbag to go too court. Once the
case was handed to the jury, Roderick Lee Armstrong B/M AIS #175007
was given a sentence of 32 years in a State Of Alabama penal facilty.
Only yesterday (12-June-07), my family had too make a trip (at our own
expense) to the Alabama captiol town of Montgomery; in order to protest
the early release of this no good, carrer criminal scumbag. This was the
second visit that we have had to make; just to keep this perp locked up.
The good news is that they set him off for three more years (2010). Today,
( 13-June-07) the perp sits in the Bibb Correctional Facility.

The bad news is that far to many victims of violent crimes (for whatever
reason), refuse too appear before the State Of Alabama Pardons and
Parole Board to contest these violent criminals being released back into
society~!

So to answer your original question, HELL YES, I'm licensed to carry; and
I excercise that right 24-7, as do all the members of my household who
are of age (21) and licensed also.

 

[mavracer]

did you read in the paper yesterday the criminals turned themselves in and gave up their guns,well neither did I

 

[spencerhut]

California Transport Laws

Just going to a from 3-Gun matches with all the guns and ammo in my car could get me arrested before I got my CCW.
I'm very glad I have my CCW and now never leave home without Mr 1911 .38 Super, Mr. BHP .40S&W or, my very favorite, Mr. 1911 .45ACP. That or I say "Bah" when I step out the door. No kidding.

 

[ronto]

Why do I carry?

Because I have a Constitutional Right to do so (PERIOD)

 

[Cowboybootnut]

Nothing personally has happened to me to make me carry. I have been shooting handguns for the last 25 years, various makes and calibers. I did start for the CHL when it started in Texas in 1996, but I never completed it.

In 2006, before Christmas time, there was a fatal shooting in an office building, near to where I work. It was 5:30 pm, quiting time, and a lady was leaving her office to get in her car an go home. She was about 2 months from being a grandmother for the very first time. As she got out of the elevator to go out the building doorway, a young man tried to take her purse. She gave a slight resistance, untill the young man pulled a gun and fatally shot her in the head.

No Christmas, no grandmother.

It was captured on security camera. (Why do they use that term security camera, it just records the crime). At least they caught the suspect, and he is now waiting trial on capitol murder. If he is found guilty, I hope he burns in HELL.

She did what I do everyday, she just didn't make it home that night.

I signed up for the next CHL class. Now I carry. Perhaps if I would have been in her shoes, the story would have the same ending. But at least I would go down an armed victim

 

[flip180]

Getting pulled over by a motorcycle cop.

I was on my way home after buying a Kimber Stainless Compact. I stopped by my parents on the way to show my step father the pistol. I realized I was missing the take down tool that I needed to keep the recoil spring compressed to dismantle the gun. I called the gun store and, they said to come back and that they would give me one. I got pulled over on the way by a motorcycle cop. He hassled me and threatened to take me to jail. He ended up letting me go but, he seemed like a dick. I said to myself that I'll never go through that again and ended up getting my CHL soon after that. I have been carrying ever since and will always carry. Thank you Mr. Police Officer.

Flip.

 

[M2 Carbine]

In 1960 I became a city policeman.
Seeing first hand how inhuman a percentage of the population is I decided I would try to never be caught without a gun.

So for years before legal concealed carry my Wife and I at least had a gun in the cars.

The state finally getting legal concealed carry was nice.

 

[mpmarty]

Packed in the USMC '57 - 61, packed as a LEO 61-63, packed in SE Asia 64-66, came back here for a couple of years of R&R and wound up in the Watts Riots. I've carried ever since, and no, nothing bad ever happened to me, please define bad; I've got two artificial knees from injuries caused by agressive behavior of others and numerous other scars, is that "bad"?

 

[Sniper X]

Nothing happened to make me want to carry, except for the degredation of society. I really have allways carried some kind of weapon or another, and now having a lot of great guns to be able to carry, and a CCW I carry all the time. If I can't or don;t I feel naked and vulnerable, but only if in certain areas. I actually have a great hiding place in two of my vehicles I can "leave" a gun in permantly when driving it.

 

[MrTwigg]

Let's just say...

I like to be prepared.

I have a wife and son to protect.

I have homeowners insurance.
I have health insurance.
I have car insurance.
I have smoke alarms.
I have a spare tire.
I have some guns.

so I carry.

 

[CountGlockula]

Reasons...

Freedom as an American and my duty to protect my family/others from leathal threat.

 

[Hunter0924]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

[mljdeckard]

A few things to consider.

We, as Americans, as human beings, a parents, etc, often make statements such as: "I will do anything to protect my children." But these statements are often hyperbole, when most of us really mean; "I will do anything to protect my children as long as it isn't inconvenient or socially abnormal."

It's easy to say these things, but it's hard to stay in shape, stay informed, stay properly trained, stay aware of your surroundings, plan your life and your home with safety in mind. I regard carrying everywhere I am legally allowed to (which, at the moment means never, as I am in California temproarily,) because if you say you are always ready and able, you must back it up with action.

We as Americans have the right as human beings to self-defense. We have the right, protected my the constitution to bear arms to implement this right. When our leaders begin to perceive that there are some rights that are more important than others, that here are ways they can take some rights away and no one will care, if there are rights we don't have time to learn to understand, WE WILL LOSE THEM. I exercise ALL of my fundamental human rights. The police have no legal obligation to protect us as individuals, only society as a whole. We, as Americans, are legally expected to be our own first line of personal safety.

Since I have decided to carry, I have see situations which were a bit scary, but these aren't the reason I carry. You don't decide a fire extinguisher is a good idea AFTER you have a fire, or rather, you might, but it was ALWAYS a good idea, you just didn't realize it until AFTER it might have helped you.

I will not say "Society has become so bad" I decided to carry. When was that? When the Supreme Court decided that federal law supercedes states' sovereignity? When the slums of U.S. cities were so of opium addicts that commentators in the 19th century were certain our nation couldn't survive? When the Victorian era imposed artificial rules for sexuality which were dropped in the 20th century? This implies that there is a point at which it is expected I should cease to carry, since society has repaired itself, there is no more need to protect myself. As long as flesh and blood humans govern us and live among us, there is the eventuality that mistakes will be made, perceptions will be flawed, crimes will be committed, and rights will be violated. Indeed, the better society becomes, should we not trust each other more and more to protect ourselves and each other?

Legally speaking, you pretty much HAVE to carry at all times. Look at it from the prosecutor's point of view. If you tell him; "I could sense something bad was going to happen tonight, so I took my gun.", you are getting procesuted. The correct answer is not to get a gun, the correct answer is to avoid trouble when you sense it. But if your story is, "Something bad happened, and despite all my efforts to avoid trouble, I had no choice but to shoot him." this makes it "I was cornered and I had to shoot." rather than "I went and got my gun."

Does that make sense?

 

[Im283]

I carry as the law allows me too. It is my duty as a citizen to exercise my constitutional ammendments.

 

[peacemaker45]

Granddad told me to. I'm not kidding. He found out that I was working third shift at a gas station, just a stones throw from I-75, and that I was the only one there for eight hours a night. Gave me one of his pistols, bought me a shoulder rig for it, and told me to tote it. At first, I only carried at work, (circumstances that would justify a prudent man in going armed, according to the old Ohio Revised Code.) Then, when CCW came around, I got mine, and have been carrying ever since.

~~~Mat

 

[Eyesac]

Better to have one and not need it than.... you know.

Just a precaution like anything else. Same reason you probably have sun screen in your glove box down there in sunny San Diego, just in case...

 

[Eyesac]

+1 MrTwigg

Well said.