What made you carry?

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I agree with many reasons that have been given. For me it came down to being prepared. It sounds like a cliche', but the Scout motto is "Be Prepared" and like others have mentioned, having a concealed permit does a lot for me.

It makes me much more aware of what is going on around me and therefore much better prepared to deal with anything that may come my way.

I guess it is really the ultimate form of insurance. So often I hear people saying these things never happen and then out of the blue there is a robbery, mugging, shooting, assault, home invasion, or something else that hits our community and changes a few more peoples thoughts on the matter.

I don't know if any of you have followed the politician in Ohio, but he was staunch anti-gun until about a month ago when he was faced with a gun. Now he is finishing his gun training and is a firm believer in gun rights. It is too bad it takes situations like that to change people, I would rather be prepared because you never know what result will come from a situation.
 
Several reasons.

  • Free men carry whatever they wish.
  • Just about every place in Alaska is remote and help is whomever and whatever you have with you at the moment.
  • After a few years in LE, I've probably accumulated a few enemies in spite of treating everyone fairly and honestly.
  • Just because I want to and can.
 
Very high increases in violent crime, increase in gangs 40+ now, increase violent assults usually by 3+ BG's, and random drive by shootings. Long wait times for police after a felony crime, It's happening all over Franklin Co, OH.
Here's one example last night:

ON ABOVE DATE AND TIME VICTIMS REPORTED THAT 2 UNKNOWN SUSPECTS ENTERED THE ABOVE LISTED BUSINESS AND ASSAULTED AND ROBBED LISTED VICTIMS. V2 WAS ASSAULTED OUTSIDE OF THE BUSINESS. SUSPECTS WALKED AROUND THE SIDEWALK WITH BANDANNAS OVER THEIR FACES. AS THEY PASSED V2, THEY STATED WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT AND PUNCHED HIM IN THE FACE HITTING HIS GLASSES AND CUTTING BELOW HIS EYE REQUIRING STITCHES. V3 WAS ASSAULTED INSIDE OF THE BUSINESS AT THE FIRST POOL TABLE. S1 DEMANDED MONEY AND WHEN V3 DIDN'T PRODUCE ANY, HE WAS PUNCHED IN THE FACE. V4 WAS ORDERED ONTO THE GROUND AT THE FIRST POOL TABLE AND HAD LISTED PROPERTY STOLEN FROM HIM. V5 WAS WAS AT THE SECOND POOL TABLE AND WAS ASSAULTED AND ROBBED BY S2. V5 STATED THAT HE WAS STRUCK IN THE FACE 2 TIMES WITH AN AUTOMATIC HAND GUN OF SOME TYPE AND HAD LISTED PROPERTY TAKEN. AFTER THE ROBBERY, V5 CHASED THE SUSPECTS S/B BUT LOST THEM IN THE AREA SOMEWHERE BETWEEN E. 18TH AVE. AND E. 17TH AVE. V6 WAS A CREDIT CARD WHICH WAS IN POSESSION OF V5. V7 WAS IN THE BACK OF THE BUSINESS AND HAD LISTED PROPERTY TAKEN BY S2. V8 WAS IN THE BACK OF THE BUSINESS AND HAD LISTED PROPERTY TAKEN BY S2. W1 WAS THE BARTENDER AND WAS AT THE 2ND POOL TABLE. W2 STATED THAT HE HAD SEEN 2 M/B'S MATCHING THE SUSPECTS DISCRIPTIONS RUNNING S/B BETWEEN THE HOUSES ON E. 17TH AVE. DETECTIVES TOOK EVIDENCE FROM THE SCENE INCLUDING THE HARD DRIVE FROM THE VIDEO MONITORING SYSTEM, TAN BOOT FROM S2, AND BLACK AND WHITE HAT FROM S2.
 
I like to take walks in the evening and eventhough they are in a very nice area I find that some very bad people like to drive around in nice areas looking for "opportunities".

This is why I began carrying and now I just do it all the time.
 
I don't want to be someplace and a lunatic walk in and start shooting everyone, including me, and not have some means of trying do stop him. Who is responsible for protecting my family, me or someone else? The amendment wasn't put into the Constitution without a reason, and it applies today same as when it was added.
 
If a right is taken away from us in a forest, and nobody was there to exercise it, does it make a sound?
 
1. My wife and I are trying to have a child. With all of the things you see in the news happening to pregnant women, it just seemed like a good call.
2. I have been a target for car jackings 2 times. One time I stomped the gas and got away, the 2nd time I had my pistol in the car. I saw the guy crouching/heading up to my window in the side mirror at a gas station. I grabbed me 9mm and put it in my lap. The guy got to the window and popped up, saw the gun in my hand, did a little dip and walked off really fast, jumped into a car with 3 other guys and flew out of there.
3. The town I live in has gone to crap. Home invasions and everything getting robbed.
 
Well the reason i carry all my life,i was somewhat involved in weapons.My dad
had a tommy gun,as we grew up in chicago,all my life i heard that there is one thing as boys in this house we will do is obey the law,and join the military. its our patrot duty,so as i got older after a (jar-head) was in the house,I became a us army airborne soldier.Of course the military introduced me to all types of weapons,aside from the m-16,m16a1(there was the 1911,
there was armor school,there was 50.cal ,Shotgun,ak-47,granade,making granadesEtc.so when i got out i just wanted to keep carring a weapon,so i got my chp Since 2000 ive always carried a weapon on me or in my car.Times
have gotten bad,and people are not what they were in the early 80's so I pray everyday have faith and carry my weapon for the ones who don't fear
The ALLMIGHTY GOD/and have no value on life.I tell people this is who the weapons are for the ones who realy don't fear what god will do to them,and the ones who just don't care
 
Ever since MO passed the CCW law I have carried b/c I do not want my family or myself to become a victim of violent crime or at the very least be at their mercy. And I will carry whether I live in the metro or finally move 45+ miles out to the sticks.
 
When I was 16 I saw a big drunk guy beat the hell out of his girlfriend in the middle of the street. It made an impact on me, I couldn't do anything, I was depressed after that happened because I didn't help that lady.

I rarely carry but I will never pass up somebody that can use my help again.
 
why shouldnt you carry a concealed handgun on your person? A sane man can easily reply with "why would you NOT carry a few condoms along on a trip to your GF's house when no one else will be there for the weekend?"

But seriously, to many sickos running around in society. Like here in west michigan this month, a 13 year old sexual predator made the news when he sexually assaoulted a grown woman. Sure the kid has a long rap sheet, but because of the legal system, he can be out by age 21 to rape and commmit other sex crimes because when hes 21 he will way more then his current 90 pounds.

or look at it this way, what do you want with you when your going in your garden and you suddenly have 2 pitbulls from down the road growling at you on your own land? a stick or a nice 38 revolver?
 
It was a twofold process for me. Seeing reports of violent crime spilling over into places once concidered "safe" neighborhoods got me thinking. What spurred my thought was an ethical quandry similar to what Pax described. If I was not willing to fight to protect my own life, how could I ask an officer to risk his life for mine?

That ethical question opened the door to what true liberty really means. It's eloquently stated in Jeffrey Snyder's dissertation - "A Nation of Cowards". Beautifully written, very relevant, HIGHLY recommended reading. The part that solidified my decision was this snippet on the nature of crime:

"Crime is not only a complete disavowal of the social contract, but also a commandeering of the victim's person and liberty. If the individual's dignity lies in the fact that he is a moral agent engaging in actions of his own will, in free exchange with others, then crime always violates the victim's dignity. It is, in fact, an act of enslavement. Your wallet, your purse, or your car may not be worth your life, but your dignity is; and if it is not worth fighting for, it can hardly be said to exist."



You can find the full text here: http://www.rkba.org/comment/cowards.html
 
Since carrying where I am currently stationed would land me a Turkish Jail, I compromise my need for my little friend on my side. I am speaking from experience when I say that you don't miss a right until you are no longer able to exercise it at all. I am not even allowed to have a handgun in my home for self defense.

I truly cannot wait until my feet hit US soil again in Jan 09.
 
In middle school and the beginning of high school I was pretty anti-gun just because one of my teachers taught me that way, then I didn't really think about guns at all until I was turning 21. I don't drink, but wanted to do something to mark my 21st birthday. I found that 21 year olds can have concealed pistol licenses, but 20 year olds cannot. So, I went to the range and fired some handgun rentals (first time ever shooting a handgun). Later that day I got my concealed pistol license.

Aside from discovering that I very much enjoy shooting, I also felt something more profound when I handled guns. I never thought about rights or freedom before then, but just the simple act of handling handguns prompted me to think about those things. Suddenly they became very important to me. I really do feel like holding that gun changed the way I thought.

When I turned 21, I didn't know much about Thomas Jefferson other than that he was an early president. By the time I turned 22, I considered him the man I most admired. I'm 24 now, by the way.

Every day I think about rights and freedom. My favorite hobby is taking first time shooters to the range, always hoping that guns will have the same effect on them as they did on me. One of Jefferson's passages describes this effect:

"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind."
 
For me, I have just always had a firearms attraction. I love to touch them, look at them and shoot them. I spent most of my younger years and early adult life in California as was not able to carry there. When I moved to Texas, I got my CHL and havent looked back.

Yes, I do carry for the obvious reasons of personal safety for myself and my family. They count on me to take care of them and I never like to let people down.
 
One day, after about 6 months of wearing this stupid gray uniform, I was handed a shiny, silver piece of shield shaped metal that had a 5 digit number on it and said "City of New York Police". Ever since then not a day has passed that I haven't carried a gun.
 
Lurked long enough here, this question made me want to reply. Grew up with guns, always had them, never carried even in AZ where I could have opened carried. Then one day my sons and I were getting ready to leave the house, I needed to make a "pit stop" and the boys wanted to wait outside in the van, 20 feet from my door. This time for some reason I said no wait for me. When we walked out the door two minutes later the police had just cornered a BG across the street and were yelling at him to put down his weapon. I scooped up the kids and went back inside. Minutes later the BG was down and cuffed. I realized if I had let my boys wait outside they would have been right next to this, and would the BG have wanted a couple of little hostages? What if the police had been a little slower and the boys and I where there, would the BG have tried to carjack us and what could I have done to protect my family... run back inside and arm myself then run back outside? That is when I realized I need to be better prepared to protect against any situation. I always carried a cell phone, toolbox, AAA card, and fire extinguisher in the car, was even well respected at work for my ability to "mcgyver" anything with my Swiss army knife. Now I wear a Glock or 1911. Even at work it is with me, with full approval from the boss. Especially after his family was threatened. He trusted me enough that when the situation arose he requested that if this person ever came on the premises that that I would do whatver was needed to stop the BG. Carrying is a BIG responsibilty, so is protecting my family.
 
Little Rock, Arkansas, 2005 crime statistics - 22.1 murders per 100,000, national average is 6.9. Robbery - 462.7 per 100,000, national average is 195.4. That's why I carry.

I will not be a victim, I will not be a statistic. I'm responsible for my own safety, and the safety of my family.
 
Bears,big hairy bears with lots of sharp
teeth, i started carrying when we would
be in the outdoors around fairbanks alaska.
I would carry a 4" S&W M-28 and a
mossberg 500A in 12 gauge.After moving
to arizona it became a matter of personal
safety that you can't get from calling 911.
 
I have several stories I could share. Why it took so long for them to sink in, I'm not sure.

HS friend shot in belly by disgruntled worker. - survived
Aunt called in sick the night a Vietnam vet killed 13 people in the bar she worked. - talk about lucky day
Family friend shot by crazy land owner - dead

You don't schedule emergencies, you prepare for them.

jeepmor
 
I agree with most of what everyone else put and so many of the situations you guys have described is why my wife and I are taking CHL course this weekend. I have witnessed a handful of crimes but thankfully nothing has happened to us directly, but basically it comes down to the fact that there are people out there with absolutely no respect for human life, and if myself or someone I care about is ever confronted with one of those individuals, I'm not going to be a helpless victim of some stupid criminal.
 
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