What Made You Decide To Carry?

[3KillerBs]

Just think of the difference it would make if only 1/4 of the population carried?! It wouldn't prevent every possible attack, no. But it would complicate the bad guy's planning terribly, and it would also I think put a real curb on criminal violence knowing there were a lot more privately armed citizens out there.

I've come up with a line I've used a few times, ...

Instead of imagining a world without guns how about imagining a world without helpless victims?

 

[hardhit777]

Almost 3 years ago i was friends with... lets just call them the "wrong crowd," i was pretty much the only strait laced person in this group. They we firm believers in "recreational drug use" i was not and have never been. Not against it just not my cup of tea. Any way, i was 3 years out of high school in college and trying to get buy. My friend (high school Ex) and here husband were caring for her terminally ill father. He apparently was not going to leave here what she thought was her share of his wealth. She called me one night and asked me to bring a friend out to her house. i knew something was up from the tone of her voice, but did not know to what extent, just a gut feeling. I declined mostly because i lived 20 miles away and had no gas in my truck. I get home from class the next day to learn her parents had been murdered. Red flags and flashing light go off in my head. I have a nice sit down with local LEOs and GBI that night. The next day her, her husband, and another friend are arrested for the murders of her father and step mother.
Her and the other guy have just recently plead out to life with out parole her husband is fighting the charges but, he is facing the needle if he goes through with the trial. I learned 2 very important lessons from this,1. You never know what someone is capable of, until its to late, and 2, always be prepared for anything. I turned 21 shortly before this happened. The next day after i had the talk with the LEO's i applied for my CCP Since i have received it i have not gone anywhere with out the means to defend myself. This incident was a wake up call to me. I am less trusting and always aware of my surroundings. It was not a fun thing to go through. I really dont recommend it to anyone.

HH

 

[B yond]

I saw a man shortly (like less than an hour) after being attacked by a mountain lion in on a trail I'd been on with my wife and baby a week before. He looked like he'd been chewed up and spit out.

I'm not the type to stay home and not enjoy the great outdoors because I'm afraid of the critters, and I was already an avid shooter, so I got my permit. Now I can take my family out without worrying about four- (or two-) legged predators coming after us because I'm prepared to handle the situation.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

 

[Zedicus]

Oregon law has another interesting quirk -- "Handguns carried visibly on the belt (IWB or OWB) are not considered "concealed" for purposes of requiring a CCW. Most LEO's consider that if you have an open coat over the gun on the belt that it's not considered "concealed." (Which can cut both ways if open carry is banned locally.)

As a Member of Opencarry.org I know for a fact that OR Open Carry must be unloaded unless you have a OR CWP, something I plan to apply for soon.

 

[jrfoxx]

As a Member of Opencarry.org I know for a fact that OR Open Carry must be unloaded unless you have a OR CWP, something I plan to apply for soon.

I assure you that is NOT true.Please site the Oregon law that states that.
If Opencarry.org is stating this on thier site, they are incorrect.




ETA:here is opencarry.org's link to OR carry laws.I dont see anything like what you are saying (they have a BUNCH of info thats easy to find missing though, wierd).
http://opencarry.org/or.html

There are 6 cities in OR where OC is illegal unless you have a permit, every other place in the state, OC is 100% legal with no permit. I think the problem is that you are misunderstanding what they are saying. In OR, we have state premption for firearms carry, but it only applies to people with an OR CHL, so some places made OC ilegal without a permit (concealed carry without a permit is illegal under state law already),however, the vast majority of OR cites, counties, etc have no such law, and no such state law banning OC exists, so OC with a loaded gun in all but those 6 cities, is 100% legal.

Even here in Eugene (second largest city in OR, pop. 150,000+, ULTA-liberal, home of OSU and a TON of new and old hippies ) there is no law against OC without a permit, and the city police and Co. Sheriff's office are completely aware of it, and will even tell you that over the phone (I know, they both admitted it to me without hesitation, and said they could care less if people do it, as it's 100% legal).

I OC in Eugene regularly, even right downtown next to the police and sheriff's office at the library, and no one has ever said a word, cops included, asked to see my license, or even given me a second look.I was directly ahead of 2 cops in line at the store last weekend and they didnt even stare, or say a word to me. One would think that if OC of a loaded gun without a permit were ilegal, they would have asked to see my permit, right? I'm sure it's not like they didnt notice the full size 1911 at my 3 o'clock in my big Uncle Mikes OWB retention strap holster.They'd have be be blind.

 

[Treo]

I appreciate the time you have all taken to participate in this thread. I see that we have more similarities than differences

 

[M1 Shooter]

I grew up shooting, at least during the summer, since my parents didn't have any firearms in the home(my mother believed the old lie about a gun in the home being more likely to injure or kill a family member, but she now knows better). I spent my summers with my Grandparents in Montana. My Grandpa started me out with an old single shot .22 rifle when I was 5. He himself regularly carried either a S&W .38 or a Walther PPK .32 that he "liberated" during WWII. So to me, it just seemed like it was just something that men do. He had always explained to me that they were for protection.

Of course when I got older, I realized it wasn't as common and normal as I thought it was when I was growing up, but it was still something I wanted. I got my CPL as soon as I turned 21, and carried for awhile, but not all the time. That changed after I was held up at gunpoint while working the graveyard shift at a gas station.

After that, I said "Company policy be damned, I'm carrying all the time!" I have carried pretty much every day since. The only exceptions have been when I was visiting a state that doesn't have reciprocity with my state.

 

[JKimball]

Before I got a permit, I kept an SKS and a handgun in my truck. One night I had a dream that I was in a restraunt with some friends and a robber came in with a gun and started threatening people. I felt like my truck out in the parking lot was awfully far away. I got my permit pretty soon thereafter.

 

[Madison_ultralight]

Nothing really made the decision for me. I happened to acquire a pistol from a friend and I decided that I was going to carry it in self defense. I guess I carry it for the same reason as I carry my pocket knife, or the fire extinguisher in my cars, or I wear my seatbelt. So I can say "I hope I don't need it" instead of "I wish I had it"

 

[Joemyxplyx]

My wife and I rehab and rent houses. We were working on a duplex in a particularly bad section of town - lot of open drug use.

We had a couple of mortgage bankers looking at the house when one of the drug dealers from 3 doors down came running down the alley behind our duplex with an AK47. He loosed one shot in the air behind him. Then one shot in the ground behind him.

We called the police. There was a helicopter overhead in a couple of minutes and a patrol car there in 5 more minutes. The police said they couldn't go in the dealer's house to get him without a warrant.

We went to the next gun show and got a 38 snubby for the wife and a 10 shot MilPro 145 .45 for me. We got the CCW's a few weeks later.

 

[bowl443]

I have a small penis that I feel I need to compensate for, I'm a wannabe cop, I'm scared, I'm paranoid, and it makes me feel like a big man.

A few reasons why:

I got married and had to deal with a mental Father-in-Law...

I moved out to the city from the country...

The birth of my first child...

I'm in Texas, so I'm supposed to, right?

 

[Rokyudai]

I cannot recall a single event that prompted me to carry. Being raised with a deep respect for law and order and learning countless life lessons from a father who served his community and country 3 times during his lifetime (Vietnam/Army, Airforce Nat'l Guard/thankfully not activated during any of the wars between Desert Storm and his retirement, while simultaneously serving his community as a LEO until retiring from that as well, it just seemed like a natural progression in life for me to take advantage of a valuable right.

I have always been around firearms, their presence around me is as natural as forks and spoons. My father always made sure that we understood the need for safety and personal responsibility. Till this day, the "There is no such thing as oops" speech is a staple amongst any who ask us for help in learning about firearms or going out shooting. When I became eligible to carry, I exercised that right. I knew way back then that even though the police were likely almost always seconds away on account of my father's connection to the LEO community, we could never substitute that for taking the responsibility on ourselves to protect our own. He was the type that refused the "freebees", always thanked them but left the money on the counter just the same.

 

[enfield303]

I got my permit as soon as I moved to a county where the Sherrif was cool about people in the county going armed. I will NEVER move back as long as that guy is in office. the prick is running unopposed in this year's election. AGAIN.

 

[Rokyudai]

Do you mean Enfield that he was "not" cool about people going armed?

 

[Zwetschgen]

Why?

I started because I've never been a big guy. It's nearly impossible to win a fight withy 2 older brothers, so you take your licks, try to talk them out of it, and later on decide, if someone was going to beat me up, it would not be hard for them. I believe weapons, firearms specifically are a "great equalizer."

 

[LightningJoe]

Actually, I don't know. I've answered this question different ways at different times.


I went many years with no gun at all and got through a number of self-defense situations in which I could have benefitted from a gun. This never seemed to be a problem for me. But now I carry a gun every day. I guess it's mainly just principle. Same reason I vote, I suppose.

 

[TehK1w1]

There's no one event or reason for me, I just grew up around longguns and a few years back I really started getting interested in them and how they work. I got my first handgun, and it just seemed natural to get a license so I could carry it around with me. In the last year or so, Houston's crime rate has risen so much that I'm starting to get a bit more serious about it.

 

[preachnhunt]

I worked as a chaplain at the state prison during seminary and had many opportunities to talk with all sorts of criminals. I learned that there really are some who will victimize you and your loved ones if they sense the slightest opportunity.

 

[CHEVELLE427]

i have always had a gun in the truck/car for as long as i can remember. FL you can do that.

started concealed when


GUN CRIMES WERE GETTING MORE COMMON AND THE BAD GUYS WERE GETTING BOLDER.

this is when i decided.


IF/WHEN SHTF I WAS NOT GOING TO GET SHOT FOR FREE.

 

[MD_Willington]

Well, just look at all the posts regarding people being shot in Church...

Well over in Moscow Idaho where we go to church, Jason Hamilton shoots up the Latah County court house and the church across the way...

And the Latah County Sheriff dept. had the audacity to email me back regarding checking my morals as to why I'd carry in church.

but that is in the past now... about the only thing I can carry is a chip on my shoulder and a song in my heart....

 

[Defensory]

The eight main reasons:

Former co-worker was found murdered in his apartment. Not drug related.

Former female co-worker shot and killed a man in self-defense after being attacked.

Former co-worker, along with his wife and mother-in-law, were robbed at gunpoint in his driveway. He lives in a "nice" middle class neighborhood.

Former co-worker was shot during an attempted carjacking. He still has a hollow point bullet in his leg. Not drug related.

Co-worker's oldest son (and first born child) was killed in a home invasion at the son's apartment. Not drug related.

Co-worker's home in a "nice" middle class neighborhood was burglarized when he was out one day. Expensive ADT alarm system didn't do anything.

I follow news and current events closely---internet, TV, radio and newspapers. Google phrases like "killed in home invasion" and "killed during home invasion" (without the quotation marks) for further information.

I'm not as young as I once was, and understand my limitations.

 

[Ivy Mike]

I started carrying after an attempted robbery at a gas station. The guy was walking a bit too quickly toward me while I was pumping gas. As he got closer, I see him draw a knife from his pocket. I did my best to circle the car and keep it between us until I could improve my position and make a run for the front door of the station. I did make a break for it but the baddie saw it coming and was right behind me.
I pivoted on my foot and delivered a punch to his right shoulder although it was intended for his face. Perhaps it was lucky I hit the shoulder as he never brought the knife up. Anyway, he runs into me and we both fall to the ground. After a very brief struggle, some woman starts shouting and yells POLICE POLICE!!!! a few times. The crook tried to get up and run off but I kicked at his legs and managed to stop him from getting to his feet.
At that point I scrambled on top of his back, grabbed his wrists and sat there until the cops arrived.

I realized then that a gun would have been a much more convincing tool than a mistimed punch and some improvised wrestling move.

 

[UKTN]

911 I realized that if good people were allowed to carry on a plane it would never have happened. Bad guy gets up 10 people point their guns at him he sits down!! I know its extreme but my thought was if it works in that situation it would work in others.

 

[stew38]

I'm 70 years old and not as tuff as i was then i was young.

 

[esq_stu]

A shall issue law was passed and signed into law by a Republican governor. Due to term limits, he did not run for re-election. The front runner in the next election was a Democrat (and she won).

I then decided to get a CPL, get grandfathered, use it, or lose it. I never really considered getting a CPL until then. It was all politics.