Why do you carry a gun in the first place

[george burns]

Habit, Fear, Knowledge of statistics that most folks aren't aware of. A bad experience earlier in life? Why do some of us feel the need and others think it's not necessary,? It's an honest question. I as one who does for many years can count the actual times that I either had good reason or need to pull mine, and all, 4 times could have used it, legally and had the right to use it and could have avoided that also without knowing the end result, if I could live with whatever happened next, which may have led to my death or that of others, it, and allowed fate to decide what happened . I lived in some rough places and got involved in some abnormal situations. Do we spend too much time preparing for things that will seldom if ever happen?
By the way the abnormal situation of which I speak, did not cause any of the situations where a firearm was needed, they were random acts like car jacking's and robbery's in my home. So predicting them was difficult, it is just part of your normal daily routine that gets upset by criminals.
I would feel naked leaving my home without a firearm, is that a sad take on where we have evolved and humanity in general I would love to never need to carry my gun again unless I was going target shooting.
If guns were never invented we probably would have been some other form of mechanical killing machine to go with the gunpowder that the Chinese invented along with spaghetti. This stuff has been around since the 12th century, funny it took as long as it did to really get the most out of it.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Hey George, I actually just started a thread about a month ago on this very topic and it went for a few pages. I'm including the link here in case you want to read it, or post your experience.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=782670

 

[ArmedOkie]

Do we spend too much time preparing for things that will seldom if ever happen?

Yes. Yes we (some people) do. If you live enveloped by fear of something or solely for the preparation of a disaster, why are you even living in the first place? People like that are either insane or lying to themselves and deep down just enjoy doing it- which is fine. A hobby or lifestyle you enjoy is all up to you. Have a ball!

I carry a gun because the government still lets me, for one. Second, I enjoy machinery (guns, cars, motorcycles, watches, computers, whatever else). It's some weird quirk about me, I guess.

I may need the gun, I may not, but I enjoy firearms and like having it with me. I doubt I will ever need it, but if I do I will be glad I have it. It's like a sexy fire extinguisher. Basically, I don't carry solely to defend myself, but because I really love the gun, think it's beautiful, and I like to have it around- it just happens to provide a very practical use in some emergency situations.

 

[Teachu2]

Trouble can arrive suddenly, with very little warning. The odds of being attacked are small, but the consequences can be lethal.

I've had occasion to need a handgun on half a dozen occasions in the last 40 years. None of those times gave me more than a minute to arm myself, and most were less than 20 seconds from the first indication of a situation developing until the need to be armed.

Life's too short to give it away.

 

[C0untZer0]

I'm in on this one early enough to be the first to say

"Because carrying a cop is too heavy"

 

[243winxb]

I'm 70, I forget where I put thing, so I always keep my snub nose in my pocket. A hunt fish permit was needed to take a revolver along. The concealed permit covered usage any time for anything. Seemed the best way to go.

 

[orionengnr]

I lived in CA for twenty years, and just outside Chicago for three more.
Moved to Texas in 2004 at almost 50 years of age.

Why do I carry a gun?
Because, at long last, I can.

 

[jlr1962]

I carry for the peace of mind, similar to driving with insurance on my vehicle. Apologies to those folks here that do not like to compare driving a car, to carrying a gun.

 

[Saw-Bones]

The odds are that you will never need a gun, but... It's not the odds, it's the stakes.

 

[Lord Teapot]

i don't think its sad, plenty of threats in this world other than humanity that a gun can protect you from, especially if you live in a state which has large areas of wilderness.

 

[SwaneeSR]

Once you get used to carry. It is kind of like driving a car without your seatbelt on. It feels like something is missing.

Before I began to carry I was not aware of my surroundings and the situations playing out around me. Now when I am pumping gas into my jeep, I am paying attention.

I guess I carry because it is my new normal.

 

[browningguy]

We do HAZOPS/HAZIDS for all of our projects at work. Self defense is one of those things that has a low probability but high consequence, so it's worth a little insurance.

 

[Boomer4570]

Unfortunately I had to learn the hard way , that this jar head is not bulletproof only bullet resistant. Receiving a 380 slug to the head for helping someone out was a real wake-up call. I have carried ever since.

 

[MedWheeler]

Some say they carries because they're permitted to ("because the government still lets me".) To me, that's hardly a reason, since there are many things we're still permitted to do that we don't necessarily do.

I carry for a couple of reasons. First and foremost is the obvious, that I am responsible for the safety of myself, my mate, and my offspring; it's a basic instinct. There is just enough risk in being out in public where I live, work, and play to know that we are not immune from attack.

The second is my background in law enforcement and, to some extent, my continued work in EMS. As a "sheepdog" by both trade and choice, I will likely be unable to resist evaluating for purposes of possible intervention any situation "going down" in my presence that may risk the safety of an innocent person.

(Whether or not I actually do intervene in such a situation would be based on that evaluation, and is not on thread-topic, so please leave it alone.)

 

[ritepath]

Because all lives matter.

 

[CajunBass]

I carry a gun mostly because I like having a gun with me. The older I get, the smaller and lighter the gun gets. I started off with a 1911, and now I'm down to a J-frame airweight.

I doubt I'll ever need it but it's there if I do.

 

[Spats McGee]

Just to reiterate what I said in a recent, very similar thread:

Several different factors come to mind.

1. I have a wife and daughter, both of whom I love dearly.
2. I'm a lawyer. We're not the most popular folks in town.
3. For about 3 years, I had my own firm. (Doing stuff other than civil rights defense.) That meant a lot of late nights and walking to my car alone downtown.
4. I'm no longer in private practice. I have many duties in my job, and one of them is civil rights defense lawyer. That means when the cops get sued, I defend them. In certain circles, that makes me even less popular.
5. I also prosecute (traffic court) as one of my duties. The police may put a guy in jail, but I'm the guy who tells the judge that he should stay there. (Yes, it really happens.)
6. I occasionally sue drug dealers.

 

[sfed]

There is no better feeling of security than having a firearm on your person for self protection. I honestly hope that I never have to use it, but, I would rather have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. In these times of high crime rates, there is the chance of needing it every time you walk out your door, I have left home without my cell phone but never once have I left without a firearm. Criminals today are much more violent as a whole than in years past, shootings happen every day and just a few years ago shootings were rare. Police involved shootings have tripled in the last few years. This was on the news here locally just last night, society is much more dangerous today. I find myself at the range more often practicing my draw/presentation to hone muscle memory with much more determination in getting better. I hope there are many more people doing the same thing. Our lives and our loved ones lives may depend on that split second improvement we get by the practice we do.

 

[manithree]

Do we spend too much time preparing for things that will seldom if ever happen?

Do I spend way way too much time and energy earning money to pay my life insurance premiums? Yep. Nearly 30 years now, every month. And my wife and 4 kids are worth it. Nothing will make me happier than to look back and have wasted every penny of it.

Some things you just do because it's the right thing, and not doing it is irresponsible. I like the quote "it's not about the odds, it's about the stakes."

 

[bannockburn]

As I'm sure it's been said many times before, I tend to think of CCW as I do of insurance: hope you never have to use it but great to have in case you need to.

 

[Fastlane]

I had a heart attack 18 months ago. I lost a lot of upper body strengh, so that and getting older 66 years old made me decide to carry more frequently then I used to.

 

[WestKentucky]

I carry because I'm a statistic. I also carry because I'm not a statistic. On one hand I am one of the many people in the world who rely too heavily on the government and infrastructure and I have as such lost part of my natural ability to fight, survive, etc which makes poor little Ol me a target for the people who don't live within the societal norms and behave appropriately. I carry because I am one of the millions of defenseless people walking the face of this planet...to some. Now on the other hand I am a gun packing cowboy looking for a fight, Im ready to overreact to small situations by using my weapon as a permanent solution to a temporary problem...at least to some. Most importantly I am a level headed American who has carried a weapon for the better part of a decade without incident. I am armed and ready to protect myself, my family, and my friends. I am one of a small percentage of the people who makes a would-be bad-guy think twice before attempting whatever foul deed he may be considering. Ladies and gentlemen I am a statistic.

I carry a gun because I am not one of those people totally reliant upon the government and the luxuries afforded to us by a modern, peaceful society. If I need help because somebody stole my truck then so be it, but if I need help because somebody wants to kill me I can respond in about 2 seconds where a police officer may take 500 times that long or more. I carry a gun because guns are not evil as the media makes them out to be. Only a few decades ago the vast majority of Americans relied upon a weapon as a vital part of their simple existence whether it was for getting dinner or for defensive purposes. Guns did not grow legs and gain cognitive ability to inflict harm to people for enjoyment. I am not one of those people who could live without a gun who chose not to understand them and are therefore blind to reality and ruled by fear of the unknown. Last but not least I am not simply a person wandering aimlessly through this world with no ties to anything or anyone. I am a person, I have a family, I have friends, I have coworkers, I am not simply a number that is spoken if something goes wrong. Ladies and gentlemen I am not a statistic.

 

[righteoushoot]

I carry because I do not intend on being a victim at someone else's choosing, if I can help it. That also extends to my family. I have seen in person the depravity of man, and what people are capable of doing to each other for the most trivial of reasons.

Reason and dialogue, contrary to our illustrious POTUS, have no affect on some. It's a last option.

The fact that it ticks off libs is just a little singing bonus.

 

[Hammer059]

"Because carrying a cop is too heavy"

^ You're ~8 times more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist. With over 500 Americans killed by police this year alone, I'd feel a lot safer handling a situation without law enforcement.

Anyway, the OP asks good questions. Personally, I've only ever pulled my gun in self-defense once…. and it was to take out a rabid raccoon (who was indeed later confirmed to have been rabid)

 

[Arkansas Paul]

bannockburn summed it up for me in post 20.

Even if the law didn't require it, I would still carry insurance on my autos, hoping to never have the occasion to use it.
I think of a gun the same way.

Yes the chances are slim that it will be necessary to draw it. But man, the consequences are just too great if the need does arise.