When did it all start.

In my case it was because My family and I had tomove into Navy housing as no affordable housing was available on the economy. If you don't know Military housing is often in bad areas with high crime with military considered to be a target rich invironment for the thieves and druggies.
I kept a gun next to ever door and worked out family response to code words for danger. We also had a procedure from moving from car to house.
As a result of these conditions I became something of an expert on home defence and dealing with the dregs of society.
We were lucky and never had a problem but I responded to other residents that were targeted and even spent night's at friends house when they felt threatened.

I've always been concerned with personal defense to some degree but in the past few years I have increased my awareness and view my surroundings a bit more critcally. I live in the country with houses nearby, none within eyesight of each other. In this area the crime rate is low but not non-existant, 20 miles to either side of are larger cities with what seems to be significantly higher crime rates or so the newspaper reporting would indicate. In recent years the number of incidents of young women being abducted, raped, killed and left in fields or on the roadside has increased dramaticaly. Both cities report random shootings, gang/drug related violence etc. In other words, normal for this day and age.

considering my boring lifestyle I don't believe I would be targeted by some of these criminals for anything but I do believe an act of random violence could happen. A break-in believing the homeowner is not home, robbery, crime of opportunity or whatever.

And I am sure that all those people attacked, kidnapped, raped, robbed and murdered in the local area felt they would never be in that sort of situation either.

Serious trouble comes uninvited and I just want to be able to respond in an appropriate and timely manner such that I and mine survive to tell the tale.

Came home from Iraq, then figured it would be silly to die for lack of a tool when I had the training.

Years ago, back in the mid 90's, I worked as a psych tech at my local hospital while attending college. There was one patient, seriously anti-social, who, when denied a cigarette break for unseemly behavior, threatened to "skull-****" my then wife and 2 year old daughter. I took it seriously because he lived about 2 blocks from my apartment. The next day, I bought a S&W 457 for myself, and a .380 for the wife.

I've been armed ever since.

As for the patient, I reported his threat to the attending psychiatrist, and he immediately sent the patient to the state hospital.

For me it was my eyes opening when the "Patriot Act" was passed.

So my question is how did you become interested in personal and home defense? Was it a single event such as a break in? Or was it a gradual building that brought you to where you are now.

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As an individual I’d say the Rodney King Riot was the conformation of a suspicion. As a society I think we’ve been moving this way since the 60’s.

Mine was gradual from childhood.

I decided a long time ago to never allow myself or my loved ones to be at the mercy of someone who has renounced their place in the civilized world.

"Mine was gradual from childhood.

I decided a long time ago to never allow myself or my loved ones to be at the mercy of someone who has renounced their place in the civilized world."

Translation: 9/11 and subsequent events.

+1 stu454

It wasn't a major incident, but rather a few minor ones and a lot of news consumption. I was only 13 or so when I decided that I was capable of defending the home front if necessary.

Gritacular,

I was wearing guns and taking training a long time before 9/11. About 20 years prior.

Work on your analytical skills and/or your ESP and check back in later.

I was about 8 back in the 50s when we lived in the country. Car pulled up (52 Chevy) across the road and three guys pulled out a fourth and started beating him with hammers. Dad went out front and they came after him. Mom went the other way and got dad's winchester. She locked herself into the frame of the front door with a bead on the guy closest to dad. They threw the guy back in the car and left. My father was a Ranger, and mom was a child of the depression, she was tough, mighty tough. Sheriff took over an hour to get there.

blindhari

I'm REALLY new to this arena. Look at my join date here and that will tell you about when I began to get really serious about SD.

It really began within the last year or so when camping way out in the boonies. I began to think about animal attacks on my two small children. I knew what the consequences could be because I had read several books on the subject as a teenager. After a cat the size of a 50 lb dog showed at the edge of the woods at my in-laws' place, I told my wife that I thought it would be good to get a gun for defense while camping/hiking. She agreed.

Around the time I joined here, I began working for a retired sheriff's deputy. He had seen a few things in his 29 years serving this county that really confirmed that I have more to worry about from two-legged predators than I had ever thought.

Then I was threatened by a neighbor of a customer that he was going to "put a hole" in one of my tires if I went too fast by his house. I had ZERO cell service out there. I reported it to the sheriff's dept. and got blown off. That was the last straw. I now carry as much as possible. I really didn't think there would be a problem, but better prepared than surprised.

Then my wife's cousin's fiancee' was carjacked and had to jump out to survive.
It just all adds up to seeing what is really out there.

For me it has happened over a fairly short period. One of my brothers has been a 100% carry guy (where it is legal of course) for years and he introduced me to this page. I am very thankful to him.

For many years I never thought I would be carrying daily.

I'm definitely working on the mindset, skillset stuff and yes the toolset comes very easily. No guarantee, but better than laying down.

Thank-you to all the very knowledgeable people here who make this site so valuable.

i grew up in pg county md started carrying in high school

Around 1975-76 when I was 13 and givin a brand new 870.

stu454

eh, worth a shot.

My family have owned resturaunts for the past 12 years or so.
A while back, what convinced me (among other things), was when my Dad was nearly beaten to death by a baseball bat wielded by some *extremely nonhighroad terms* guy.
Why? Because my Dad was guilty of leaving work for home after a day's honest work and was carrying a briefcase, one that only had some paperwork and reciepts.

He was lucky in that he was able to fight off the guy but unlucky in the fact that afterwards he was so beaten and bruised he only just managed to crawl back inside and get the adjoined hotel's manager to call for help. He's still suffering from some of the afteraffects and this happened when I was in middleschool, more than 8 years ago now.

After that happened, I have to admit I was scared and confused out of my mind. But, as time went along something changed where a new feeling developed. Eventually it developed into the sense that no matter what happened I wasn't ever going to go down because I didn't fight and that nothing was going harmed my loved ones if I could help it.

Been that way ever since.

whatever year "RED DAWN" came out

As a puny kid in grade school I got tired of being bullied.
Semper Fi

When I came back from Afghanistan, a place where I was literally never unarmed, I figured why not extend that preparedness back here where it can be just as dangerous at times.

I was threatened by a neighbor...that he was going to "put a hole" in one of my tires if I went too fast by his house.

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GGriff:
It is possible you were driving considerately and at a reasonable speed through a residential area - and the neighbor is simply nuts. It is also possible you were driving excessively fast in an area with no sidewalks where his children or elderly parents must walk, and and he believed you were endangering them.

Along with your recent awareness of the benefits of being armed, I hope you have also considered the premise that "An armed society is a polite society".

Armed or not, we have a responsibility to consider the effects of our behavior on others and to avoid conflict - even at the cost of some inconvenience or loss of face.

Please excuse the "lecture".

Ironically, the turning point in my decision to arm myself was also triggered by an incident similar to yours. However, I was on the opposite side of the dispute.

A guy in a truck came flying through our sidewalk-less neighborhood at excessive speeds. After clipping off the side mirror of a parked car, he went flying by me and my dog.

I raised both hands palm down and pumped them up and down in a "slow down" gesture. His response was to back 400 feet - uphill - as fast he could go in reverse and screech to a stop 10 feet from where I stood in my driveway.

He menacingly snarled, "Wha'd you say?"...to which I truthfully replied, "Nothin.''..."You better not!" he growled.

My thought at the time was that if he didn't like my reply, he could have easily jumped out and beat my unarmed ass to a pulp. Then he sped away.

The two things I learned from this (and a few other incidents) was:

1) Carry a firearm to protect myself and loved ones from unreasonable and violent people.

2) Do NOT try to correct the behavior of unreasonable and violent people.

Katrina did it for me. I was a military brat and around guns all my childhood. learned to shoot in the Boyscouts. Never really thought about owning one with as unstable and unsecure my life had been. Settlled down in adulthood. Eventually my wife and I bought a house and when Katrina went down I realized how fast things could go to heck. I realized I needed to be responsible for the protection of my family and property.

I bought a shotgun from a friend, then an SKS and then collector gene kicked in and I was dooooomed. Now I have Mil surp stuff for fun and long term value as well as modern stuff for defense.

When did it all start

I've kept a .45acp or 9mm or 38spl for home defense for the past 30 years. Never needed to dust off any of 'em for possible use. I started carrying two years ago and keeping a loaded 9mm in my vehicle at the same time.

I'm just a few short miles from the border. Maybe some of you have heard the news reports about the drug cartel violence along the Mexican side. I don't intend to be a helpless victim if some of that stuff breaks loose near me. I'm not in any kind of high risk job or engaged in any activity that would draw attention, but sometimes all it takes to become a target is to be driving a vehicle that's similar to the one the narcotraficantes are looking for.

They're indiscriminate about things like that.

Heck, I carry just 'cause I'm just bitter and cling to my guns and my Bible!
Also, it has been a gradual process for me, tempered with paranoia(healthy, I think), self preservation and common sense. Bad people find good people. The police( God bless you ALL!) show up mostly after the bad people have done their work. That is just the nature of most crimes.
A short while after I got my permit last August, two fools held up the pawn shop across the driveway from where I work sometimes. A bystander who was in the shop tried to flee. He was shot as he was going out the door, and later died. That cinched it. I needed no more justification to carry. It may be more likely that I'll be killed by a chunk of frozen doodie falling from an airplane, than ever having to even reach for my pistol. But darn it, I think every sane, competent American should have the means to preserve their life, and the lives of those dear to them.

You'd have to ask my dad. I've been around a security conscious mind set my whole life. I had my own dojo in college, and my dad kindly put me through LFI when I was still in school.

Not much has changed since then, save for the fact that I am older, fatter, and less flexible, I can afford better sidearms, and Mas sold LFI.

Oh, and we have the Internet...