I carry because....

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mugsie

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After reading numerous threads, in not only this forum, but in several others as well, I felt I needed to put my two cents "on paper" (does anyone do that anymore? write on paper - why did I learn cursive in the first place?!).

I carry - always. I live in a great neighborhood - voted one of the top 5 in the US. Safe - sure. Doors unlocked at night - yup - when I forget to lock them. So why carry.

Well, prior to living here in PA, I lived in NY. Terrible neighborhood. Gangs, such as MS13 all over. Black and white distrust constantly. Black and hispanic hatred. Couldn't walk the streets at night. Neighboorhood began running down when the absentee landloards moved in. Welfare types took over - ruin the house, no problem - govt will get em' a new one. Being in NY - I couldn't carry. Only politicians could carry. Then needed to protect themselves. Me? The common folk? I was expendible.

Moved to PA. got a carry license and now I carry full time. Why? When I live in such a pristine area with virtually no crime to speak of? Because one never knows when some idiot is going to put my life, the lives of the ones I love, or my fellow citizens in jeopardy. I'm prepared to defend myself and others should the need ever arise. I hope I go through my entire life without ever having to remove my gun from my holster in anger, but should that day arrive, I am prepared to do so.

So why do I carry? Other than because I can - well, to me, being a good citizen means taking responsibility for myself and my neighbors. I carry because men who walked before me gave up their very lives to grant me that right, and I will not let them down. I will do everything in my power to defend that right, and I will be a good citizen.

Thanks why I carry.

Why do you carry?
 
Because I can, and I like guns. I like motorcycles, so I ride them I like guns so I carry them.

They also have the added benefit of providing personal protection, just like the motorcycle has the added benefit of transportation. Very similar.
 
...a gun is lighter than a policeman, more effective than a sharp stick, and the State allows me so I choose to exercise that right and freedom.

My wife does not understand and disapproves, but tolerates it. I hope and pray I never have to show her, first hand, why I carry it.

Q
 
I began carrying because I live in one of the most dangerous cities in the United States (statistically). I was never into guns, but I was never Anti. I began to notice crime in the local area raise and got my first handgun to protect my house and the others inside. began shooting and found a new passion. The CCW was a natural progression and since I have had it I feel much safer going out places. I still look over my shoulder and avoid the scenarios that would advocate becoming a victim, but I now feel better about taking the trash out at night. Also, since the wife got one (same time) I personally feel better about her going out with friends, getting stuck on the highway, etc when I am not there.

Also, It's our right as Law Abiding Citizens
 
My wife does not understand and disapproves, but tolerates it.
Click to expand...

My wife felt the same for the first 20 years of our marriage. About two years ago, she said, "I need to get my permit." She now carries everywhere it's legal.
 
I carry because there are a lot of other people out there with guns too (including criminals of course) and I don't want to be at a disadvantage :D
 
There are a couple of ways to look at it. Where you live now may well be relatively safer, but you have absolutely no idea when a bad event will happen. Remember the ghoul who did the mass homicide in the Amish school a few years ago. There always exists the possibility that someone will do something horrific simply BECAUSE the setting is so perfect it must be destroyed.

In my hometown, we not only didn't lock our doors, once my family left town for an extended period and when we got back, I had to break in because we had absolutely no idea where the key was. (Neither me nor my parents still live that way.) Since I moved, that town has enacted a mandatory firearms ownership policy, but it was superfluous. Everyone already had a gun anyway, even the hemp-wearing tree huggers. I do not believe that the presence or absence of guns causes or prevents crime, but at the same time, one must acknowledge that people are a lot more civil in an armed environment.

I carry because I have made a decision that I am responsible for my own safety. This is a philosophy that extends beyond safety. I don't rely on banks for my retirement, I don't rely on paramedics to keep my kids from getting injured, I don't rely on firement to prevent a fire in my house, I don't rely on the government to take the lead in finishing my education and improving my career options, I don't rely on the school system to teach my kids the fundamental things they must know to survive in and improve society, SO THEN, why would I possibly rely on the police to protect me from bad things happening to me?

I carry because a cop won't fit in my pocket. Even if there WERE enough cops that one could follow me 24-7, I wouldn't want them to.
 
I have fire extinguishers in my home and I know how to use them. I hope I never need them, but if I do I want them to be handy.

Not an original analogy, but it works.
 
The anti-gun crowd needs to read a thread like this.

Every time I have talked to an anti-gun person, they have told me that they basically assume people carry guns because they WANT to shoot someone. Seriously, this is often an assumption these people make about a gun owner...
 
I carry because when I was in seminary 25 years ago I worked as a chaplain in the state prison that houses most of the sex offenders in the state of Ky.
I have talked with people who have committed the unspeakable and know that given a chance there are more than a few who would visit horror on my wife, or children, or myself. I cannot let that happen. Ever.
 
You can't enslave an armed man. You can only kill him.
Click to expand...

I used that as my sig line for a while, but to answer the question: because I refuse to be a slave!
 
I carry because

Police have no legal duty to protect individuals.

Police have no legal liability when they fail to protect individuals.

Police have virtually no physical ability to protect individuals.

Protect yourself or just don't get protected at all.
 
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