Why did you start carrying a gun?

[huntsman]

I've "carried" guns since I starting hunting and trapping at age 12. As for a CCW my state made that legal in 2004 but I waited a few years until the law became more tolerable, so in 09 I got my license and have been carrying an LCP since then.

I live rural and have been on the same piece of land for 50 years, never been burgled or threatened so I guess my CC is more about the fact that I can not so much that I feel the need.

 

[jlr1962]

1 - I live in Dallas.
2 - It is not unusual for robberies to occur anywhere in any major metro area.
3 - I like guns, and feel more comfortable with a gun on my person than without.

 

[TomJ]

I got my CC permit as soon as Illinois passed the law. 4 reasons/events come to mind.

First, I was a LEO in the Chicago area back in the mid '80s to early '90s. While the crime we dealt with was mild compared to what Chicago cops in the West and South sides deal with, I saw enough to realize that people are capable of doing just about anything to each other, including someone cutting the throat of a 5 year old so she couldn't testify against him, as he cut the throat of the mother in front of the child.

Second, we moved to a better part of the Chicago area. Shortly after we moved I walked into an armed robbery in front of my house. I had no way to defend myself and could only stand there hoping they didn't shoot. I'll echo 460kodiak's sentiment about feeling helpless and never wanting to feel that way again.

Third, from time to time our school district forwards notices from our local police department regarding an attempted child abduction. These are not custody battles, where one spouse tries to take a child involved in a custody dispute. These are bad people trying to abduct kids. In a good year we'll receive 1 such notice. In a bad year we'll get 9 to 10 of them. These people are out there, and I'm going to protect my kids.

Finally, there's been a number of attempted break ins over the past couple of years on our street. As much as people in our suburb like to believe we live a "Mayberry" type existence, that thinking is naive and dangerous. We took all possible precautions, including a well lit house at night, a dog that barks at anyone walking around the house, an alarm system and removing all bushes some one can hide behind. Usually that's enough to deter people, but I don't want to be unable to protect myself and my kids if it's not.

A couple of other responses prompted me to remember one other key point. As a LEO, it was rare for us to arrive at the scene of a crime in time to prevent the harm that occurred, as hard as we tried. Until LEO's are given Start Trek like transporters allowing them to be instantly beamed to the location the 911 call is coming from or they develop psychic abilities allowing them to know when a crime is going to occur and be there in time to stop it, that'll always be the case. Like it or not, when attacked you're on your own until the police or other help arrives. Anything you can do to up the odds of surviving that long should be done.

 

[jimbo555]

At age 18 I was an employee in a store that was robbed at gunpoint at closing time on a Friday night. The manager was forced to open the safe. They knew where the safe was, possible past employee. We were all herded into a back room and at that moment a car came into the parking lot and scared them off. I always wondered what would have happened if that car didn't come in. As soon as I was able to I got my license and carry every day now.

 

[stubbicatt]

(sarcasm mode: ON)

...because I couldn't fit a cop in my holster?

 

[gwpercle]

I was shot in the face during an armed robbery at work , if the bad guys can carry guns then I'm going to carry guns. I didn't have one on me at that exact moment, But I realized real quick a gun in my desk drawer and a shotgun in my office closet isn't worth doodley-squat, you got to have it on you to do any good in a shootout.
Gary

 

[gamestalker]

You folks are great, it can take a lot of courage to share such deadly circumstances with others who may not believe us / me, or simply criticize us for how we managed to get into said confrontation in the first place. What I'm getting at here is, I don't know if it has a similar effect on anyone else, but I find it to be almost therapeutic to know that I'm not the only one.

God Bless You, and may He keep us all safe.

GS

 

[Mike J]

Growing up my Dad always had one gun even though he wasn't really a hunter or a shooter. After I was grown I made it a point to obtain firearms because I wanted to hunt. It was later on before I really got into that though.
After I had hunted for a few years I decided I wanted a handgun for self protection so I picked up an old Dan Wesson model 15-2 from a pawn shop. A few years later I bought a Ruger P-series pistol at a gun show. I still didn't feel the need to carry though I did keep a gun in the truck. After I got married (I didn't marry until one week before my 39th birthday) and had a couple of kids we had some snake issues & I decided I wanted something I could use snake shot with. I picked up a heritage rough rider .22 revolver. When I bought it I went to shoot it & took along my old P series to put some rounds through it. I realized I couldn't hit well with the Ruger & got semi obsessed with learning to shoot a handgun well.
About this same time I decided to get my Georgia Weapons License so I could buy firearms with less hassle. After getting my license we were about to go out Christmas shopping & I heard on the radio some nutjob had went into a mall & unloaded with an SKS. I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to my wife & daughters. I thought about how I had always avoided bad situations by paying attention & not being there. Then I thought about how hard to it is to get a woman & 2 small kids to realize what is going on & that they need to move. I came to the conclusion that if carrying a gun could possibly enable me to keep harm from coming to them I would carry. After all I already owned guns & used them it was a short jump to get from there to carrying. Besides aside from the gun in the truck doing me no good when I'm away from the truck it could also give an opportunity to a thief.
Now I have 2 girls aged 8 & 10 and a 2 year old boy. I haven't started teaching the girls on a real gun yet though I have spent some time working with them and a Daisy BB gun. I believe they are cognizant enough now that I can start working with them with a .22 rifle. By the time they are full grown I want them to be capable with a rifle, handgun or a shotgun. If they don't want to hunt that is fine but I want them to know how to take care of themselves.

 

[AKElroy]

I started carrying the day after George Hennard drove his truck through the front of the Luby's cafeteria in Killeen, TX., grabbed a pair of Glock 9mm's, and killed 23 people. This is my hometown, and I will not forget calling frantically all of my extended family to see if they were OK. They all were, but they also knew many of those killed.

Suzanna Huff's story of leaving her gun in her car, and then having to watch her parents executed a few feet from her, powerless to stop it, moved me. I am not going to wait my turn, cowering under a table.

 

[USAF_Vet]

Insurance purposes.

I should clarify this just a bit further.

I didn't grow up around guns. At least as far as I knew. My next door neighbor was a cop, so seeing him with a gun was ordinary. I shot rifles and muzzle loaders in Boy Scouts, but didn't get into it as a hobby. We visited Arizona when I was in high school where I experienced civilian open carry for the first time. Fast forward, basic training, more rifle training. Security Forces training, more gun experience. Three tours in Iraq, direct combat experience.

Got out, with all the worldly knowledge of how messed up people can be. Married, kids, living the American dream, I got handguns, rifles, shotguns and my CPL just in case.

 

[Spats McGee]

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.

 

[Saw-Bones]

Spats McGee - I read your rationale for CCW and let me say this: As a retired physician who has been sued unsuccessfully for malpractice by a fraud perpetrator and as a retired LEO, I suggest that you carry two guns.

It would also be wise to surround yourself with friends who carry guns as well!

 

[Fiv3r]

I was never a gun guy, really. No one in my family hunts, and my dad only carries a completely unloaded .25apc Saturday Night Special under the seat of his truck.

In the summer of 2008 our place of business was broken into and set on fire with clear intent to destroy the place (they tried to set a fire under the gas heating unit in the warehouse with hopes it would level the place). They made off with a whopping $87 in cash and caused $325,000 in fire/smoke/water damage.

The police never caught who did it. Some theories were that it was a disgruntled employee, but I never really bought that. The guys we fired from the job were worthless and lazy, not angry enough to potentially do time over losing a manual labor job.

Another theory was that it was local gang initiation.

Long story short, someone tried to do extensive damage to my family's well being. I sometimes worked late and parked around back. What would have happened if they found me here? Were they armed themselves?

I immediately purchased an 870 to keep with me by my desk. Soon, I figured that a shotgun propped in the corner doesn't do me much good if I need something in hand. I applied for my carry permit, purchased a 9mm, and started to train.

7 Years later and I carry every day. I am a capable shot and feel better knowing that I can not only protect myself but that my wife and daughter are not as vulnerable when we are out as a family. I don't hide from my customers that my place of business is an armed one and gun friendly. I don't mind the word spreading at all.

People can be down right savage to one another. Now, I'm not going to live in fear. I'm not going to carry a high cap pistol with 3 spare mags on me. I know some of you do, and i appreciate your preparedness. However, I will always be armed with something that hopefully can increase the odds of my family making it out of a nightmarish scrape.

 

[TRX]

I carry to assert my Constitutional rights.

I have about as little "need" to carry as anyone without their own armed guards can have.

 

[Spats McGee]

Spats McGee - I read your rationale for CCW and let me say this: As a retired physician who has been sued unsuccessfully for malpractice by a fraud perpetrator and as a retired LEO, I suggest that you carry two guns.

It would also be wise to surround yourself with friends who carry guns as well!

LOL! Well, Saw-Bones, I'll tell you this: the part about my defending the cops when they get sued . . . well, that's earned me quite a few friends who carry guns.

 

[mooosie]

Because a cop is too heavy!

 

[pockets]

My personal force-field broke down.

 

[ldlfh7]

I started carrying to protect myself and my wife.
Now I have 2 kids so I carry every day.

 

[kBob]

That depends on who you talk to.

I would say that I do so to protect family.

Some might say it is because when I was teething my mom gave me a toothbrush shaped like a handgun for a teething toy. Really, we have photos.

A friend that used to work as a drug councilor would say it is because at an early age I had a Daisey CO2 200 "Double B" (local slang from an earlier time) pistol and having found a bunch of free gas cartridges at Dad's work place shot the begeebers out of that thing.....with NO2 rather than CO2. She wonders if I got a "Whippet Rush" every time I shot and so associate handguns with good feelings.

But the humor of the last two paragraphs aside, I carry because I live in a state where I can. I have taken some quality professional training, starting with Ayoob's LFI1 and feel comfortable doing so.

-kBob

 

[entropy]

My family had a lot of public servants, many LEOs. At the ripe old age of 14, I confronted an arsonist breaking into our home at 3AM. He had a couple of gallons of gas and intended to end my father's life - and all his family. He was mightily surprised to meet a teenager with a 870, and I was ready to use it. He surrendered and did eight years. I got a CCW the day I was of age.

My situation was similar to yours; A Felon my Dad helped put in prison was released and vowed vengance. My parents were on vacation in Mexico when he started coming around, driving up and down our street. (Dad had described his very distinctive car to me) I decided to sit down in living room and clean my 742 in plain view of the street; I also had my Troooper MkIII stting next to me. When he saw that, he peeled out and never returned.

 

[bgw45]

I carried in VN for my country. I now carry for my family.

 

[pymi]

I started carrying with a job I did dealing with bank deposits.

 

[bluzman]

TV, newspapers, internet - just look at the "news" these days and you'll see the reasons I carry.

 

[cc-hangfire]

Thanks to all the folks who have shared personal stories. I have been fortunate enough to not have such a personal story (other than being in a Wendy's when it was robbed by 3 armed fellows back when I was in college).

I grew up in a rural farming area, and guns were just another tool for hunting or varmints. I only started carrying about 3 years ago as I had to start traveling more due to my job. To repeat a phrase of others, "I'm too old to fight and too fat to run, so I'll just have to shoot you."

But seriously, my world is less safe, I am older and less physically capable, and I had to rethink the questions we should all consider:
1. Who will you die for?
2. Who will you live for?
3. Who will you kill for?
There are folks I love who depend on me. I protect them, & I protect myself so I can go home to them.

I really like Saw-bones' title: it's not the odds, it's the stakes. That sums it up pretty well.

 

[Ranger Roberts]

I grew up hunting but at the time my dad wasn't really a "gun guy," just a hunter. We had a shotgun, a rifle or 2 and a few old revolvers in the house. The revolvers rarely, if ever were fired.

When I was 16, living in a rough area in NJ, I worked at a gas station that was robbed as frequently as it got fuel deliveries. So often in fact that I knew many of the local police officers on a first name basis (it helped get me out of a lot of speeding tickets when I was young and dumb!).

I enlisted in the Army and during that time I became interested in guns for more than hunting. I've always been a history geek so I started collecting historical guns. That grew into collecting modern guns.

When I got out of the Army I bounced around from job to job (mostly construction) and a lot of them were in rough neighborhoods. I grew up in a rough area but I quickly realized times had changed in the 10 years that I was in the service. I got my carry permit.

I became a LEO and have to carry everyday now. My wife owns a successful business but it is in an industry that isn't very well liked. I work there when I am not on duty and I always carry there. My wife carries at work, as well. Her office building is very secure but so is a bank...

I live in a very rural area with no local police force and the state police aren't close. Being that my wife and I are both in professions that are not well liked, we carry all of the time.

All of that said, the #1 reason I carry, it's my right as an American to do so!