I only started considering a firearm for self defense when I turned 40 (I am now mid 50s). I had owned long guns for recreation and hunting before.
My fiancee and I were returning to our tent after a soak in one of the remote natural thermal springs in the Colorado South West, when a big black bear came out of the brush 40 yards ahead of us and followed us towards the tent. We had nothing but flip-flops on (or were they crocs? I digress). We got in the truck and that night we drove down to town and I bought my first pistol at a pawn shop, a cheap Astra that barely worked.
The area where I reside in the foothills of the Colorado Front Range is virtually crime free (although that is a different issue when I go into town). However, I routinely have bears trying to mess with our trash and I have caught the mountain lion on trail camera a few times strolling past our porch (can you see the lion below )
There are times when if there has been a very heavy snow storm and my vehicle cannot make it up my steep 300 yard long driveway, I may have to park at the bottom and walk up to the house.
So when I decided to get a CCW permit and carry a pistol for self defense, both 2 legged and 4 legged threats were in my mind. At the end I decided that 9mm is probably enough for the black bears here in Colorado, but what I am trying to say is that I took into consideration defense from 4 legged critters when selecting my daily carry options.
I am not trying to start one of those threads where people talk about what the right caliber is for defense against bears, etc. What I was just wondering, since we are all from such different areas, is:
- how many of you fellow CCW permit holders have had to give thought to defense from 4-legged threats in your daily carry? Is protection from 4-legged critters even an issue for you?
- And if it is, how important is it? Is it your main concern or a side consideration?
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My fiancee and I were returning to our tent after a soak in one of the remote natural thermal springs in the Colorado South West, when a big black bear came out of the brush 40 yards ahead of us and followed us towards the tent. We had nothing but flip-flops on (or were they crocs? I digress). We got in the truck and that night we drove down to town and I bought my first pistol at a pawn shop, a cheap Astra that barely worked.
The area where I reside in the foothills of the Colorado Front Range is virtually crime free (although that is a different issue when I go into town). However, I routinely have bears trying to mess with our trash and I have caught the mountain lion on trail camera a few times strolling past our porch (can you see the lion below )
There are times when if there has been a very heavy snow storm and my vehicle cannot make it up my steep 300 yard long driveway, I may have to park at the bottom and walk up to the house.
So when I decided to get a CCW permit and carry a pistol for self defense, both 2 legged and 4 legged threats were in my mind. At the end I decided that 9mm is probably enough for the black bears here in Colorado, but what I am trying to say is that I took into consideration defense from 4 legged critters when selecting my daily carry options.
I am not trying to start one of those threads where people talk about what the right caliber is for defense against bears, etc. What I was just wondering, since we are all from such different areas, is:
- how many of you fellow CCW permit holders have had to give thought to defense from 4-legged threats in your daily carry? Is protection from 4-legged critters even an issue for you?
- And if it is, how important is it? Is it your main concern or a side consideration?
.
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