Aside from the obvious, what made you carry full-time?

4

45Gunner

New member
I've had a carry permit since I returned from Vietnam in 1970. Sometimes I carried and other times I did not. Unless I was cleaning or maintaining a gun, they were usually locked in the safe while I was at home.

In 1998, I was the victim of a home invasion robbery. From all outside appearances, I was not home. My car wasn't in the garage and my boat dock was unoccupied. Without going into the gory details, I ended up with three bullets in my body.

Since the day I returned home from the hospital, I am never without a firearm with the exception of the shower. I always have a firearm on my body and on those rare occasions, such as company in the house, I take off the holster and rely on guns hidden about the house or a pocket gun in my pants. You could call me paranoid but I with rather be paranoid then have that happen to me ever again. I have my Kimber Stainless Pro Carry in Condition One as I sit here writing this.

That is why I carry full-time. Do you have a story about what caused you to carry full-time? We all understand we can because of our Second Amendment rights but that is outside the scope of this discussion. And, please avoid, "Because I can."
 
While I haven't had a personal experience such as yours, I've read enough accounts of such to believe it can happen to anybody, at almost any time.

So, I'm not going to say "because I can", but rather "because I believe it can save my life".
 
Moving to a Free State six years ago was all it took for me.

After 23 years in CA and IL, the air tastes better here. Tastes like...freedom. :)
 
I just find it easier to always have it along, than to have to pick and choose when and where. How can you know anyway? Once its part of your daily attire, its just part of your daily routine, and you soon only notice it on the rare occasions when it isnt there.
 
We kind of did these answers (at least I did) in the great thread we recently had about how we've evolved as people who carry. For me, I could list a dozen reasons, but the biggest reason seems to me is what I'd bet a lot of folks think is a real damn turkey of a reason:

Seriously, I just really enjoy handguns. I love cleaning 'em, rolling ammo for 'em, shooting 'em, wishing for the next one, tinkering with 'em, and being able to carry one on my person is enjoyable to me.

And I'll tell you... when I first began carrying, I spent a lot of time learning about carry specifics. Mostly about the laws, but also about the day to day... choosing a carry gun, holster, style of carry, etc. But as anyone reading this can tell you, the more reading you do about carrying a concealed handgun, the more aware you become of all the reasons we want to do it. Truth is, there's less crime overall now than there was 10 or 20 years ago, but I'm infinitely more aware of it today than I ever have been in the past.
 
I considered carrying only when I thought I might need to. Then I thought about all the times in my life when I looked back and thought, “Had I only known what was going to happen.”

Since then I carry all the time, or have a gun close at hand, because of that possible one time I might need it and decided I wouldn’t carry this one time.

I don’t take my gun into other persons’s houses and hope I’m not visiting where I’ll need it. However, at these times I’m always conscious that I’m not armed and feel a bit naked, just in case they should have a home invasion. Being in a nice neighborhood is no guarantee that such won’t happen; actually, is probably a better chance of it happening because the nice folk are the ones with something worth robbing.

We recently had a home invasion here. It was in a nice area and the home owner, a business man, had a lot of cash, after closing shop, from the day’s receipts. He had a nice funeral. The BG’s were caught but the GG is still dead.

Old folk are supposed to be gray haired, drive Buicks or Town Cars, have many years collections of jewelry, be feeble, have lots of cash in a Tupperware in the freezer, the kids all grown and gone, if they have a gun it’s not handy, and be easy targets. I don’t have cash in the Tupperware but my guns are on me or handy.

I suppose I could wrap the cash in freezer paper and label it “cubed steak”.
 
I carry all the time because I know that doo doo happens. Often it happens to good people. Having a firearm just even's up the odds of me surviving a big pile. I like surviving.
 
I started carrying only occasionally. Then two things happened. First, my house was burglarized with my daughters both at home. Nothing violent and the police caught the guy in my bedroom. Second, I work for a law enforcement agency (I'm not a peace officer). A thief slipped through a secured door during office hours, walked right past the "squad room" where several cops were, and then stole a woman's purse. Yeah, they caught this guy too. Nothing like embarrassing LEO to get that extra effort. :)

Anyway, it finally hit home that you never know when something can happen and you can't necessarily depend upon anyone but yourself. I don't usually carry around the house but do have multiple weapons hidden in different places.
 
My wife, an escapee from Chicago, talked me into getting my CHP. I'd never really thought too much about it myself. When she found out not only could she buy a gun here, but could carry it, she wanted her permit. Since she wanted hers, I got mine too. I'd been a shooter/hunter for years, but never really thought about carrying a gun.

Once I had the permit I figured "why not?"
 
Seriously, I just really enjoy handguns. I love cleaning 'em, rolling ammo for 'em, shooting 'em, wishing for the next one, tinkering with 'em, and being able to carry one on my person is enjoyable to me.
Click to expand...

This :)
 
I have thought about it many yrs and when I realize my state had a CCW law and some of my friends had Licenses. I finally talked myself into it. I do from time to time carry large sums of money and I know some people who come in to my shop know I carry money. Not saying any of my customers would rob me but one never knows these days. With 44 murders in 2009 and a least 2 or 3 robbery's everyday in the area,I just thought it was time. I refuse at my age of 70 yrs, to be a victim. I just purchased a new Glock today,and the man I bought if from lives in an affluent part of town,500K homes,he met me at the door and was carrying.
In these times one never knows.
Roger
 
Coin Collecting

Believe it or not it was because of coin collecting. My stepdad was a huge coin collector and I would attend coin shows with him. Because he would carry whenever we would go to shows I also started carrying. Later on after a brief stint as a LEO it showed my how many truly twisted people there are in the world and convinced me to carry everywhere I go.

My "real" dad who just turned 57 just bought himself a Glock 19 and started carrying occasionally. He is a big guy, 6'3" and about 320 pounds and pretty intimidating if you don't know him. I asked him why he decided to carry now and he said that he's "getting to old to fight and to fat to run" :D
 
+1 For TOO OLD AND TOO FAT TO RUN. Bypass surgery ,bad knees & 340 LBS.CANN'T DANCE ANY MORE. Because I CAN.:D
 
I'd kept a concealed handgun in my auto for years, but had never carried on my person except sometimes when hunting. Finally I decided to make everything legal and acquire my CHP before they become obsolete. I now carry every chance I can...and that includes riding my bike.
 
Because after the Marine Corps I feel naked walking around without a firearm. If there is one thing that truly stuck with me from my experience, it was the habit of always having a weapon on me.

I never want to be caught between a rock and a hard place with just my hands and harsh words.
 
After growing up around guns and taking quite a liking to them, I've realized that I pretty much spent most of my life around shooting in one form or another. When I turned 21, I got my CWP here in PA, and have been carrying since. I guess I figured that my somewhat-unique skill set would go to waste if I didn't actually have a gun on me. That was the start, anyway.

Prior to getting my CWP, I had a great liking for knives, and had developed quite a proficiency with them. Not to sound like some want-to-be tough guy, but I just always enjoyed such things. Perhaps I am a bit schizotypal. Anyway, I never really felt insecure in anyway without a gun, especially since I could probably best anyone with whatever pocket knife I happened to be carrying (I've carried a blade of somesort for as long as I can remember) I really felt no direct need for a handgun license. But, I was good with them, and like to be certified and legit in as many ways as possible, so it seemed prudent that I get one.

I didn't really start carrying full time until a few years later, when I lived alone. I kept sharp with all of my chosen options for carry, kept up with my shooting, but didn't seem to worry much at the time, and was terribly awkward of any questions that might arise as to why I had a gun on me. As I grew over the few years to follow, I learned to not care about such things, and felt more comfortable with myself to carry whatever I wanted, without concern for what others thought. Then, when I started coming home to an empty house at whatever time of night (my schedule has not been one of the typical daylight varieties at times) I decided I felt more comfortable with some protection at my side. Afterall, my house had so much glass and was at the end of a street secluded by some trees, it wouldn't take much to break into at all. Once I realized how vulnerable I could be, and didn't mind what others thought, and found it no inconvenience to carry, I started adding one of my guns to my daily attire.

Sadly, these days, I seem to carry a bit less. The only times I don't add my holster and firearm to my set up is when I am at work, or attending class, both of which have strict no-weapons policies. I still keep my knife on me, since it is easily argued as a tool, and not a weapon (though I still hold the same for my firearm, as I do not believe in weapons by and large) anywhere I go. Unfortunately, though, work and class seems to take up the bulk of my time these days, since deciding to go for post-graduate training while still paying the usual bills and then some allows for little else to be done. Anytime I am free of both obligations, you better believe I am exercising my 2nd amendment right.
 
Aside from the obvious, what made you carry full-time?
Click to expand...


Well, moving to a Free State was what allowed me to carry. What motivated me to carry was my experience being robbed and kidnapped:


This happened in my hometown of Bell Gardens, California. It was December, 1992. I was 18 and home from college for the holiday.

My dad had me go to Food4Less to pick up a few groceries. It was almost exactly 10 PM when I went into the store. I walked out about a half hour later. The parking lot was moderately lit. I’m not sure if there was any security or not.

As I walked toward my car, I noticed two Hispanic gangbanger-type guys, walking in my direction. They were very close to each other, touching elbows in fact. I sensed they were acting oddly, but didn’t think much of it. We passed each other without incident, and I just assumed they were headed to the store. I did notice them make a sudden change of direction just after we passed. Again, I dismissed it.

As I reached the car, I opened the door, sat down and put the bag of groceries on the seat next to me. Suddenly, I felt cold steel against my left cheek. I knew it was a gun, held by Bad Guy #1. He told me to scoot over. I did. Then he told me to get in the back seat, which I did by climbing over the seat. BG#1 then told BG#2 to go around and get in the back seat with me. When BG#2 got in the back seat, I saw BG#1 insert a magazine into the gun. He then handed it to BG#2 and said, “If he sees my face, shoot him.” I took this as my cue to look at my lap, and only my lap. BG#1 started the car and drove out of the parking lot. I had been kidnapped.

As we drove, I prayed. I was not a Christian then, but I believed. They methodically took my wallet, cash, jewelry, watch, even the groceries. The ride was only about five minutes but felt like hours. I only ever looked down the whole time. I felt the car pull into a driveway and stop. BG#1 said, “We’re getting out here. Wait five minutes before you leave. If anyone comes looking for us, we’ll go and kill your family.” He had my license, so it was a valid threat. Then they left.

I waited about three minutes before looking up. I half expected them to still be standing there, but they weren’t. I got in the driver seat and left. When I got home, my dad saw my empty hands and asked me where the groceries were. I told him I had been robbed. I went into my room and sat on the bed, shell-shocked. I just stared into space. I’m not sure I could even process what had just happened. It took me about 15 minutes to even shed tears.

17 years later, I’m still stupid, but I have learned a few things along the way. I will try to list some of the more basic here:

I should not have gone to the store at 10 PM.
I should have consciously parked in a well-lit area.
I should have been much more aware of my surroundings and alarm bells should have gone off when the (eventual) BGs were acting weird.
I should have turned right back around and into the store if I felt something was not right.
I should have been scanning 360 degrees as I walked into the lot.
Once I noticed the BGs change direction, I should have done the exact same thing, turn around and walk back into the store.
For the record, I am half Mexican and a sometime (as a teen) gangbanger myself (albeit a wannabe one). In Bell Gardens, gangbangers were a common sight. Their mere presence was not cause for concern. But I did miss the very obvious signs that something was not right.

I never did call the police. There was too much risk, I felt, for the death threat to be realized. They had my address and I had never gotten a good look at their faces anyway.

This experience has colored my life. I am much more conservative and “law and order” than my peers, and I think it is because of this. Further, I strongly believe in the right to carry which, while not the reason I left California, is one major reason I didn’t return.

Most importantly, I have learned that I was in “Condition White” that night. I don’t generally use the terms “Condition White”, “Yellow”, etc., but I now understand their meaning. Never again will I be that unaware. I don’t blame myself, though. I was just a child. I fully believe the Lord protected me that night, and I thank him for it.

I have posted this here hoping that you, or someone you love, can learn something from it and be safer.
Click to expand...
 
After growing up around guns and taking quite a liking to them, I've realized that I pretty much spent most of my life around shooting in one form or another.
Click to expand...

I couldn't have said it better myself.

I used to go hunting a lot, And I always carried when in the woods. I loved shooting for recreation, and sport.

Then I got my Concealed Weapons License - Pretty much because a friend of mine had his, and told me I needed to get mine. So, I did.

I had no idea when I showed up for the class, that the instructor also taught various Handgun, Rifle, and Shotgun courses - of all skill level. He was really nice, and I enjoyed the Concealed weapons class so much, before I left I scheduled to take a beginners handgun class.

After that, I pretty much went through the rest of them over the course of a couple of summers. He also introduced me, and opened my eyes to the world of IDPA, and defensive shooting and training in general.

I no longer owned a firearm strictly for sport - From that point on (About 11 or 12 years ago now ) I took everything really serious. It was all about self defense. And still is.

Especially now that I have 3 kids. Yes, obviously I am in they're lives in the capacity of a traditional, regular ol' dad. I help them with homework, make sure they keep the bedrooms clean, brush their teeth before bed, Etc....

And that's how it should be, but underneath all of that - I am full on recon 24/7. I'm not just their dad, I'm also their bodyguard, their own private security.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top