Do you home carry?

[Sabrewolfe]

Do you also wear a helmet in your car?

About 10,000 Americans die every year from traumatic brain injuries received in automobile crashes, which is coincidentally the same amount that are killed by firearm violence (suicides account for the other 20,000 annual firearm deaths in the US).

The vast majority of firearm violence is crime-on-crime. If your lifestyle does not involve drugs or other criminal activities, then the probability of you needing a gun in your home is very small. Of course, the chances of winning one of the big lotteries is also very small, yet someone wins them almost every week!

If you don't have a risky life style and have taken suitable precautions to minimize all of the more likely causes of death and injury in your life (IE, traumatic brain injury from auto accidents), then I would say that if you carry a gun in your home that you're just extremely more cautious than the majority of US citizens.

On the other hand, if you're preparing for the extremely low-probability situations (home invasions, invaders from outer space, vampires and werewolves, etc) while ignoring higher-probability situations, then there is a good chance that compared to the average US citizen you will be classified as strange or paranoid.

No, I don't wear a helmet.

I DO however, take other, more practical precautions while driving. I drive defensively, obey the speed limits (I even drive under in adverse weather ), keep my headlights on day and night, maintain separation from other vehicles, and allow extra time so that I am not rushed. I make sure that my car is maintained in good running order and check the fluids, tires (including the spare), and lights regularly. I keep a bottle jack, flares, jumper cables, some tools, and extra fluids in the trunk. I have yet to need any of them (for myself, that is), but I still consider myself prudent, not paranoid.

As far as gun violence, statistics do say most of it is criminal on criminal. That doesn't mean that there isn't a lot of crime against the folks that do obey the law. I also don't presume that a criminal with a gun is the only kind I might need a weapon to defend myself or others from. A knife is just a dangerous in close quarters as a firearm. And there are more than a few corpses that can attest to the deadliness of mere fists and feet. Is it likely that I will ever need the gun on my hip? No, it's not (knock on wood). But if I ever do, I will not have to be a helpless victim.

Does that make me more cautious than most people. Sadly, yes. Yes it does.

 

[Theohazard]

After living in all the places I've lived in my life, I decided a long time ago that I wanted to be able to defend myself and my family. So the most logical and convenient way for me to do that was to just carry all the time. Just as I always buckle my seatbelt, I also always carry a gun.

Do you also wear a helmet in your car?

No, because that crosses the line of safety vs. convenience. Just as I don't carry my AR-15 around with me for defense, I also don't wear a helmet in my car. The chances of me needing a gun for defensive purposes are very low, so that's why I simply carry a small handgun instead of a shotgun or a rifle. And the chances of me receiving traumatic brain injury are also very low, which is why I just wear a seatbelt and not a helmet too.

45 auto, I understand what you're getting at here, but it's not a good argument. I - like most other people - constantly weigh safety with convenience. When Nils Bohlin invented the 3-point seatbelt used in cars today, it wasn't revolutionary just because it was so safe, it was revolutionary because it made safety much more convenient. There are safer seatbelt designs out there, but they weren't convenient and therefore fewer people used them. But the 3-point seatbelt was so quick and easy that many more people started buckling up and therefore millions of lives were saved.

If you don't have a risky life style and have taken suitable precautions to minimize all of the more likely causes of death and injury in your life (IE, traumatic brain injury from auto accidents), then I would say that if you carry a gun in your home that you're just extremely more cautious than the majority of US citizens

On the other hand, if you're preparing for the extremely low-probability situations (home invasions, invaders from outer space, vampires and werewolves, etc) while ignoring higher-probability situations, then there is a good chance that compared to the average US citizen you will be classified as strange or paranoid.

Exactly! I carry a handgun everywhere because it's a simple and easy way for me to be prepared against something that's unlikely to occur, but that I still want to be prepared for. It frees me up to worry about the other things that are far more likely to cause my family danger: Instead of worrying about how long it will take me to get to a gun if a local gang member breaks down my door, I can instead worry about my kid falling down the stairs.

 

[Theohazard]

So I live with my wife and my 22 year old son visits on the weekends. I leave my gun in it's case were I can get to it if needed (most of the time). We don't typically have many visitors so does this make me irresponsible? I say worry more about your buisness and not mine, just because it's right for you does not make it right for others.

It's completely fine if you don't carry a gun in your house. But some of these arguments people are making against home carry are ridiculous. Don't most of us own guns for defensive purposes? So doesn't it make sense to be prepared to defend your home as long as it doesn't cross the line into being inconvenient or unsafe?

There are a lot of people here who keep guns stashed in their home for defensive purposes, and I'm not going to disparage them for that. But I find it ridiculous that they feel the need to have a gun stashed nearby, but they think I'm being paranoid for carrying a gun on my body. We both want to be prepared, we're just doing it in two different ways. I find it simpler and more convenient to just have a gun on my body at all times: That way I don't have to worry as much about what to do if I ever need a gun, or worry that my stashed gun is locked up properly.

 

[Don P]

Its either on me or where I can place my hand on it without moving. No kids at home, just the wife and I. I choose to do it this way because bad things happen in good places and when least expected.

 

[45_auto]

Nobody's arguing that you have your reasons to carry a gun at all time. Obviously they make sense to you or you wouldn't do it.

I was only pointing out to you that your statement below is FALSE by common American standards. You don't get to decide what other people think. The majority of people will consider you strange or paranoid for carrying a gun at all times in your home.

But those of us who do aren't strange or paranoid, we just like to be prepared.

The guys wearing tinfoil hats don't believe that they are strange or paranoid either. They have evaluated the risks and have their reasons that are perfectly logical to them. But by commonly accepted standards they are considered strange or paranoid by most people.

 

[eldermike]

I guess I know how I am going to die. When somone knocks on my door I just open it up and say hello. Just started locking the doors a few years ago. I was asleep on the couch, well watching a NASCAR race I thought, and a friend touched my on the shoulder and after my heart started beating again I realized he just asked me to borrow my tailer. So now I lock it. No I don't carry at home.

 

[Theohazard]

I was only pointing out to you that your statement below is FALSE by common American standards. You don't get to decide what other people think. The majority of people will consider you strange or paranoid for carrying a gun at all times in your home.

That's a very good point: I know I'm not paranoid, but that doesn't mean other people don't think I am. I carry a handgun everywhere because it's a simple and easy way to always be prepared to defend myself or my family. With my upbringing and my military background, guns are just second nature to me. It's unlikely that I'll ever need it, but it's simple enough to do that it's not an undue burden for me.

So, for me, carrying a gun is a simple and convenient way to prepare for something that's unlikely to happen but still worth being prepared for (in my opinion). But you're absolutely right that many Americans see it differently. They probably just think I'm just being paranoid. They probably didn't grow up with a drug house across the alley from them. They probably have never lived in a neighborhood where they could hear gunshots from gang turf wars.

So I'll admit that my decision is partially an emotional one: I decided long ago that I always want to be able to defend myself and my family. But I'm also a logical person: I know that it makes zero sense to have a gun stored in a manner that ends up making your family less safe, and I also know it makes zero sense to spend a lot of effort preparing for something that's very unlikely to occur and ignore something that's far more likely to be a danger to your family. So I think I've found a good balance: For me, carrying a gun everywhere simplifies things and lets me worry about more pressing issues.

 

[Grant D]

Most of the civilian shootings I hear about on the news are home invasions, where the home owner is protecting family and their home.

So...what's the big problem with carrying at home?
My LCP is no bigger than my wallet, and I carry that all day also.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I really couldn't give a rip what others think. But, I will say if they want to voice their opinions rather than keep them to themselves, when they call me paranoid, I call them recklessly complacent and let them chew on that. Especially, when I lived near Detroit.

 

[Tactical Jackalope]

Yes all the time. It's always on me. Only time it isn't is when I'm asleep or in the shower, and at those times it's 2 ft away.

 

[psyfly]

Originally posted by 45Auto
"The majority of people will consider you strange or paranoid for carrying a gun at all times in your home."
AND
"...by commonly accepted standards they are considered strange or paranoid by most people."

Interesting points, if valid.

For those constitutionally sceptical among us, please post your sources for those statements. I'm quite interested in how the "majority" was defined for the study or studies you're referencing.

Best,

Will

P.S.: Would also love to see the listing of "Common American Standards" or "commonly accepted standards". I tried a web search but came up pretty much empty.

 

[militant]

I do not carry in my home but I am never far from my AR15 or my 12 gauge. I only carry a handgun to begin with because I can't conceal carry my rifles.

 

[RUT]

>>I don't (generally) carry at home but any number of loaded guns are readily available throughout the house.<<

This.....

 

[rmocarsky]

My neighborhood is declining.

I work nights and get home from work after midnight.

In decent weather my wife and I like to sit in our yard and enjoy the night before going to bed.

we are in our 60s.

I carry then.

If I didn't, I wouldn't feel completely safe.

Rmocarsky

 

[JohnKSa]

Some questions with potentially interesting answers.

• Where is retreat a better option in a violent encounter, in public or at home?
• Where are most of the things you consider precious, in public or at home?
• Which is easier, carrying in public or carrying at home?
• Which is worse, being taken captive in your own home or being grabbed in public?
• Where would a violent encounter be more likely to be noticed by others who might help or summon help, in public or at home?

...people will consider you strange or paranoid ...

...those of us who do aren't strange or paranoid...

It's important to understand that being considered paranoid is not the same thing as actually being paranoid.

It's also important to understand that people often judge others by how they, themselves think. Because they think: "The only reason I would carry a gun at home would be if I were perpetually scared something bad is about to happen.", they assume that must be the reason people carry guns at home.

 

[chris in va]

It's within reach.

 

[Model12Win]

I don't carry in the home but I live in a studio apartment and am usually parked on the ol' bed with a Ruger GP100 laying next to me on the floor. Ready to go.

 

[skoro]

The majority of people will consider you strange or paranoid for carrying a gun at all times in your home.

I think that every individual who isn't sleepwalking through life does a self-evaluation on what their circumstances are and what level of preparedness makes sense to them. Heck, I'm sure lots of folks would consider me strange just for having an accumulation of a couple dozen firearms. That's OK. They can see me in whatever terms suit them. I'd probably see many of them as smug bliss-ninnies, oblivious to possible threats in their immediate environment. Or simply uninitiated to firearms or frightened of them. Whatever...

I personally do not carry in my home. But for those who do, I respect your decision.

Carry on.

 

[swmike]

Every day and have since the late 60's.

Does anyone expect to "know" when they'll need it and only carry then?

The only difference in my house is how large a pistol I carry, depending on who's at the house. I prefer my Sig 229 now but if I have guests I "downsize" to a concealed P3-AT (unless they're family and they expect to see the Sig).

 

[Bob_T]

Don't most of us own guns for defensive purposes?

Now this is an interesting question that may deserve its own thread. I know I don't. (Military service excluded)

I own guns because I enjoy them. I enjoy shooting them and learning to shoot them better. I enjoy the beauty of them and the wonderful engineering that goes into them. Defense is the last thing on my mind.

IL finally got CCW, and I have mine, but I have yet to carry at all, and don't know if I ever will. Never once in the 40 years that I've owned guns have I thought, "Boy, I wish I was carrying a gun."

Don't get me wrong, I totally respect the right to own and carry guns if one wishes to, which is why I spent the time and money to get my CCW.

First post,
Bob