For Those Who Carry??

Here in New Hampshire its open carry or CCW with permit. I carry in the open and I have a CCW permit for when I am in my truck. I hear people carry concealed not to draw attention to them or cause panic. Most of the time people see me carry come up and ask me questions about the laws to carry a gun. And have had a couple "HOT" girls from the local collage ask me to take them shooting and to teach them. I carry because I can and its my right if people don't like seeing a gun on my hip the door is right over there.

First pic is my Sig Sauer P220 Equinox that I carry and second Pic is my Saiga 12 that is in the rear window of my truck most of the time.
 

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Truck Rack

rottieman33

...and second Pic is my Saiga 12 that is in the rear window of my truck most of the time.
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Nothing says "I will not be a Victim" more than a bad a$$ Saiga 12 in the truck rack :eek:. I know with that config you have a 'pretty penny or two' invested in that so I would not leave my AK-12 Shotgun unattended.

I live in a big city where truck gun racks are tantamount to a sign proclaiming "Officer Please Lock Me Up" ;).

-Cheers
 
I am different from the rest of the pack. I am 60 and have had a concealed licence since I was 21. Carrying is 2nd nature to me however I only carry to defend myself which I have never had to do. I now carry in a nylon outside belt holster my COP 357 derringer. A t-shirt covers the little gun. I can hit a target well at 20 feet. If I can't do it in 4 rounds I don't need to be there. It rides well and will never malfunction. I live in a great midwestern town but I have not had the urge to go to the dark side of town and buy drugs either. (Avoidance) Sad thing about defending youself if you have to kill is evident with the Zimmerman case. Takes a lot of money to defend yourself.
 
I no longer carry a concealed firearm.
When I did it was because I thought there was a credible threat. It turned out I was wrong.

I open carry only when I hike or camp. Open carry for self defense doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
 
how do i carry: open
why: because i can;) and in case i need to defend myself

I also do it to help change the attitudes of people i encounter and LEO's. The people seem to handle it better than law enforcement. They seem to think its ok to stop me and attempt to identify me simply for carrying a firearm. It would be the same as stopping me and trying to identify me for carrying a loaf of bread. Its not ok, but usually it only takes 4 or 5 minutes of my time for them to realize they cant detain me because I havent committed a crime and that I dont legally have to give them my name or i.d. Then I'm on my way with a smile on my face and my gun on my hip:D
 
I also do it to help change the attitudes of people i encounter and LEO's
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I'm curious to know if it's working. In my experience, people generally have decided their position on an issue, and they are not usually swayed easily to a different point of view.
 
"credible threat" couple weeks ago I beeped my horn at a guy because he cut me off, he fallowed me into the store parking lot got out of his car and started walking toward me screaming at me if I ever beeped my horn at him again he will knock my teeth in. By my state laws I could of pulled my gun on him but i didn't. I stayed in my truck and let him vent and he left after. It only takes 1 person to mentally snap over something simple and they could end your life.
 
well...

it is going fine. the public either ignores me or asks a few questions and we usually end up talking about the newest gotta have gun on the market. the only negative encounters i have had are law enforcement. they feel they can stop me and ask for my i.d. when ive done nothing wrong. i refuse, they get angry, they hold me for 5 or 10min until they figure out im in fact correct and then im on my way. ive had the "its policy and procedure" line more than once. lucky for me i dont work at the cop shop and dont give a rats ass about their policy or procedure, especially when it violates ones civil rights
 
1. In Arkansas it has to be completely concealed. No printing allowed.

2. In all situations there are two responses that a person has to a encounter...it's either fight or flight. In my situation, I am a 34yo disabled veteran that has to use a cane just to get around. Since my flight option has been taken away from me, that leaves only one option, and that is to fight. I have three daughters and I will do anything to defend them. I figure since I CC, I have a better chance at a favorable outcome.
 
I appreciate everyone's response. As I anticipated the reasons for carrying are very similar.

Not that it makes any difference but I just looked at the FBI stats for 2011 covering Phoenix and Chandler AZ.....my city of residence. Now, we all know that what is reported to the FBI is probably like the tip of an iceberg and many more thefts, burglaries and attacks go unreported. Chandler reported an incidence of 1/2 of 1% for 2011 for those crimes.....I did not include auto theft and a couple others because they generally occur without direct personal endangerment.....some here will probably disagree depending upon personal experience and perhaps direct experience such as LE.

CCW seems to be like home and auto insurance.....take the risk or not. Not certain where I fit in that decision but I am certain if I were involved in an insurable incident I would make certain I had insurance next time!

One final question.....how quickly can you pull out that CCW and fire? I ask that because just as one of you cited re the angry driver coming at you he could be on top of you before you have an opportunity to draw it. The same can be said for many other situations so when do you make that final decision and actually draw it out?? This is more rhetorical because every situation is different so please do not feel obligated to address this one.
 
Sigowner

...One final question.....how quickly can you pull out that CCW and fire?...
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Great question of which obviously is dependent on how one carries their respective gun. A belt or even shoulder holster would seem to be mandatory for vehicle situations (perhaps ankle as well and there are even car-seat holsters). Think bout how difficult it 'can' be to access a pocket gun in an abrupt manner (which for me rules this option null-and-void for my car at least for primary (BUG sure))?

My advise, carefully consider your situation and carry the gun accordingly (if you are out walking the dog, pocket carry may suffice but in a vehicle I would not).

-Cheers
 
Just went thru my 2nd renewal on the 15th. The instructor asked everyone to hold up their hand depending on how often they practice. I go to the range weekly as the first guestion, the 2nd was every 2 weeks, the 3rd was monthly. He said everyone should be holding up their hand at that point. Then he asked how many only practice to renew their license and half the class of 45+ held up their hands. He just shook his head and told everyone they need to go to the range monthly at least. So even though most of the people in the class never practice they still believe that they don't need to. I believe that if you don't practice to engrain the motor skills necessary do hit the target when you have to defend your self, how many innocent bystanders will you take out?
 
First, when you carry does that mean the weapon is fully concealed or do you carry "open" as on the hip?
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I carry concealed.
I do so for a couple of reasons:

I don't want folks to call the cops on me out of ignorance (some folks don't realize that it's perfectly legal to open carry in NC).
I also don't want any criminals or crazies to try and snatch the pistol from my holster...best they not even know I have a pistol on me.
So concealed is best IMO.

Second, and this should elicit many interesting reasons.....why do you carry? I know question #2 is obvious to many but after all my years on planet earth I have never had a need or encountered a situation where I needed to carry.
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I carry for self protection.
I'm just your average middle-aged white guy.
And while I'm certainly no weakling, I'm certainly no MMA UFC cage fighter either.
The ugly truth is that this is a hard and cruel world.
And there are plenty of folks out there who would kill you just to see what it feels like.
And unlike the original poster, I have been in several situations where I was very glad that I had a handgun on me.
 
Great question

Dear Mr. Sigowner,

Your question "Why do you carry?" is the most relevant question I have read on this forum and I thank you for bring it to discussion.

I am also 66 years old and I have thought about it too, so here are my thoughts. I pursue activities which I believe will increase my life span and carrying is one of them.
1. I don't smoke or drink.
2. I don't drive a vehicle.
3. I exercise every day - walk 6 kms. and run 4 kms.
4. I eat a balanced diet - little fat.
5. My Body Mass Index is considered normal weight.
6. I have a guard dog.
7. I'm in bed by 10 pm every night.
8. I CARRY A FIREARM. Living south of the equator for 30 years, I have known one gringo who carried and he survived his violent encounter and two others who didn't carry and they will never know who their assailants were because they are dead. I don't count the locals - too many.

The last thought I want before I die at the hands of my assailants is Why wasn't I armed!

Carrying increases your chances of staying alive - it's that simple.
 
G1R2,

IMO, very well put! You have twenty years on me, but I can only hope that I have my life squared away in such a disciplined fashion when I reach my so-called "golden-years" (way things are headed, I will propbaly still be working :eek:).

-Cheers
 
I come from a city where violence is not always out of mind. Where I live, the haves and have nots frequently are rubbing shoulders, and this causes much tension. Growing up here, you experience all kinds of things, good and bad. The majority of people in Los Angeles have had some sort of run in with violent crime. You grow up learning the tell tale signs of where you should and shouldn't go, but simply avoiding trouble doesn't mean that trouble will avoid you. As it stands, there is no way for us law abiding citizens to detect when a criminal will be looking to take advantage of us. (There should be an app for that)
It might be when you are least prepared, or it may never happen at all.
Once your loved ones are put into the scheme of things, you need to be willing to do whatever is necessary to protect them at all times.

I have talked to plenty of people who have said that they have lived in this city for X years and have never had an issue regarding their personal safety. All that I can say to these individuals is to acknowledge how lucky they are.
These people believe that a gun is often the catalyst that serves to escalate situations into unavoidable violence.
As has been said numerous times, criminals love a disarmed populace. A popular phrase of candy from a baby comes to mind.
You can never be too prepared, but you can always be underprepared.
A scary thought it is, that there is someone out there, relatively close to you, that would do you harm if chance would have that you were to cross their path.
Unfortunately, it isn't all too far fetched.
Those are a few reasons I find carrying firearms a viable option for self preservation.
 
One final question.....how quickly can you pull out that CCW and fire?
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Depends a lot on the carry method and your body position. One advantage to pocket carry is that if something seems off and you decide to leave a potentially dangerous situation, you can stroll away with your hand in your pocket on your weapon without looking odd. I've done this once or twice in the last 6+ years. Doing that, I could draw and fire in well under 1 second.

OTH, if I'm sitting in a car I'd be lucky to draw from the pocket before the next day. If their is enough room to scrape and bang your way out, that would be the preferred choice (the loud pedal).

On the belt, standing it would take a bit longer. Excluding reaction time (and that can vary a lot in and of itself), best I can draw and fire from low hold position and hit a target about 4 yards out is around 1.25 seconds. 1.4 to 1.6 is more like it though.

The same can be said for many other situations so when do you make that final decision and actually draw it out??
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Basically, when there is no means of escape and it is your life or his/theirs. The gun doesn't come out until the conditions for use of deadly force are present and their are no other viable options left.
 
.why do you carry?
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I carry for the same reason I keep a spare tire in my vehicle. I never leave the driveway anticipating a flat tire, but I think it's best to have it ready, just in case.
 
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