Ooops, I just freaked the girlfriend out with my gun.

My wife was the same way when I first purchased my Glock 21 SF. After a few weeks of running off to the range without her she came with my cousin and I to shoot. She sat in the car the whole time but agreed to come back with me later while we were alone. Upon the return trip she fired off one round with the .45 and one round with the 30-06. The later of which she didn't have pulled into her shoulder, regardless of my chants to hold it tighter, and the rifle left a reverse "R" stamped on her arm for a few minutes. Long story short after she realized that the firearms were not going away and they would not harm us, she settled down. The Glock now resides within reach while around the house and in its case while traveling...also within reach.
 
I have to say that even though I have a gun and my husband has a gun, suddenly waking up to my husband having a gun on his hip would be a bit disconcerting (and possibly an argument starter). I have nothing against carrying, I have nothing against carrying in the house - but the first time I should see you carry should not be when I am feeling totally defenceless (in bed, not quite awake yet etc).

Did she over-react, maybe. Did she have some good points - definitely. Take some classes, get time on the range. She isn't against guns, she is against the way she was introduced to you practicing carrying.

Slow down and you guys should be fine.
 
Since no one seems to have commented on your video, I will.

Your girlfriend's concerns seem justified. You need to learn proper, safe handling at all times. You're all over that trigger. Put the gun down, and step away. You do need to slow down.

I was also a bit unsettled when I first read your comments about the feelings of power and freedom. When I started carrying again I felt nothing like that. I agree that you should reexamine your true motives.
 
If you really enjoy her company I wouldn't be so quick to dump her, because she doesn't seem fundamentally adverse to guns.

I think that her "dad" comments just shows you her reference point regarding guns and, most importantly, her interpretation of what responsible gun ownership should be like, that's all.

And it seems that her main problem is that you are not being as responsible as she would like for you to be with guns. Watching youtube gun videos and strapping the blaster around the house, "playing around", is her evidence that you aren't treating the subject as seriously as she would like.

You watching the youtube videos had already probably annoyed her, and the sudden image of you with the gun on your side probably made her feel "insecure" on a deep emotional level.
Many people not appropriately exposed to guns tend to get freaked out when presented with an image of someone toting a gun around.

I think it is good advice for you to approach the topic with more seriousness.
Go take a defensive class, go to the range and practice. Read books on the topic. Become a serious student of self defense. Even go take some martial arts classes.

Then I think she will feel secure and comfortable with you carrying a gun, and perhaps even proud and happy to have such a serious and capable man that is willing to dedicate himself to the safety of his loved ones and himself. And of course, ask her to go to the range with you once you have some proficiency, or take a defensive class together to begin with, perhaps.

And once she's confident and comfortable with your gun handling capacity and decision making, then you can tell her that you have decided to get a CCW license. By that time she should understand why a gun for personal safety is necessary, but if not, you can start making your case from that point on, maybe starting with a comment like this: "because I could never live with myself if we were out somewhere and a gang of thugs decided to have our way with us including murder and rape, and I was powerless to protect you".
 
I don't have a GF, but live with my friend of 11 years. At first she was really nervous, calling me paranoid and making fun of me in public.

Things settled down after a while, and now I don't have to say anything. She'll strike up conversations with friends/acquaintences about the 2A and the need to protect yourself as the LEO's can't do it for you. I just sit back and listen in.

I don't know what to tell you, everyone is different. You may want to just CC around the house with a smaller gun to make both of you feel better until she gets used to it. Just don't go making things obvious around her.

And BTW, firearms aren't really a 'hobby' like R/C cars, paintball, etc etc. Carrying a firearm is a HUGE responsibility that takes a lot of maturity and levelheadedness. Most anyone can strap a gun to their hip (her perception) but try and prove to her this isn't another one of your 'hobbies'.
 
Firearms to me, are first and foremost a hobby. I grew up around hunting, which is fine and fun, but I always preferred target shooting, either handgun, rifle, or clay birds with a shotgun.

Out of the ..about 40ish guns I own, 3 are meant, and used for self/home defense primarily. Don't get me wrong the 4 or 5 12 gauges and the 10 gauge would work fine for defense as well but their main role in my collection is hunting.

Firearms are a huge hobby, I find it perfectly acceptable for someone to even just own one handgun and only use it at the range.

To carry a firearm for defense reasons is a HUGE responsibility don't get me wrong. But my guns also make for a great hobby to enjoy at the range. I'm sure most others would agree.

It's like saying you should only fish when you need food, personally I don't eat fish but I'm a huge fan of catch and release, or catching and giving to someone who enjoys them.

Also a lot of people on this forum have given the advice to new comers to carry around the house to get comfortable before CCW in public. Obviously get training, and learn handling, and maybe not stand over a sleeping person with a gun, but you didn't really do anything wrong in my eyes.
 
I guess I should explain further, I don't consider CC/HD/SD work a hobby. Going to the range, hunting, reloading etc could certainly be a hobby.
 
Well I took a differing route in introducing my GF/Wife to my firearm hobby. I grew up in a LE family and was shooting for a very long time. My wife comes from a firearm family but disliked them for "safety reasons"(yes past tense). She told me that when we moved in together the guns had to go... Well I shipped off the guns to my parents for safekeeping (I knew this would be the woman for me...long story).

Forward a few years, her cousin (A swat team L.T) has been on my side telling her that it's unsafe not to have a gun in the house (she trusts him).

One gun comes back home (.40 USP). She shoots it (first time shooting) likes it and says she wants a .22. (YEAH!!!) bought a Beretta NEOS, she likes it, shoots every weekend... She shoots her cousins M&P and loves it. Next day I buy her a 9mm M&P with crimson trace grips. (Finally) Every gun comes home. She's the one now suggesting new ammo to try and when to go shooting... Yesterday she suggested we go to a gun show (told you she was the one for me :))

Long story short for me, I let her know I cared for her feelings and took the guns away. And I knew it was only a matter of time before she would be the one wanting them back. I had to give up my hobby for 6 years and live naked (I felt naked not having a SD firearm in the house, but the rotweiler and the machete helped), but it was worth it to give her the time to adjust.

Now I'm in a far better position than if I had fought tooth and nail to keep my guns.

So everything is different but remember the whole "pry it from my cold dead hands" only works when referring to the government, not women...

... Now if I could just get her to learn to clean the guns...
 
On my 21st B-day I got my carry permit and my girlfriend freaked out. I told her the gun is staying on me, if you dont like it dont let the door hit you on the way out. Never had a problem after that.
 
I'd say my wife doesn't take part, but she does encourage my firearms jones. In fact, for the past few years she always asks before we go out if I'm carrying a gun ... we had a weird incident on an anniversary in San Antonio and ever since she's been a big fan of CC ...
 
Ditch the GF. Final an open-minded Republican girl, preferaby one from a weathly family with her own trust fund. Better yet find a very-old, wealthy republican woman and marry her.
 
My girlfriend is still pretty new to me. I took the tact of really getting into her hobby (photography) and supporting it in any way i could. Many a mile I hiked through the woods, the city, parks, old buildings, you name it. It was all ussually my idea. After a while she was begging me to take her shooting and listened earnestly to my rantings. However, she has allot of family gun experince and realitives who are cops, so my constant gun totting dosent bother her in the least bit. If she doesnt like it but you like her, you might need to tone it down a bit.


Good Luck.
 
okay now that things have calmed down a bit...go out and rent Taxi Driver.
Make sure you're watching any scene with DeNiro alone....then start playing with the light switch and eating MREs on the floor of an unlit kitchen or better yet, your closet. After all of this the "gun thing" shouldn't/wont look so bad!
 
When I met my b/f I knew that he liked guns and that didn't bother me at all.The only time that he ever freaked me out was the first time we went out of town together.I woke up to find that he was not in bed beside me so I rolled over and found him sitting in a chair by the window drinking a coke while his gun was on the table next to him.Up until that point I knew he had them but had never seen them.Waking up to that did freak me out but for only a few seconds.
I now have 5 guns of my own & only started shooting 8yrs ago.Before I got my own gun I felt a hell of a lot safer when we went out because I knew that he always had his gun w/him and that he would be able to protect me no matter what happened.Now when we go out both of us are carrying.My Sig or 1911 are never out of my reach and I sleep w/the Sig under my pillow.

I think that u should try talking her into going to the range w/u and teaching her how to shoot.Maybe then she would be more open minded about them and more willing to accept them.Even if she doesn't want one of her own.Maybe by taking her to shoot and teaching her about shooting she will enjoy it enought that she will want one of her own.Don't go over board and shove them down her throat but work w/her slowly.Maybe then she will be more accepting of u having guns.Good Luck.
 
My wife accepts both but doesn't get excited about either.
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My obsessions are guns and fast trucks. My wife is the same, doesn't mind my having them, but the interest to her is nil. But then I don't get excited about any of her hobbies either, except maybe cooking as well.:D We do have hockey together, that's a plus. But I've gotten my wife more and more used to the idea of guns in our lives every day by little measures.

OP, use the news about break-ins, rapes, and murders to your advantage, not to scare her, but to explain that that is what you are striving to prevent. Impress upon her that she is important enough to you to want to protect her from the dregs of society. It's usually easier if you live in or near a troubled area. Sounds like she's open to the idea of guns, and that's a big plus. Do some shooting trips with the .22, so she can get better aquainted with guns in general, and give her a crack at the "man killer." Dollars to donuts she enjoys that too. Give her a year and I'll bet she wants one of her own. Then your trouble will have just begun. Whenever you buy a fine new firearm, she'll want to try it out. After that, it just might be "hers." Actually, that's a problem most of us would love to have.

Carrying at home, as was said, better prepares you for carrying on the street, gets you used to the weight, breaks in your new holsters, alerts you to their downfalls, snags, etc.
 
Here is a profile from a woman on a dating website that I came across. Does anyone here meet her requirements???

Here they are:


================================

my ultimate wish - to find a man who has all the following qualities:

- Seeks peace in ALL things (starting with self and ending with the known universes)

- MUST love children absolutely. All children (young/old, good/bad, easy-difficult). Without doubt. Love being with them, spending time with/around them. No exceptions whatsoever. No qualifications. (Single parent OK but ONLY if they either live with their kids or in the same geographic area and see/talk to their children more often than once a week)

- Large loving extended family and friends.

- Has NO previous emotional baggage and/or personal vendettas

- NO guns ( None, Nada, Zero ) Knives must be ceremonial only, nothing that can cut; NO video games (text-based MUDs ok).

- Physically fit and active. Like doing fun/healthy things (vegan? hiking/walking/dancing).

- Attractive and good looking- long hair? (35-50 years old depending on person).

- No smoking/drugs. Alcohol only in moderation.

- Likes to be clean and live neatly. Not AR/OCD, not minimalist - but close.

- Physical professional (construction?), with strong personal finances. Knows how to balance budget and avoid impulse purchases.

- Spiritual: Taoist/catholic with knowledge of quantum physics thrown in.

- Music - anything rock/alt. Little techno/emo-screamo. NO COUNTRY MUSIC, I CANNOT STAND IT!.

- Like live entertainment - theatre/symphony, concerts. Little opera. No mosh pits.

- Sex - yes. But he must understand that sex does not equal intercourse. Romance is required. Courting highly recommended. Does not mean spending money. Does NOT mean grabbing my breasts = Must show affection. Recommended ratio: 80% romance / 20% everything else.

- TV on rare occasion. Would rather read a book or go out dancing.

- Must know how to: Cook breakfasts AND dinners; clean up kitchen completely after cooking; shave beard without leaving a single whisker catastrophe behind; accurately pee in a toilet without leaving a trail on rim/floor; balance his checkbook; go shopping for a week of groceries on $100 or less in less than 30 minutes;

- SAY YOU WILL DO SOMETHING AND THEN DO IT WHEN YOU SAID YOU WOULD. (emergency allowance exception allowed, but must require either death and/or serious injury requiring his hospitalization)

- Intelligence required. College education also recommended but not required. curiousity a must.

- Loves cats. Tolerates dogs. Likes visiting horses and then giving them back to their owner.
 
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