Reasons for CCW

L

lr60pilot

New member
I amnew here and to the handgun world. Just wondering some reasons why people carry on a regular basis, other than the LE's on the board. I am not against CCW, in fact I think I might get the permit. I am just curious as to people's reason for having a firearm on their person.
 
Cheers,

I guess that you've opened a can of worms here - I sure hope you like fishing!

I carry because the police solve crimes, they don't prevent them. I refuse to give someone else control of my life, my safety or that of my family.

I've spent way too much of my life either being shot at or shooting back and I guess it's just a hold-over from that time. It's a hold-over that makes me feel safer than if I didn't.

All the other reasons that I haven't mentioned will be provided by those following me in this thread.

Gentle winds,
cr
 
I carry because it's the right thing to do.

It is necessary for some people to be armed. If not for that, there would be anarchy.

I have the skill, the means, the proper mindset, and am willing. Chances are, I'll never have to use my weapon, but if it becomes necessary, I'll have the ability to make a difference.

The way I see it, it would be irresponsible for me NOT to carry.
 
I carry because the police solve crimes, they don't prevent them. I refuse to give someone else control of my life, my safety or that of my family.
Click to expand...

Echoed.


Once you start carrying, it's hard to go back to not carrying. I reached a point where I felt natural carrying a gun. Now I feel unnatural to not have one. It's a matter of preparedness. I like to know that if the most dire circumstance came about, I am equipped to handle it.

Once I realized that being unarmed meant that IF I was ever selected as a victim by someone who wished me harm I would be at his mercy, I decided that I would not leave myself in such a condition any time I could help it.


-azurefly
 
because I will not be a victim

Our family used to live in a town which, IIRC, is now considered the 8th safest in the U.S. We now live north of Houston, which is the 22nd WORST. Had we remained in Round Rock, I'd probably have never worried about it, but reality here is different. I am not going to let somebody get away with carjacking me, or robbing me, or worse, not if I can help it.

And I like feeling confident and secure in my own self. I can go walking the woods alone and not worry about some bad guy who might hurt me like I did before I had my guns. Neither fear of some aggressive punk nor some aggressive pit bull needs to keep me from doing what I want.

And because I CAN. Because I SHOULD. Because it may tip the balance someday between life and death for some innocent person; myself or another.

Because I am careful. I wear my seatbelt every single time I drive. I do not run red lights. I look both ways before crossing the street. I do not walk dark alleys alone at night (or any other time). And I DO wear my gun.

Because someday it might be you, or your kid, who's being held up in a convenience store as I walk in...and if so, I need to be able to react to save my life and yours.

It is my RIGHT.

Springmom
 
Why A CCW

Bottom line is no one is responsible for you and yours but you if that doesn't matter then do like the rest of the folks call 911 and wait or better yet hope they decide to come. Be Safe Out There Kurt
 
Because when 911 called

Its usually too late to do anything. The police come and take a statement, and the paramedics/corona come and take a body (hopefully alive).
 
Daily reading of the newspaper made it quite clear that I am the only person that can protect me. The police are rarely in a position to prevent violent crime. Indeed, as the U.S. Supreme Court made quite clear last June, the police have no duty or responsibility to protect you as an individual, only the community as a whole.

When you looked into the mirror this morning, you were looking at the person most responsible for your safety today.
 
sounds silly to some....

But I carry for the same reason:
1. I have life insurance.
2. I wear my seatbelt.
3. I practice safe sex.
4. I wear a heavy coat, gloves, hat, in the winter here in MN.
5. I don't drink and drive.
6. I don't do drugs.
7. I work out on a regular basis.

It is all about taking care of myself. The list could go on and on, but you get the picture. Everything I have listed is a tool to a long and safe life. Carrying is a tool that protects me.
 
I carry because I don't want to draw my dying breath watching my wife and daughter being raped and killed by some idiot that thinks the law applies to everyone but him.

It might still happen, but the odds are a little more in my favor.
 
I havent got my CCW yet. I will after Christmas.
My wife has asked this question of me and the only answer I could give her was that I loved her and our son too much to let them be victims of violence.
I will not allow anyone to harm my family. The more tools I have at my disposal to do that job, the better.
A few people I work with have said that I am paranoid and looking for trouble. I told them I would be happy to not interfere when they are being assualted/robbed if they didnt want my gun carring @ss around.
 
I never really thought of carrying until recently. I thought I would never really have a need to or a reason. Once I started working Fire/EMS and had a chance to find myself in a great working relationship with local PD and State, I had the eye opening experience to really see the goings on within my local area. Only a month or so actually working around "society" can change your mind about your own safety and that of your family. I was considering CCW and a handgun but was dreading the confrontation with my wife over the idea. What really surprised me was that she came to me and asked about getting a handgun and getting the license to protect ourselves and our son! I picked that ball up and ran it with enthusiasm!! :)

Anyways, I carry every day I am not on duty at the FD. Not allowed to while on duty, SOGs forbid it. Otherwise, I have my XD9 hanging IWB or right by my side. I practice with it 3-4 times a month and practice draw/dry fire regularly. The police do a great job but they can't be everywhere at once. When seconds count and your life may be on the line, your only resource is yourself. Hope that day never comes, but be prepared for it. My mother is completely against CCW and the mere thought of it but my wife and I are a unified front. My mother tells us that "You don't need a gun, nothing like that is ever going to happen!" and she belileves it. Don't you. There is no safety in ignorance!!

Learn your handgun, learn your local laws regarding the use of force, practice as often and as long as you can, get your CCW, and carry every second you possibly can. Your life, or the lives of your family and friends may some day very well depend on it.
 
Always had a gun in my house all my life, but I never considered getting a CW permit until I got older (can't fight as well as I did in my youth), got married, and had kids (which I will protect at all cost).
 
Ir60pilot. To date, this post by TFL member pax is just about one of the best posts I have ever read for dealing with a topic such as you have brought to the table. While it really addresses when to carry... I think it makes a good point as to why to carry.

I'll quote pax here, and mind you she was speaking to someone else at the time (all bolding/underlining is my doing):

pax said:
PythonGuy ~

Good post. Let me try to find some common ground.

I know what you mean about some posts being funny. You're amused by folks who carry everywhere. I'm bemused when I see threads with titles like, "Do you carry to a friend's house?" "Do you carry at home?" "Do you carry to work?" "Do you carry at church?" etc ad infinitum.

The reason those threads amuse me is because, well, I carry. And I go places and do things. I don't carry "to a friend's house," or "to church" or "at home" -- I simply carry, wherever I might be. My default setting is to carry and if I'm not carrying it is because I made a deliberate decision not to do so right then. The reason I carry is never because I think whatever I'm doing is particularly dangerous; if I think something is particularly dangerous, I simply don't do it (or at least I find a way to do it more safely -- such as during the day instead of at night, or with a friend instead of alone). So all the angst about whether carry is appropriate in a particular venue just leaves me bemused.

A lot of people do the exact opposite. They go places and do things, but their default setting is to leave the gun locked up at home. If they carry at all, it's because they made a conscious decision to carry that day -- generally because they thought they were doing something particularly dangerous. I don't do it that way simply because my crystal ball has never been very good and I've noticed that bad things generally happen to me when I'm not expecting it. If other folks have noticed that bad things happen to them only when they are expecting it and prepared for it, who am I to argue? It's their lives.

I just wish they could refrain from insulting me for my choices, in the same way I refrain from insulting them for their choices.

pax
Click to expand...

ps- pax, i have linked to the above post about a thousand times... hope you don't mind, but it's so brilliant I can't stop!
 
Well, Pilot, . . . do you read the newspapers? If the daily "Blabber" in your area is not enough persuasion to get you to seek your concealed carry license, . . . then you must have a lot more faith in your police, fellow man, and your ability to run than I have.

I can't run (too old you know), . . . LEO's here are about 30 minutes away, . . . and my faith is in my Lord, my abilities, and my .45, . . . in that order.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
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