When to carry?

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Define the"risk I accept while carrying". What would that cover? I carry full time when leaving home and most of the time at home. I don't have a pistol on me while doing hard, sweaty work although it likely isn't far away. Kind of difficult to pack a piece in addition to a tool belt and a running chain saw is bound to fill the works of the shooter with sawdust and chips.
If you're packing hit or miss, it's very likely you won't have your gun when you need it. Either carry a firearm or alter your life to preclude any chance of being in danger.
 
Frank Ettin said:
I carry whenever I legally can. I'm not clairvoyant. I have no way to know if today is more likely to be my unlucky day than any other day.
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kraigwy said:
Keep it simple, Carry anytime you can carry legally.
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^^^
If I could have phrased it any better than these two gentlemen, I would have.
 
I carry anywhere I can legally carry.

But for Day in Day out all day, the risk that I accept by carrying did not in my mind out weigh the risk that I was trying to counter. After all, my goal was to make my family and myself safer. Would 24/7 carry make them and I safer or increase our exposure to risk?
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They are as safe as you are with a firearm.

When ever you have in your possession and control of a device that if mishandled can cause harm or death, there is a level of inherent risk. Training and conscientious safe gun handling practices and rituals can greatly mitigate that risk but not eliminate it completely. It only takes one brain fart or moment of complacency. Have you ever ran a red light or pulled out in front of another vehicle? Or dropped a cup of coffee in your lap?
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Carrying a firearm is not as complicated as driving a car. There are two basic rules that you would have to break to injure someone. As long as you keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and finger off the trigger, nothing bad can happen. A handgun is probably safer on you than at your home anyway. At least you know where it is.
 
My question. Do you advocate carrying all the time or only when you perceive an elevated threat level?

A friend, got me to perhaps rethink my carry posture.

Currently I rarely Carry.
Rational: First I live in Maine (Statistically, living in Maine I have the least likelihood of being a victim of a violent crime than any other state in the union)................
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If you find a way to accurately predict when and where you're going to be a violent crime victim, then you won't need to carry. You can just not go there.

Second, all the violent crime victims in Maine lived in the same low crime state where the odds said it wouldn't happen to them.

Third, that it's going to happen to somebody is a 100% certainty. The question isn't do you need a gun. It's really, are you going to bet your life you won't? In life, we play the odds all the time. Make your choice and live with it.

Last, we don't carry guns because we need to. We carry because the possibility exists that we'll need one.
 
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I agree with the posters who advocate carrying whenever possible. I do, even though I live in an area not known for crime, and I also dont frequent bad areas. It seems to me some of the most heinous crimes happen in areas where you woud least expect it. On my days off, one of my carry gun is with me 100% of the time, and when I have to travel to Mass to work, as soon as I get home my 229 is out of he safe and with me instantly. For time when carrying the bi gun is not convienient, I bring a j frame with me in the pocket, but I always have something. If you are the sort that only has big guns, considder getting something small and reliable so you can always have an option if the need arises. I live in a good area, and yet my Mom was held up at gunpoint whe I was younger, and just down the street from where I work, two people were shot to death a few weeks ago in a robbery. The s can hit the fan anywhere,at any time, without any kind of warning, so if you have a gun, keep it with you, a much as possible, I say.
 
Archer 9505
When to carry?
Sub -Title: Can of Worms.
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Carry as close to 24x7 as possible. Make it a habit 'cause when evil rears it's ugly head, it usually doesn't have an appointment. If I knew the date/time/place of when evil was going show, I would stay home...and if it was going to show up at my door and I knew this ahead of time, I'd call 911 and wait inside with an AK and a few extra mags.

Think about this - the last time you slipped and fell on your butt, did you know you were going to do just that when you woke up that morning? ;)
 
I will paraphrase the statements of several wise men (since I'm not sure if I can remember the exact quotations):

1. You will probably never neeed a gun. But if you do, you will need it more than you have ever needed anything in your life.

And my personal favorite, short and sweet...
2. Carry 24/7, or guess right.

I think that the OP's question contains some excellent analysis.
There are downsides to carrying. You can't, for example, have an accidental discharge if you don't carry a firearm.
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Sorry, but this indicates very limited reasoning. Taking this form of logic to its inevitable conclusion:

--If you never set foot in a car, you will never be in an auto accident.
--If you never take a bath/shower, you reduce your chances of slip/fall accident to near zero.
--If you never walk out your front door, you will not be struck by lightning.
--If you live in a cave without electricity or gas, your chances of a home fire drop to near zero.

And so forth, and so on.

Additionally, most "accidental discharges" are actually negligent discharges. Both are exceedingly rare, and you can reduce the chances of both to near zero by a) carrying a modern weapon in good condition and b) adhering to the Four Rules.

Bottom line: You cannot eliminate risk from life. You can evaluate and mitigate risk, and most people do so many times per day, without conscious thought.

There are things I can control, and things I cannot. Not carrying is abdicating control of one of the things I can control, and hoping that the best in human nature prevails.

The older I get, the less faith I have in human nature. And at 55, I sure can't run like I could at 25.
 
When I first started to carry, I only did so very rarely. I kind of felt that unless I was doing something that I felt elevated my threat level I didn't carry. As a year or 2 went on, I just decided if I was going to carry and train, I might as well carry as much as possible.

I had a few shifts in my carry methods from then to now. I used to carry very small pistols. Now, My smallest carry gun is an XDM 3.8 9mm, with full size grip. Basically a good holster and decent belt make it concealable even in a T-shirt for me. It will poke out if I reach my arms above my head or print when I bend over and touch my toes, but printing is not a problem in my state and honestly, I just don't do those things unless it's absolutely necessary.
 
A good friend of mine for a great many years moved from NJ, our home state, to AZ long before I made the move to TX. In New Jersey there is no carry. None. NBA and NFL guys who live in NJ get "courtesy" permits from the Governor of course but for the average Joe, no go.

So whenever I would speak to my friend, who had a 2nd Gen Glock 19 in a biometric wall safe for years unfired and never carried, I would basically berate him for it. Eventually, it worked! He got out his Glock, went to the range, reacquainted himself with shooting and remembered that he loved it. He sold the 2nd Gen, bought two 3rd Gen 19s, an AR, a shotgun, etc. He became an NRA instructor and a gun rights proponent.

Once upon a time, I lived in a restricted state. Now I live in America again! I always carry. Always. The weight of my gun is lighter than regret.

Exercise those rights!
 
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I carry every day, and I live in a very low threat area. Living in a Rural Area, I live on a different Planet that City Dwellers. I fire my concealed carry handguns several times each year other than at the range. I shoot poison snakes, armodillows, deer hit by vehicles, maby a snapping turtle changing ponds now and again.
Probably the highest threat place I am at is Church. You never know when somebody will bring someone to church who is having problems with an abusive husband, of boyfriend.
We have an armed robbery every 5 to 10 years in the County I live in.
We do have a murder every year or so, but normally it will be a domestic, or a drug related incident.

By carrying every day, I am 100% comfortable carrying when I do go to an elevated threat area.

I also compete in pistol matches using my concealed carry equipment.
Competing with my carry weapons, really helps get the bugs out of carrying extra ammo to reload with, holster location, etc..

The more you carry, and the more familiar you are with your concealed carry weapon, the safer everyone is around you. By carrying you are the sheep dog in the flock, and not just another sheep.

Bob
 
Prior to home invasion last fall and subsequently shooting a bad guy, I carried part time. Now my Sig goes with me at all times. Sig, wallet, cell, and keys is my routine prior to leaving my home. I also practice, practice, practice. I'll bet there are many that carry 100% but in reality are very unprepared.


...jjj
 
Whenever I can legally. My work area is definitely off-limits, so I can't quite a bit of the time.

One never knows when trouble will strike, why take chances? I have found a pistol and a style of carry that is comfortable and easy to conceal, so that it is not a hassle to carry when I can.
 
I laugh in the face of danger... Muwhahaha....

To me the the thought of needing it and not having it far outweighs the danger of an AD or the inconvenience of carrying.

After a while it becomes so second nature you completely stop asking yourself if today is going to be a carry day. Although I must admit it does make it easier when you carry a pocket .380 most days.
 
I'm in the carry when legally able camp. I have read accounts were people have been in life threatening situations, like a bank robbery where the perps start killing bank employees for not cooperating, and threatening the customers as well. One woman's account indicated she was kicking herself for leaving her pistol in the car, as her handbag was heavy that day, so she took it out. I fear that situation.
 
No matter how low the crime rate is in my area, as long as there are people who insist that their pit bulls are too passive to attack anyone, I will continue to carry every time I leave the house. Also, I will not bet my life on local crime rates, and I know that the gun I carry in my pocket is not going to increase, by some logic from anti-gun people, the chances becoming a victim of crime. On the other hand, if despite low crime rates, I am attacked, at least if I am carrying, I may have a chance to save myself.
 
"Its better to be prepared and hope and pray to God you never need it than not have it when you actually do need it."

My brother, while in the Rangers, went through training that focused on fighting and defending with a knife. This was something one of his officers always said.

Here is something to think about. While you might not put yourself in dangerous situations while you're out and about. What if you were to ever come home to a break in? This happened to my family when I was little.

I won't go into details and to make a long story short, we were all out and my father, who had run into a friend, almost did not come home with us that night (I think there was a game on and he was gonna get a ride home with the friend). Well he didn't go (thank God), and when we were about to walk in, we realized the door was ajar, my dad was able to sneak up on the guy and restrain him via force. It had turned out the man had a gun, but never had a chance to try and use it.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that as hard as you try to avoid dangerous situations, it is just not quite possible.

So after my little ramble. I myself carry everyday. If for some reason I feel like I really don't need it, I leave the big and heavy piece at home and throw my .380 in my front pocket.
 
I try to carry 24/7, sleep with firearms close by and 365 days a year. My car insurance is in force 24/7 and 365 days whether the car is in the garage or on the interstate in heavy fast moving lane changing traffic. My house insurance is in force 24/7 and 365 days whether it is a blue bird day or a tornado is spotted nearby.

Why should my concealed firearm be any different?
 
My father's favorite line was "it's better to have it and not need it rather than to need it and not have it", and I follow that philosophy by carrying everyday, everywhere that I legally can, and, by the way, always with two reloads. Since I don't have the ability to predict when a dealy situation may occur, I choose to be prepared when I can.
 
" 'Tis not the odds, but the stakes that are important."

If you Carry always, and never need it, what is lost?

If you Carry seldom, and need it but once, and do not have it that one time ..... what then?
 
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