Why do you carry?

As much as I like my guns, and I most assuredly do, I carry because:
  1. I have a wife and daughter whom I love dearly.
  2. I have a wife and daughter who need me.
  3. I'm a lawyer. That can make me unpopular.
  4. As part of being a lawyer, I:
    • Tell a judge that certain people need to stay in jail;
    • Defend the police from lawsuits;
    • Sue crack dealers;
    • Get warrants for animal control to go take some folks' dogs.
 
In case the Zombie apocalypse starts, I don't want to start off already behind on the Z count. :D

We had a stalker for several years. Her police friends and out attorney advised we do so and practice regularly.
 
I carry because I feel a responsibility to protect my family, myself and others, if necessary. I want to be prepared for the situations that might arise, which is why I carry more than just a handgun.
 
Lots of good responses to a simple question that can have complex answers.

1) I fully expect (especially considering my age and lifestyle) to go the rest of my life without being called upon to use a firearm to protect myself or others from potentially mortal harm from violence.

2) I carry because, even as wise as I am ;), I could be wrong about #1.

I really like guns but that's not why I carry.

Frankly, I've been carrying for so many years, I usually forget I'm doing so in the normal course of a day.

Best,

Will
 
I have been legally carrying here in CA almost 20 years. I started because I'm a handgun hunter and I do a lot of Jeep hunting. Without a permit, you can't have a loaded handgun in a vehicle and I got tired of loading/unloading every time I stopped my vehicle. My main reason however, has evolved into just plain self defense.
 
Most crime committed against unknown victims are a crime of opportunity. I choose to give criminals the least opportunity possible.
 
I was asked that question by a young lady born in Belgium and now residing in Germany, who came for an extended visit with my daughter. They became close friends when my daughter did a semester abroad during her college years.

I started with the fact that the American spirit is marked by independence and self-reliance. Having become well acquainted with several folks from other countries, I have come to believe that Americans often don't recognize that in themselves. Then when you add in practical matters like the response time of law enforcement and how large and spread out our country is compared to a lot of European nations, our commitment to self-protection and its enshrinement in our founding documents can be demonstrated to be a reasonable and expected feature of our culture.
 
I carry because of days like today. Today, my friends and I rode 225 miles on our motorcycles through the poverty stricken mountains of WV, VA and KY. Government regulations and economic pressures have destroyed the coal industry in the coal field counties and there are no other employment opportunities available. It has turned some of the desperate people into criminals simply to survive. There is little police protection (we saw one all day at a school running radar) in many miles of isolated crooked mountain roads. I don't want to be another person who travels into the mountains and is never heard from again.

Before he was mysteriously found dead, he told me that in the county where he lived, there were two jobs. One job was to deal in drugs and the other was to steal from people who deal in drugs.
 
I don't carry 100% of the time . . . it all depends on where I am (I am in MI part time and AZ part time). My own personal experiences through my years of working ambulance, fire and fire rescue have shown me just how easily a person can become a "victim" . . there are a lot of bad people out there and it seems to be getting worse . . . drugs, those who are to lazy to work but not to lazy to steal and hurt others, etc. THAT is why I carry . . . it's my right and I refuse to be a "victim". And with God's help, I hope I am never in a situation where I will need to use my handgun.
 
Its a bit reactionary but this string of copy cat shootings by disturbed young men strung out on antidepressants. The shooting at SPU solidified that decision. I had been himming and hawing about it long before then but finally took it seriously. Now it has become just a part of my life.
 
Best answer yet.

Because, as a living creature, I have the natural right to self defense; and, as an American, I have the Constitutional right to use a firearm to do it.
Click to expand...

Best answer of them all,,,
I'm going to start using this myself.

Aarond

.
 
I love guns but what's really fun or exciting isn't always what's easy or even practical to conceal and carry around all day. The reason I carry a gun is the same reason that I keep a fire extinguisher in my home.
 
I always thought this guy summed it up very well in his excellent piece of writing here:

http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/g/carry.htm

A few excerpts:

"...walking around full time with a firearm is a study in mindfulness. It makes the study real, and not just a mental exercise. "

"Because I can. 'A man who does not read books has no advantage over a man who cannot read them.' - Mark Twain. I sincerely believe that natural rights should be exercised whenever possible so as to create an actual rather than theoretical appreciation of those rights."

"If nobody takes responsibility for their own personal safety, then nobody will be safe. If you do nothing - if you take no responsibility for your own safety - then other people are less safe as well."

"Today might be my turn. It would be a damn shame if it got to be my turn and I had to say, "Sorry. Can't play. I left my tools at home."

David
 
I often open carry around the community where I live and I had someone ask me why I carry a gun. I said some people carry a gun because they are scared of white people, some people carry because they are scared of black people, some carry because they are scared of terrorists...But I carry because I am afraid of crazy people. I also said I hope my gun never has to come out of the holster in a self defense situation, but if it does I will be ready to protect myself and my loved ones.
 
I wish I didnt have to but there are tons of nuts out there.

Fortunately I don't need to carry at work. I work at a university and we are a gun free zone. Its totally safe there because we have no security, anyone can come into the buildings, there is no plan if there is an armed person on campus other than calling the cops. No need for guns at my job.:eek:
 
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