What made you start to carry? :MERGED

[golfer]

Redcap-you are spending too much time outdoors. Those are some real experiences. Idaho has some big critters there.
I feel for Uncle Skizzy; I have been chases by dogs and it is no fun. Last time I dropped two in their tracks and it was much easier to deal with. Dog packs may be more dangerious than wolves as they are more prevelant. They get very aggressive in the packs as well.
Best wishes to you.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[tex45acp]

I travel a bunch with my job and Texas is a big state with lots of opportunities for BG's to ruin the day of honest hard working folks. Pre CHL, you could carry concealed in Texas, in your vehicle, while traveling and I did so for many years, but it was easily interpreted incorrectly by the different law enforcement agencies. Saw several situations where carrying concealed, outside of my vehicle, would have been adventagous. When the CHL became a real thing, I decided to take the class. I had been shooting, hunting & competing with handguns since I was 10 years old, so it was really a natural step for me. Since having my CHL, it has helped me to prevent something bad from happening to me. Had I not been legally carrying, I possibly would not have been here to write this reply.
This year I renew again and both of my sons, 22 & 25, who also grew up shooting & hunting with handguns, will attend their first CHL class with their proud Dad.

Unfortunately, the Leave it to Beaver world, some of us grew up in has become the No Country for Old Men world and being able to legally carry a handgun concealed to protect yourself and family is almost a necessity.

tex45acp

[TerryD]

The Army did it for me.

For years I had a strong side on my right hip, a belly band, and an ankle and 1 knife.

Then when I got moved to a different MOS (job), the primary weapons were rifle's of varying types, a strong side OWB pistol, belly band, and ankle and 2 knives.

So now after carrying weapons for 19 years, carrying 1 pistol is easy.

[dcb188]

Boston Police officers suggested I do it, after two years of ride-alongs with them, after inviting me along with them the first time, then I got a Ruger P90 and rode with them another 6 years off and on. Now I carry a Ruger SP101 because of the power. But that's how I got started. 14 years of carrying and now I wouldn't go get a quart of milk without my companion with me. Is as much of a habit now as it wasn't a habit back then. I am a crim trial atty in the inner-city courts of Boston but none of the defendants is ever a problem where you need a firearm etc. The real threat comes from some nitwit who has no idea what he is going to do. A lot of folks are out of control these days. And this goes for inner-city, sunny countryside, golf course, church, anywhere. You absolutely never know. You only know after the fact that everything was okay that particular day. You need to have a companion in this day and age where people have no idea who their next victim is, due to drugs etc and if you are picked, you are at a distinct disadvantage unless you are armed at all times. As I said, nothing to do with court or court people at all. Never a problem. Problem is the unpredicatability of folks you don't even know, who do not look like criminals.

[Zach and Holly]

I used to love the old show Unsolved Mysteries and one story that always stuck with me was a mother and her (under age 10) son. They were canoeing somewhere and another conoe passed with two men -- they hoot and hollered and harrassed them, but they passed on. Later, the mother and son were moored on shore eating lunch or something, and the same couple men in the canoe passed again -- this time, they stopped and overtook them. They didn't even have weapons, they simply overpowered her. They repeatedly raped her in front of the son and they were never caught. My wife and I often canoe ourselves, and this story alone is one of the reasons we both began carrying. Plus, we camp, boat, hike and bike quite a bit, and any simliar situation could arise.

The other day, Holly and I were going to a movie in a very old theatre that used to be a church -- the restrooms are located outside, and she exited the building to go. She said it was the creepiest, darkest hallway TO the bathroom...and then the bathroom itself was in such a weird location that even if she were to scream nobody would be able to hear. She said it was stupid not to turn back and that situation alone was enough to warrant getting a CHL.

[GovtMule]

For me it was because of my neighborhood going downhill (as mentioned in my first post) as well as the increase in violent crime in this area in general. I've had an attempted home invasion a couple of years ago that happened so fast, and was prevented by my trusted german shepherds, that it took a few minutes to even realize what had just been prevented. After that incident, all of the crime articles in the local paper that I read daily but seemed disconnected from, suddenly hit home that this was happening ALL AROUND ME. At the time, all I had in the house was a cheap Phoenix Arms .25 that I bought on a whim years earlier. I decided then and there that it was time to graduate from sheep to sheepdog. Now, I'm no farther than 10 feet max from firearms while in my home and carry outside the home always (except for work - knives/tools/wits then).

[dcb188]

Ditto. I treat mine like an American Express card.

[Sticks]

Ditto. I treat mine like an American Express card.

And ironically, it is just as useless when you are out of country.

[GOPony]

because a gun is the only thing that can equalize any normal threat i am likely to run into on the streets or at home.

I don't carry to protect myself from being shot, i carry to protect 4 kids, 1 wife, parents, close friends and in laws (ok the last one is debatable).

My hope is that i have this 1.5 pound thing attached to my side for the next several decades and never have to use it.

We are all responsible for ourselves. The government has no obligation to protect you, they only have the obligation to protect your rights.

[Yoda]

I was bitten by a dog in my front yard
I was mugged about 35 years ago in broad daylight at the Houston Zoo
Crime in my small town, country living home is increasing and the news is starting to sound like a big town
I killed 7 snakes out at my pond in the last 2-3 months
I am getting older, my son was able to out-wrestle me
I have almost been face to face with a wild boar
I sometimes have to travel into some unsavory areas, like New Orleans post Katrina
I love my family and want to protect them, I know I cannot rely on others

[simon]

Just never expected that someone else would take care of me...thats why I carry..

[jaaronkozak]

The following scenario occurred while I was a Marine Stationed in North Carolina. Here is my story:

One of my headmates (the guys in the room that I shared a bathroom with) was getting out of The Corps in a few days. He and his roomate asked me if I would be a DD for them and take them to a club in Jacksonville. That particular club was not really my scene, so I waited out in the parking lot the last hour the club was open (1am to 2am). I was in the parking lot for at least an hour and would have had plenty of time to re-arm. I got bored of sitting in the car and moved to the hood. Just after 2AM a fist fight broke out, about 40-50 feet to my right. I was in no position to do anything as there were about 80 people involved and things were escalating quickly. The club security guards (MORONS!!) decided that the best way to quell the situation would be to fire three shots into the air. Bad idea. All that did was tell the thugs in the parking lot that it was time to break out their illegally carried weapons. By this time, I had put myself between two of the vehicle and in a very good position to move if necessary. Then an individual used the trunk of the car I would driving for a supported firing position so that he could unload a clip INTO THE CROWD. He did not know I was there and fired all 8 rounds within a foot and half of my head with no hesitation. I was the only one in any sort of position to stop this guy from firing blindly into a crowd. I did not have the training or the equipment to do anything but watch. I tripped him to the ground as soon as I could, but it was too late; he had already emptied his clip into the crowd. My problem then became the 9mm barrel belonging to his buddy that was pointed at my head, followed by the words, "LET HIM UP!" Of course, I complied. I followed them and gave the police a description of the vehicle that I saw them leave in.

I am not saying that by being armed that night would have been able to stop those people from being shot. I cannot say that I would not have been shot myself if I had stepped up and tried to stop him from doing what he obviously wanted to do. For these reasons I do not feel guilty about that night and what I could've, should've or would've done. But sitting there unable to do anything, I felt absolutely powerless. Fortunately for the crowd this guy was a bad shot. He hit two people directly (both in the legs) and two others were hit by rounds that richocheted off the ground (one in the calf and another in the lovehandle). No fatal shots were fired that night.

I grew up in the USRM (United Socialist Republic of Massachusettes), but we always had loaded firearms in the house. My step-father was a CWP holder, but never carried. He taught me a lot of practical knowledge about guns, but it was not until I joined The Corps that I learned how to shoot. I had my CWP while living in NH. When I joined the Army in 2004, I sold my CCW so I did not have to deal with keeping it locked in the barracks arms room. Now that I am married and own a home in Manhattan, Kansas I will be applying for my CWP as soon as I return to the States.

[T-Rex]

Two students were killed in an apartment just a few doors down from where I lived when I was in college. No signs of forced entry. A couple of months later, someone entered my apartment and stated that they were campus security and my stereo was too loud.

The very next day, I applied for a permit, and went and bought my first Glock 22. This was in 1994 and have had her every since...

[brianko]

I've had a CHL for 8 years but never carried (except in the vehicle) until just recently due to the lack of a firearm I felt comfortable concealing. Now that I've picked up something that I can conceal IWB even in the summer, I no longer have an excuse not to carry.

Plus, two capital murders at a local business the other week 2 miles from the house simply serves as a reminder that it can happen anytime, anywhere. I sometimes work late at my shop, and carry there as well.

[Fixxxer]

When I was 16 I was riding with my friends, a vehicle almost side swiped us to change lanes. My friend honked his horn to let the driver know we were right beside him, they responded by shooting at us. Luckily gang bangers can't aim and didn't use a weapon potent enough to go through the door.

I won't hesitate to empty my magazine when the situation occurs. ::I have two more to fall back on::