I'm registered to take the CHL course at the end of next month and will have my license not long after. I already know that carrying a cocked and loaded gun on my person will be quite an exhilarating experience, at least at first. The idea of it all is both exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. And in a good way obviously, as this is all to protect my business, my family, and myself. I'm just curious how long the thrill of it all will last before EDC becomes just a routine every day thing that I don't even think about anymore. I just think back to when I got my drivers license and could go where I wanted by myself. That feeling of freedom is something I'll never forget. I imagine the feeling of CC'ing to being pretty close to that.
I'm interested in what both seasoned and new CC'ers alike have to say about this sort of thing.
It'll soon become a routine thing and your focus (hopefully) will move to more training, situational awareness, responsibility, studying law etc. and less about the "thrill".
I've been carrying everyday for about 5 months. It's routine, but not so routine that it's not on your mind. It is pretty thrilling at first, being able to take your gun with you (almost) wherever you go, but that "thrill" doesn't last. It's still awesome that we have the freedom to do so, and I thank God everyday that I have that right, but it's not a "thrill", so to speak.
Never thought of it as a thrill or exhilarating but I did start carrying in 1975 as requirements of my crew position while flying. I have carried both as military and as a civilian since then and consider being armed merely as having the ability to defend myself with lethal force should the need arise. Welcome to the ranks of those who are willing to take the responsibility of providing for their own security.
The "thrill" will not last long then it becomes routine, then mundane and sometimes a pain in the butt.
Your choice of clothes, belts, holsters and so on will change as will your choice of firearms. No matter what firearm I carry the equipment stays the same. Good gun, good holster, good belt, two spare mags/speedloaders. This choice does not always lend itself to shorts, a t shirt and flip flops.
There is no thrill, so to speak in your context as just starting. You are just adjusting to the responsibility, and learning that a 'tool' is only leathal when you choose for it to be. (OK - everyone can dogpile me for the over simplification of this)
Many of us are actually very comfortable with carry. Either from being from a state where it is expected, taught by our elders to be responsible and go, at a very early age (an actually recognized freedom and right as described by the Constitution of the United States of America), or learned from having been a Peace Officer or Military.
Some on this Forum now legally carry after coming to the USA, and could never have done so in their own country of origion.
Carpenters carry hammers (a lethal force weapon if used to attack people - heck I can do that with a pen or stick). Others of us have carried 'weapons' most of our teen to adult lives. On the farms, elsewhere, or early into LEO or Military.
The question I ask to you, llmstratocaster, the Origional Poster (OP), is when do you go out and learn enough, get enough experience/training to realize that you are a well stable person who can handle the responsiblity, will you continue to always ask the same question as your origional post? Some of us always do, regardless of the miles under our bones.
I commend you on posting your question. Welcome here.
Welcome to the world of cc. I think the fact that we are on this forum shows that (most) of us enjoy guns, carrying, and everything that goes with it so I think I understand what you mean by "thrill" although not perhaps the word I might have chosen. (Lets face it, who doesn't feel like a birthday on Christmas when they get a new carry piece?) I've carried guns all my life but I've only carried concealed for a year and a half. It took me about a month or two to really become accustomed to my sidearm being with me at all times, and now I feel like I'm forgetting something every time I get dressed without it, just the same as a wallet or watch.
The "thrill" of learning never gets old though, and that is the real reason I enjoy this site. Every aspect of cc is about self preservation and deescalation, and the wealth of knowledge possessed by this online community (myself excluded) is fabulous in that regard. Everything from gunfighting to developing your situational awareness has endless threads if you are willing to read, sift, and decipher. I would recommend truly devoting yourself to learning as much as you can, in the end your sidearm is a tool and your mind is your weapon.
After a couple decades with a CCW permit I think about it less, but hopefully I never get to where I don't think about it at all! I still try to keep in mind where the muzzle is at, etc. I've found over the years that when carrying a firearm I tend to be much more aware of my surroundings, and much less willing to engage with people. By that I mean, if someone flips me the bird while I'm driving I just bite my tongue; I don't ever want to risk needlessly escalating a situation since I know very well what it could lead to.
How long? Until you've learned sufficiently and have become sufficiently at peace with the level of responsibility you're overtly taking on. There's never really a perfect comfort level with the idea of what could happen in a situation of last resort. But there's no reason for it to either exhilarate or reduce one to a nervous wreck. It's merely one further expression of your ultimate desire to stand on your own two feet, no matter what, in spite of what life throws your way.
Good luck with the course and application process. Eyes and ears, buddy. Eyes and ears. Come prepared, having read (and re-read) the relevant statutes beforehand. Ask lots of good questions. Take notes. Come out of it understanding use-of-force and firearms/carry statutes to a "T," as best you can.
Never got a "thrill" out of it. I started carrying because I owned my own business and left work after dark with daily receipts. I considered it more as a necessity back then, and still do.
After you get your license the real work begins. Fine tuning your techniques to match your rig(s). Range time & dry fire practice. Developing your situational awareness, securing your weapon & many other aspects of being armed. As time passes you will feel naked if you leave the house without your gun. You will figure out how to carry while wearing sweats & schlumping to the store to get milk on Saturday morning.
Good luck & let the games begin.
I'm relatively new to concealed carry because my state first got a law in place a year ago but I'm familiar with firearms having retired from the Army & went almost directly to armed security. Now it's routine - boots tied, zipper zipped, gun on my belt. I'm always aware somewhere in the deep part of my mind that I'm armed. I wouldn't say it's a "thrill", though, just a good feeling.
Its a good feeling to be able to defend yourself from a violent person or persons, but it is a responsibility, and a humbling thing to walk out the door with a loaded pistol. I do remember getting that excitement when I got the letter confirming My LTCF was ready to be picked up. I got mine in 1998, but my uncle, dad and my brother would go to the shooting range long before I was 21 so I had some experience with handling hand guns/shotguns. As I stated on other posts, I just recently have been really getting into the reality of carrying and doing all I can to make sure I know laws, statutes, ordinances, Play out scenarios in my head, of What whoud I do IF? Making sure I have good gear, such as holsters, more than one mag lol, flashlights, But most of all as someone else stated, There is NO MORE ROAD RAGE, And I realize I can be fine one minute and with the wrong decision The next minute I could be in handcuffs,, Good luck , Good to see another armed and being able to defend himself...
The answer (IMHO) is less about concealed carry and more about human psychology. When I was a kid I would sit on the bathroom counter & talk with my Dad early in the morning while he shaved. I was intrigued by the whole process, the steam, the smell & even the unique sounds made by his double-edged razor cutting his heavy beard. As an early teen I watched every whisker growing on my face anxious to enjoy this male ritual. But once I began, just like the rest of us, my shaving quickly became no more than another required task. No thrill, no intrigue, just a little precision under my nose & around my Adam's Apple. That's the way I see concealed carry. You can hurt yourself (badly) if you're inattentive, but it's just something I choose to do.
^ This. Complacency is your enemy. As others have said, the thrill wears off quickly. When it first does, this is a dangerous time period, as your safety rituals may not be burned-in yet.
For example, when putting on your rig in the morning, it's easy to get distracted while you're going through your safety procedures. Mine consists of a press-check, and then thoughtfully inserting into holster with additional care (technique depending on the model of the firearm). 'Not something that should be multi-tasked while you're on the phone. 'Same goes for anytime that you handle the firearm. Done properly, it's a routine with over-lapping safety measures that ensure nothing ever goes bad.
Guess it depends more on how much of a gun person you were before you start carry'n. Being raised shooting from 6 years old and being old enought that a shotgun or rifle was in the rear window of your truck even in high school by the time CC was legal to get it was nothing special except learn how to conceal what ever you desided to carry. Never owned a old school unsafe to carry chambered firearm so just allways had a round in the chamber it seems. Atleast with handguns. Long guns where un-chambered till in the woods hunting. 26 years of CC'n could make some of the first times a little foggy maybe. I now get to watch my children learn about CC'n but they like myself started started shooting at a young age and seem comfortable around firearms and take to even new to them firearms way easier than some newbes to firearms seem to do.
After about a year of CCing the thrill is gone. The trips to the mail box all pumped up "will it be here today" I will never forget. It is just a part of leaving the house now. I am aware that I have a firearm, and it is a bit of comfort at the same time I think of the responsibility. All in all it is a wonderful right that I waited a long time for here in Wisconsin. :blink:
I really appreciate all the responses, guys. Perhaps "thrill" wasn't the proper term to use as it attaches the idea that this is all for fun and enjoyment. It was the only word that came to mind that encapsulated a feeling of both incredible liberation and enormous responsibility and awareness. And I'm approaching this whole process with the upmost respect for the firearm and the safety of myself and others. I'm a business owner, father, and husband. In other words, I have EVERYTHING to lose should I act on poor judgement or simply let my guard down. Still, even though I've been around guns my entire life and have been trained on how to properly shoot and handle, the idea of carrying on my person every day is very foreign. I know that I will be on sensory overload for a while. I guess that's why the term "thrill" came to mind.
Good clarification. In that sense, for me at least, it took only a few weeks to get used to it, except when I made adjustments like new holsters and such and got paranoid about printing and/or gun falling out.
I think a lot of the anxiety comes from social convention - the "man with a gun" is kind of iconic, in both good and bad ways. As far as safety goes, the driving analogy is good. A person driving a car has a much, much greater capacity and likelihood to accidentally injure or kill others than a person carrying a gun (but folks are USED to that risk, so they don't call the police when they see a "man with a car"). Anyway, with both, it's a matter of building good habits and comfort without becoming complacent.
I never felt a thrill about CCing. More than anything, I became more aware of my surroundings and ALWAYS felt the crucial sense of responsiblity that should go with carrying (open or concealed). Those feelings have never gone away. The day I don't feel those two things is the day I need to stop carrying.
Honestly? It would suit me fine if I DIDN'T think concealed carry was required. And as long as I'm wishing, I wish my woodpile would fill itself without me ever touching a chainsaw & a splitting maul. I wish my truck ran on my love for my grandkids. And I wish I still enjoyed the company of every dog I've ever owned. :biggrin2:
But like work & gas & mortality, handgun carry isn't the thrill or the swagger, it's just an unfortunate necessity.
I would change the "thrill" to more of a "relief" that I could actually legally carry a loaded firearm in public for the defense of myself or my family. Adding to what a few others have said regarding complacency, you also don't want to pretend that your shiny new license is carte blanche for going to places that you would normally consider risky, like an ATM machine in a bad neighborhood at 11:00 pm. and so on. Avoidance will get you out of more situations than your firearm ever will.
When my interview for getting my CCW was over our conversation went pretty close to this: I told the issuing officer that I probably wouldn't carry it for a couple of months or so. He got this perplexed look on his face and said, "Why?" With a smile on my face, I told him that it would probably be my luck that this would be the day that I got robbed while having to get gas on my way home from here.
Judge: "So Mr. mprp, how long did you have your CCW when this took place?"
mprp: "Uh, well Your Honor, about 18 minutes." :embarassed:
He chuckled and then looked at me with a pretty serious look on his face and said, "No, you carry that damn thing with you everywhere you go starting today."
So the "thrill" is pretty much gone for me because I'm under a direct order. :smile:
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