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first day w/license

3K views 25 replies 20 participants last post by  KenInColo 
#1 ·
i got my CHL yesterday after going through hoops, it took right at four months from the time dps got my packet till plastic in hand.
i was driving to academy when i saw 2 teens or early 20s guys pull into a parking lot of the store center. they were yelling and making cmon gestures to someone sitting in traffic at a red light close to me.
ive had my gun in the glove box lots of times before since sept 1st but today i had my gun at 4 oclock in an iwb holster since i just got my permit a few hours before. i was watching them like a hawk, wondering if they were going to come after the guy in the car next to me and start something.i looked over and i think it was an older guy about 40 in a truck. he seemed unconcerned and drove off when light changed.i then went to wally world after academy.
it was extremely windy in Austin yesterday and i kept holding my shirt down so it would not blow up and expose the butt of my sig.i carried in my house and in the country before but now that i keep my gun on me everywhere i go i noticed that my awareness is very keen. if anyone looks scummy at all i watch them and keep a discreet distance between us.before i would just ignore creepy looking people but now i feel like i have to keep an eye on them when i see them. is this normal for when one starts to first carry?
it doesn't bother me, in fact i wish i had acted this way before.i actually felt comfortable in the stores and didn't keep checking my shirt covering my gun, it was outside in the strong wind that i worried about it.all n all i am very happy that i went through all the hassle to get my CHL and i am ready to embrace a new responsibility and lifestyle.

next step is more and continuing training and education....thanks, sorry about the length of post :bier:
 
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#3 ·
Congrats :bier: everything is going to change for you now (just dont get antsy to use that thing) like u said how u notice people & behaviors around u. I also always sit strong side in at restaurants in case it prints or i need to discreetly draw or something. I also dont like urinals (i use the stall) because i worry that someone my see & grab at my gun while iam busy :nono: although i has immensely helped me keep my temper to myself :twak:
Good luck & enjoy your new found freedom :bier:
 
#4 ·
Wait, first day with your ccw and no Walmart trip? I was paranoid of being "made" my first day. Its amazing how on your first few days of ccw, the same things you saw everyday, like the guys in the parking lot, before you were carrying seem a little different now that you are armed. Don't worry, you get past it quickly anough and it becomes just another routine thing, kinda like brushing your teeth.
 
#7 ·
Congrats...on the new permit!

Stay armed...be responsible for your own safety...stay safe!
 
#9 ·
Congratulations.

The feeling of being in a fishbowl will go away. Wear it everywhere including at home till time to go to bed. It will become quite natural eventualy.

Now I have to ask, given that 40 is an old man what do you consider us 60 and 70 year olds to be? :urlaub2:
 
#13 ·
i know that bushlight, im one of you.:yup:
 
#15 ·
Welcome to our world! You will be amazed at how many people you now look at two or three times that you may have never noticed before. You can expect to spend a lot of time going over "what if" scenarios at traffic lights, and in lines in the grocery store. After a while the almost paranoia over being made will fade away, but windy days do sometimes call for a wardrobe adjustment. You will get used to it.
 
#18 ·
Congrats from a fellow Texan!

I tell you, the first month of carrying concealed I was so nervous that someone would see me, or that I would be printing. I was wearing a sports coat one day and the owner of my company (who personally does not think anyone should have a handgun, let alone concealed) told me that my shirt had become untucked under my jacket. It wasn't the shirt, but my coat had tucked under the grip of my handgun. At that point, I realized that people that carry concealed look for those printing identifiers, but the average Joe has no clue what that is...

Currently, as in Texas we are getting close to summer (Yes, in Texas summer starts in April) I have moved to a pocket carry of my S&W 442 with speed strips. This is because I don't have to worry about my T-Shirt, printing, or anything else. It is amazing how it slips right into the pocket, and really does not even print...
 
#19 ·
thats a good idea curtis27, in texas in the summertime my usual outfit is shorts, nike`s, and Hawaiian shirts, i have a bunch of extra loud ones to help disguise any printing. :image035:
 
#22 ·
It's always important to be aware and cautious but your senses aren't any more "keen" than they were.

It's like if you were in the market to buy a new car, you'd notice the shiny new corvettes (or whatever your preference is) out on the road a lot more.

You're basically experiencing what we all experience- you're just keeping an eye out for possible "targets."
 
#23 ·
Congratulations and good job making the obligatory Wal-Mart run! :35:

It won't take long until you get your "rhythm" for carrying. You'll find yourself relaxing more and doing a lot of things automatically. You'll also stop having to think about things like "did I just touch my weapon"?

Your "situational awareness" will never drop to "white" again and you'll learn to recognize "criminal behavior" as you study the people around you.

It's an on going learning experience where nobody ever "arrives"! :wink:
 
#24 ·
yes, i agree thumper and sleepingZ.and thats fine w/me
 
#25 ·
I'm just so happy OC is a legal option here without a permit (well, as it should be according to the 2nd Amendment and AZ Constitution). I never worry about printing, if it shows, it shows, and I don't care who sees it. I prefer OC most times anyway, a right not expressed will be a right taken in due time.

Have a great gun carryin' Kenpo day

Clyde
 
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