New Registered Participant Introduction

[soupy1957]

Hello!
I'm a 52 year old married guy who has been married for over 30 years. During that time, my wife and I have raised two daughters to adulthood, and are now proud grandparents.
In my early years, I was living in a very small farming/hunting community in Northern Maine (700 people). There, owning firearms for hunting was common. Most kids had hunted with, and owned their own rifles from a very young age. Hand guns, as a result, were an obvious extension of firearm ownership, mostly as a back up weapon.
Because I had been through military training as a young man, I have a basic comprehension of a weapon such as the M16A1, but never owned nor trained on a handgun.
In my early years of marriage I had 3 rifles that I kept locked up, and only took them out to bring to the firing range about 4 miles from my home. They were a Savage Stevens Slug Gun; a Winchester Model 94, and a Marlin 22 Caliber.
Once our children got to be about 5 & 6 years of age, I told my wife I was going to sell my rifles, for safety's sake, and haven't owned a weapon since.
Here in my home state of Connecticut, I've seen more and more of an increase in residential crime. Basically my neighborhood is a calm residential community, but we have seen in recent history that it doesn't matter how serene your community, school, church or office may seem, things can go terribly wrong.
Recently I've been considering owning a handgun, and am still in the stages of deciding if it's really a good choice for me or not, and what level of ownership is best. whether or not it is best to simply have a handgun in the home as a home-protection tool, or to go that one step further and consider carrying it throughout my day.
Mind you........I don't live in a state of fear in my life. I have a lot of confidence in the "good" in people, and am surrounded by basically wholesome, God-fearing Americans of a variety of races and creeds.
So I'm here, seeking to learn more about how to make the choice of ownership or non-ownership (that's going to be a hard sell to the wife if I choose to "own"); Home protection or concealed carry; type of weapon, and so forth.
I'm in the beginning stages of these thoughts, and figured I would seek out a Forum where folks may talk about these considerations, and get some sound advice from law enforcement folks who might be in here; responsible American citizens who might know about the laws in the New England states, (particularly Connecticut), and others.
It is NOT my desire to start a militia, or panic about what laws may come down the pike. I only acknowledge everyone's right to bear arms, (those who legally qualify), for their own personal defense, or the defense of their family and property.
There's a really neat gun range near my home, (as I said) and I can take a course or two there. I haven't even held a handgun until today, when I happened to be at a Cabela's and was talking with a store clerk at the gun counter about the weights of handguns, and the composite materials of handguns.
So, I look forward to responsible, adult and mature discussion about handgun laws and ownership. Concealment is a natural part of this discussion, so if the scope of my quest is more appropriate for another Forum, please advise. otherwise, I'm glad to be a part, and fully admit my complete stupidity with regard to handgun ownership, care, or laws.
-Soupy1957

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[AllAmerican]

Soupy, Welcome to DC from SC. Enjoy!!!

[JAT40]

Welcome newly registered participant, from Mass.

[retsupt99]

from Central Florida!

ret

[archer51]

Welcome from VA. There is a wealth of knowledge on this board. Some things discussed here may apply to you, some may not. Choose what is appropriate for your needs. I'll be the first to admit conceal carry is not the right thing for everyone, it is a personal decision only you can make.

As to a home defense weapon I would suggest a shotgun, since you are already familiar with their operation. Granted it has been some years, but it will return quickly.

[Old Chief]

Greetings from Rocky Top Tennessee

[CopperKnight]

Welcome from Washington State.

Sounds like this is just the forum for you. Search around if you have any specific questions. Almost everyone here will recommend you work your way up to every day carry.

Here are some good threads to dig through to start browsing:
Pictoral on different carry methods
Various handgun safety threads
Reference forum, lots of good information
Post with links to various state laws

Happy reading.

[arby238]

Welcome from Connecticut.

[GunnyBunny]

Welcome from Victoria, B.C.

[Ram Rod]

[boricua]

Welcome!

[Nick]

Welcome -

[nn]

Welcome aboard.

[mag44laf]

Mag44Laf

[dr_cmg]

Welcome from Alabama.