kenrwi

I read a thread today where a member was afraid to carry, other members answered his concerns eloquently I didn’t as the tread was closed to posts. After reading the replies I was left somewhat concerned by how easy some said they would shoot as if it was easy or like it was a no brainier to pull the trigger. I have talked with others in the CCW community and also get uneasy vibes from their cavalier behavior to a very serious topic, the use of lethal force.

My thoughts and evolution to carry, I purchased my firearm (my first in a very long time) about 7 months back. I purchased it to have something to do with my son as he is now at the age of adulthood (21) that he can own his own firearm.

Our goal was to get together and practice at the range a couple times a month a father son thing. We both decided that taking a CCW class would be good training, at the time not any more than just training. We didn't intend to carry, ever. A police officer was our instructor and very much involved in the day to day goings on in the community i.e. he knows of all the criminal activity. He made it very clear to us all that personal protection was not a function of the police never will be. He also made it clear that living in the white zone as he stated is were citizens get hurt. It is were we all are 90% of the time. Those that don’t want to accept that we are truly on our own that is, we don’t want to know that bad guys can get to us and hurt us, that only happens to other people not me right? we don't want to think about it.

He advocates personal protection a stun gun, pepper spray and yes lethal force weapons, just do something and get out of the white zone of life. If a firearm is your decision get trained then trained again and after you think you are ready then carry and then get some more training.

Unfortunately I came to the conclusion that I am getting older, bummer! And using my fists isn't in the plan, running away I don't think so at least not fast. Martial arts ya right not happening, my good looks maybe 20 years ago, pepper spray maybe, stun gun possible. Bottom line My life is mine, as for my family no ones taking them away from me I am doing something if I am present. I might fail, I might even end up in a place I never thought I would be, but I would have hopefully saved my life or my wife or son's lives. It is of course more than likely I will never ever have a life threatening confrontation with a criminal, but I am sure that the last girl that was raped/murdered or the last family home that was invaded and a family hurt or someone killed that they said the same thing or had the same frame of mind prior to it happening.

I evolved; yes, I do believe that I would never; never draw my firearm unless it was the only resort to save lives. However, who really knows what they will do or how they will react to what will most assuredly be a life altering event. There are way too many variables that could put us in the red zone and as the police officer stated it can and probably will happen extremely fast.

Last it is our constitutional right to bare arms, we must protect our rights all of them.

Just my ramblings, certainly add yours.

Ken W

Blackeagle

My decision to carry was the result of a whole bunch of different factors that happened to come together at about the same time.

First, I decided to buy a pistol. This decision really didn't have all that much to do with personal defense. I've always had an interest in guns, though growing up this was largely through books, rather than hands-on experience (I definitely didn't grow up in a gunny houshold). I already had an AK and an Enfield, so a pistol would be something different. It also might be something I would actually shoot (I'd owned the rifles for a couple of years and only shot them once and twice respectively). The only real personal protection aspect of my initial decision to buy a pistol was concern about some sort of Katrina like natural disaster. Now, a pistol isn't really what most of us think of in a SHTF situation, but since I already had a rifle, a pistol seemed like a good addition to the arsenal.

After I decided to buy a pistol, I did some reading on the internet and realized that, unlike my former home state of Arizona, Utah doesn't allow open carry without a permit. This is what initially got me thinking about a CCW permit. Getting a permit just seemed a lot easier than worrying about it being unloaded and locked in the trunk when going to and from the range. Were I still living in AZ, I might never have gone the CCW route at all.

So at this stage, I'd decided to get my permit, but (like a lot of people) I wasn't planning on carrying regularly. Then I got to thinking: if I have a gun, and the right to carry it, and I get attacked while I don't have the gun on me, I'm going to feel really stupid. Even worse, what if a friend or loved one gets hurt, and I could have stopped it had I been carrying? Then I'm going to feel really guilty. This is really the point where I got to thinking about the moral, rather than practical issues concerned with carrying. I finally ended up deciding that carrying was not just a right, it was the right thing to do.

Even once I decided that I wanted to carry, I thought that everyday carry was probably out of the question for me. I'm a grad student at the University of Utah and while it's not illegal to carry on a college campus in this state, it was against school policy. So while I couldn't be prosecuted for carrying on campus, I could get fired or expelled (which would pretty much put an end to my plans for a career in academia). Since I have no life, most of my time outside the home is spent on campus.

Then, the week after I took my Utah CCW course, the Utah State Supreme Court came down with a decision in a case that had been pending for two years. They decided that under Utah's preemption law (which applies to state agencies, as well as counties and cities) the University of Utah could not prohibit students from carrying on campus. This means that carrying every day is now a realistic possibility for me, and pretty much completed my evolution into a full fledged CCWer.

Squawker

I used to feel comfortable that I could defend myself. While I'm no martial artist, and I haven't gotten into many fights, I've never lost. But now, I'm 54, out of shape (well, not really, round is a shape), and I have the aerobic capacity of a stone. In my 20s, when I did dabble in martial arts, I could kick someone in the nose, with decent power. Now, if I tried to kick someone's shins, I'd tear my groin apart. On top of that, I have severe lumbar arthritis and spinal stenosis, giving me chronic pain, an inability to walk more than a few blocks due to pain. and I have those neat little plates on my car that let me park close. So, my ability to defend myself and family has markedly decreased. On top of that, the world is far more dangerous. We now not have the normal street crud, but the radical portion of a very large religion wants us dead. So I made the decision to regain the ability to defend myself. Physical means are certainly out of the question, leaving the mechanical. I evaluated the same options that you did. So, I looked at pepper spray. It's ok for certain things, but weather can make it's use problematic (You don't SPRAY into wind either, or spit, Mr Croce), and attacks now days may involve more than 1 attacker. Stun guns? Well, you have to be close enough to make contact, something I would prefer not to do. OK, then there's the air taser. Still, only 1 attacker will be disabled at a distance, any others require physical closeness. So, I decided on a handgun. And I have 4 now, and I will use most at one time or another. I have the advantage of being able to engage at a distance, and handle multiple attackers. My Springfield XD 45 has a 13+1 capacity. And I may be able to avoid shooting someone just by having it ( but I do practice to make sure that I can use it well). The CCW was definitely for me.

Condition Plaid

For the longest time I did not believe it was possible in California. Then I found out it was, particularly in the county I live in. From that point it was a no brainer.

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For information on getting your CCW License in California please visit CalCCW.

richardoldfield

Michigan has some strange firearms laws and and the CCW makes it legal state wide to transport handguns to the range. Regards, Richard

MNBurl

A car jacking with the guy pistol whipped on the corner of my work building 5 minutes after I drive by pushed me to carry. I won't let that happen to me.

The car jacker crashed and then pulled a gun on the police and they shot him to death!

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MNBurl

Side Guard Holsters

"If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking" - George S. Patton.

Ben Hennessy

I would have a hard time trying to say it better than Squawker. Most of my adult life I been around handguns but on a compitition level. At a younger age I too did well with my fist if needed. But at 52 and 2 heart attacks (1 major) I am left with not much mobility as I would like. So right now I am way out of shape. I work in crack infested, carjacking, armed robery part of the city. Police are very busy in this neighborhood and not sure I can count on them to defend me. They can not be everywhere at once. That is why I carry. I am very much a nonvilolent person and my weapon keeps me that way.

QKShooter

To set the record straight.
The member in the other thread that you read was really not afraid to carry.
He had some fairly deep thoughts related to all of the possible potential deadly ramifications of carrying a firearm.
He had honest concerns and questions that he was good enough to share.
It's an awesome responsibility that the guy was taking very seriously.
The thought of being involved in some possible future scenario where it might be necessary to end another human life is not something that the member took lightly and he wanted help to get things "squared away" in his own mind.
To be fair to him it's important to get those facts correct.

walther1

My family had a home invasion attempt when I was 10 (don't really want to go into details). My Uncle's girlfriend was raped at knife point, by someone she didn't know. My Aunt was almost raped once in college and was chased down by a man that wanted to rape her after college. Another man saved her and intervened. My best friend's dad awoke to a man dressed like a ninja in his bedroom staring at his wife. He chased him outside and the guy was too fast for him. My friend's dad also had a kidnapping/death threat situation happen (won't go into that). My neighbor across the street confronted a man breaking in next door. This BG was on crack. My other neighbor was assaulted/home invasion on Halloween. A good friend of mine owns a high-end restaurant downtown and was assaulted by this guy:
http://www.cd.columbus.oh.us/news-st...114-D5-02.html

He was tied up naked to his fiance and they stole all his stuff, including car. He is lucky to be alive.

I have always been around guns and figured that all of this crap happens around me, when is it my turn? I HOPE NEVER! I didn't want to sit there and do nothing, though. I decided to take a stand.

Kenrwi's first paragraph is excellent. I really enjoyed reading all of your responses.

By the way, this stuff all happened in "good neighborhoods", where homes were $500,000 or up. The myth that it only happens in "bad neighborhoods" is just that...a myth. Crime can find you anytime, anywhere.

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Walther1

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of the ultimate CC gun!

kentuckycarry

3 years ago i found out i had a 19 year old daughter. ( DNA rules ) she lives 325 miles from here across the great state of Kentucky. Anyone can legally carry in the glovebox in Kentucky, but i never did. My other daughter ( whom i raised by myself ) and i drive there several times a year. I always worried about breaking down and being vulnerable. I knew ccw was available but just never did it. I did alot of research over a long period of time and decided it was for me.
Several years ago we had an incident of a maniac on the interstate pulling up beside us ( at night ) and we could tell he was yelling at us and shaking his fist. We couldnt have cut him off or anything, we were on the interstate. This was before we had a cell phone. He'd speed up then wait for us to catch up and give us hell again. Then he'd get behind us and taunt us. We stopped at a rest stop and called the state police with his license number. So that incident never left my mind. How vulnerable we all are out on a dark road where our car is broke down and we cant get away. Strapping a gun on , like many have said on here, has changed my awareness of whats around me,driving, walking out from the mall, everywhere. Ive been fortunate and not had any violence come my way, no break ins either, pretty lucky. But I dont have to get hit with a hammer to know it hurts.......