I just got my CCW. However I have been carrying for 40+ years. Or have had a pistol nearby. I have been robbed & stabbed.
I have been stopped by LEO's (traffic) & have never had a problem as the first thing I tell them is I have a weapon and its location.
Which is what the LEO'S told me to do with whom I shoot IDPA with.
I became "Legal" because of the system & lawyers + i am too old to be incarcerated (60+).
A piece of property I take care of in a remote area was broken into last year & I called the Sheriffs Office. The first thing the Deputy asked me when he showed up is if I had a weapon. I said Yes but i don't have a permit. He replied before he became a deputy he carried all the time without a permit & his family thought he was crazy. Now that he was a Deputy he knew he wasn't. Then he asked if gun was loaded Ï said YES , He said GOOD. After checking things he told me I should REALLY get a permit.
It could make my life simpler in the long run . So i took his advice.