quote:

What made you start carrying

Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Rita.
And if not for those two, a bus ride in Canada would probably do the trick.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hx-mB9K812hwZqPx4HhsRsgjT7YwD9299JLG3

A sense of self-preservation.

Identifying information removed.

Police work convinced me that all law abiding folks should carry. These are only some of the more violent folks I've arrested over the years, who are still among us. I have these composits posted in my gun room to remind me why I need to carry every single time I leave home.

No offense taken to those of you who claimed to be "skeptical" or rather, accuse me of lying, here is a link to one of the several news paper articles written about it. the town that this happened inwas amherst.

http://media.www.dailycollegian.com/media/storage/paper....Court-1561554.shtml

quote:

Originally posted by Pioneer461:

Nice cheesedick collection you got there. That photo really hits home and makes me thankful for what all of the LEOs on this forum do.

In 1975 I was a young ambulance driver/EMT. We went in on a hospital shooting with an LAPD SWAT team. We needed to get a portable suction unit to the 2 nurses who had been shot by a disgruntled employee; he was reported as still being in the building, armed with a large caliber rifle.

That was the last day I was an anti-gun "fresh outta college" boy and the first day I became a conservative man. It shook me to the core and changed me forever.

The SWAT team sarge showed me how to use his 12 gauge Remington 870 in case he got hit.

I was scared as hell and vowed from that day on that I would learn how to shoot any and all firearms that might come my way in an emergency-and I did. I also realized that I would have killed that murderer if I had half a chance. That would mean that the SWAT team leader covering me was hit and either disabled or dead. After witnessing the carnage of 2 innocent nurses, it wouldn't take much for me to use the Remington's full magazine to pump every round into that creep. I lost many hours of sleep after that day.

These days I carry a S&W M&P 9mm compact or a S&W 686+ with 2.5" barrel. I wouldn't hesitate to use either one if I had to.

Ironvic, those of us who have been in a situation where we were completely helpless and at someone else's mercy will never forget the feeling. A normal person will react exactly like you did and fix things for "next time." Idiots, like Richard Cohen, the New York liberal columnist who actually had a burglar in his apartment coming up the steps toward him and for whom the cops actually showed up and scared the dude away and reacted by saying that shows he didn't really need a gun after all because the police did their job will blissfully think it won't happen again.

When I found out that police are not responsible for protection of individuals (U.S. Supreme Court)To quote the SC "It is the responsibilty of each citizen to protect themself." Now I do!

quote:

Originally posted by jayrod:
No offense taken to those of you who claimed to be "skeptical" or rather, accuse me of lying, here is a link to one of the several news paper articles written about it. the town that this happened inwas amherst.

http://media.www.dailycollegian.com/media/storage/paper....Court-1561554.shtml

I believe you. I have no reason to doubt you.

I could be wrong, but I swear that I read an article in a gun rag (Combat Handguns??) about an incident very similar to yours.

Oops. Already posted here.

I grew up in Okla., with guns around all the time, 3/4 the way around the world with Uncle Sams Misguided Children '59 to '65, all over the middle of the US with the railroads, most of the time in the bad part of town. It's always nice to have insurance. My son and daughter both cc and I just talked my wife into going out for hers. It's like having Gas in your car.

LOBO, was not refering to your post, rather someone else who stated something like "pardon me for being skeptical, what town, when" because he was a regular visitor to western mass...so that entitles him to knowing all of its comings and goings apparently. Trust me, my retort was not directed at you.

My dad gave me a handgun for Christmas when I was 15 and I've pretty much had one on or about me ever since. Just a part of being a Texan I guess.

quote:

Originally posted by jayrod:
LOBO, was not refering to your post, rather someone else who stated something like "pardon me for being skeptical, what town, when" because he was a regular visitor to western mass...so that entitles him to knowing all of its comings and goings apparently. Trust me, my retort was not directed at you.

10-4,

I got my CWP in 2006. At first the main reason for getting it was for when I bought a gun. I then thought about all the stories I read here in in the NRA's armed citizen. I didn't carry all the time but now I do all the time.