My “magic words” are words that anyone else in danger would understand. I can’t internalize the mindset that would tell a loved one to protect themself while I go play hero . . .
How "concealed" are you in your personal life?
- Thread starter max503
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My “magic words” are words that anyone else in danger would understand. I can’t internalize the mindset that would tell a loved one to protect themself while I go play hero . . .
I’ve always kept the fact that I carry pretty quiet b/c no one needs that info except my wife. We recently had a house guest who asked my wife if I carried (she knows I’m a retired cop) and my wife said she wasn’t sure. Good for her!
357-RevolverGuy
Member
Make sure to let your kids/grandchildren know that outside of family, never to discuss with others what guns you own. We use to have one kid growing up in our neighborhood who would always talk about what guns his dad had. That house got burglarized a few times and guess what they always took? The guns.
“How "concealed" are you in your personal life?”
Enough, but not very.
I don’t let strangers know I carry concealed, and no one in 27 years of carrying has “made” me.
However, I estimate that about 50 friends and family currently know I carry every day. While I was working another 100 or so were aware that I carried every day. I go shooting with my neighbors. I teach classes. I teach scouts. I take shooting classes. I am a proponent for the Second Amendment and I am politically active. I have worked in the gun industry. I hunt. My wife has her concealed permit. All except one of my children have their permits, along with most of their spouses. My oldest grandchild has his permit that I helped him get.
I live in a low crime area and do not associate with criminals. My home and possessions are adequately secured. I am comfortable with my decisions to be visibly active in our local gun community.
I live life and enjoy it. I don’t feel the need to restrictively hide who I am or what I believe or enjoy. I use good judgment not to overexpose myself, but after almost three decades of carrying I am comfortable with who knows and have had no negative repercussions.
I appreciate that others have different circumstances and will make different decisions. I just notice that the thread seems to emphasize the need for almost complete stealth about concealed carry and guns. Not for me.
Enough, but not very.
I don’t let strangers know I carry concealed, and no one in 27 years of carrying has “made” me.
However, I estimate that about 50 friends and family currently know I carry every day. While I was working another 100 or so were aware that I carried every day. I go shooting with my neighbors. I teach classes. I teach scouts. I take shooting classes. I am a proponent for the Second Amendment and I am politically active. I have worked in the gun industry. I hunt. My wife has her concealed permit. All except one of my children have their permits, along with most of their spouses. My oldest grandchild has his permit that I helped him get.
I live in a low crime area and do not associate with criminals. My home and possessions are adequately secured. I am comfortable with my decisions to be visibly active in our local gun community.
I live life and enjoy it. I don’t feel the need to restrictively hide who I am or what I believe or enjoy. I use good judgment not to overexpose myself, but after almost three decades of carrying I am comfortable with who knows and have had no negative repercussions.
I appreciate that others have different circumstances and will make different decisions. I just notice that the thread seems to emphasize the need for almost complete stealth about concealed carry and guns. Not for me.
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bigggbbruce
Member
My pants wont stay up unless my gun is in place, and it's a commander in AIWB.
I'm very active around many people, and no one has ever noticed or asked.
But I don't walk around in a wife beater..
fredj338
Member
Not a matter or even thought of "going to play hero" but she has been versed enough in threat assessment. She knows I am armed, she will seek cover without me telling her, which she knows is not behind me. So no magic words.
I am so used to being armed 24/7/365 that I don't think about it much. My guns are very well concealed, my friends all know that I am armed, so are a lot of them, my girlfriend knows, and she knows I have a gun in my robe pocket and three hidden around the house - I THINK she knows, anyway! - and if the subject comes up amongst other folks I won't just say that I have a gun with me but if asked, and it's a gun group doing the asking as opposed to a non-gun group, I tell them that I am always armed. It's a no-brainer to me, yawn, everyone-get- over-it kind of thing.
But it's Texas. Like the police officer said when I was pulled over for speeding and tried to show him my CHL, "I don't need to see that; every car in this town has a gun in it".
But it's Texas. Like the police officer said when I was pulled over for speeding and tried to show him my CHL, "I don't need to see that; every car in this town has a gun in it".
double-dipper
Member
Carrying is a personal choice that you make. I don't feel the need to tell anyone I'm caring. Its none of their business anyway and I'm not going to make it their business.
That is correct. I don't "tell" everyone; mostly, if folks know me, they just know, plus I taught so many of them in CHL classes before I stopped instructing that lots of them learned about me. But "telling" someone unsolicited is impolite, just as it is VERY impolite to ask someone. But when I am with gun people, which is frequently, then it doesn't offend me to discuss it, as noted above.
You missed my point entirely, and therein lies the difference in our means. My family knows the road to safety is with me . . .
Perhaps my strategy is wrong here, but if I have to use my concealed carry weapon to protect my wife and me, I hope that she is as surprised as the aggressor when I decide to end the threat. Hopefully i’ll prevail. I’m a firm believer in the element of surprise, and using my head before resorting to deadly force has served me well.
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OLDSTER
Member
I carry discretely deep pocket every day, and no one knows but me ( and now all of you 
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Both Tatiana Whitlock and Kathy Jackson teach that you should attempt to separate yourself from your family in the event of a self defense encounter.
I don't want my wife standing behind me if someone is shooting at me. I want her as far out of the line of fire as she can get.
Nice post. Even better signature.
Okie21
Member
Most people I know, know that I carry. And several of them carry also. None of us discuss this in public places. I don't think I look like a guy that carries a gun.
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I have no idea who those people are. And I also want to be as far out of the line of fire as I can get . . .
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Two very well respected trainers, one of them is an author as well.
sigp220.45
US Veteran
I don’t get all mystical about carrying a gun. Its just something I carry. Its not a lifestyle.
I was at Quantico for a firearms instructor recert once and I wound up having a beer with a very dejected young guy in a new agent class that was scheduled to graduate in a couple weeks. He told me he was thinking of dropping out because one of his instructors had told him once he was a real live FBI agent he wouldn’t be able to help his wife carry groceries or hold his baby in public or hold hands with his wife or older kid because he needed to keep his gun hand ready to draw at all times.
I happened to know the instructor in question, who had worked Foreign Counter-Intelligence (FCI) before blessing the Academy with his presence. He had never made an arrest and probably couldn’t find a felon in prison. I tried to talk some sense into the young guy, but I don’t know if he quit or not.
People that know me probably know I carry a gun. Folks that don’t know me probably don’t know I carry a gun. I honestly think I could wear a solar panel powered hat that flashes I AM CARRYING A GUN and 99% of the folks walking the crust of the earth wouldn’t guess I was carrying a gun.
I spent most of my time in the lowercase fbi working violent crime on various Indian reservations in the great American west. More than a few times I’ve run into people I knew in an adversarial way from work while out with my family. No magic words - I’d say this guy is an a*******, please take the kids over there for a minute. Then I would deal with it.
I don’t overthink stuff. So far its worked for me.
I was at Quantico for a firearms instructor recert once and I wound up having a beer with a very dejected young guy in a new agent class that was scheduled to graduate in a couple weeks. He told me he was thinking of dropping out because one of his instructors had told him once he was a real live FBI agent he wouldn’t be able to help his wife carry groceries or hold his baby in public or hold hands with his wife or older kid because he needed to keep his gun hand ready to draw at all times.
I happened to know the instructor in question, who had worked Foreign Counter-Intelligence (FCI) before blessing the Academy with his presence. He had never made an arrest and probably couldn’t find a felon in prison. I tried to talk some sense into the young guy, but I don’t know if he quit or not.
People that know me probably know I carry a gun. Folks that don’t know me probably don’t know I carry a gun. I honestly think I could wear a solar panel powered hat that flashes I AM CARRYING A GUN and 99% of the folks walking the crust of the earth wouldn’t guess I was carrying a gun.
I spent most of my time in the lowercase fbi working violent crime on various Indian reservations in the great American west. More than a few times I’ve run into people I knew in an adversarial way from work while out with my family. No magic words - I’d say this guy is an a*******, please take the kids over there for a minute. Then I would deal with it.
I don’t overthink stuff. So far its worked for me.
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