How many people carry?

CGM said:
I guess I'm the exception in this group.

Have had a CCW for about 20-25 years in more than one state (Ct and Fl). However, I seldom carry. I believe very strongly that if I'm going somewhere where I feel a gun is needed....I have no business going there! Likewise, I believe that a "live chicken lives to run another day", thus not having a gun ensures that I walk away from a situation which I might not if I have my trusty 1911!

Shooting someone is such a major legal hassle (think: George Zimmerman) that I want as little exposure to this as possible. However.... if absolutely unavoidable, I will carry. That's why I have a CCW. But I actively avoid these situations.
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CGM, I will honor your stance, it is your right. Hope you never have a problem.:D

Had a permit in this state for over 42 years, and also in other states. Don't go into places where 'stuff' happens like bars, etc. Carry 100% of the time. I carry to protect me and mine. The rest of the time I will be a good witness.:)

Folks, everyone has to be responsible for themselves. Way too many chances of intervention going very bad.:eek:
 
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THANK YOU!

THANK YOU for so many responses!

I am an LEO in Ca. and carry 100% of the time when I am in public.(ON/OFF duty)

Since 2004 (LEOSA) , I carry 100% in my own state and in ANY other place in the country.

I see that people who carry 100% of the time are still in minority.

Recently , in Ca CCW's became more available .

What is interesting is that MANY people who got a CCW in CA, DO NOT CARRY most of the time.
 
CGM said:
I guess I'm the exception in this group.

Have had a CCW for about 20-25 years in more than one state (Ct and Fl). However, I seldom carry. I believe very strongly that if I'm going somewhere where I feel a gun is needed....I have no business going there! Likewise, I believe that a "live chicken lives to run another day", thus not having a gun ensures that I walk away from a situation which I might not if I have my trusty 1911!

Shooting someone is such a major legal hassle (think: George Zimmerman) that I want as little exposure to this as possible. However.... if absolutely unavoidable, I will carry. That's why I have a CCW. But I actively avoid these situations.
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I respect your opinion and your right to not defend yourself. I marvel at the comment "Shooting someone is such a major hassle" :confused:
George Zimmerman may be dead right now if he didn't pull his trigger. His case is also unique in a political sense, and remember he was NOT charged until certain activists pressured the local police. That's a different topic, but I think if I am ever forced to use my gun to defend my life, I will gladly take whatever comes next verses leaving a widow and three orphans. ;)

I am from a state where concealed carry just became law, and I was one of the first to get my permit. Carrying legally takes some getting used to! My son informed me last night I was printing at the restaurant, while I thought i did a great job at hiding my little 3913.... He's 11 but knows what to look for so I hope that was all it was.

At home I don't always carry. I have guns throughout the home placed in 'strategic areas'. These areas were determined by seeing where my wife didn't look too often and she wouldn't notice all the guns I have accumulated. :D

Everyone in my home knows where to find a weapon if danger should present itself, and we live in an area that nobody should be within 300 feet of the house or they are trespassing. Doors are usually locked by way of the closed garage door providing the main family access to the home.

Out and about I usually have the 3913 in an IWB or less often a 9c in an IWB. If that doesn't work for me due to my line of work, a 642 drops in a pocket easily.
 
MP1518 said:
What is interesting is that MANY people who got a CCW in CA, DO NOT CARRY most of the time.
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If we think about it, if 5% of the population has a permit, and only 10% of them carry regularly, that means only 1 in 200 are probably carrying....
 
I carry a weapon around here all the time. Mostly for 4 legged critters. I still carry when I leave the property simply due to the sad state of society at this time. Seems like the odds of something bad happening are becoming greater every year. I hope I never have to respond with gunfire, but if means the safety of me or my loved ones, count on it. I usually carry a .357 magnum around the farm and a little M37 .38 snub everywhere else. Not much trouble out here in the sticks....yet. I have noticed that thieves are moving out farther into rural areas around here, and I literally hate thieves. Pants on, gun on is my policy.
Peace,
gordon
 
Old cop said:
Many people who are new to CCW begin to carry until the novelty wears off. Then the shiny new toy gets left either in the car or at home most of the time. Full time CCW can be inconvienient as well as uncomfortable, and dressing around the gun is something some folks just cannot bring themselves to do.
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I don't think people realize just how true your statement is.

I marvel at those that take the time to look at their crystal ball before they leave the house.

Several years ago an off duty cop was killed while taking out his trash. He intervened in a domestic problem with a neighbor and he was unarmed which he seldom did.

Concealed carry is a way of life. It's an art. It's a commitment. It's serious.

Here in Washington we have somewhere around 400,000 people with a CPL.

I too carry 100% of the time. Even at work.
 
Lost Lake said:
I respect your opinion and your right to not defend yourself. I marvel at the comment "Shooting someone is such a major hassle" :confused:
George Zimmerman may be dead right now if he didn't pull his trigger. His case is also unique in a political sense, and remember he was NOT charged until certain activists pressured the local police. That's a different topic, but I think if I am ever forced to use my gun to defend my life, I will gladly take whatever comes next verses leaving a widow and three orphans. ;)
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I didn't intend to imply that I wouldn't defend myself.

However, discretion is always the better part of valor. Avoiding a conflict is the best defense. Zimmerman may or may not be dead if he hadn't shot the miscreant. However, to many of us who have been following his case closely and, who agree that he probably was justified under the stand your ground doctrine. Notwithstanding, I believe he was an imbecile who could/should have not pursued when it was clear there was no risk to him. Look at him now.... You don't think he wouldn't prefer to have done things differently? I agree w/you that this is an unusually politically charged case. But to a lesser degree, you will always find the lowlife will find an equally lowlife attorney who will bring you to court even if the police don't file charges.

Of course shooting someone is better than leaving a widow and kids.... If necessary, I'll do so too. But let's face it, the probabilities of facing life threatening situations in daily life in America are probably less than being hit by lightning (BTW.... we have a lot of lightning here in FL!) if you are reasonably careful. I just don't feel the need to carry everytime I put my shoes on. If I lived under circumstances where that was necessary I would seriously think about moving!!

If, as most in this thread seem to concur, you feel the need to carry 100% of the time, go right ahead. I suspect this is more paranoia than need but, I don't have problem with that!

PS..... As the old saying goes: "Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean that someone isn't out to get you"!!
 
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CGM said:
I just don't feel the need to carry everytime I put my shoes on. If I lived under circumstances where that was necessary I would seriously think about moving!!
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Magical thinking! You cannot predict when or where you will become a victim of violent crime. To think otherwise is not logical.

I can appreciate if someone decides not carry because they are willing to take the risk. But to say that today will be a safe day because of a particular location and/or time so a weapon is not needed is pure fantasy.
 
Had my CCW permit for 5 years. School bus driver, so I can't carry most of the time. Gone from carrying Glocks to using and carrying a S&W Bodyguard. Just so nice and for some reason I get great groupings out to 30 yards with mine, so I feel very good carrying my 380. Still love my Glocks and 1911 but find them too big for carry. Pocket pistol with night sights is my preferred way.
 
Photoman44 said:
Magical thinking! You cannot predict when or where you will become a victim of violent crime. To think otherwise is not logical.

I can appreciate if someone decides not carry because they are willing to take the risk. But to say that today will be a safe day because of a particular location and/or time so a weapon is not needed is pure fantasy.
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I know a few that carry occasionally too. I don't get it.

I wish I could "feel" whether or not I needed to carry a gun because I wouldn't go there.

I think some of these folks suffer from a lack of confidence in their ability to protect themselves with a firearm. Or overconfidence in thinking they will never need to protect themselves.

Vince Lombardi said "Winning isn't a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately so is losing."

His quote illustrates the need for mental preparation and a total commitment to doing things the right way.

IMO, "guessing" whether today's the day you need to carry a gun is unrealistic. It shows a lack of understanding as to why we bother to buy a gun, get a permit, train and practice, because we simply refuse to be victims. We cannot pick and choose the time or circumstance when the need may arise to protect ourselves and more importantly our loved one's.

Concealed carry is truly an art which must be taken seriously with complete and total commitment to doing it right.

But again, just my opinion. Others are free to do as they wish.
 
bp231986 said:
it be stupid not to, i even carry at home when just watching a movie or taking a nap on the sofa. In the event that something negative would happen it would when you were least expecting it.
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Concealed carry is like having an ace up your sleeve ready to be played at the right moment. Carry at home is like having two aces up your sleeve. ;)
 
I wander if the same people who don't think anything bad is going to happen today are the same people you have to stop and help because they have a flat tire and no tools to change it.... It's not paranoid to be prepared.
 
Bullzaye said:
No permit is required in AZ, but I do have one. Anytime I leave my house, I have a pistol on me. In my house, my pistol is either on my person, or sitting on the end table/night stand right next to me.

I have one friend who carries consistently...my other "shooter" friends do not carry, to the best of my knowledge.

Tim
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Ditto for me...also in AZ and also carry virtually 100% of the time where legal. I feel vulnerable and "naked" when I don't carry.
 
My BIL thinks I'm a paranoid nut case because of my choice to carry when clothed. He point blank asked me the other day "why do you feel the need to carry even in your own home?"

My response was simple. "Because I don't get to choose when things go bad."

I also advised him that if my choices made him uncomfortable in any way, the door was right behind him.
 
Live in Cleveland and carry all the time.

Ruger SR9c
Bersa Thunder .380
Bersa Thunder .32

All carry guns
 
I carry everyday, everywhere (law permitting). Even when I'm just taking my dog out. Mostly pocket but sometimes I bring out a full size OWB.
 
I carry 100% of the time, so does my wife, in-laws, most of my friends and as soon as my two daughters are old enough they will be carrying also. One is a year away and Class, permit and a 442 will be her 21st birthday present.
 
I always carry when I'm out and it is handy when I'm home.
 
I carry Two Guns every day all day for the last Eight Years. At night one is next to the Bed.
 
Some of you boys are going to think this is a smart alec answer but it is the truth and the way I have done it for over 40 years.
I started carrying everyday before thare was a CCW---I carried illegally.
I have carried in just about every state in the US and every National park.
I determined, when young, that BG's carry and I was also. I have gone on the theory that "don't ask-don't tell." I have carried in hospitals--movies--ball games--parks--well anyplace that I am going to go that will require me walking back to a car.
It has worked for me and when stopped for a ticket was never asked and never said.
You do it your way.
Blessings
 
williamlayton said:
Some of you boys are going to think this is a smart alec answer but it is the truth and the way I have done it for over 40 years.
I started carrying everyday before thare was a CCW---I carried illegally.
I have carried in just about every state in the US and every National park.
I determined, when young, that BG's carry and I was also. I have gone on the theory that "don't ask-don't tell." I have carried in hospitals--movies--ball games--parks--well anyplace that I am going to go that will require me walking back to a car.
It has worked for me and when stopped for a ticket was never asked and never said.
You do it your way.
Blessings
Click to expand...


I know a whole lotta people that have done the exact same thing. They carry everywhere except through metal detectors.
 
I carry as much as i can. Working out of state i can not carry till i get back home. The wife just got her prints and mug taken friday for her ltc.
 
All the time. I don't go to airports, and I don't go to places where I think I might need a gun, except for walking down the street (until recently, there was a dog in the neighborhood who scared our next-door neighbors, and we used to have coyotes living on our property). I don't stash guns around the house, partly because it is illegal in MA, and partly because I agree with the law (for myself, only; I don't presume to tell other folks how to handle their own situations, seeing as they know more about their situations than I do, and may even be smarter than I, to boot). The only time I don't have a gun in my pocket is when I have one on my belt.

I also have fire insurance on the house, and I consider the need for that even less than the need for a gun - less likely to happen, and less severe consequences for being uninsured.
 
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