Why did you decide to carry

[URIT]

My first CCW was my duty weapon, a Smith and Wesson model 15. This worked okay but I soon bought a Colt Junior. That was sold and replace a month later with a Colt Detective Special which I carried for over 30 years.

 

[Simson-Suhl]

A great length of time before Oklahoma issued the CWP, bike racing was a passion for me. My girl friend use to take me and my bicycle, a custom COCI,($1450.00), in her car to the south side of Norman, Ok and I would ride back to OKC at times on the service road beside I35. Beautiful day, on the two lane service road without a car in sight. Then an old beat up auto pulls along side of me a very large fat man starts calling me various names I am not allowed to print here. Just why I do not know as there was no one else on the road other than the two of us, and I was riding near the edge and he should no trouble passing me. After this, I started carrying my Walther PPK 380 in a baggie to keep it dry in my back pack as I would sweat thru my shirt and the back pack. No other threats other than drivers just do not see you at times or realize just how fast you are going. Four lane city street and 74 year old man in a pick up makes a left turn from the outside lane, crosses the other three lanes and hits me. Cop asks him if he saw me. his answer, "Yes I saw him, I just didn't believe he was going that fast." Bike totaled, off work three months, three weeks, he had insurance.

 

[gwpercle]

The short answer is because the bad guys carry guns .

The longer answer is , after being shot in the face , robbed and left for dead in my office , a Police Lieutenant explained that they couldn't protect me , they could only come after a crime was committed .
It was my responsibility to protect myself , he then explained all the many places I could legally conceal carry a weapon, without a permit ...a lot more places than I was aware of ... Then he explained that open carry was perfectly legal in Louisiana , no permit required !
I own the business so I made a concealed or open carry policy for whoever employees wanted to carry at work to do so .
That was in 2004 and no one has attempted another robbery .

I showed up in court , testified and the guy will be eligible for parole in 2089... while being apprehended he shot a police officer wearing a vest and shot another in the arm . Shooting police officers is frowned upon in La. and the bad guy was out on parole for...armed robbery so that sentence got tacked back on .
The DA assured me he probably wont be paroled but if so he will be 107 years old ... I'm not worried about him .
Gary

 

[The Big D]

The job told me I had to carry.

Near the end of recruit training we were issued our duty weapons. (We were sworn in when training began but no LEO powers.)

From that point on we were ordered to carry on and off duty.

Issued gun was a Model 10, heavy barrel. That was replaced (for off duty carry) almost immediately with a M36...shortly thereafter a M60.

Be safe.

 

[THEmodelof1989]

Got my CCW back around 2014 when it seemed like open season on old white guys. Picked up a police trade in model 10 from Bud's and haven't looked back. Added a 1911 A1 since.

Mhhmmm... I've got to ask, what made you decide to play the white race card? Is being white exceptionally difficult? Asking for a friend...

As far as the OP's question goes, I started carrying to help me get through my day and sleep at night after coming home from combat; I didnt make a lot of friends in the sandbox.

 

[JH1951]

As a product of the '50's I was accustomed to a pretty decent world. Perhaps that was because news was not instant as it is today, but none the less my impression is that being able to defend yourself and loved ones has become more important as time marches on. I have CC'd for decades. In earlier years, when I was going to a less than great environment I would carry. Now, it seems that even rural areas where crime was basically nonexistent, it is there. Society in general is on a slippery slope, so it is that I now carry almost 24/7. My favorite is a Sig .45 ACP Ultra Compact 1911. For self-defense I find it quite adequate. I am not looking for a confrontation, so eight .45's should get me out of almost any jam I find myself in where lethal force is required for my survival.

 

[Jeppo]

My state requires either a Pistol Purchase Permit (one permit for one gun) or a Concealed Handgun Permit (valid for 5 years and substitutes for the PPP for unlimited purchases). Both require background checks while the CHP also requires fingerprints and certification of passing a mandated 8-hour course.

After my first PPP's, I realized that was too much trouble and too limiting (if you happen to see a pistol calling your name but are out of PPP's, you're toast). I realized that, over 5 years, the CHP would be much more convenient and perhaps even less costly. Side note...this was a HUGE mistake for me. Being able to grab a gun and go has become more costly than I could have ever imagined.

My state also permits Open Carry without any kind of paperwork. If I have a handgun on my seat and am approached by an LEO, everything is copacetic. If I stupidly drop my Big Mac wrapper or paper napkin above the gun, I'm now a law-breaker. Having a CHP means not having to worry about how I transport handguns.

In other words, my original motivations for having a CHP were all about convenience. As time passed, I became more and more concerned about crime in our area. It may sound exaggerated but our local authorities appear to be at a complete loss about how to take control. Their latest idea is some kinda commission to talk about what to do. I have plenty of ideas but don't think they're interested.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I was so good looking, sexy, and charming that it was necessary to protect myself from young Hollywood type starlets

If I ever had to be arrested I would want it to be done by you.

What a great ride to the station house it would be.

 

[K Frame Keith]

Carried since the day I graduated the academy. I carry in retirement since the world is an unpredictable place.

 

[REM 3200]

As time passed, I became more and more concerned about crime in our area. It may sound exaggerated but our local authorities appear to be at a complete loss about how to take control. Their latest idea is some kinda commission to talk about what to do. I have plenty of ideas but don't think they're interested.

This seems to be the case every where.
For the OP, I've been carrying since I retired from the Army, 29+ years and counting.

 

[Ziggy2525]

Started carrying when random gang related/drug related violent assaults and robberies moved from the inner city to suburban areas that were previously considered safe. Only gotten worse since then.

First carry gun was a Glock 26.

 

[Rastoff]

It may sound exaggerated but our local authorities appear to be at a complete loss about how to take control. Their latest idea is some kinda commission to talk about what to do. I have plenty of ideas but don't think they're interested.

This is not uncommon. This is not a criticism, but, have to actually presented those ideas to the commission? If you have, good for you. If you haven't, why not?

Again, not a criticism of Jeppo, but this is a huge problem today. We have most of the problems in society because we are talking about it, but not acting.

If you never ask, the answer is always no. So, go to the commission with your ideas. The worst that can happen is they say no. At least you have some avenue to bring your ideas. Too many communities don't even have that.

 

[Bozz10mm]

I don't know. Maybe it was an act of defiance to the gun control movement. Right after Sandy Hook I felt like our gun rights could be taken away at any moment. That's when I got my first EDC, an XDm 45 ACP Compact. After that, I moved on to bigger things like ARs and a Mossberg 590A1. Hah, then more carry guns and a good stock of ammo.

 

[Trooper224]

I started carrying when I became a cop. There are evil people doing evil things out there and it was my job to stop them. I'm no longer a cop, but evil remains.

 

[mrchuck]

I have been a LEO my whole working life, and thus have been armed the same time.

 

[wetdog1911]

REASON?? I live in Miami Fl.& drive thru Miami Gardens....frequently!

Same here! Was born and lived in the Miami area for 58 years. Kept a 1911 handy long before CCW happened, but got the permit soon after the law was passed.

Live in SC now and miss Miami, not at all.

Rob

 

[Jeppo]

This is not uncommon. This is not a criticism, but, have to actually presented those ideas to the commission? If you have, good for you. If you haven't, why not?

Again, not a criticism of Jeppo, but this is a huge problem today. We have most of the problems in society because we are talking about it, but not acting.

If you never ask, the answer is always no. So, go to the commission with your ideas. The worst that can happen is they say no. At least you have some avenue to bring your ideas. Too many communities don't even have that.

I went to a recent "public safety" meeting and was more than disappointed. There are areas of the city they've virtually given up. I'll not take an active role because I'm fortunate enough to have moved outside the city limits. While we do have to travel through and shop there, we're no longer citizens. We moved across the city limits to a neighboring county.

While still living and working there, I supervised investment in construction of a large commercial building. I insisted the lower floors have bullet-resistant glass. At the time, my colleagues were sure I'd lost my mind. Unfortunately, turns out I was a visionary.

 

[ladder13]

Got my carry, yes carry, license in 1984 in NY, yes NY. Been carrying ever since.

Still have my NY license.

 

[beagleye]

bears and drugs

I live on the NC TN border on a gravel road that connects the 2 states through the national forest. Bears and drugs are common in this neighborhood. Having a gun is a no brainer. Of course the bears don't mind open carry, and it is legal here, but's not my thing.

The human traffic on the road is pretty sketchy. Most folks I meet are great, but it is a road that gets used some because it's out of the way. I have met some desperate people here.

 

[swsig]

I carry because I can.

First carry: M&P 40c.

Current carry: Same M&P 40c converted to .357 SIG.