“Why do you carry a gun?”

[ranger]

The name of my boat is "Arm N Get On". Everybody at the dock has me figured me out.

[Crazy Dane]

I have been asked this question, more in recent years than use to be. It seems people aren't asking to pass judgement, but asking to convince themselves of the times we live in. As an Instructor, I get this conversation a lot. My usual response is par for what most have said:
"Law Enforcement is minutes away, when seconds count"
"I can not carry a police officer in my pocket"
"It's Rescue equipment, just like your smoke detector, fire extinguisher and GFI"

But it all changed how I answered, when I was invited a party, that I knew many was not shall we say "favor the personal right". Long story short, I had two ladies come up to me, and say "that gentleman over there, said you was a conceal carry instructor, we was just curious what you teach it and carry". I did not plan this it just happened. I stood there for a few seconds, then started glancing toward each person in the room, as the ladies followed my gaze, I said with pointing my finger "Texas tower, Miami-Dade, Luby's restaurant, Auora Theater...", one of the ladies stopped me and said with a smile, "What are you talking about?" I then began to give each of them a very short synopsis of each incident. I then followed it up with "No one has the right to hurt or kill me and the ones I love. So, I do the responsible thing and try to protect myself and them."

This led to them asking much more questions about the incidents and other information. As we talked, we ended up gathering a group of about 9 people around, and turned into a very nice discussion and I could see the "veil" being lifted from their eyes. It then hit me after the party, that instead of just making a statement like above, that when you lay out the examples that was left to us in history, they are forced to wake up. This is what I have used since, then mixing in other comments as above. I have had people, go and "google" some of the shootings, and them come back with eye's the size of saucers. This seems to offer the best results for me.

Side Note: The two ladies ended up taking my invite for a basic class, both are now active CCL members and one is now an Instructor.

Funny, the Luby's incident is probably one of the main reasons why I carry. I was stationed at Ft Hood and on that day my platoon mates and I had decided to eat there on our weekly "not eat lunch in the chow hall" day. When we got to Luby's, there was a bigger line than we cared to wait through so we ended up eating at a little Italian joint that had a $2.99 all you can eat lunch special. Its hard to forget that day for many reasons one of which Keith busted the restaurant's record of plates of spaghetti eaten by smashing 11 plates worth. Another was realizing that we most likely passed the shooter in the parking lot. We had no idea of what had happened until we got back to our unit and seeing upset and worried the ones that stayed behind were. I had friends in the company that were there and one was wounded. Listening to them describe the event and to hear each one say how helpless they felt still resonates with me today. I have carried for a long time now, long before CCW permits were a thing, and do so not wanting to be defenseless like my friends were that day.... like I almost was that day.

[BillSWPA]

Funny, the Luby's incident is probably one of the main reasons why I carry. I was stationed at Ft Hood and on that day my platoon mates and I had decided to eat there on our weekly "not eat lunch in the chow hall" day. When we got to Luby's, there was a bigger line than we cared to wait through so we ended up eating at a little Italian joint that had a $2.99 all you can eat lunch special. Its hard to forget that day for many reasons one of which Keith busted the restaurant's record of plates of spaghetti eaten by smashing 11 plates worth. Another was realizing that we most likely passed the shooter in the parking lot. We had no idea of what had happened until we got back to our unit and seeing upset and worried the ones that stayed behind were. I had friends in the company that were there and one was wounded. Listening to them describe the event and to hear each one say how helpless they felt still resonates with me today. I have carried for a long time now, long before CCW permits were a thing, and do so not wanting to be defenseless like my friends were that day.... like I almost was that day.

That post drives the point home.

The YouTube video of Suzanna Gratia Hupp’s testimony before Congress is one for the best tools I have found for demonstrating why guns are needed.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[critter]

Why I carry.. that was the San Diego McDonald's massacre for me, just a few short months after turning 21. That was the "holy shit" moment. I applied for my CCP on my 21st birthday because that's what we all did back then, but had no plans to carry daily -- only when "going into areas where I might need it," of which McDonald's had never seemed a likely place.

As far as others asking me questions. All of my close friends knew/know I carry, but so do they and we don't discuss it in the presence of 'outsiders.' A stranger, co-worker, or acquaintance has never asked and I've never volunteered the fact. I'd rather no one know. Seems detrimental from a self defense standpoint to advertise.

[Drang]

“Why do you carry a gun?”

The common, trite, even flippant answers are actually pretty good, IMHO:
"Because a cop is too heavy and unwieldy, but not as heavy as regret."

[Jeff22]

I guess I'm fortunate. Almost everybody I know is somehow involved in public safety, or was, in the military, or was, or is a hunter or competitive shooter of some kind . . .

If the question comes up, I just say "I don't go looking for trouble, but I want to be ready if trouble comes to find me."

When I started (1981) it was somewhat unusual for cops around here to be armed off duty. Guys would tell me "When I'm off duty, I'm OFF DUTY." Great. Most victims of violent crime are "off duty" too . . .

But I do live in a place with a VERY low rate of stranger-on-stranger violent crime.

I do have a long-time friend that often feels it necessary to get into conversations with strangers at bars and eventually he finds a way to tell them he's a cop. His insecurities compel him to try to impress random strangers or some damn thing. Now, he always goes to nice places and the likelihood that such behavior is going to create a problem is about zero, but I think it is entirely uncalled for. I've begun to distance myself from him as a result . . . very unfortunate but necessary

[Jeff22]

Most people don't really have much of an idea of how the world works in a big picture sense. They only understand events within the limits of their own experience, and often don’t comprehend that their personal experience HAS any limits.

I have never been a victim of a violent crime. (Getting punched by some guy I was in the process of arresting doesn't count). But I know that bad things and unexpected things and dangerous things can happen in the world, without having personally experienced them.

Absent relevant personal experience, most people have a hard time visualizing a set of circumstances where having a firearm available for self-defense would benefit them. And sometimes, people who DO have that experience continue to live their lives in denial, even though they should know better.

Some people just don't get it, even when they have personal experiences that should lead them to a greater understanding.

Right out of High School (over 40 years ago now!) I dated a girl for a while. Some years later she was going to college in Minnesota. She lived in the Twin Cities area. One night about midnight she had just got off work and was returning to her car, which was parked in a public parking ramp. A group of three or four gang-bangers accosted her. We don't know if they intended robbery or rape or worse. She managed to get inside her car and lock the doors. One of the gangsters tossed a chunk of concrete through the window, and she was hit in the head and received a severe concussion. Some passers-by witnessed this and chased the gangsters off and called for the PD and an ambulance.

She was in a coma for 36 hours. (May have gotten a "minor" skull fracture -- I don't remember any more)

A couple years later she got married, and a few years after that her husband got hired on by the Sheriff's Department and I trained him in the police academy.

Despite all this, she still didn’t like him to be armed off duty. Her excuse was: "I don't want him to go looking for trouble." Well honey, you weren't looking for trouble, either, and trouble came and found YOU and you almost got killed.

But the reality of the situation is uncomfortable and challenged her assumptions about how the world worked, and so she just ignored the lesson
(They’re long divorced and he’s now retired)

[NH Shooter]

Most people don't really have much of an idea of how the world works in a big picture sense. They only understand events within the limits of their own experience, and often don’t comprehend that their personal experience HAS any limits.

Absent relevant personal experience, most people have a hard time visualizing a set of circumstances where having a firearm available for self-defense would benefit them. And sometimes, people who DO have that experience continue to live their lives in denial, even though they should know better.

Some people just don't get it, even when they have personal experiences that should lead them to a greater understanding.

Great points that no doubt cover the majority of those oblivious to the everyday threats of violence. To that I would add the group who fully recognize the threats but are unwilling for moral reasons or psychologically unable to use violence to defend themselves.

[41magfan]

When my son was about 3 or 4 years old, he approached a guy that I was talking to (a no-gunner) at the Mall and after a few seconds, did a pat down on his front pockets. Not detecting any hardware he immediately asked; “Where do you carry your Pow-Pow?”

Sometimes the most relevant questions come from the mouth of a child.

[willie]

Recently I was talking with a nice plain clothes officer who elects not to carry a handgun because he thinks that seeing one offends some people. Too he claims that it's too hot here to wear a coat in the summer months to cover the weapon. I pointed out that his small rural town is located on America's busiest dope highway, I35. I pointed out that as a cop he is unprepared by being unarmed. My opinion is that his walking around unarmed is an affectation giving him attention. My ornery side made me comment that some may think that a medical condition caused the department to take his weapon. In the far distant past, I have known three town marshals who did not carry a handgun on or off duty. I have known several police officers who did not carry off duty. Factors determining this choice may include: laziness; a disconnect between the person's world view and reality; fear or dislike of weapons; dictates of a spouse; and lack of knowledge or competence relating to guns and shooting. An interesting account is that one of these unarmed marshals captured a German soldier who escaped from a pow camp. This event occurred when the pow walked into the drug store that also was the bus stop. Speaking German, he tried to buy a bus ticket to New Orleans with German currency. The marshal soon arrested him and sought translation help from Uncle Joe, the undertaker whose German parents came there in 1850. Uncle Joe slapped the man and called him a son of a bitch in German and wanted to hang him. The marshal put the pow in jail where his wife fed him all the eggs and pork sausage that he could eat. The marshal who also made whiskey gave the German moonshine. He begged to remain in our jail but was returned to prison. Freddy the marshal won the anvil throwing contest at the fair every year. He didn't need a gun. The event occurred in Summit, Mississippi located on HW 51 116 miles north of New Orleans. I grew up there. Pardon the thread drift.