I don’t carry a gun anymore.

[Paul Blackburn]

Many factors and considerations...

For some being a gun guy is a chosen self image/ego thing. If thats the motivation, all the work and expense can eventually start to seem tiresome and even self limiting, like when you want to go the beach and have fun.

If you're prone to being obsessive the gun lifestyle can cost you tens of thousands or even in the $100k range trying out all the latest and greatest. And in the end you're still just the same dude.

Those are some of the negative aspects.

But there are also many positive ones that are reasonable. Especially when you can be satisfied with good enough hardware and focus on developing the software that goes with being proficient and skilled at arms.

Its an interesting journey for sure with lots of self discovery.

[WobblyPossum]

I’m not going to judge anyone for making personal choices that only affect themselves and their families. I would prefer you go about armed but that is because I would prefer that all decent people go about armed, increasing the chances that predators come upon a would-be victim that can effectively fight back. That’s doubly true with highly trained and skilled people like yourself. I don’t think you’ll find too many on this forum who will jump down your throat about this decision.

I’m curious about one thing though, because I remember most of your carry guns being G19 sized or larger. Are you burned out from always trying to carry around a “fighting” gun? Would carrying a smaller gun like a P365 or a J-Frame in your pocket have made a difference? I’m one of those people who generally has a G19, spare mag and a small fixed blade knife when I’m outside of the house so I get that it’s actually kind of a hassle sometimes. When I’m lounging around the house, it’s a G26 in my shorts pocket. It’s way less of a hassle and sometimes I wonder about what things would be like if I just carried a tiny gun in my pocket normally.

I hope you continue to participate on the forum even though you don’t carry a gun anymore. I believe you’ve still got a lot to contribute.

[Noah]

I think a lot of people are burned out on the ATGATT lifestyle. If you didn't carry a double stack with an optic and WML every day and shoot an AR with a plate carrier every weekend, the attitude for the last decade was you may as well not own a gun. That was me. Carried a pistol with a WML and optic the last 4 years and had my AR and plate carrier and classes and more gear. All of us enjoyed shooting and believed in being armed, sure, but life was a little too centered around being geared up for the end of the world. More skill focused places like Pistol Forum rather than gear focused places have helped me. But like Duke even said in some other threads, even here is still gear focused. Gear is fun.

Then the end of the world came... and believe it or not, we didnt die. The pandemic, lock downs, riots, political instability... and for 99.999% of us, all the "warfighting" gear the "shooting community" had focused on meant nothing. I'd spent my late teens and early 20s before marriage focusing on gear for mid range infantry warfare when the reality of life now is going to the grocery with my wife and baby and helping them sleep soundly at night.

I was done with the gear race. I deleted social media, and since then, I've moved away from feeling unprepared if I don't have all the latest and greatest gear. I stopped carrying a WML, and what do you know, it was a lot more comfortable. Back to DA/SA pistols for every day living with the gun safely and mental comfort. I even got rid of the red dots, less printing. I sold my plate carrier. These are all very personal choices, but I'm spending more time rolling around on the ground with my baby daughter and less time worrying about things not worth worrying about.

[MickAK]

Well, me either, but that's just so I can still punch people in the face.

[Caballoflaco]

It would be pretty fucking silly to carry a gun if you don’t want to carry a gun.

[41magfan]

Since I'm an absolute believer in the exercise of free-will, I'd never disparage anyone's choices on this subject. I've carried a gun or two all day - every day - for over 40 years because my profession made it necessary and prudent.

At times being armed required effort and was quite often inconvenient, but I lead a different life now having been retired for over 10 years. My days of running towards gunfire are pretty much behind me and I make absolutely no apology for that mindset. I am able and willing to protect myself and my own and anything beyond that will be very situational for a number of reasons.

Those changes have allowed me to dial back my armament to the point that it takes no effort at all to be armed all the time. Along with that, I reached a point some years ago that maintaining my skill to about the 90% level only requires a few hundred rounds a year, so even that takes no real effort.

I guess what I'm alluding to is simply this; being armed all the time for me is just a no-brainer because it requires no special effort. I have a real appreciation, understanding and first-hand knowledge of what "random" violence looks like and I feel comfortable with the plans and provisions I've made for those possibilities. I will say that some of the hypothetical situations I see some folks discussing, anticipating and preparing for just doesn't remotely resemble the real world that I live in ... past or present.

As with all things, YMMV.

[Chance]

Most folks in this community go in cycles with regard to how much they're carrying. I started with a stock G19, worked my way up to carrying more shit than Batman, dropped down a clinch pick and a snubby, and am now somewhere in between.

With regards to not carrying any firearm at all: if throwing a j-frame in your pocket takes as much effort as putting a bottle opener on your key chain, I don't see why someone simply wouldn't bother (laws permitting, et cetera). It takes literally no effort.

Which isn't to say that I'm thumbing my nose at anyone who chooses not to carry, just that I think differently about it.

ETA: My younger self used to carry a condom around in his wallet. Did he ever need it? Did it hurt having it? No. Would he have used it if warranted? Definitely.

[Shades]

"The way that you wander, is the way that you choose."

I spent several years, in my yoot, in far away places where, it seemed, everybody BUT me had a gun. On several occasions I got to view those guns from the wrong end. Now I'm an old retired guy living with his wife in a pretty nice neighborhood and, ironically, I can carry a gun and do so most of the time, even though the likelihood of needing one is pretty slim. Because I've never forgotten how helpless I felt knowing that I wouldn't even be able to inconvenience the SOBs who were scaring the hell out of me. And a long time ago, I promised Mrs. Shades I'd take care of her and she's still around, so I guess I'm still on the hook for that, too.

Having said that, I'm ok going the minimalist route. Dropping a j-frame in the pocket is so easy, after all. But that's just me and I don't pretend that my answers are the only ones that make sense.

[Tuefelhunden]

Everyone has to make their own assessment and then live with it. I try and carry a gun if I leave the property. At home or the office one is within close proximity. If I am awake with clothes on a 4" folder always.

That said as the years go by without incident or even a scare and a job that thankfully doesn't require chasing bad guys on purpose everyday it gets easier and easier to be complacent. It's easy to get lulled into a false sense of security but I'm mindful it just takes one bad day in a life time of good ones like a bad car wreck. Fortunately I'm a realist, (wife would say pessimist) and the non stop crazy incidents in the news and the increase in hard drug use and the decriminalization of same are sobering enough to keep me honest. CCW is simply an insurance policy that renews everyday with a decision. No amount of training or gear is a guarantee but I want a shot at winning if my number is called.

[45dotACP]

I mean...Basically all my working life I cannot be armed and I'm still not dead in the streets even though I've received more death threats at my job than outside of it.

I've got a longer response...but I'm at work. Sufficed to say, it is a very personal decision and you probably know why it makes more sense for you than any of us, so I wish you happiness, health and prosperity (and gains, of course)

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