I don’t carry a gun anymore.

[smells like feet]

First of all I respect everyones choice to do whatever they want regarding how they protect themselves and their family.

But I am going to say something here about awareness, avoidance and de escalation and other skills, and hopefully it comes across in the respectful and constructive spirit in which it is intended.

Thinking that your skills...your street smarts, communication, awareness, your BJJ belt, your fitness even your living in a good area away from the poors will somehow grant you absolute protection from truely awful people or situations...that thought process contains a great deal of hubris in my opinion.

[feudist]

I appreciate you saving me from having to ask. After a few posts I was guessing it was All The Guns All The Time but I wasn’t sure.

You're no hepcat.

[LockedBreech]

I don't carry much anymore but it's just because the way my life is setup doesn't really require it usually anymore. At home I have my G17 Gen 5 in the table drawer. At work I have my G17 Gen 4 in the desk drawer (and mercifully, a nice part of private practice is I no longer have to hide it as I'm not the only one here who is armed). If I'm going for a lengthy drive I have the G19 Gen 5 in the glovebox (I don't leave it there, no worries). So for most of my life I'm close to a mid to full sized Glock. The little overlap parts (gas station, grocery store, etc.) are probably 1-2% of my time and for those the LCP Max + Reload gives 24 rounds of .380 Auto which is plenty for me.

Simplifying most of my "serious gun" world to Glocks took a lot of thought out of the equation. I finally understand what I resisted for years, that automatically having a knowledge of my gun, its trigger, and its ammo without having to think about it lets me focus on being good with it.

All that personal stuff aside...I don't think carrying should be mandatory or for everyone. I can respect it when people don't. I always will to some extent but I'm also good at letting it go when I travel and can't.

The one thing I have a really hard time letting go is when a person has a home and a family and doesn't even have a gun at home. Years ago I was very gratified when a great friend of mine caved just a little bit and agreed to let me help him pick out a gun and some ammo. We got him a Ruger SR9 and Gold Dot 124 +P. That's a gun they don't even make anymore, and he stores it separately from the magazine and with the safety on, so it's not completely ideal, but at least I know if someone is breaking in he has some sort of way to defend his wife and kids. I grew up in the country and will never, ever understand how any man feels okay with a defenseless home.

I wish the best for your safety and if you end up deciding to carry again, that's great too. We've all got our own decisions and our own reasons, part of being American is respecting that.

[Tom Givens]

None of this is aimed at the OP. He is free to make his own choices and live with them.

My take is, of course, colored by my past experiences. Saying "I don't carry because I have never needed it" would be like me saying "I'm 70 years old and I haven't died a single time in my whole life, therefore I am not ever going to die." If one has gone years or decades without needing a gun, perhaps he is due?

To my knowledge, 71 of my students have needed a gun. The 68 who had a gun are all alive. The 3 who did not are all dead. To me, that makes it a no brainer. It is so easy to be armed, why not be?

[medmo]

@Duke, should be no shitting on anyone, it's not the P-F way. The shitty mods should take care of any of that right away. Good post, got me thinking. I do that occasionally . Yes, if any of us are truly concerned with survival and longevity then the top focus should be diet, exercise and meditation. I do focus on all of that daily. Got me thinking on why I carry. My father was a retired NYCPD officer, and a Korean War Marine Corp veteran. He participated in a couple of near death duty shootings in his LEO career. He didn't talk much about his Marine Corps experiences in Korea, except sometimes mentioning the names of buds that he lost there, but he did speak about his LEO experiences. One of his repeat sayings about his LEO experience in NYC was "There were so many people that I met who would be alive today if they only had a gun." I was raised shooting and being coached by him. I also thought of SSgt Boddy. He was my first platoon sergeant, one bad ass 'Nam vet and leader, when I was a young boot Marine. He always carried a Beretta Bobcat with him, which at the time I thought was kind of weird. He could do pull ups all freakin day long. Had us all motivated on the pull up bar, no way am I letting this geezer out pull up me. Just thinking now, that Beretta was his "wooby". I guess it's me now keeping my "wooby" close to me after my experiences. I do enjoy shooting as a sport, learning, pushing and challenging myself, as much as I do with other physical challenges. I do comply with rules, regulations and laws. Yes, I miss my "wooby" when I need to comply but the consequences of non compliance are harsh and more probable then the need for the "wooby." I'm kind of a private person, an anti-social fuck, and generally don't spill my beans on the inter-web so I'm blaming this deviation all on you.

[Sig_Fiend]

This is a strange and disconcerting sensation! As a PF member, I expected a thread that would tell me what The Next Thing™ is so I could go down another rabbit hole of purchases and skill improvement. Now it's like I just found out Santa Claus doesn't exist! I might have to buy a .22lr snub nose (most recent Next Thing™ I can remember) to shove in my waistband to console me in these confusing times. jk

In all seriousness, thanks @Duke for sharing so transparently and honestly.

[dsa]

I don't have much to contribute to this other than I choose to carry; no judgement on anyone else for their choices. I got into a discussion about this with a co-worker and he relayed that years ago he decided that he and his family were more likely to be in a car accident. So instead of investing in weapons and training he and his family take annual vacations to driving schools and learn how to drive better on a track in controlled conditions from a pro. He said that it has saved his a$$ several times and his wife and daughters have benefited as well.

[JCN]

None of this is aimed at the OP. He is free to make his own choices and live with them.

My take is, of course, colored by my past experiences. Saying "I don't carry because I have never needed it" would be like me saying "I'm 70 years old and I haven't died a single time in my whole life, therefore I am not ever going to die." If one has gone years or decades without needing a gun, perhaps he is due?

To my knowledge, 71 of my students have needed a gun. The 68 who had a gun are all alive. The 3 who did not are all dead. To me, that makes it a no brainer. It is so easy to be armed, why not be?

Great post.

I would never forgive myself if I could have protected my family but was unprepared.

[medmo]

Great post.

I would never forgive myself if I could have protected my family but was unprepared.

True fact. I already have enough that keeps me up at nights.

[DDTSGM]

I was surprised at how many of the "Homeless" folks that came in remembered me from my previous job in Corrections. "Hey Boss! I wondered where you went."
I carry to work at my new job under license as a Level III Security Officer. The thing is, I feel irresponsible if I don't carry (concealed) when off duty. In my short career in Corrections and Security, I've seen what is out there. I know what is roaming the streets. Most people don't.

That's the thing a lot of guy's don't understand - generally the offender will recognize the CO's more readily than they recognize the arresting officer.