Why Do You Carry Concealed?

[blinddog]

Same here bro, I always CCW no matter where I am. (As long as it is legal.)

[zcartier]

I concealed carry for my protection and to not raise a whole lot of attention. I have seen many videos on youtube of guys open carrying a pistol or even rifles such as an AK. They always get the cops called on them and even though they are following the law and doing everything correctly, they raise alot of attention from other people driving down the street. It makes other people who may not be aware of the law very uneasy, plus when are you ever going to need an assault rifle when walking down the road. It just blows my mind that people can be so ignorant. I'm not out for the attention, I'm out for protection there for I conceal carry. I will admit that when I am on my own property or even my parents property I will open carry just because it is more comfortable and convenient. My neighbors don't have a problem with it and it doesn't draw any unwanted attention. As far as taking my dog for a late night walk or running errands, I conceal carry.

[cometface]

I carry to protect myself and my wife. I am at retirement age and feel alittle vunerable.
With what has been happening lately in churches its more important now to protect
yourself and your loved ones.

[Goodnewsgirl]

I agree with both the above. Protection; ready 'in case'. I travel often and as a single woman I feel safer knowing I can protect myself if need be.

[Jarred Weachter]

I carry to be able to protect my family and myself. With any luck I will never have to use my weapon, but will definitely be prepared should the need arise.

[blinddog]

I'm with cometface, I am retired and I don't think I am able to take on any young thugs any more. I carry 24/7 because I want to be able to defend myself and my wife no matter where I am.

[Argyraspide]

I believe it to be the natural right and fierce obligation of every responsible male of the species to be armed and ready, willing and able to defend his loved ones and the weak and helpless around him. It has ever been so. I think of our American frontier days when the man got his rifle off the pegs over his fireplace and ran to meet others like him to defend against an enemy raiding party or to go after them. No thoughts about the morality of weapons and killing - only the unquestioning drive to keep those he cherished alive and safe. Nothing else need be said.

[Rayb]

I believe it to be the natural right and fierce obligation of every responsible male of the species to be armed and ready, willing and able to defend his loved ones and the weak and helpless around him. It has ever been so. I think of our American frontier days when the man got his rifle off the pegs over his fireplace and ran to meet others like him to defend against an enemy raiding party or to go after them. No thoughts about the morality of weapons and killing - only the unquestioning drive to keep those he cherished alive and safe. Nothing else need be said.

Agree with your post, but would add that IMHO the right and obligation to be armed, ready and willing to defend self and others extends to women as well.

[sshowe22]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum and thought that one of my first posts on this site should be the reasoning of why I joined this useful and informative group.

I have been ccw licensed for years now, but I am finding it more important for me to put that license to use and constantly carry. I am a farmer in a rural community with almost no economic growth and a lot of people around here are without employment. This has led to an explosion of methamphetamine use and I'm noticing that those users are resulting to theft and burglary in my town to support their addiction. Those that use also seem to lose rationality and become more unstable. This year alone I have had three encounters on my farm of people snooping around grain bins (the wiring for these goes high in the local scrap yards). I wasn't carrying on any of these occasions but luckily politeness (with a stern tone) and a warning hasn't led to any combative situations. I have also seen people stealing my anhydrous ammonia (a chemical fertilizer used for corn but also an ingredient of methamphetamine) but was too far away to get to them in time.
Then one day while working on a tractor my uncle came to the shop and invited me to lunch. We left and I didn't give any thought to my truck with the toolbox and all my tools laid on the tailgate since it was noon. When coming back from lunch we started seeing all my tools strewn down the road along with my toolbox. I was PISSED! We followed the trail to a local convenience store where I found my truck and a local drunken addict coming out of the store. When I confronted him he just laughed. I knew there was no reasoning with this fella so I just turned and began walking to my truck. That's when he started pushing me and wanting to fight. I turned, punched him in the nose and to the ground he went. I put my knee in his neck so he couldn't get up and began having a serious talk with him letting him know not to mess with me. It was at this time that my dog (a rottweiler that rides in the back of any truck I get in and was with my uncle and I) jumped out of his truck, got in the drunk's face and began growling and snarling. I have never seen this dog be aggressive to anyone and I was happily shocked at his behavior. It was damn hard to keep a straight face at this fella with the dog there because the entire time I was just wanting to lean over to the dog, pat him, and really praise him for scaring this idiot.
Because of these instances I now carry concealed full time a Bodyguard 380 in a Harwell tuckable holster (my first IWB and I am highly pleased with it, very comfortable). I have also enrolled in a defensive handgun course with a friend who has noticed the same bad influences that are plaguing our community. With meth use on the rise and sanity decreasing proportionately, I want to be better prepared for myself and my family. I never want any harm to come to them nor do I want my kids to grow up without a father because of some junkie.
I greatly look forward to reading many of the discussions on this site as well as contributing to some of them. Hope my rant wasn't too long, but from what I've read, I believe everyone here sees things about the same way I do on what perils we may encounter outside and inside our homes.

One last note, if any of you get into a bad situation and has a dog that comes to your aid scaring the **** out of your attacker, you may find it just as hard as I did not to just love, laugh, and praise your best friend when you have your aggressor pinned down. Stay safe all.

[jkwparrott]

That's a great story sshowe22 and a great reason to carry. It sounds a lot like the area I live in, drugs and unemployment seem to go hand in hand. When our home was recently burglarized we found the culprit without much trouble, a neighbor's 30 year old son hooked on pain killers. He drove my neighbor's four wheeler to my house and stole a bunch of tools from my workshop and then drove back home with it, leaving tire tracks pointing straight to himself. You could tell he wasn't thinking at all due to the drugs by just looking at what was stolen. For example, he stole several guns from my dresser drawer (I know they should have been in the safe) but left my brand new Henry Rifle leaning against the wall right beside the dresser. He stole two Australian $1 coins from my desk, but left a $600 digital camera sitting there beside them. Instead of taking all of my power tools he stole boxes of nails and screws and a spool of galvanized wire. I assume he meant to sell that stuff at a scrap yard.
Things have gotten way out of hand in areas that there was never trouble before. That's why I carry too.