Why Do You Carry Concealed?

I am 64 years old and I have carried since I was 18 years old. I carry because it is my right to carry and protect myself and I have always understood that the police are reactive, not proactive. This is a dangerous world we live in.

I’m in Ohio where it is legal to carry “open”… but to do so will result in many hassles… so I carry concealed so that others are not “worried” about me… and so that I can act as necessary if something bad happens and I need to defend myself or my family in a case where deadly force is needed.

Three years ago my two twenty-something aged daughters who live together were awakened at two in the morning by loud pounding on the front door to their house. They peeked out the window and saw a “George Foreman” figure trying to get in. They called police and the dispatcher told them no one was available to help them because the police were too busy. My daughters called me and asked me what to do – I live 1000 miles away from them. After giving some direction I called their police dispatch to ask why the police could not respond. I got a nice run-around for an answer.

Since then my wife and I have reconsidered our rights as Americans and have taken steps to prepare ourselves in the event of an attack. Ironically, I still have to convince my two daughters to get their carry permits. They are both suffering from college-degree granted idiocy.

I am also 64, and have been carrying concealed for sometime now! I carry concealed to protect myself, and my loved ones. The police are not our personal body guards. Training is very important both in use of your hand gun, and the law as well. You must remember that if, and when you use your weapon to defend yourself, when the police get there, they do NOT know you from the criminal, so make sure your re-holster your weapon, place your hands on your head, say nothing more than your name, and that you need to speak to a lawyer. Until you calm down, you might say something you do not mean to, but always remember that it’s better to be tried by 12 tha carried by 6.

I haven’t started carrying yet, However, I’m wanting to carry so i can feel protected. When my dad was a teenager he had a pistol stuck in his back while he was changing a tire in the middle of the night on his personal vehicle. I promised myself that this would never happen to me or my loved ones again.

Simple answer to this one: it’s a dangerous world out there. There will always be ones out there who wish to do harm to us and our loved ones. Personal protection is a responsibility of an individual. I carry to protect myself and my loved one

Simple answer to this one: it’s a dangerous world out there. There will always be ones out there who wish to do harm to us and our loved ones. Personal protection is a responsibility of an individual. I carry to protect myself and my loved one

Simple! I carry because I can’t carry a cop.

Granted the conditions are necessarily mutually exclusive, BUT it evens the odds when dealing with a lethal threat. I have always supported the notion that law abiding citizens should be able to protect themselves using appropriate measures. NOTE: the firearm is not my only self defense option. The firearm is THE LAST RESORT. I have memorized/ingrained the legal justification of lethal force. Remember, if you use your weapon, you WILL end up in court defending your actions.

Know your weapon(s) – Know your options – Know your rights … BEFORE you have to make that fateful decision.

I carry concealed because (1) it is my right and (2) to be in a position to defend myself, and others, from deadly or potentially deadly situations should they arise. Period.

My mobility is impaired and, while I’m not yet in a wheelchair, I’m still physically incapable of “running away” or otherwise avoiding potential or actual confrontations. I refuse to be a victim when avoiding it is within my control. I hope never to need to draw my weapon, but I can feel safer knowing it is there to help protect me and my family.

My answer always is, “Because I am too old to fight and too fat to run.”

I was car-jacked on the eve of Easter in front of my home. The assailant hid in a shrub line and held a club to my head as I opened my car door. He took my watch off my wrist and threatened to harm me more if I didn’t have more than $100.00. He took my wallet, made me put my keys in the ignition, and then laid me out prostrate in the middle of the street. He stole my car. I only wish I had been allowed to carry a weapon (this was 1985 in South Central Los Angeles). The city gave the car 7 tickets for 7 days of illegal parking at a red curb downtown. Then (per their ordinance) they ran the plate(!) to find that the car was stolen. The city then towed it, stored it for a week and then pronounced to me (the victim) that I was responsible to pay the tickets, the towing, and the storage costs!! The motor mounts were broken, radiator empty, and it had a fuel leak (1965 Buick wagon that I bought for $300). I told them to go fly a kite. Victim Mediation with the City let me take the car without paying.

I was robbed,knifed up,beaten and stomped by three thugs in Kmart’s parking lot – in broad daylight-with other people just standing around watching. I am 68 yrs. old, and a disabled veteran ( amputeee). When the ambulance and police arrived – NOBODY SAW ANYTHING. I spent three weeks in the hospital and was in debt for insurance copays. The thugs are still out there free to do it again enboldened by getting away with what they did to me. The elderly and handicapped are the weakest most vulnerable and easiest targets of punk thugs, so now I carry a Taurus .45- PT 24/7 PRO C DS and three extended clips. I REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM EVER AGAIN ! I too used to labor under the illusion that “it only happens to other people, but it will never me.”

If you’ve ever seen the look in someones eyes, who was unfortunately a victim of a violent crime, it will change your life.
In a previous job I have seen that look on too many faces, and I’m not going to let that happen to me or my family.

I, like some others here, carry for the very simple reason that (1) it is my right, as an American CITIZEN, to protect myself and those that I love from the predator-elements that surround us daily, and, (2) I’ve been in situations where I feared for my safety, but felt helpless to do anything about it, and vowed never again to be in similar circumstances. Anyone who would do harm to me or my family should know that, as my grandfather liked to say, “might ultimately win the fight, but he’ll sure as hell know he’s been in one”. And, like others, I carry my .45 as my last, ultimate line of defense, as I keep other means of extricating myself from a bad situation close to me. If an assailant is too ornery or too stupid to allow me to get out of his reach via these other means, then he is too ornery or too stupid to live, and, like any other vicious predator-animal, needs to be put down for the sake of society as a whole.

I carry for the same reason we have fire hydrants, sprinkler systems and fire-retardant materials used in buildings. Not because there will be a fire today, but because when it does happen, we will be prepared. There may not be a need to defend myself or others today, but when it arises, I will be prepared. Thank you, Col. Dave Grossman, for the idea.

I carry because I was jumped and only got away because a bystander carried. The thugs had a lead pipe and were going to use it to kill me. A week after this happened my friends uncle (who lives down the road from me) was attaked in his own yard doing yard work just because he owns a nice house and seemed to have money.

My dad was a police officer and he taught me to carry as he knew first hand what was out there as he had to deal with it every day. That is why I carry today. The police are wonderful but they are not my bodyguard. That responsibility falls on me.

I am 73 years old and my wife and I travel a lot. Those looking for easy prey usually pick on tourists or the older generation. Since I fit both categories, I have a Missouri permit (not the easiest to get, but one of the most recognized by other states.) and carry a 22 magnum loaded with hollow points. I carry the 22 magnum, because it is a five shot mini which fits nicely in a cell phone carrier. Unobtrusive, and effective at close range. I don’t seee myself shooting at anyone much beyond 15 feet or so, and don’t need the range a longer barrel would give me. I practice with it readily and can easily put five ourt of five in a upper body target from 25 feet.

I conceal carry because I have learned that I am responsible for the safety of myself and family.

I conceal carry because I have learned that I am responsible for the safety of myself and family.

I got my carry permit in 2004 as soon as my state passed a CCW law but never carried regularly until a couple of years later. Then a neighbor had three thugs kick his door open, drag him outside, knife him, and leave him in a pool of blood in the middle of the road. They were strangers to him, were out to settle a grudge against someone else, and had simply gotten the wrong house and victim. I realized then that such things can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere, for no reason whatsoever. I’ve carried both at home and away ever since.

I carry concealed simply because there are thugs and criminals in our society who care nothing for their fellow man and who want nothing more than to take what I have for themselves. These are men and women who make it their profession to not work for themselves but prey on others for what they want. I love my own life and the lives of my family and since our society allows us to carry a concealed weapon and if I did not take advantage of that privilege and something happened to my family that I could have prevented by being prepared, I could not live with myself. It is folly to think “it will never happen to me or my family” in today’s society with gangs, drugs and crime being rampant. So it just makes good sense to be prepared and armed. I carry a light concealed weapon because a police officer is too heavy to carry. Thank you.

I am disabled Vietnam Vet with a prostetic leg, so i don’t move around very fast. I do get around in a motorized wheelchair, with my Taurus PT 58 HC plus, mounted to the side in a holster, loaded with 19 of my closest friends in 95 gr JHP on one side. On the other side is a Smith & Wesson expandable baton. No unarmed sheeple here, so lets rock and roll, and lets get it on !!!!

From the time when I returned from Vietnam in the mid 1960’s I’ve felt the compulsion to go armed here in the U.S. of A. Though that was the era of “peace, tranquility, and love,” the incidences of public unrest, assassinations of leading political figures, and general distrust made me want to be able to defend myself. Unfortunately that feeling has never left. So, I carry a weapon with which to defend that which is mine.

Because….I’d rather carry it every day and not need it than not carry it one day and wish I had it!!!

Because….I’d rather carry it every day and not need it than not carry it one day and wish I had it!!!

Because when seconds count………..the police are minutes away (if your lucky!)

Because it is our right to be able to defend ourselves and loved ones.

When I carry a gun, I don’t do so because I am looking for a fight, but
because I’m looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot
be forced, only persuaded. I don’t carry it because I’m afraid, but because
it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn’t limit the actions of those who
would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would
do so by force. It removes force from the equation…

When I carry a gun, I don’t do so because I am looking for a fight, I do so
because I’m looking to be left alone. The HK-45 at my side means that I cannot
be forced, only persuaded. I don’t carry it because I’m afraid, but because
it enables me to be not afraid. It doesn’t limit the actions of anyone who
would interact with me through reason or persuasion… only the actions of those who would
try to do so by force. It removes force from the equation…

In case I meet someone who has expressed their desire to do great bodily harm….
And just on the outside chance of a Zombie Breakout…I would like to be prepared.

I was 12 years old when the Clutter family was killed in western Kansas “in cold blood”. Our family had never locked our doors before that date. We had never used our guns for anything but hunting. Life changed. My father taught us to never draw unless we were going to fire and not to question our decision, but trust our instinct. This created the “why” in why I carry a concealed.

I have had break ins attempted everywhere I have lived. Having a gun available always helped me to sleep well. I never carried a gun except in the wilderness, until five armed B.G.s tried to car jack my family late at night coming back from the hospital emergency room visit for our child at 3 am. I will admit that I tried real hard to run over the guy that blocked the car at an intersection before he could get his gun lined up on my window he ate the curb as I hit 60 and rounded the corner one of the B.G’s still standing ran to the corner and popped off 3 rounds nothing hit I was two blocks away and still accelerating (yes I had a very fast car then).
I respect police officers generally but when I got home and called the police they wanted to know what I was doing in that part of town at that time of the morning and was I crazy he said, they didn’t even go into that part of town that early in the morning (I didn’t swear at him, I just told him why I had been their). It cleared up something that I really didn’t want to believe so in the end I thank him for the undue criticizing. I know that when it gets rough on the street I am responsible for my own defense and the defense of my family.
I ordered a shoulder holster for my .45 the next day for one day delivery as soon as it was made and asked for them to rush the order please. That was 20 years ago and I have never been without a gun since except during jury duty in the court house and I have never regretted it. I have had to draw against three armed B.G. two dogs a goat (that was trying to bash my kid) and a mountain lion. Thankfully I have not had to shoot any of the animals (that includes the B.G’s). They all seemed to realize I was just as dangerous as they were and highly motivated, stopped what they were doing and went the other way. I am very thankful for the skill and respect that my father a veteran taught me with guns. They are a lot of fun and have a great practical application.

Just like some of the other posts, I do not want to be in a situation where I cannot protect my family….

I live in West Texas fairly close to the Mexican border and we have lot’s of illeagles. They for the most part do not share our values. I’m getting too old to defend myself and wife physically and I choose not to be a victum.

I carry my weapon anytime I leave my house. I don’t carry it because I am afraid, but so that I don’t have to be afraid. I don’t carry it to kill someone, but so that I won’t be killed. If I happen to end up where someone decides to be an active shooter, he will probably shoot those who pose the greatest threat to him first. Someone wearing a weapon openly will probably be one of his first targets. Having mine concealed gives me a chance to save people with the element of surprise on my side.

Someone asked me, “why do you carry a gun, what are you afraid of” I said, I’m not afraid of nothing,,,NOW! In a world filled with violence and uncertainty, it is wise to be able to have the means to protect you and your loved ones when the moment dictates it. It is unwise to go abroad without the ability to ensure your safety and the safety of others. I’m sure there have been alot of famous last words prior to someone going out and not thinking they’ll need their firearm. “Oh, I’ll just be gone for a few minutes” or ” It’s so nice out, no one would dare act stupid and commit a crime” or here’s a good one,,,” I’ll be back in a moment, I’m going in the store to pick up something and leaves the gun in the vehicle”

You just don’t know what you could walking into and what the situation is. Best to have it and not need it,,,,,then to need it and not have it.

Because criminals don’t make appointments.

I carry because we effectively have no LEOs in my area, who is going to provide any form of protection when the you have no police?

I dont carry every day because I routinely travel between states, although I would like to, the risk doesn’t out way the threat… I do however carry while in the woods because there is stuff in those woods that could eat you.

I realized that not doing everything in my power to protect my family and myself was, in fact, not being a responsible father and husband. There are a lot of bad people out there that I don’t want to have the least little bit of an advantage when I have the opportunity to even the odds and now I have that opportunity.

I CC because I just don’t trust many people anymore. I don’t want a fight, I just want to be left alone. Many people are without jobs so they think they need to steal to survive. Businesses close to my work has been robbed in the past, why just today I went to a local Verison to get a new cell phone. Shortly after I left that store was robbed…thankfully nobody was hurt to my knowledge. I don’t feel safe enough anymore to sit with my back away from the front door, I have to see all that come in. You just never know anymore. I just want to be prepared just in case.

I carry because I don’t want to be a victim, nor do I want my family members to be a victim of crime.

I started carring concealed in 1976 because I was sworn by as a deputy in my county after a mugging. I still carry even in my own home because I learned the hard way that a deadly attack can happen anwhere or any time.

I agree with the too old/too fat problem. I work alone at a fairly isolated location and carry for peace of mind. I am well trained in both the laws and very proficient with my guns. I like that concealed carry in now reciprocated in many states so I don’t have to give up my rights just because I’m away from home. I am somewhat handicapped and may appear as an easy target. In the past, I have had situations where I felt threatened enough to draw my gun. In all these cases I did not have to fire but the gun’s presence stopped the threat. This is the side of concealed carry that those against guns choose to ignore, where guns prevent violence.

For protection, I carried for over 40 years at my jobs and just feel naked without my carry weapon. If confronted I feel I have a better chance of living through the conformation..

I carry because i am a law abiding citizen that wants to have a choice if someone ever threaten my life or one of my loved ones.

I am an Illinois resident of 75 years young and with a level 2 diability. I am not as good as I once was. However, I am dammed good once as I ever was. In my resident state CCW is illegal. However, it is legal to carry mace/pepper spray , which my wife and I both carry while in Illinois. The mace/pepper sray application devices, we carry, are in the shape and size of a snub revolver, which are far more effective, with a “one hand” draw, point and discharge. I carry on a belt slide holster and my wife carrys in a fanny pack designed for CCW. It is very effective within 25 feet and best suited, under the current CCW circumstances for an Illinois resident. Also, the possession of and/or carrying of mace/pepper spray and/or a disabling chemical for personal defense is legal in all states. To our knowledge, there are no restrictions as to where mace/pepper spray, for personal defense, can not be carried. When, out of Illinois we both have non-resident CCW from three different states, which we both carry a Bersa Thunder 380. In considering in the majority of threating situations, when seconds count police response assisstance are minutes away.
“”””””””””””””We both carry in favor being a survivors rather than being victims.””””””””””””””””””””

I own a bar even tho l don’t have it in the bar it is very closes to me . I will protect why is mine