Why carry a gun?
 

THIS THREAD IS NOT INTENDED TO OFFEND ANYONE OR START A 2ND AMENDMENT DEBATE



I have noticed that quite a few of Pelicans carry guns.( Obviously, some are in LE and that's understandable for off duty.)

Is the areas that you live that bad?:confused: I mean, I live between Saginaw and Flint and trust me, somedays are bad for those cities.

I have never wanted or felt a need to carry a gun or think about getting a CCW.

Thanks for helping me maybe understand the need to carry.

I don't understand it either, and I've owned them since I was a kid. I have "on occasion", made sure one was handy, but to carry one all the time...it's just not what I'm about :). BTW, I consider my "brain" to be a much better tool for every scenario I've been exposed to thus far in my 48 years.

I stated carrying after working in security for a few years. I just got used to having a gun with me. Kind of like some people feel naked without a watch. I live south of Charlottesville Va. It is a quiet area but you never know.
About a month ago I was heading home from work, we'll give the short version here, I had an altercation with a couple of fine young gentleman, who didn't speak English. They stopped in front of me (they in a Saturn, me in an old Dodge truck...........fools) and got out of the car, the driver produced a knife, I produced a .45acp. Had I been unarmed I may have had to resort to protecting myself with an old Dodge truck.
This is the only time I have ever had to pull my gun, I didn't like it but I will do it again should the need arise. I should also mention that I have been carrying a gun for 20+ years. It is all a matter of choice.

I don't carry (I can't legally in Illinois).

I would if I could.

To me, it's about having the right tool for the right situation. 99.99% of the time, a gun is not the right tool. I don't want to find myself in the 0.01% situation where it is, because there is little else that can work instead.

Think of it like a fire extinguisher. Sure, you do everything you can to prevent ever having t use one, but when you need one, no amount of prevention is going to do you any good.

Bill Cosby once had a video clip that stated a very good reason to NOT CARRY. His target audience was mainly toward a younger, maybe less affluent crowd, but I think it is very good advice:

As he put it: If in a transient minute of anger, you fire off a shot, you can never take it back, and the result can change your life forever!!!

This really made me stop and think. I had carried a gun for many years.

How many times was I a little extra brave if someone had crossed my path. Just knowing I had a gun on me made me a little more willing to stand up and and take any crap from someone that had pissed me off?

I stopped carrying for a few years and notice a change in my whole attitude. If someone cut me off in traffic, flipped me the finger, or whatever, I was more willing to "let it go".....That may be a good thing in the end.

I look at a story that has been in the press lately. Some Seattle PD cops in a bar in Sturgis when some Hells Angles come in to give them a hard time. A HA gets shot and 2 SPD officers get charged with crimes. I know one of the two very well. If he had not had a gun on him in that bar, he probably would have walked away and not be looking over his shoulder every day now, waiting for the HA that has an order out to kill him......Just food for thought...

IMO, you probably didn't "have" to pull it then, but "chose" to (you could have just driven off). Hell, I've spent a fair amount of time hanging out in Charlottesville (music shows, etc.) over the years...I couldn't imagine "carrying" in a college town :). I think "carrying" tends to make one more "macho" than most situations call for, but that's just me.

My temperament would be to be extra careful if I was carrying. I'd be thinking about the consequences of my actions given that I had a gun on me and probably be less brave and more willing to walk away--knowing the penalties for sticking it out would be more severe when I am found to be carrying.

If I have three possible responses to a bad situation when not carrying: walk away, stand there and take it, and return aggression; I'd be more likely to go straight to return aggression. If I was carrying, I'd be more likely to walk away knowing that returning aggression could quickly escalate to putting myself in a situation where I'd need to use a firearm.

I know this doesn't hold true for everyone. In fact, the opposite is true for many people.

I had a drunk pull a knife on me in a "bad part" of Jax (FL) several months ago. I couldn't have been legally carrying in the bar anyways, but I diffused the situation with no problem. I still don't have a clue as to what his issues were, except that maybe I "just wasn't from around there". If I'd have had my .45, I'd have probably used it (unnecessarily), and my life would have been changed forever :(. Think about it...

Not this time. They had stopped in front of me (short) so I had to whoa up way fast. I didn't have room left to do anything from the front. Being 5pm traffic, There was someone behind me. I was at that time boxed in. Trust me, I had no choice here. I have been in situations where I found other options, when I have a gun I think very clearly and don't rush anything. I actually will come after someone who makes me mad faster when I don't have my gun.
I am fully aware of the potential for disaster that carrying holds. I should also mention that I do have a permit.

It's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback, but your truck has door locks doesn't it, and it's a pretty potent weapon in itself...just playing devil's advocate here :). I've sometimes thought "what if I'd had had my .45" after certain situations, and then have always come to the conclusion that I've made it 48 years just fine without carrying...different strokes. I've also known a few folks that have been shot (or shot someone)...tempers, alcohol, bad judgement, and then BANG...lives changed forever. You mentioned in other threads that you once had an alcohol problem...did you carry then? I still maintain my brain is a MUCH better tool than a .45 in every situation I've ever been in. YMMV...

KC911, you've missed that fact that Rick V's situation was apparently dissolved once the gun was drawn. End of situation. No fuss, no muss. Once a firearm is drawn, the person holding it controls the entire situation, regardless of who is causing the problem. Imagine if the idiots who got out of the Saturn were high on PCP, and you had nothing but your "brain" to defend yourself. Rick V would still have had complete control of the situation, and maybe even rid the community of a pair of criminals who deserved it.

No need to sugar coat it, I didn't have an alcohol problem, I was a full blown drunk. Yes I carried then, I also held a job that required me to carry (at work). Like I said, I have carried for a long time, I have been in situations where I could have reached for my gun, and didn't. 1 time in over 20 years. Not too bad.
lets recap.
unable to get the truck out without climbing over another car...............not good
2 guys (them) against me
me in the truck, instant disadvantage
1 knife.......................1 gun
I would do the same thing again if I could hop in a time machine and face the same situation.
They stopped in their tracks, walked backwards to their car and drove off..................fast. I let the situation end right there. They were turning the same way I go, I went home a new way that night.

I've asked a similar question:

I've noticed that quite a few Pelicans carry fire extinguishers in their cars. (Obviously, some are firefighters and it's understandable that they'd keep an extinguisher for when they are off duty.)

Are the places you go and areas you live in somehow prone to "spontaneous combustion"? :confused: I mean, I've lived in areas that have had severe droughts, and trust me, I've seen serious fires.

I've never wanted to, or felt the need, to carry a fire extinguisher or learn how to use one properly.

Thanks for helping me maybe understand the need to carry a fire extinguisher in your car -- or keep one in your house for that matter.

The only time I've thought I needed to carry a gun, oddly enough, is when I'm cycling. Why? I'm an easy target for anyone who might want to 1) inflict their road rage on me/challenge me to a fight; 2) steal money, credit cards, ID, etc; 3) steal my bike. And yes, it's true, people have intentionally tried to run into me. I've been pushed off my bike while riding. I've even been shot at. A trucker tried to do a Terminator on me by coming after me with his semi. Great stuff!

Even today, I watched a guy on a Harley that was far too large for him, nearly wipe out on sharp mountain turn. I was on my bike, just passing by, and he shouts at me, "What the **** are you looking at?" Now what if that guy wants to come after me? Other than sheer speed, dropping my bike and getting out of the clips with my fists up, I have no recourse.

So, yes, I've seen and considered small .38s, even a .40 caliber that could easily fit in a zipper back jersey pocket. But here's the thing: the sweat there can't be good for the weapon. Secondly, the time it would take to bring the gun out to defend myself would definitely give my adversary an advantage.

Anyway, that's the only time I would carry one. I know there are other cyclists in Los Angeles with much the same thought.

IIRC, it's how they roll in Colombia: the national team there never rides unarmed. Why? Road bandits who steal and sell the bicycle parts on the black market.

I have a permit, but I only carry when I go hiking. I used to visit a friend in a rather poor part of Seattle, and I would carry when I headed down there.

I would never display a weapon unless I meant to fire it. Brandishing a firearm with the intent of merely intimidating another person strikes me as a good way to get killed, or a way of tragically escalating a situation that would have otherwise been resolved with some harsh words and the middle finger.

I really only got the permit because it allows me to buy guns with no waiting period here in WA.

Like I said, I was just playing "devil's advocate", and have no doubt Rick used "good judgement" in that situation. If I were in a 4000 lb weapon, I'd have been OK too :). I still maintain that "carrying" tends to give one more "bravado" (not referring to Rick), than without, and will get you "in" more trouble than "out" more times than not. I've done fine without carrying and never will except under special circumstances. I distinctly remember being 8 years old when MLK was assasinated and the "doo doo hit the fan"...EVERYONE was openly carrying around here, business owners protecting their property, and I would have too but I wasn't old enough at the time :).

You're a wise man, Keith. But, as you know, danger is subjective depending upon the person who perceives they are threatened. There are some around here who suffer a lot of bravado about "carrying." I wouldn't want those guys anywhere near me if I was in a iffy situation.

So now it is my turn to play.
It is ok to use my 4X4 to diffuse a situation, there is no way of making my intentions known without actually using the truck.
But it isn't ok to use my .45?
I did have the truck in granny low and the clutch depressed, ya never know.

Competentone:

I don't think carrying a FE in a vehicle is the same as a gun. I guess you could spray the bad guy with it but...


I know myself well enough that if I did carry, it could all go wrong quickly on the wrong day in the wrong mood.

Oh, I am not against guns or folks having them. My dad had a .38 he carried when he was younger and in repo business in Flint in the early 60's. We did not hunt or even target shoot when we were kids. On the other hand, my wife has been around hunting rifles her entire life and has taken several deer.

I appreciate your honesty, guys.

I carry for 2 reasons:

- I want to have the option to respond with deadly force if threatened with deadly force
- I have the right to...

I'm not a "gun nut", but when I'm driving the 911 I feel more secure with my concealed pistol. I have been involved in the use of deadly force (military) and I want to protect myself and my family, if necessary.