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Well, up until about a year and a half ago, I couldn't see myself owning a gun, with the exception of a shotgun for bird hunting. I go pheasant hunting sometimes when visiting the family farm up in Nebraska.

I was doing my research in anticipation of making an extended summer backpacking trip through the Arctic in Alaska. I realized that I was going to need some sort of bear defense, and started talking to a friend of mine that used to own a gun shop. I figured that I'd better learn how to shoot and shoot well, so I bought my first two guns (Mosin-Nagant M44 and 91/30 rifles). I started shooting at the range and bought my first handgun shortly thereafter. Subsequent discussions on THR got me curious about CHL, and Greybeard directed me over here.

Probably the biggest contributing factor to my awareness of the need for self defense is the fact that my mother was kidnapped, raped, and murdered at gunpoint when I was a small child. Knowing the dire consequences of such an event and the profound effect it has on one's loved ones helps you understand clearly how important self-defense is. It is a decision made not just for yourself, but everyone else in your life that you hold dear.

I became active here, took my CHL class in late February, and had my plastic in early May.