TexasCHLforum.com

Congratulations and welcome to the forum.

Only you can make your decisions about carrying but I'd recommend that for on- body carry, you get a good holster and a top quality gun belt.

Like you, I didn't start out with the idea of carrying daily. We have an RV and have been in some situations where the shotgun that we've always had with us was going to be too difficult to deal with. The inside of an RV can be cramped. With a Texas CHL, we could take a pistol into all of the States that we want to visit (we don't want to visit the others).

But after reading this forum and reviewing the stories that are posted, I realized that I was no better at predicting when something bad was going to happen and that I was foolish for not remaining as prepared as I could be if a bad situation did crop up.

I was fortunate that shortly after I got my license, PSC day for forum members occurred. I attended a couple of training sessions there that really opened my eyes about the need to practice. Since then, I've been working at getting better at a lot of things besides simply sending lead flying at paper targets. I still have a long ways to go but I cannot believe all that I've learned by study and practice since that PSC event. It is unfortunate that there wasn't one of those this year. I really benefited.

My wife was not happy with the idea of my carrying daily. It took her a while to accept it. Now, she occasionally asks if I am and I just smile. I was one of those who struggled initially with carrying one in the chamber, too. She finally accepted that as well. It has been a learning process for both of us. Our mutual concerns about concealment have disappeared. Again, having the right equipment and "dressing around the gun" was the answer for me. I've played a musical instrument in front of a church service with over 400 members present and wearing just a dress shirt while carrying and noone except my wife and I knew.

Our daughter recently got her CHL. 10 years ago, she was deathly afraid of guns. Our son and his girlfriend are also on a path to get their CHLs before November. I've had them both shooting and they will have no problems passing the test. None of the family is doing it for the same reasons as I did.

Lastly, the "because I should" aspect has become more important to me. As the Federal government continues to erode our rights as citizens and stomps all of the Constitution to do it, it has become more clear to me that I need to exercise my rights. Now, I would carry daily if for no other reason. Of course, there are plenty of other good reasons, too.