TexasCHLforum.com

hirundo82 wrote:I think that logic does carry over to strangers we encounter on the street. The people who go to the same public venues as you are probably more like you demographically (race, age, income, criminal history) than a random person picked from the phonebook simply because similar people tend to go similar places. The fact that you are encountering them also makes it more likely that you live in the same area too.

Well considering only criminal history is a limiting factor as to who has a CHL and who does not, and it's very hard to tell who around you has a criminal history, I don't see how this makes much sense. Besides that, I don't know how it is where you live in Houston, but when I venture to the Parks Mall in Arlington, I am definitely in the minority and there are less people that anyone would consider to be "similar" to me there than not. This holds true for most places in Arlington actually.. so I don't see the kind of equal demographic that you do. I would suspect that you may live in a particularly affluent area of Houston if you actually encounter such consistent types of people in your every day life.

All of this is really moot though. Even if you change the type of company you carry, and say, double the percentage by which you would encounter a fellow CHL, we're still only talking 1 in 40 people maybe. Of course doubling any normalized statistic is quite the feat.

Hoi Polloi wrote:It depends on your profession. It looks like computer and engineer types are more likely to be CHL holders who post on this forum and vote in some woman's poll than any other types. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case in real life, too. I'll go ask in the poll thread if it is the anecdotal experience of computer and engineer types if others in their professions express CHL status at a greater than 1.5% rate.

Well of course it depends on your profession. But, those people that most people work with aren't the same as in "the company you keep". Not many people really choose to be around those they work with except while at their jobs. My point is that CHL holders come from all sorts of backgrounds, demographics, socio-economical groups, etc. Apart from people we choose to be around (like family and close friends), we will seldom encounter another CHL (and more than likely never know about it). That is how the statistic is applied. Obviously if you're spending time with people you know are CHLs then you're automatically on a higher level of acquaintance with them than the level that most people are with co-workers, and that sort of bucks the stat by default..

Hoi Polloi wrote:Although, according to my poll in the off-topic forum (which is completely unscientific), it looks like there are certain groups of people who are more likely to have CHLs so that if you have one, the people you come into contact with (those being people like you) are generally more likely to be carrying than the average person.

Mmmm... this logic only works for some people though. I mean, 99% of people I encounter on a daily basis are either people I work with (of whom I have no clue if any of them have a CHL or not) or strangers at public venues. I am not necessarily "like" my co-workers in regard to ideals on gun laws or carrying laws as they are just my co-workers. I guess if I was retired (I wish) and only hung out with guys at the gun club, then obviously my chances of being around a CHL would be much higher. I don't think your logic applies to most people in their daily lives though.

teds787 wrote:Just doing a little math...

I seem to recall that Texas just recently issued their 400,000th CHL. The population of Texas is approximately 26 million. The math says that just over 1.5% of Texans are license to carry. So, considering that not all CHL holders are carrying and not all carriers are CHL holders, that means that on average about 1.5% of the people you see will be carrying. That's fairly slim odds. All that said... I look too and so far I haven't noticed anyone I've even suspected is carrying.

TedS787

I actually ran accross that statistic earlier today and was surprised it was so low! I'm not sure what percentage I would have thought it would be, but I guess part of me still thinks more Texans would carry guns like cowboys!

I found that stat in a brief written in favor of conceal carry on college campuses in Texas. I also found an interesting stat that applied to me: only .5% of people in their 20's have a CHL. I guess wisdom typically comes with age...

falcondriver wrote:I only carry a small 380 inside the waistband or in pocket but my wife has never noticed in the last month or so. She isn't overly comfortable with idea. So I don't tell her. Not sure I can get away with that with a larger gun.
FD

Noticed your handle and the USAF in your tag. Were you an F-16 pilot? My Father flew F-16's around 88-92 as well.. Where were you stationed in that time?

xperthunter wrote:My wife knows my license was to come in but i did not tell her it arrived on saturday. I have carried all day, daily since Sat Morning. The wife has been with me several hours each day. Yesterday after dinner we were going for drinks and i mentioned that i needed to disarm first, she was shocked and asked if i had been carrying this whole time, and did i get my license in. My wife did not make me, i am pretty sure noone else will.

That's a good idea. My fiancé would probably not notice either. Though I'm not sure I'd be able to hide my excitement of finally having the plastic to pull it off.

Oldgringo wrote:If y'all spot one of these http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostomy_pouching_system" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, be sure to point it out.

I may not be good at spotting CHLs, but I have a keen eye for ostomy pouches!

Beiruty wrote:Most people will carry their cell phones to the front side, I mean at 1-2, If you see a bulge at 3 to 5, most likely it is not a cell phone.

Well that's where I'll be carrying mine, so let's hope that most people just assume it's a cell phone poking through.

TXlaw1 wrote:Good story, Jackal, and an excellent lesson for all to learn. Very few will spot your gun. Some may see a bulge but most of those won't have a clue or care. From the day after 9/11 I carried a fairly large semi-auto S&W as a LEO, every day everywhere. Not once did anyone comment about my carrying unless I first clued them in - like family and close friends. So act reasonably and get comfortable with carrying and you should have not problems. Good luck and thanks for the story and lesson.

Thanks. I'm trying to get over most of the initial break in of getting used to carrying it before I actually head out into the wild with it. I put it on most days when I get home from work, and just last night after wearing it around for about four hours I asked my fiancé if she knew I was carrying it, and she did not. The more I do this, the more comfortable I have become in realizing that it's not that big of a deal.

So I haven't received my "plastic" yet, but I've been preparing for the day by wearing my holster (Kholster) and CCW (Taurus PT111) around the house. I, as many newbie carriers probably experience, I feel like there's a big neon sign over my head. I've asked my fiancé what she thinks, and knowing its there she says she notices it, but doubts she would otherwise. I'm sure it will take some adjusting once I actually start carrying.

Today, just before leaving to head my lunch break from work, I was reading some threads on here about spotting (or not spotting) fellow CHL carriers. Well I was sitting there watching the door at lunch, and I see a guy come in and I immediately notice a sizeable bump beneath his shirt grey polo on his right side. I immediately thought that I had seen a CHL finally after all this looking! I noticed also how he didn't swing his right arm quite as much while walking, tended to favor that side, and how the shirt seemed to fall on top of something that extended fairly far along his side (like resting on the back of a grip). I momentarily felt proud of myself for my observational abilities, and became increasingly worried that is how my handgun would imprint through my clothes! Then, much to my surprise, and somewhat relief, I see him lift his shirt, and pull the large touch screen cell phone from its holster.

I learned a lesson today before I even have my plastic: Even if someone sees a bump (which 95% of people won't even notice), they probably won't assume it's a firearm, but instead a monster cell phone.