Defining moments - what made you decide to carry?

[thenavarro]

I made a couple of real enemies and just want to have the additional means to protect myself and my family.

scarry

It's not bad, they haven't threatened physical harm, just want to be prepared as some people become very irrational over some things. I just feel more comfortable knowing that if something were to develop, I'd at least have a chance. I'm a public official and there are some real interesting people that think that they own you, just because they pay taxes.

[RKirby]

In my case, I thought about getting my CHL for quite some time but always put it off... mainly because of the expense involved. You see, my wife has Multiple Sclerosis and her medical needs, in addition to the normal household expenses, didn't leave much slack in the budget for what I considered to be an unnecessary expense.

That all changed one June day in 2006. The short version of the story is that an irate employee went off the deep end and shot one of my co-workers in a fit of rage. If the shooting had taken place two minutes earlier I also would have been in that office and I could very well have been a victim also.

Needless to say, that was all it took to finally convince me that I couldn't risk being unable to defend myself any longer. I'll never be without a CHL again.

[Glock 23]

when people ask me why? I say " have you ever had a stranger point a loaded gun at your face?"
when they say "no, have you?"
I reply "no, but Im a little more prepared for the day when it happens"

[Dragonfighter]

I can't point to one thing. I grew up around guns, got the obligatory .22 when I was 12, had a .410 when I was younger. Always vacationed in the backwoods where wearing a side arm was like wearing britches. Did the sneaky thing in the Army, qualified rifle, 1911 and a couple of Warsaw-pact weapons as well. A certain comfort level with weapons was inevitable.

I have always carried either a long gun or pistol in the vehicle for years. On the occasional stop I never had any problems with any LEOs even before CHL was a gleam in the legislature's eyes. Ironically, I had one get a little itchy with my CHL presentation though most are like, "so what?" I've always carried one camping and for a large part of my college days, worked as an armed patrol supervisor for a security company.

When I went to work in the deep, dank armpits of the city, I always carried a pistol in the glove box. Sometimes I would "belt" it if I thought I was going in somewhere, questionable. My wife at the time was working as the regional manager for a work uniform company and that wasn't the greatest part of town, nor were her employees shining examples of humanity. She got a model 36 S&W for Christmas one year and taught her to shoot it. She carried that while she was there and after a couple of close calls carried it in the vehicle with her always and sometimes on her when the spidey sense was tingling.

Sooo, when the CHL came around it was a natural progression. We no longer had to depend on "defense to prosecution" to get us out of trouble, this was an affirmative law. We both carry religiously and I have had a couple of instances where having it on me made me a little more comfortable.

[Dan20703]

when people ask me why? I say " have you ever had a stranger point a loaded gun at your face?"
when they say "no, have you?"
I reply "no, but Im a little more prepared for the day when it happens"

Like my signature says:

"The gun is not the answer to all of your personal protection problems, but when you need a gun, you really need a gun."

[NcongruNt]

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.

[NguyenVanDon]

I started to do some research into firearms when I was 17 years old. Just fascinated about how many models and brands were out there. Thought about how life after high school is going to be the real deal and it's no more "messing around* time. I saw the world in a different way when I heard one of my friends got a gun pulled on him. After turning 21, I decided to get my CHL and start learning some responsibility for myself. During the time of I was waiting for my CHL to arrive in the mail, I researched and learned a lot about the history of our governement, the history of our constitution, and the Texas Penal Code. A lot of my friends told me I grew up so fast and how I changed my attitude when I go out. I'm very cautious every where I go now. Also during the time I was waiting for my CHL, I stumble upon this great forum and learned a lot about our law. Now I understand why so many of you guys gave me a hard time before about understanding our law, and now I understand it clearly 100%. Thanks to Charles and txinvestigator, now I understand where you guys are coming from.

[dave_in_austin]

The deciding event for my wife and me was a carjacking that occurred in town where the criminals forced the occupants of the car into the trunk of the car at gunpoint and then later pushed the car into the lake drowning the occupants. That made us realize that there are situations where one cannot survive without the availability of lethal tools and that any one of us can end up in such a situation any time without warning.

[stroo]

Like many others I have been around guns my whole life. But for about 30 years I rarely shot mine. Then 9/11 started me thinking and Katrina convinced me I needed a handgun for home defence. If I was going to have a hand gun, I figured I needed to know how to shoot. Then I looked into the traveling laws and realized what a crap shoot they were. So I decided to get a CHL.

[bigolbigun]

First off great thread. I too was also raised in a household where guns were the norm. And I have hunted since a very young age, but up until 6 years ago I never carried a handgun. Then there was a story about a guy here in Arlington that was using a drive thru ATM and he had his little boy with him. A teenager approached him from the bushes pointed a gun at him and his son and demanded money. Well the father was also armed and was able to defend himself and his son by shooting the robber. This happened in the daytime at a bank that I have driven by a thousand times. It was a wake up call for me. I got my CHL as soon as I could and have carried ever since. I made a conscious effort to be more aware of my surroundings 24/7 and vowed that anyone who tried to harm my wife, my son, or me with violence would be met with strong resistance. I may not be able to save myself because I am armed but I will die trying to protect my wife and son.

[frankie_the_yankee]

I originally became a gun owner to better protect my home and family from what I perceived was an increasing risk posed by dope dealers and street people in my neighborhood (at the time).

But like many others, I got a pistol permit to avoid being hassled on my way back and forth to the gun range. This was when living in RI, where the laws regulating the transport of handguns are pretty strict. You can only transport a handgun if it is unloaded (including any magazines) and locked up in the trunk (if the vehicle has a trunk), and you are going directly to or from a "bona fide" shooting range (i.e. not your friend's farm or other informal place). In a few years of recreational and competitive shooting I was never hassled, but it concerned me.

I also needed to get a MA LTC in order to avoid even worse hassles when driving to matches in MA. Theoretically, MA has an exemption for people competing in matches, but the cop doesn't have to believe you when you tell him that's where you're headed. To get a non-resident MA LTC, I needed one from my home state.

So I figured, "Why risk ruining my life with some stupid felony rap when I'm not doing anything wrong?" There were a lot of hoops to jump through, and some "strategy". ("Put in the application to the AG's office a couple of months before an election. They are more likely to approve it then.") Even though I didn't have any special "pull" (the way things usually get done in that sorry little state), I managed to navigate the process and finally got a pistol permit.

Then all I had to worry about was whether whoever was the AG at renewal time would see fit to renew it.

It surprised me that within a few months of getting the permit, I was carrying a gun everywhere I went.

Needless to say, I was happy to move to TX where I could put all that nonsense behind me for good.

[drinks]

We have always had a long arm in the car or truck, just a Texas thing, my wife is blind and is becoming very frail, chemo is rough, I am way too fat, too old and now arthritis is getting the best of me.
I no longer feel I can defend my wife and myself with fists and a lock blade so I got my license and now carry if I have my pants on.
Even living in a small town is no guarantee of not having to face problems, armed robbery and sexual assaults are quite frequent around here, at least 6 in the last month in a county of less than 12000.

[rushman]

Corrections for 8 years. Since I left [10 yrs ago], I've run into former convicts 6 times. Prisons were in the Houston area but a lot of them released to Dallas. Besides, I have a gorgeous wife and 3 young kids. Too many sicko thugs around to not be prepared to defend myself and my family. I think everyone should carry!

[threeg45]

There were several thing that happened. Over the last few years we all have heard of the home invasions, car jackings and domestic murder and I started to become more concerned and well my eyes were opening as the violence kept getting closer to where we lived. The final group of instances had to do with a friend of mine saving his neighbor from a beating with a baseball bat. Because my friend went into the street to stop this thug, my friend was detained and treated like the thug should have been. My friend now has his CHL. At work, I am a supervisor for a logistics company and have to deal with warehouse punks, angry truck drivers and a dangerous public due to the warehouse district. We have had drivers sent to the hospital because of beatings, I have been threatened, my drivers have been threatened, (we know where you work and live). I had enough! I will protect myself, my family and my friends to the best of my ability.
We have had one major incedent at work since I received my CHL and thankfully no one was hurt or killed. A temp driver began arguing with one of my drivers, it escalated to the point the temp driver punched the other and then pulled a knife. The temp driver was stopped because our driver defended himself by pulling out his own pocket knife. I was at the other end of the building in the office at the time. I received calls from other drivers about the knife being drawn.

That is why I carry everywhere that I can, If I can't, then I really try not to go inside. I carry around the house and my property. My wife in this last year has received her CHL. My daughter and son in law will have theirs within the next 60 days.
Like a member of a forum I read says. "trouble never makes an appointment."

[308nato]

Just watching the news reports and seeing how some of us older folks look like easy targets
I decided I wasnt going down easy.