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I have been carrying for over 3 years in the Southwest portion of Houston. I never go out of my house without being armed. This area is ripe with gang members, pimps, and prostitutes. Only yesterday I was accosted by two young black men in a street near my home. One of them yelled "come here" and started to get out and come at me and then he saw my hand on the tab on top of the gun pouch I wear on my belt and he reversed his path. This has happened to me several times in this area. You will say that his seeing my hand there was a sufficient deterrent and that is true.

But I know that every bullet has a lawyer attached to it. If the man yesterday had come at me and I had killed him, his family and gang members would have sought me. If I had shot and only wounded him, he would have pursued me until he had killed me. There are times that I really wonder if there is any use in carrying. If I have to use it, the result may well be worse than not having a weapon.

I am not afraid to shoot; that is not a factor. I have used guns all my long life and spent time in the military. I just wonder if it's worth it. Has anyone else had these thoughts? If so, what is your recommendation?

I would think having to deal with Lawyers or gang members after the fact would be better then being dead any day. But that's just me.

cpix wrote:I have been carrying for over 3 years in the Southwest portion of Houston. I never go out of my house without being armed. This area is ripe with gang members, pimps, and prostitutes.

I would be looking for some better place to live.

Kyle - I have no fear of death. I do have a fear of playing pick up the soap in some bull pen. Just because you shoot someone and you have a CHL doesn't mean that the cops let you go. There may be an extended period until they are satisfied that your action was justified and legal.

frankie_the_yankee - you have the right idea. However, that takes funds and everyone who has the funds has already moved. That leaves those of us that can't afford to go right now -- a major source of the problem. As soon as I am financially able, I'm gone!

cpix wrote:But I know that every bullet has a lawyer attached to it. If the man yesterday had come at me and I had killed him, his family and gang members would have sought me. If I had shot and only wounded him, he would have pursued me until he had killed me.

Neither of these outcomes is certain. They are rare. I think most of the time, an armed citizen who defends himself is viewed as a really bad dude to steer clear of.

In any case, if that sort of thing happens, you can move to Arizona. Do you prefer the alternatives of being victimized, robbed, beaten, or killed?

- Jim

seamusTX, you live in Galveston and maybe the gang intensity is not as great there but when you say:

an armed citizen who defends himself is viewed as a really bad dude to steer clear of.

I don't think that holds true for gangs. They like to get bad dudes and will go out of their way to accomplish that.

You are correct that the intensity of gang activity is not as intense in Galveston as Houston. We only had one gang-related murder last week.

However, I know of two citizens who have taken on gangs simply by installing lights, calling the police persistently (not just 911 but pestering the community service officers) and confronting drug dealers in person. The gangsters made a very feeble and unsuccessful attempt to set one guy's restaurant on fire.

I dunno. Maybe our gangs are wimpy.

- Jim

cpix wrote:Just because you shoot someone and you have a CHL doesn't mean that the cops let you go. There may be an extended period until they are satisfied that your action was justified and legal.

I understand this very well but you said this:

cpix wrote:This area is ripe with gang members, pimps, and prostitutes. Only yesterday I was accosted by two young black men in a street near my home. One of them yelled "come here" and started to get out and come at me and then he saw my hand on the tab on top of the gun pouch I wear on my belt and he reversed his path. This has happened to me several times in this area. You will say that his seeing my hand there was a sufficient deterrent and that is true.

You have shown already that having a gun has gotten you out of several situations with out having to use deadly force. What would have happened if you were not armed? Also if the use of deadly force was needed or warranted and you shot a gang member, pimp, or prostitute with a history or record already then I doubt a decent lawyer would have a problem keeping out of the "pen".

cpix wrote:Kyle - I have no fear of death. I do have a fear of playing pick up the soap in some bull pen. Just because you shoot someone and you have a CHL doesn't mean that the cops let you go. There may be an extended period until they are satisfied that your action was justified and legal.

frankie_the_yankee - you have the right idea. However, that takes funds and everyone who has the funds has already moved. That leaves those of us that can't afford to go right now -- a major source of the problem. As soon as I am financially able, I'm gone!

Sounds like you need to bite the bullet and move now.

I would rather be broke and alive than broke and worried. :)

cpix wrote:
But I know that every bullet has a lawyer attached to it. If the man yesterday had come at me and I had killed him, his family and gang members would have sought me. If I had shot and only wounded him, he would have pursued me until he had killed me. There are times that I really wonder if there is any use in carrying. If I have to use it, the result may well be worse than not having a weapon.

The best thing to do is get the CHL and learn what the laws state. IF you know when the proper times are to use a weapon and stick to that, it would be fairly rare that you would go to jail. Charles is giving a class on Deadly Force on the 28th, sounds like you need to be there.

cpix wrote:If so, what is your recommendation?

As they say "I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6"

My recommendation is you move to Humble and north where the Piney Woods of East Texas begin. Such as you are putting up with slacks off around Greens Road, where the gang bangers begin to encounter an overwhelming redneck factor in the resident population. The .357 still rules thereabouts, eclipsed only by the .30-.30 and the twelve gauge.

i have felt similar feelings.

as a christian, i often struggle with hypothetical scenarios of deadly force while defending myself.

if a bg pulls a gun on me and demands my money, sometimes i feel like i should just give him my money.

after all, i can always make more money.

but, what if he takes my money and then shoots me in the head?

now, i'm broke AND dead (not that being broke when your dead means much).

so, the bg pulls his gun and demands my money and i pull my gun and the bullets start flying.

one of bg's stray bullets hits an innocent child nearby and kills her.

was my life more important than that of an innocent little girl?

in summary, it is tough carrying a concealed handgun.

personally, i think open carry would deter much more crime and eliminate some of the anxiety of carrying concealed, but that is another thread.

defending myself is an issue i struggle with often, but defending my family (or an innocent child) is something i would definitely not hesitate to do.

as a matter of fact, the primary reason i got a chl is to defend my family or to intervene on behalf of an innocent child.

of course, i hope i am never forced to do either.

cpix wrote:I have been carrying for over 3 years in the Southwest portion of Houston. I never go out of my house without being armed. This area is ripe with gang members, pimps, and prostitutes. Only yesterday I was accosted by two young black men in a street near my home. One of them yelled "come here" and started to get out and come at me and then he saw my hand on the tab on top of the gun pouch I wear on my belt and he reversed his path. This has happened to me several times in this area. You will say that his seeing my hand there was a sufficient deterrent and that is true.

But I know that every bullet has a lawyer attached to it. If the man yesterday had come at me and I had killed him, his family and gang members would have sought me. If I had shot and only wounded him, he would have pursued me until he had killed me. There are times that I really wonder if there is any use in carrying. If I have to use it, the result may well be worse than not having a weapon.

I am not afraid to shoot; that is not a factor. I have used guns all my long life and spent time in the military. I just wonder if it's worth it. Has anyone else had these thoughts? If so, what is your recommendation?

If you can, come to the deadly force seminar on Friday, Sept. 28th.

Chas.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:If you can, come to the deadly force seminar on Friday, Sept. 28th.

+1

While I have not attended this specific training, I do believe heavily in training, and often.

The more you train, the better you'll handle any situation. Also, you can improve your position in a defensive shooting incident as well. If you can show that you're a law-abiding citizen that takes CHL seriously and responsibly, that's going to go a long way in your defense (no lawyer here).

Sounds like where you live, you have even a greater need for CHL than most.