TexasCHLforum.com

Topbuilder wrote:EDC is not for everyone. Even of those who are legally qualified.
My friend has a few problems:
He does not have a lifelong history around guns.
He would not be comfortable with "condition 1" carry.
He has an anti-gun wife.

Time changes these issues. All three were apt descriptions for me. I insisted both my first home defense and then carry handguns (DAOs) had thumb safeties; ones in my current rotation do not and are always kept with one in the pipe. Now, I take great pride when my wife asks if I have my "thing" on me (she's expecting and wanting the answer to be yes) and she'll be getting a CHL soon, too!

WildBill wrote:I don't have any data to back it up, but I think that most people with a CHL don't carry regularly. IMO, many people get a CHL "just in case" they want to carry if they go on a trip, evacuate for a hurricane, or visit areas that are unfamiliar or considered "bad areas".

Honestly, this was the attitude I had when starting to look into getting my CHL. However, once I started doing my homework and preparing (tried to do as much research as possible before the course), I was convinced this was naïveté. Most would be surprised at the violent crime in what they believe are sleepy neighborhoods; I was about my own area in Austin. Now, I feel naked without my gun, no matter where I am.

I have a relative who's got his CHL but doesn't regularly carry. I think his primary motivation was when purchasing guns. While he's got a completely clean record, he frequently get's an initial short delay before the NCIS approval comes back. If the FFL calls it in, it's no problem as they transfer the FFL to an agent who immediately gives the proceed. (That's happened to me once, too.) If not, he sometimes has to wait. With his CHL, a gun store knows he's already a good guy and can skip the redundant background check.

Having the CHL also makes it easier when stopping by to show me his new acquisition. We live near a school, within a school zone. The MPA doesn't protect him from the federal Gun Free Zone while in the car (although I've heard that's generally enforced, and tacked on, only when another crime is being committed) and he's carrying to and from a location that is not his premises/in his control (ie from his car to my residence). The CHL removes any legal issues from the equation.

If you live in a city, how many school zones do you drive through going back and forth from your house to the range?