Then 911 & later the Hurricanes. After Katrina/Rita the murder rate in Houston tripled making it one of the most dangerous cities in the US.
Now it's so much of a habit that I feel strange if I leave the house without it.
The biggest danger with this "habit" that I face is forgetting to leave it in the car when I find myself going someplace I can't carry in like the airport or a school.
My younger children now ask from time to time why I carry a gun since none of the other dads do. I simply tell them that I don't want their mother to ever have to tell someone that their dad was killed getting money out of an ATM machine and they accept that answer as gospel. The real reason is that I don't want their mother to have to tell them their dad was killed without having a chance.