No offense taken. It is good to think ahead about this stuff. Of course, you could spend that same amount of money at the Kwik-E-Mart on lottery tickets and beef jerky, or at Sonic on burgers and cherry limeades, but which purchases will be more fulfilling and longer lasting?
I'm not knocking the Kwik-E-Mart, I'm just trying to put some perspective on the financial commitment of a CHL. I think a lot of us don't see the full cost of carrying concealed when we first start the process, but we (at least on this forum) would agree that it is money well spent.
Just like fire or life insurance - we never hope to use it, but we're glad the premiums are paid, just in case.