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For most of us I'm sure there has been a time in our lives (if only for a moment) were we acted like lost little sheep, oblivious to the world around us. Then comes the time in our lives when an event or series of events shocks us out of that naivety and awakens us to the necessity of situational awareness, obtaining our CHL, protecting our families, and acting as sheep dogs to the remaining sheep in the world.

What was your "conversion experience" like? For me, the first real time I became aware of the big bad world was in college. I took a girlfriend out to the movies in South Dallas and had to stop to get gas on the way home (it was somewhere between 11pm and 1am... my memory's a little hazy). While I was pumping the gas, a woman approached my then-girlfriend on the passenger side and asked for money. She shook her off, but the woman persisted and began rapping on the window. I told her we didn't have anything for her, but she continued asking- aggressively. I finally stopped worrying about the stupid gas pump, turned it off and got the heck out of dodge.

Although there was never a threat of physical violence, the fact that I was completely oblivious to my surroundings, that the woman could have easily had a weapon or worse- an accomplice with a weapon- and had her way with us, and the fact that I had NO idea what I would have done had the situation escalated shook me up. Although I didn't change right away, I made a decision that night to always be alert no matter where I was or what I was doing. Several years down the road, and here I am with my CHL and a healthy respect for the crazy situations life can throw at you at any given time. I’m a changed man.

What's your story?

I was born an Anti.

My folks are both pretty anti-gun.

I started my conversion to pro-gundom about 15 years ago, when a coworker of mine invited me to go shooting with him. Stereotypically, I went, expecting to see a bunch of dumb rednecks go YEE HAW and whatnot, but I was very shocked to see people of all ages, sizes, and "social types" shooting.

After that, I began to see the wrongheadedness in the anti-gun position. I got my CWP while living in Arizona, but never really carried much.

It really didn't hit me, though, till I met my fianceé.

We used to live in California. She had a few runins with some unsaveory characters. I might have posted about them before. Basically, she was followed home from work, called the cops and was told they couldn't help her. She came home late one night while I was travelling, and saw a van parked next to the walkway into our apartment. she called the police, who told her, "we'll send someone whenever we can, within 2-3 hours probably."

Well, being a guy, I never worried about these things, but I began to see that in fact we were responsible for our own safety, and I needed to take steps to protect her and me.

So I got my CHL in Texas, and began carrying daily. I still carry to this day.

I cannot recall ever having been anything but pro-gun and pro-carry.

When I was a little kid I wanted to join the NRA, but my father wouldn't let me because he already was a mamber and why get two copies of the magazine.

I still kind of regret that I didn't insist on it - otoh I did join in 1967, and became a Life Member shortly thereafter. IIRC, there was an NRA pin on the hat in the picture below.

I've been pro-gun my whole life as well. My family raised me hunting and taught me gun safety and respect. Although my experience didn't change my stance on guns, gun-control, etc, it did change the way I look at life and the necessity of being prepared to protect yourself/family.

In the past 18 months or so, the following have all occured within 1/2 mile of my home. And we live in a "good" neighborhood in a relatively small town (<35,000).

* Flasher exposing himself accross the street from my son's school.
* Drive-by shooting. I was close enough to hear/count the shots, identify the likely caliber, and determine the location they were fired from to within a half of a block.
* Two young men knocked on the door to my house one morning after I had left for work, but my wife and two sons were still home. Upon hearing someone inside the house they left. About a week later, we found out that two young men, roughly matching my wife's description, had kicked in the door of a neighbor's house and stolen what they could get their hands on, including at least one firearm.

I have always enjoyed shooting sports and have had firearms in the house since before I was legally old enough to buy them. I got my CHL this past spring/early summer. My wife will likely feel ready to get hers by this coming spring, I think. My younger son was born in March of this year. If the thugs who robbed my neighbor had gone there before knocking on our door, they would have been potentially armed. Thinking about what could have happened to my newborn son makes my blood boil. I no longer answer the door unarmed. I'm working on convincing the wife to do likewise.

In my family, it was just a matter of confirmation, not conversion.

I first got to squeeze the trigger on a .22 rifle when I was three. I'd been to the range often before then, well before my first memories.

Like KB, no real conversion to the CHL or "on the street personal defense." Always had the house armed. After 9-11 the need to ratchet up the awareness. Here in that yr you could still stay out of trouble by staying away from it & being in at the time you needed to be in. When we travelled I had one.
By '03 here things had really escallated. Glad I found the forum 6 mo after start up. I have been carrying under CHL since right after 9-11.

No big revelation or anything... always liked guns and was used to people carrying...

When I was in 2nd or 3rd grade the Air Force decided SAC bomber crews should be armed 24/7 so Dad, a pilot started carrying all the time as did all my friends Dads too.

There was a fairly funny aside to this... there was a steak house in Tampa FL (we were stationed at MacDill Field) that was popular with the crews and their families.

One evening a bunch of the guys decided to get together after work and go out for dinner together... must have been 20+ of them plus families. Anyway, everyone was waiting for the meal to be served when two members of what today we would call a local "youth organization" stormed in and pointed, what I realize now was, a el cheapo Sat. night special around the room and told everyone to get their wallets out.

Naturally all the 'crew dogs' reached in their coats (in the early 50s everyone wore coat and tie to go out for dinner) much to the satisfaction of the EDs. The look of satisfaction turned to shock and awe (good line there) when they saw all 20+ young 20somthing officers drawing on them... the sound of S&W revovlers cocking was deafening...

Only a few shots were fired and the EDs had their hands WAY high in the air... cops got a major laugh out of it...

Alls well that ends well... I suppose.

Still good for a laugh anyway.

FWIW

Chuck

KBCraig wrote:In my family, it was just a matter of confirmation, not conversion.

Some of my first memories as a child are my father sitting in his recliner with a full sized RCBS press clamped to the TV tray Firearms were not something I coverted to....it took me several years to realize that everyone was not as excited about them as my father and I are. I still have a hard time accepting that
Jason

I grew up shooting BB guns, playing cops and robbers, play army men, and all that good stuff. However - I only played paintball in NY as gun ranges are tough to find there, and we never got to go hunting(father traveled a lot for his job).

Moved down here @ 14 and got to shoot some 22 rifles, some shotguns, and some of my father's cowokers handguns. Been hooked ever since, and joined the Army 3 years later.


I've held a level of suspicious alertness for a good while, or at least I thought I had. When I joined the Army, and we trained for MOUT, that alertness went straight through the roof. It hasn't lowered much if at all, since then. My wife thinks I'm paranoid, I think I'm careful. She grew up a pacifist(Jehovah's Wintess) and still is. She's glad she has me around though.

Recently I got married and decided that since protecting my family was 24/7/365 deal, I should prepared just the same. So I started the online application for my CHL back in the fall. Never really pushed for it, rarely had any time. Then, this spring, I had to move for my job and found myself in a less than "pristine" area of Garland/Mesquite. I found myself wishing I had a weapon on me besides the omnipresent folding combat knife I carry. Now my packet is in the mail, and I have a 45ACP 1911 at the house. My wife has also agreed to carry OC - which is a huge step for her.

cxm wrote:When I was in 2nd or 3rd grade the Air Force decided SAC bomber crews should be armed 24/7 so Dad, a pilot started carrying all the time as did all my friends Dads too.

Chuck

No kidding......I was born while my Dad was stationed at McDill.....56 years ago. He flew mainly B47's while there, and I remember well the .38 he used to keep with him, usually in his map case. He died two years ago, at 91. After he retired in the mid-60's I never saw him carry a handgun again.

A really good place for this I think. I have been thinking of this all week since I got home. For the ladies that are not worried about anything because DH is around. (thank you for the abrev. VP) One of the worries that I do not have while I am recovering from my surgery is, "What am I going to do if the 'thump in the night' is real". My hands are not yet sure, my head is not clear when I awake, & the body will not react in time to defend against the 21ft charge of a slow turttle.
One of the above spoke about living in a less that pristine neighborhood. That is where we are also. The wife has hers very handy & has verified on the range & also on the CHL firing line that she can take care of me now that I cannot take care of myself, let alone her.
In today's society it behoves every one to learn the most distasteful things for when they may be needed.
I love guns & the shooting sports. I have never been much for carrying a defense knife. I have invested the time in my families safety to learn to use one with basic skills of defense.
Ladies this is sure not a "YOU NEED TO LEARN TO SHOOT A GUN" post. It is one that says how much peace of mind I recover in just knowing we are not defenseless.
In any small community you may not be one of the socially "important people" but there are a lot of people that know you. As Pastor for 34 yrs I work w/ hospice & the terminally ill a lot. One thing they told me many yrs ago is that if you have just gotten out of the hospital w/ surgery for anything & especially cancer, the burglar community knows you have pain pills & are unable to resist. Big city home invasion may or may not be an acquaintance of the BGs. In the small town the burgular usually knows whose house he is entering & what he is after.
I sleep well know I am in good hands.
LT

Persistent bums asking for money... lots of them here. You are lucky not to have encountered one until college :)

Interesting, I feel Texas bums are much less aggressive than California (SF bay area) bums. I usualy can just say "no" and be done w/ it here in Texas. Maybe the wide spread of CHL somehow helps ?

I never had a "conversion" experience; although I've encountered road rage, racial remarks, persistent bums, property thefts, etc. in my days, but I don't think they were serious enough to "convert" me. I mainly got my CHL because I thought it was something cool to have and I was just getting back into the shooting sports.

For me it was after Katrina and Rita hit. My company sent some first responders to New Orleans and Beaumont. What struck me was how quickly social bounds broke down after those disasters. Also I never thought we would see Houstonians fleeing out of the city and clogging up the freeways. Naive of me, I know. But now I have my CHL and my go-to bag. Also I have an escape route and a plan. Better I learned before I needed this info.

My earliest memories of defensive firearms include the old "Owl Head" .32 S&W my Mom carried daily and the 1911 in .38 Super my Dad carried daily. So, I imagine that I never really had a conversion experience for self defense with a firearm ... they've just been part of my life (in one way or another) for all of my 61 years.

If anything, I've had some "confirmation experiences" of having been on the receiving end of aggressive firepower directed at me by different individuals at different times in my life - thanks to my Mom's and Dad's examples and teachings, I'm still around. It does, however, sadden me that we need to live this way, but for as long as we do - I'll be ready.