Poll: Why did you get your CHL?

[PBR]

safety in general but also to assert my rights

[CHLLady]

To be perfectly honest, I got it at my husband's and my CH Instructor's urging. I was very reluctant because I had not shot in many years, way before I was a mom. I took the course and passed, but put my gun away for months, too scared to touch it. Slowly, I started seeing how much my country has changed since we've been gone. With confidence boosting training and educating myself, I'm at peace with my choice. My friends may scoff or question, but I believe I am doing what is best for MY family. I'm here on this board to learn as much as I can about being a responsible CHL holder and guns. I'm happy to say, I've even taught hubby a few things I've earned from you guys!

[kjolly]

I had turned 60 and discovered it was half price. Did not consider the four guns 10 holsters, range time and ammunition that I've spent since.

[docbrazos]

Probably at first it was to make it so much easier to purchase firearms. Glad even today I don't have to go through the NCIS background bull.

[rbwhatever1]

I've carried firearms on my own since I was around 10. By the time I was 18 I had accumulated 3 shotguns, a couple .22's, a 30/30 and a 30.06 for longer range deer hunting.

Around 25 long guns and 10 handguns later, some of which have been handed down from my Grandfather and father...

I was forced into acquiring this plastic card to avoid becoming a felon.

[The Annoyed Man]

Predominantly as a political statement.

That comes as close to my own reasons as much as anything. I describe my reason as "because I can."

The other reasons mostly all apply, both now, and back when I first applied for my license....except the one of having a specific threat to deal with. I also urged my wife to get hers, and about a year after I got mine, she got hers. When my son got engaged, I gave both him and his fiancé a CHL class and paid for their applications as a Christmas present. They are now married, and like my wife and me, the family that carries together stays together.

And also, as I get older and less and less physically capable, the more and more my gun becomes my equalizer. I am well past being able to get physical with anybody, so increasingly, having one on my person becomes about self-protection; but that was not my primary reason initially.

Background: I came here from California in 2006. I am old enough to remember a MUCH different California than the one we have to put up with today. I remember the debacle of Governor Pat Brown (Governor Moonbeam's father). I remember two Reagan terms as governor. I remember a state where gun ownership was fairly common, and state and county government was "right of center" while local governments tended to be "FAR right of center." In fact, in my own family, my parents were lifelong committed liberals, and that put them into the minority in local politics. It even made other kids treat my brothers and I differently because we were "from that weird professor family," and my brothers and I had to often go the extra mile to get accepted by other kids because our parents were weird.

By the time I left California, "only criminals" owned guns, hunters "violated animal rights," and even the state's self-identified "conservatives" were mostly country-club republicans who agreed with democrats that nobody needs a black rifle, and that the 2nd Amendment is about protecting a rich person's right to own a $20,000 shotgun for pheasant hunting. There are still pockets of true conservatism, mostly in the more rural regions, but they represent such a small fraction of the state's population that they no longer have any real influence in state government. I deliberately left out conservatives in the military who are stationed in California because they also represent a small minority in a state with a population of more than 38 million people, and they tend to be a transient demographic because they are mostly out of staters who will leave California for other posts, or when they muster out.

I began my transition from committed liberal democrat to committed conservative republican while I still lived in California. It was the acquisition of my very first firearm, which I inherited from my dad after he died, which propelled me down that path. The fact that he had a gun—a 1943 vintage Ithaca 1911A1—was irrelevant to his politics. It was a war memento, his sidearm in WW2, and until he died, it remained in a box, in the attic of our garage. In all those years before his death, I only ever saw the gun once or twice, and that was when we were moving. He died in 1990, and I acquired the gun a year or so after that. I asked a couple of friends of mine who were NCOs in the CANG to show me how to maintain it, shoot it, handled it, etc. That was how I became a gun owner. I had handled/carried/shot long guns in .22LR before as a kid, but they belonged to friends of mine, and that 1911 was my first ever gun of my very own.

Ever since then, my gun collecting, carrying, and use, as been like a beacon marking my conversion from the repressive evil of progressivism to the liberation of libertarian leaning conservatism. Moving here to Texas was a landmark decision in my family's life. At first, my son hated it because he was 16 with no friends here. My wife was worried about what we would do about taking care of her parents......and not having any friends here. It was very much just the three of us at first. But the people of this state have been magnificent in their welcome of us. Out of gratitude, we have made Texas our permanent home. Texans have a unique appreciation of their constitutional liberties that is almost completely lacking in Californians. I don't own any truly "radical" firearms. I have 2 AR15s and an AR10, but my other long guns are either antique collectibles, bolt rifles or sporting shotguns, and one 18" pump gun. I don't own anything (yet) that is suppressed, or select fire, but half of the contents of my gunsafe are illegal in California for stupid niggling little reasons...... like having a flash suppressor, or a removable box magazine. Even half of my pistols are illegal there, again for stupid reasons..... magazine capacity, lack of a magazine disconnect, etc.

Currently in California, the following anti-gun bills have either been passed by the legislature and are awaiting the governor's signature (most of them), or are in the process of getting through the legislature and will likely pass:

• SB 374 (Steinberg): bans the sale of all semiautomatic, centerfire rifles with a detachable magazine, even with bullet buttons attached and redefines these firearms as “assault weapons.” This legislation would ban most common hunting rifles and rifles like the AK-47, Marlin Camp Carbines (.45acp and 9mm), Remington M81 “Woodmaster, Winchester M1905, BAR MK II, BAR Short Trac, just to name a few of the rifles that are affected. SB 374 would also require registration of currently owned detachable magazine rifles.
  
  Status: Passed the legislature, awaiting action by the governor.
• SB 396 (Skinner): bans the possession of all standard capacity magazines over ten rounds and would require confiscation of these magazines that are currently lawfully possessed. Under current law, sale of standard capacity magazines over 10 round capacity is illegal, but any such magazines already owned were grandfathered in when that law was passed. These grandfather magazines would now become illegal and subject to confiscation. It will most likely pass.
• SB 53 (De Leon) SB 53 would require that, starting July 1, 2016, every ammunition purchaser would be required to hold an ammunition purchase authorization – with a unique identification number identical to the purchaser’s driver’s license or state ID card number – issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which would conduct a background check prior to issuing the authorization. DOJ would be obligated to maintain a centralized list of authorized ammunition purchasers for use by ammunition sellers and law enforcement. In completing an ammunition sale, a vendor would be required to confirm that every purchaser has a valid ammunition authorization, record identifying information about the purchaser, and submit that information to DOJ.
  
  Beginning July 1, 2015, ammunition sellers would be required to be licensed by DOJ. Under the bill, ammunition sellers would be prohibited from selling ammunition at any place except the location specified on the seller’s license or at a gun show. SB 53 would require that ammunition offered for sale must be stored so that it is not accessible without the assistance of the ammunition vendor; the bill would also require an ammunition vendor to forbid an employee from handling ammunition if the vendor knows or reasonably should know that the employee is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under state law.
  
  The bill would also require that all ammunition sales be conducted face-to-face. If ammunition is purchased over the Internet or otherwise ordered from a remote seller, a California ammunition seller must initially receive the ammunition and complete the transfer in compliance with state law. Finally, the bill would require the Attorney General to prepare a report by July 1, 2016 on the feasibility and cost of an instant ammunition background check system.
• AB 48 (Skinner): would require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to notify local law enforcement if an individual purchases more than 6,000 rounds within a seven-day period. (This provision is only operative if SB 53, described above, is also enacted.)
  
  Additionally, the bill would prohibit the manufacture, sale or purchase of any device that can convert an ammunition feeding device into a large-capacity ammunition magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds, and clarify that assembling a large capacity ammunition magazine from parts constitutes “manufacturing” such an ammunition magazine.
  
  Status Passed the legislature, awaiting action by the governor.
• Senate Bill 567 (Jackson) redefines shotguns to include any firearm that may be fired through a rifled bore or smooth bore, regardless of whether it is designed to be fired from the shoulder. SB 567 also bans the sale of shotguns that have a revolving cylinder and requires registration of these currently owned shotguns.
• Senate Bill 683 (Block) expands California’s handgun safety certificate requirement to apply to all firearms, and would prohibit anyone from purchasing or transferring any firearm without a firearm safety certificate.
  
  Status: Passed the legislature, awaiting action by the governor.
• AB 180 (Bonta): Exempting Oakland from State Preemption of Firearms Registration and Licensing
  State law currently preempts local governments from requiring the registration of guns or licensing of gun owners. AB 180 would create an exemption enabling the City of Oakland to adopt ordinances or regulations applicable to its residents in this area. Oakland is Governor Moonbeam's power base. He was mayor from 1999 to 2007. His two successors are even more liberal than he is. So any laws that Oakland passes in defiance of preemption are likely to be even more draconian than state laws.
  
  Status: Passed the legislature, awaiting action by the governor.
• AB 500 (Ammiano): Storage of Firearms in Homes with Prohibited Persons, Waiting Period Extension and Firearm Transfer Notifications
  
  Under existing law, convicted felons, domestic abusers and the severely mentally ill are among the people prohibited from possessing firearms. AB 500 would prohibit any individual who is residing with a prohibited person from keeping a firearm at that residence unless the firearm is either: 1) kept within a locked container, locked gun safe, locked trunk, locked with a locking device, or disabled by a firearm safety device; or 2) carried on the person.
  
  Current law also imposes a ten-day waiting period between the sale of a firearm and its acquisition by the purchaser. In some circumstances, however, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) may be unable to complete a purchaser’s background check within ten days. AB 500 would require DOJ to immediately notify a dealer to delay the transfer of a firearm if DOJ is unable to determine the outcome of a mental health evaluation, interpret arrest or criminal charge records, or determine whether the purchaser is attempting to purchase more than one handgun within a 30-day period in violation of California law prior to the end of the waiting period. If DOJ is unable to complete its determination related to these records within 30 days, DOJ would be obligated under the bill to notify the firearms dealer to proceed with the transfer of the weapon.
  
  Finally, the bill would provide that, starting January 1, 2015, a firearms dealer notify DOJ that the purchaser of a firearm actually took possession of the firearm.
  
  Status: Passed the legislature, awaiting action by the governor.
• SB 755 (Wolk): Expanding Categories of Prohibited Persons
  
  SB 755 would prohibit several categories of persons from possessing firearms. The bill would prohibit a person from possessing a firearm if the person has been convicted of two or more specified crimes involving intoxication or possession of a controlled substance within a three-year period.
  
  Additionally, SB 755 would prohibit a person from possessing any firearm while receiving court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment for a person suffering from mental illness. Where a California county has authorized the use of court-ordered outpatient treatment, a court may order a person to receive assisted outpatient treatment if certain criteria are met, including when the person is suffering from a mental illness and is unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision. Under SB 755, a court would be required to notify the California Department of Justice within two days of ordering a person to receive treatment and also when the person is no longer subject to treatment.
  
  Status: Passed the legislature, awaiting action by the governor.
• SB 299 (DeSaulnier): would require any person whose firearm is lost or stolen to make a report to local law enforcement within 7 days from the time the person knew or should have known that the firearm was lost or stolen. A similar bill, SB 1366, which would have required reporting within 48 hours, passed the legislature in 2012, but was vetoed by the governor. SB 299 would also make the false reporting of a lost or stolen firearm an infraction.
  
  Status: Passed the legislature, awaiting action by the governor.
• AB 169 (Dickenson): Under existing law, the Department of Justice performs safety tests on handguns and keeps a roster of guns determined to be safe for sale. State law prohibits the manufacture or retail sale of an unsafe handgun, but transfers of unsafe handguns between private parties are exempt from this prohibition. Additionally, law enforcement officers may purchase unsafe handguns at retail and then resell them to members of the public.
  
  AB 169 would: 1) limit the sale of unsafe handguns between private parties to two per year; 2) prohibit law enforcement from transferring unsafe handguns to individuals who are not similarly exempted from the unsafe handgun prohibition (i.e., prohibiting transfer to members of the general public); and 3) clarify that the unsafe handgun laws would apply to semiautomatic pistols that have been temporarily or permanently altered so that they will not fire in a semiautomatic mode.
  
  Status: Passed the legislature, awaiting action by the governor.

Once in a while, I'll ask my wife or son if they would rather live here or back in California. Both of them positively affirm that it was the right decision, and that their lives are much better, and richer, for having done it. When I read this list of rabidly anti-gun laws, all of which are very likely to be signed into law, I KNOW i made the right decision to move here.

So when I found out how relatively easy it is to obtain a CHL (if you don't think it is easy, go live in California for a while), I realized that I had to have mine. I wasn't facing any particular crisis at the time where I really needed to be carrying a gun then and there. I just knew that I could not begin to really breathe free until I got my CHL.

One might argue, "you shouldn't have to pay the state and take a class and a test in order to exercise a constitutional right"..........and you'd be right about that. It is because I have lived in California that I believe so strongly in Constitutional Carry. But even so, at least Texas is a Shall issue state, and it isn't really that hard to qualify or to afford. It has just gotten a little easier and cheaper. I can see the day coming when it will be completely free......just like speech. But until that day, and even despite the current laws in Texas, I breathe MUCH freer here in Texas than I ever did in California. For those of you who are bitterly dissatisfied with the current state of affairs, be grateful that we are not in California.

THAT is why I have my CHL. The rest of it is gravy.

[mack113]

I got my CHL to protect me & my Family as be my own first responder. The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a Good Guy with a gun!
Also I like responsably carrying a gun.
PS: Don't be a Victim!!!

+1

[jmra]

I got mine right before Obama got elected. Figured I better do it while I still could.

[SwimFan85]

Probably at first it was to make it so much easier to purchase firearms. Glad even today I don't have to go through the NCIS background bull.

Gibbs can be a pain in the donkey.

[med]

I am too old and crippled to fight or run and too big to hide.


Med

[n5wmk]

Safety in general and to assert my rights.

I have to admit, I procrastinated about it for several years. Then, a friend/co-worker was shot and killed as he was leaving a day care center while walking back to his car with his four year old daughter. (She was not physically injured.) I wondered if the outcome might have been different if he had been armed. That was the tipping point for me to get off my keester, get my CHL, and carry every day.

[cw3van]

Having spent a lot of my life in a LE career was well aware that most folks are good but it just takes one bad one to change your life forever.