New member with a question.

[Pawpaw]

Ok, youngster, I need to apologize to you too - I probably read something in there late at night that you didn't intend.

Now, I'm not "Ye Ultimate Warfighter" but I've been through some stuff (as have a number of others here) and some of that learning might be valuable, so I'm going to write something up for you that I want you to pay attention to - I'll post it later. Everything I'm going to tell you has a point, so don't skim it looking just for "the good bits".

I'm not a youngster, but I am a few months younger than you old man.

I'll also be waiting.

Yer both a couple of punks.

They're both still wet behind the ears!

All three of you are youngsters compared to me!

It's not OUR fault you're an old phart!

[puma guy]

Ok, youngster, I need to apologize to you too - I probably read something in there late at night that you didn't intend.

Now, I'm not "Ye Ultimate Warfighter" but I've been through some stuff (as have a number of others here) and some of that learning might be valuable, so I'm going to write something up for you that I want you to pay attention to - I'll post it later. Everything I'm going to tell you has a point, so don't skim it looking just for "the good bits".

I'm not a youngster, but I am a few months younger than you old man.

I'll also be waiting.

Yer both a couple of punks.

They're both still wet behind the ears!

All three of you are youngsters compared to me!

It's not OUR fault you're an old phart!

Well, my parents are dead so I'll take what I can get...

[Voodoo95]

Thank you so very much. You've given me amazing information. Everything you have said, I will work on. I'd love to learn more about de-escalating a bad situation because that seems to be the best route. After all I don't have to worry about getting hurt or hurting someone if there is no fight. I have recently started taking Krav Maga lessons and unfortunately they haven't taught these things. Thanks for giving me a second chance.

[troglodyte]

Wow Andy just Wow!

True words and wisdom.

That is a sticky if I ever saw one. With permission I'd be honored to include this in my social media and class.

[Middle Age Russ]

Great stuff, AndyC, as usual. As has been alluded to earlier in this thread, many of us here have adopted a lifestyle that is somewhat risk-averse partly because we have chosen to carry a side-arm -- avoiding trouble wherever possible. The side-arm is just another tool in the tool-chest when all else fails. Most of us therefore find ourselves learning constantly in an effort to know what we can before we NEED to know it -- whether it be by reading, engaging in discussions on this site or others, martial arts/self-defense training or in firearms training classes. Getting the gun and the license to carry it are just two small steps on what we hope will be a long journey through life.

If you are interested in reading up on some relevant information, many of us would be happy to chime in with additional reading suggestions once you've worked through AndyC's suggestions.

[Voodoo95]

I'll take as much information as y'all are willing to share, I like to learn

[The Annoyed Man]

Thank you so very much. You've given me amazing information. Everything you have said, I will work on. I'd love to learn more about de-escalating a bad situation because that seems to be the best route. After all I don't have to worry about getting hurt or hurting someone if there is no fight. I have recently started taking Krav Maga lessons and unfortunately they haven't taught these things. Thanks for giving me a second chance.

Voodoo95, Andy gave you some good stuff. When you get around to taking the CHL class, conflict resolution and deescalation are a mandatory part of the class. But, even without taking the class, some of it is just common sense, everyday stuff that you probably already know and maybe practice, but just never thought about it much. Stuff like, treat other people with friendly, polite respect, and in most cases, it will be returned to you (the Bible calls it, "do unto others as you have them do unto you"). EVEN IF the other guy started it, it is ALWAYS cheaper, easier, and less painful to walk away if you possibly can. Who cares what some punk thinks about whether you backed down or not? In most cases, you'll never see that guy again, so if he mocks you as you walk away, it doesn't matter. You'll never have to deal with him again. Who is he to you? Nothing. That's who. When you think about it that way, it is easy to shrug off insults that really don't matter.

If you can afford it, find a CHL instructor who will let you take the class, even though you're too young to get the license. You'll not only learn about the conflict resolution/deescalation stuff, but you'll also learn about the legal use of force and use of deadly force in Texas. Not sure where you live, but Charles Cotton, the owner of the owner of this website who could rightfully be called the "father of CHL in Texas", is a Houston area attorney who sometimes teaches "use of force" seminars which are highly informative about the legal aspects of self-defense. You may not carry a handgun around, but you do have a shotty, and you can certainly have a pistol in your own home - so it is a good idea to be as informed as possible about the legal consequences of a self-defense shooting. If you are involved in one and it is a righteous shoot, you will probably get off scott-free, but not without a lot of hassle and expense before it is over, so it pays to be SURE of your legal standing before you pull the trigger.

And, just like Andy said (and despite some braggadocio you'll hear on the Interwebs), if you do have to shoot someone, even completely righteously, it will likely be a traumatic experience which will take a while to get over. You will get over it—if you are certain that you were in the right—but getting over it is usually a process, and there's no ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist. Denial isn't a healthy mental state. You don't want that, so it pays to be absolutely certain that you had no choice.

But keep learning. One of the characteristics of a good warrior is that he is always learning. He's never too proud to admit that he can always learn more. You see, being a warrior involves training of the mind as much as it does training of the body.

Good look with it all.

[rbwhatever1]

Awesome advice AndyC!

[Pawpaw]

Andy, that was solid gold. As I read that, I had numerous flashbacks to my own past. There were times I got it right and times I got it wrong. Every time I got it wrong, I had violated one or more of the principles you laid out in that post.

Voodoo95, welcome to the forum. There is much to be learned here and we enjoy sharing.

[C-dub]

Thank you so very much. You've given me amazing information. Everything you have said, I will work on. I'd love to learn more about de-escalating a bad situation because that seems to be the best route. After all I don't have to worry about getting hurt or hurting someone if there is no fight. I have recently started taking Krav Maga lessons and unfortunately they haven't taught these things. Thanks for giving me a second chance.

De-escalation is the easiest way out of what could be a rough situation. Often, it's not about who's right or wrong, but more about going home in one piece. I've worked in healthcare in and out of hospitals for many years and if you've ever been admitted to a hospital you'll understand. People joke about having to check their modesty at the door when they are admitted to a hospital, but there's a lot of truth to that. The doctors and nurses are going to check things and do things that are very new and a bit uncomfortable to a lot of folks, but necessary to achieve their goal of healing what ails us. This is where checking your ego comes in. Just like our modesty in a hospital can make it difficult/impossible for the people trying to help you, an ego has gotten many people unnecessarily killed. I know I didn't do what that guy yelling at me thinks I did and he's threatening me, but does he really mean it or is it just for show? Most of the time it is just for show and not worth making any worse. You don't have to tuck your tail between your legs and run away, but don't do anything to make it worse either.

So many things did we all have to learn as we changed from children - teenagers - adults and going out in the world and being responsible for our own actions and lives without our parents there to protect us at all times. Being 19y was a lifetime or two ago for many of us. I'm lucky enough to still have both of my parents and in-laws and still learn things from them, but someday I'll be the elder in the family and I hope that all the youngsters in my family listen and learn from their elders as we all have. Life can be very rough when you have to learn it all by yourself.

[Charlies.Contingency]

Way to go Andy, that was pretty awesome what you put together for him.

Hey kid, (Not gonna call you by your username, give me something else to use.), if you live in san antonio, want to learn more about laws, if you want basic combat training, would like to be shown how law enforcement does it, and want a job, PM me for more information about a job with the Sheriff's department in Bexar County. They reduced the hiring age for deputies to 19. (I believe 19 & 1/2 to be exact.)

I don't know if you're interested in law enforcement, but if you are, PM me and I'll help you out. I joined law enforcement when I turned 18, and I do not regret it. Though I'm no long law enforcement, believe me when I say that I miss it.

[handog]

Yeah I've been following that. I don't want to cause any one alarm. I just want to protect myself. I live in San Antonio and now that I've been able to actually go out and experience the world, I've noticed that my city has quite a bit of gang violence and just violence in general. I try to avoid trouble as much as possible but already I've been in situations where I've had knives pulled on me and been ganged up on. Is it possible and wise to find a way to let's say keep my gun on a sling and covered up by a jacket? It'll be hellish during the summer, but my discomfort is a small price to pay for my life.

Some suggestions/advice:
1. Take some type of defensive courses (those that teach self discipline along with defensive maneuvers are best).
2. Learn how to use and carry non lethal defensive materials.
3. Choose your friends wisely.
4. Stay away from alcohol and places that serve it.
5. Nothing good happens at 2:00am.
6. Don't do or say anything you wouldn't do if your Momma was standing next you.

If you live by the six items above the likelihood that you will survive the next two years with the ability to still get a CHL will be extremely high. Not many 19 year olds today are mature enough to accept the above advice. Hopefully you are.

I might add one more at the top of the list:

Join the Army. And your problem is solved.

Jim

Jim nails it!

What AndyC said about "don't go stupid places" was adequately expanded in Jumping Frog's "Iron Triangle", and both were extensions of my statement that it isn't a wise thing to carry around a shotgun, even if it is legal, because you have no control over how someone perceives your intent.

What you are going to find here on this forum is a pretty big group of people whose collective wisdom about carrying a firearm is based on many years of actually carrying a gun.....lawfully. And by the way, AndyC's experience is hard earned, growing up in a country a LOT more dangerous than the streets of San Antonio. Listen to him.

The bottom line is this: you HAVE rights, but the state chooses to control how you express them. Whether or not that is acceptable in light of the Constitution is an argument for another thread, but I'm not talking about ideology here, I'm talking about objective reality that we all have to deal with. We have had at least one member I can think of (handog) who learned a VERY expensive lession, even though he broke no laws, and in the end was not ever convicted of anything......ALL because a hysterical citizen and a squad of overzealous cops in a "progressive-minded" city had a very poor understanding of the law.

This is the REAL environment some of us exist in, and by the way, San Antonio is not exactly a hotbed of conservatism. So that is a city that I would be far less likely to tote a shotgun around in than, say.... San Angelo.

In the motorcycling world, there is a saying: "There are lots of old riders, and lots of bold riders; but there are no old, bold riders." Carrying a firearm is like that. There are lots of people who have carried for years and stayed out of jail. There are lots of hotheads who are easily riled up who have stayed out of jail for years. But there are no easily-riled-up-hotheads who carry guns for years without staying out of jail. That's kind of what AndyC was getting at with his "wind in your ego" comment. There are a lot of compromises all of us who carry wind up having to make. You'll hear over and over again, "nothing good happens after 10:00 p.m." and stuff like that. Do I have a right to go pretty much anywhere I want to while carrying? With some clearly defined exceptions, the answer is YES. However, is it SMART to GO to some places? Maybe not. Your job when carrying is to avoid having to use your gun, and that necessarily means avoiding the kinds of places and situations in which the odds of having to use your gun go up.

And, as Jim pointed out, if you join the Army, this difficulty with getting a CHL at age 19 goes away. Of course, by the time you get out of basic and sent off to wherever, it may be to a state that does not allow anyone under 21 to get a carry license, or worse yet, to a state that simply doesn't allow people to carry at all. Only you can decide of that risk is worth the effort it will take for a chance at a Texas CHL. You would still be doing a great and worthy service for your country.

Alternatively, you can keep a shotgun in your car, avoid the Iron Triangle of Stupidity (thank you Mr. Froggy, I'll be using that in the future.....with proper attribution of course....), and be patient.

One last comment..... You mentioned in a previous post trying to carry your shotgun around under your coat. Don't. That would be rushing straight into the center of the Iron Triangle of Stupid. The law says you have a right to openly carry your shotgun (as long as it is not done in a manner to cause alarm). Concealing it may be legal, but it is a singularly bad idea. Your filter ought to be: "how will I be able to explain this to a cop?" Yes, it is legal, but most cops are going to suspect you of bad intent if they ever discover you to be concealing a shotgun under your coat during an "interview".

Bottom line: either be patient, or join the military. You've only got 2 years to go. That may seem like a long time to you now, but when you're in your 60s (like me), 2 years won't last nearly long enough.

An arrest record with a gun will follow you around for life even if the charge is dismissed. Recently, while attempting to cross the Canadian border I was deported and banned from entering after a brutal pat down and interrogation. Thanks Round Rock PD

[The Annoyed Man]

The bottom line is this: you HAVE rights, but the state chooses to control how you express them. Whether or not that is acceptable in light of the Constitution is an argument for another thread, but I'm not talking about ideology here, I'm talking about objective reality that we all have to deal with. We have had at least one member I can think of (handog) who learned a VERY expensive lession, even though he broke no laws, and in the end was not ever convicted of anything......ALL because a hysterical citizen and a squad of overzealous cops in a "progressive-minded" city had a very poor understanding of the law.

An arrest record with a gun will follow you around for life even if the charge is dismissed. Recently, while attempting to cross the Canadian border I was deported and banned from entering after a brutal pat down and interrogation. Thanks Round Rock PD

From the horse's mouth himself! Dude, that sucks.