I grew up in West Texas (Lubbock area) and have been around guns my whole life, and had always been taught to have a healthy respect for them.
After having numerous discussions with my father, brother, friends, and co-workers over the years, I had long decided that I WOULD get my CHL at some point, but for some reason I kept putting it off. I guess the incident in Aurora CO finally pushed me over the edge. I have a wife and a 6 year old son. Upon reading about that tragic event, my mind immediately went to the "what ifs". I know that I would not be able to live with myself if my family was ever put into a situation where their lives were in danger and I was not in a position to be able to defend or protect them only because I didn't take my decision to get a CHL seriously enough actually go through the process. That very day, on July 20th, I signed up for a local CHL class to be held the next day on Saturday the 21st.
I decided to go Texas Gun Pros in Fort Worth because of all the great reviews I read about them. I have an old 9mm that my step father gave me from when he was in the Marines, but I knew that I would not be carrying this pistol. I had been eyeing a couple of new guns for a while, so I made the short trip up to Cabella's and picked out a brand new Ruger SR9.
I had fallen in love with this gun after shooting a rental at the range a few months before. The next morning I headed up to Texas Gun Pros for my class. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the 10 hours. The instructors were friendly and very knowledgeable. The first time I ever fired my new pistol was during my proficiency test portion of the class. I scored a 247/250. The first 2 shots were the bad ones as I had never fired this gun or any gun for that matter in a long time.
I got my fingerprints done the following Monday the 23rd and had everything all packed up and mailed off by that afternoon. I also ordered a Crossbreed Supertuck Deluxe holster for my new handgun.
So now what? What to do while waiting for my plastic to arrive?
Well first off, I hopped on this forum and have basically read through the entire thing by now. I'm grateful for such a place full of great tips and experiences. My holster came in so I've been wearing it around the house (empty) so that I can break it in and find a good sweet spot. Also to make sure that there were no pinch points and that the holster wouldn't flip the safety or push the mag release.
I've been practicing my draw over and over and am looking for a good followup training class.
Today was the first day that I carried around the house in "condition 1" - full magazine, a round chambered, safety ON. It's a very different feeling, that's for sure. Even though I fully trust myself, my gun, and my holster, I have never conceal-carried a loaded and cocked gun on my person before. So that took a little while to get used to.
At this point I feel comfortable enough to take my Wally Walk as soon as my plastic arrives, although I don't know when that will be. Today is the 4 week mark from when I mailed everything off.
Anyway, Thank you all for the vast wealth of knowledge contained in this forum. I really appreciate all the time and effort you have all spent helping out the new folks.
Take care and be safe!
-Trent
*edited to replace the word "clip" with "Magazine" lol.
I ordered that same holster. Waiting for it to be made.