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Why Do You Carry or Have a Gun?

Infidel

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
269
Location
Mechanicsville, Virginia, USA
imported post

I started after I left the service because I like to shoot. Living previously in Massachusetts I never thought about OC or CC. Mass is very liberal and licensing is at the descretion of the local police chief. After moving to Virginia I was told of OC and CC and began to educate myself on the laws of my new state. I carry to protect my slef and my family, and anyone I'm around.

People are sheep, and need to tended by the SHEEP DOGS!
 

deepdiver

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Apr 2, 2007
Messages
5,820
Location
Southeast, Missouri, USA
imported post

I had firearms but did not carry. I started carrying for a much more personal, practical reason than I do now. Very short version - my only sibling died from cancer, I was diagnosed with the same cancer and survived and I decided that after all that I was not going to die because of some street punk or active shooter and that part of evening up those odds was to carry. Since that time as my knowledge, understanding and awareness about 2A issues has grown and evolved so have my reasons and purpose in carrying.
 

kle

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
348
Location
, Virginia, USA
imported post

Well I guess I never really answered the question:

Three years ago I bought my first gun. Not because I was big on self-defense, but because a) I was just introduced to firearms and target practice, b) liked it so much that I figured that I'd eventually shoot often enough to justify owning a gun rather than renting it, c) because the gun I bought was very unique and discontinued, and d) it was being sold by a friend for a VERY reasonable price.

Then I bought another gun and got to thinking that the 30-days-between-handgun-purchases was going to be annoying--what if a gun I wanted came up during those 30 days and was gone before I could purchase it? With my rare and discontinued handgun, I was very aware that I might miss out on something special. So I took a class and applied for and obtained my CHP. Not primarily so I could carry, but so I could jump on any handgun deals that came along without worrying about the 30-days thing.

With my guns (I had a few by now) and my CHP, I started thinking that it would be ironic if I were to need a gun but didn't have one on me, since I enjoy target practice so much--a gun I can hit well with does me no good if it's locked up at home. So I found a decent CCW and started carrying concealed, openly carrying where required.

Of course, the Virginia Tech killings hit close to home (I graduated from VT in 2005, the shooter was a freshman or sophomore when I left; one of his victims was a friend's girlfriend, and a cousin who was attending VT was good friends with Ryan Clark), as did other shootings (at schools and malls and churches). I practically woke up to the realities of the world just as I got into firearms, or perhaps because I got into firearms.

Now I'm at the point to where carrying is natural for me (see my above post), and even open-carry is starting to feel OK, too (I OC with my sidearm in a tan-leather OWB holster occasionally in walmart and restaurants and my neighborhood, and of course all the time at the range).
 

fire_man2340

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2009
Messages
80
Location
Danville, Virginia, USA
imported post

Brandon S. Morris: Maker of Topic :monkey

See this is what i love, i love to see people with alldifferent back grounds, race, city's, families, and ex. All coming together for all the SAME & RIGHT reasons. This is what the great U.S.A was founded on, But there are BIG problems with inthis country, there are people who don't want any of you to be able to protect your life, Family's life, neighbor's life,loved one's life, OR THERE Rights, The men and women whowant to take your rights away and put them in another person's hand(police/army) are not there whenyou need them 99% of the time, Them men and women DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU nor ANYONE ELS, just themselves, there votes, there money, there power, and there protection, you4get theyhave the money for body guards.

You know the state has people looking at this website all the time, AND Maybe Just Maybe, they might see what was said on here and the stories of why you carry and fight for your right to BEAR ARMS, Then they myunderstand and think twice and chose whats right, This country can only take so much, before

US,THE PEOPLE TAKE BACK WHAT IS OUR, FOR THE GOVERNMENTMAY NOT BE MORE POWERFUL THEN, 'THE PEOPLE'
 

SouthernBoy

Regular Member
Joined
May 12, 2007
Messages
5,837
Location
Western Prince William County, Virginia, USA
imported post

Why do the good people on this site carry? In a nutshell, it is for this reason.

In the final seconds of your life, just before your killer is about to dispatch you to that great eternal darkness, what would you rather have in your hand? A cell phone or a gun.


You can substitute the first person in the above with "child", "daughter", "son", "wife".. you get the picture. The point is, one can never know how and when an attack is going to take place. You may get a number of chances in life, but you only get one life.
 

Armed

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
418
Location
Richmond, Virginia, USA
imported post

old dog wrote:
When asked why I need/own/carry a gun I've had a lot of fun with this that I borrowed from someone else:

I hunch my shoulders and look around furtively like someone being hunted and say "It's the voices."

These people are a pain so we might as well have some fun.
okay, I confess... it's because I'm afraid of the dark ;)
 

CharlesC

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2009
Messages
67
Location
Fairfax County, Virginia, USA
imported post

I woman in a group of other women in their late 50s asked me why I was carrying such a big gun, I just smiled and said softly, "I have a very little penis."

It took them about 10 second and they were all howling with laughter.

You also have to realize that I'm 6-6 and 325lbs.

You could say I complete disarmed the situation.

-Charles
 

nemo

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2006
Messages
275
Location
Winchester, Virginia, USA
imported post

At one time, I came up with about a dozen reasons, some of which have already been mentioned, above. These days, I shorten it them all down to one: "Because I am an American."

I admit that, one time, in the library, in response to that question, I answered: "To fight the girls off." :lol:She laughed.
 

buster81

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2008
Messages
1,461
Location
Richmond, Virginia, USA
imported post

ed wrote:
My daughter likes to answer for me.. she points at my Kimber and says "Thousand Dollars".. then points to herself and exclaims "Priceless!" and she is 100% on point!
This might be the best answer I've ever read! I would pay money to see this.
 

ed

Founder's Club Member - Moderator
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
4,841
Location
Loudoun County - Dulles Airport, Virginia, USA
imported post

buster81 wrote:
ed wrote:
My daughter likes to answer for me.. she points at my Kimber and says "Thousand Dollars".. then points to herself and exclaims "Priceless!" and she is 100% on point!
This might be the best answer I've ever read! I would pay money to see this.
lol.. how much and when will you be up in NoVa?

:celebrate
 

darthmord

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2008
Messages
998
Location
Norfolk, Virginia, USA
imported post

My wife & I started carrying because our comfort level of not being armed no longer met our requirements. I am sad to say that it took until last year to start carrying. I had brought it up years ago (back in 1998) but my wife poo-pooed the suggestion. She was concerned the kids might get ahold of them (1 year old and newborn). She was also concerned about the cost and that I was still very much a hot head in her opinion.

Really, I wasn't a hot-head. I was just zealously protective of her and my kids. I was still new to the idea that other people were directly relying on me to be the man of the house. Being a new Dad, freshly married (3 years), took some getting used to & figuring out.

Though last year I started lurking anonymously here and checking out the hand gun laws website. Some of the stuff here I emailed to her. Also pointed out articles from the local news.

A group of co-workers were going to a Farm Party (def: large farm, private range, all calibers welcome). I mentioned it to my wife. She was intrigued but our respective schedules conflicted with it. A few days later, we are talking about buying a handgun each. A few days after that, we bought our first handguns. A couple weeks later, we are enrolled in the CHP class at Bob's.

I grew up around firearms. I had a toy BB gun when I was 5 years old. I was shooting 22s and various BB guns by age 8. Live, unsecured ammunition AND firearms (rifles and revolvers) were readily available in my house. Amazingly those vile nasty guns never got up and shot me!

My wife however, never grew up around guns though she handled enough of them in the Army and in the Navy. She loved to shoot them but was never keen on owning any. :shock:

Now though, that is a different story. Yesterday, I showed her some AR15s I saw online and her response was "Ooooh, shiny! Can we get a couple?" Unfortunately, the site that had them was all sold out of ALL their listed AR15s. She also kinda choked when I showed her the prices. I knew we should have bought one or two back in September.

But in the end, our comfort level went down. We opted to even the odds a bit and now carry. I want to ensure that my wife, kids, and I are as safe as is possible yet still lead a normal life. I'm a practical person. If my problem is a nail, I get a hammer. If it's a bolt, I get bolt cutters. Having more tools means my toolkit is better equipped to assist me with life.

I would love to see the day arrive where the only reason I ever have to pick up a firearm is because I want to shoot at the range for fun. Until that day arrives, I carry for safety of my family, me, and those important to me.
 

useful_idiot

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
259
Location
Herndon, Virginia, USA
imported post

ed wrote:
My daughter likes to answer for me.. she points at my Kimber and says "Thousand Dollars".. then points to herself and exclaims "Priceless!" and she is 100% on point!
This is the best reply ever. Maybe we can get a demonstration at the OC dinner!! :cool:
 

suntzu

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2008
Messages
1,230
Location
The south land
imported post

Deanimator wrote:
1. Police have no legal duty to protect individuals.
2. Police have no legal liability when they don't protect individuals.
3. Police almost never have the physical ability to protect individuals not in their custody or having a personal protective detail.

Protect yourself or don't get protected at all.

#4 the police cannot be trusted to protect the individual citizen...
 

suntzu

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2008
Messages
1,230
Location
The south land
imported post

because I don't trust my safety to someone who has no stake whatsoever in whether or not I go home tonight.
 
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