I haven't been in one of those close scrapes that made me want to carry a gun. When I first bought my pistol, I gave it little thought. To me the gun was mostly a hobby but also for home protection.
Then I got a LTCH, mostly so I wouldn't accidentally break the law. But I started thinking about the shootings in Arizona last January, the one in Ohio recently, that guy who bashed in his ex wife's head with a rock, and other incidents. If an armed and skilled citizen were there, maybe things would have turned out far better for the victims (Paul Helmke notwithstanding). Maybe some day I'll face circumstances that will turn out much better because I'm armed.
That sexy Walther P99 wont accidentally hurt someone if it's sitting in the safe at home unloaded, but it surely won't help me there either, or anyone else. So now I think that it's irresponsible to have a concealable pistol, a carry license, and not carry it.
Like the other newbe carriers I still don't feel all that easy about carrying everyday. But for me, the unease is more about the decision making process in stressful situations. I don't want to shoot anyone, ever, but I may have to do that to save me or my family. I want the right decision to be automatic and I do think taking some classes would definitely help that.
Then I got a LTCH, mostly so I wouldn't accidentally break the law. But I started thinking about the shootings in Arizona last January, the one in Ohio recently, that guy who bashed in his ex wife's head with a rock, and other incidents. If an armed and skilled citizen were there, maybe things would have turned out far better for the victims (Paul Helmke notwithstanding). Maybe some day I'll face circumstances that will turn out much better because I'm armed.
That sexy Walther P99 wont accidentally hurt someone if it's sitting in the safe at home unloaded, but it surely won't help me there either, or anyone else. So now I think that it's irresponsible to have a concealable pistol, a carry license, and not carry it.
Like the other newbe carriers I still don't feel all that easy about carrying everyday. But for me, the unease is more about the decision making process in stressful situations. I don't want to shoot anyone, ever, but I may have to do that to save me or my family. I want the right decision to be automatic and I do think taking some classes would definitely help that.