How do you justify carrying?

[bigus_D]

I carry because I intend to be ready.

My experience was being robbed at gunpoint. As I'm still hear today, I obviously made it through the robbery without being killed... but I have no intention of letting somebody get me back in that position (on the ground with a gun pointed at my head). At the time this happened, I was dating a girl that didn't like guns. I owned a gun, had a carry permit, but never carried. I liked the girl and she didn't like guns... I wasn't even really convinced myself that I needed it. Now the girl is gone and I know better what I'm about (thank goodness).

The changes aren't one in a million. I don't know exactly what they are (one in 200, one in 65... whatever...) Since I'm now carrying about 95%+ of the time, the chances that I'll be ready next time somebody tries to interupt my dinner with a gun in my face are pretty good.

I live in Indianapolis, Broadripple to be specific. I was held at gunpoint less than two miles from my house while having a quiet dinner at a little restaruant at a reasonable hour. This can happen anywhere, anytime.

I couldn't even begin to count the number of times I've been over the robbery in my head. "What if I had my gun?" "Would I have pulled it out?" "Would I have been fast enough?" "What if I shot somebody?" "There were three of them, would I have gotten them all?" Two came in the front door, one came straight to my table and told us to get up. "I could have drawn when he was walking toward me... what about the other guy?... where was he? What about the third guy? ... he must have come in through the back or something..." I know I could have had the drop on the first guy comming at me. I saw him walk in with pantyhose on his head, clearly a threat. He didn't have a gun, but his buddy did. I could have taken him and made my way to the door, or hunkered down while the other two guys ran (since their robbery was blown)... maybe they would have stayed and tried to fight. I'll never know. What I DO know is that it would have only taken the bad gun to pull the trigger and my head would have sprayed all over the kitchen floor. Next time, I'll take my chances and believe that I'll be a better shot from accross the room than some thug with pantyhose on his head.

I carry because I intend to be ready. I pray that I'll never need it, but I'll be ready if I do.

 

[Steve]

Over the past few years I have been losing movement in my fingers I can not make a fist to defend myself. It really sucks because some days if I had to draw my weapon I don't know if I could (but I would do my da**est).



I know the feeling. Rhumetoid Arthritis can be a B*^%H! I found that a revolver such as my Ruger SP 101 is managable in DA, but no problem at all in SA. And it's a .357 to boot. Love to have a 1911, but my trigger finger is so screwed up that it won't even reach around the trigger. Looks like I'll have to stay with a .357. Darn luck

 

[wtfd661]

Assuming that you work 40 hour work weeks, that .1% works out to 7.68 minutes/week.

Sound like either you need to:
A) get more
B) check your math

Sorry I'm just a dumb cop, but I don't know what the hell your talking about. The intent of my post was to say when I'm off duty I'm almost always carrying. Thats it. Sorry if I cornfuzed ya.

 

[Indecision]

I don't see what he's trying to say you need to do either man, don't feel bad.

 

[Bill of Rights]

I have not seen a bad reason here and I don't think there is any bad reason for a good person to be armed. My reason is, "There are bad people in this world who do bad things for no more reason than that they can. I am not one of them and I don't intend to be the victim of someone who is."

I'm always reminded of the late Col. Jeff Cooper's (para)quote: "An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by running away from it."

Blessings,
Bill

 

[Chuck26287]

I agree... all good reasons. I appreciate everyone taking the time to reply. I look forward to the time I share some of them with others when asked this question. It's not that I feel an obligation to answer it, but rather a desire to answer it. For the most part, the people I find myself around and with whom I would have this conversation are my friends or family. What they think about why I carry does matter to me. It matters because it's usually the reason they don't carry or why they wish I didn't carry. The first step in getting their respect and consideration in hearing my answer, is showing respect and consideration in them asking the question. After that, most will truly think about what you tell them.

 

[kludge]

I carry for the same reason I have a fire extinguisher.

"It happens to someone every day," is my response.

Estimated times that a gun is used in self defense in the United States: 1.5-2.5 Million times per year.

Let's just use the low end estimate...

1.5M/365 = 4110 times/day

There are 6.4 Million people in Indiana and ~300 Million people in the US so:

6.4/300 = X/4110

X= ~88 times per day in Indiana someone uses a gun to defend themselves.

75% of Indiana's population are adults (18+) and are legally allowed to carry, yet only 287000 of Indiana's 4.75 Million adults have a LTCH (6%).

If you assume that 80% of defensive gun use is at home, 20% of those ~88/day are by people with a LTCH or 17.6 people per day are defended because they are carrying a gun.

If every adult in Indiana carried, that would presumably increase the number of guns used in defense (no shots need to be fired) to 293 times per day. Talk about putting an end to steet crime!!!!

Not to mention that the instances of random rapes would vanish if every rapist knew that every lady he looks at is carrying a gun (most rapes are commited by someone the victim knows).

 

[2ADMNLOVER]

2A rights aside , life experience has taught me it's better to have one .

Watch the news lately ? Bad things happen to good people everyday .

Unless you're willing to do something about when your turn comes , you will have to lay back and try to like it .

The gun I carry means I will not be forced , but I can be reasoned with .

 

[roscott]

I went to college in Maryland for a time, and while I was there, I had someone try to carjack me at gunpoint, and I was accosted by some random guy running around with a gun.

Due to the idiotic carry laws in Maryland, I was unarmed and abiding by the law. Both individuals I have mentioned didn't give a rat's a** about the law, and I could very easily have become another statistic in both situations.

Thankfully, here in Indiana, we are "allowed" to carry. I will fully exercise this right as much as possible, and push for carry to be permitted everywhere.

 

[CSK22]

I am an American citizen, and Im free, so like short sleeve t-shirts I will bare arms.

Also I refuse to let things that happened in my past happen again or happen to my loved ones, or even thoughts I don't love.

 

[Paco Bedejo]

I carry a firearm for the same reason I vote; it's my duty as a responsible citizen of the USA.

 

[Pale Rider]

I give / send them a copy of this

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/carry_issues_and_self_defense/51604-what_those_who_do_not_carry_should_know_about_those_of_us_who_do_carry.html#post561269

 

[AndersonIN]

I found this some time ago I believe on this web site, I forgot to get the name of the person that put it on to give them credit! Sorry! I think it's been paraphrased from a longer version!

I don't carry a gun because:
I'm paranoid, but there are real threats in the world
I'm evil, but there is evil in the world
I hate government, but our government has limitations
I'm angry, but I won't live the rest of my life angry for failing to be prepared
It makes me feel like a man, but everyone should know how to protect themselves and their loved ones
I feel inadequate, but unarmed & facing armed thugs, I am inadequate
I love it, but I love life and the people around me

I don’t want to:
kill people, it’s to keep from being killed
scare people, it’s because the world can be a scary place
shoot people, I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed with my family around me, not on a sidewalk alone

"Police Protection" is an oxymoron. We must protect ourselves. Police do not protect us from crime; they usually investigate after the crime and then call someone to clean up the mess

Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to take a whoopin'

 

[theweakerbrother]

I carry because I love my family and my friends enough to defend them. Most of the community that I hang out with is against guns or apathetic towards them. When I moved back to Columbus a little over a year ago, I reconnected with an old friend from high school who lives on street over. He had a little girl who was just turning one.

I am an almost completely different person, politically speaking, before the move and was anti-gun and pretty liberal when this guy knew me in high school.

After some small talk, he brought up the topic of guns. I told him I carried one and he wondered why someone would carry in a town like ours. Towns like ours, unforuntately, aren't immune to problems. His wife was fearful immediately of my gun accidently going off and killing her baby. I asked her if she would prefer if I stop carrying when I went over to their house and she thought about it for a moment but eventually came to the conclusion that she didn't mind if I carried if she didn't see it and their daughter couldn't get ahold of it.

Fast forward to us going to hang out in downtown Indy a few months later. We have to park at a parking garage a few blocks away from our destination. The exit we took from the parking garage led us into an ally. No one was there but since we're simple folk, everyone's spider sense was tingling. My friend's wife walked a little closer to me and asked me if I was carrying that day. I told her that I was and she said she was glad and that she felt a LOT safer walking through that alleyway exit and around downtown Indy with someone who carried a gun.

I was shocked! They haven't become gunowners and I don't know if they ever will but I certainly think their perspective on who owns guns and WHY has changed.

I've said this in other threads but their daughter knows I carry and that I like guns and she calls me Uncle Boom Boom. Cutest thing ever!

It is hard for me to imagine why a husband would not carry to protect his wife, even if she was adamantly against them. If you love, you should carry.

My two cents.

 

[rambone]

Just look at the news....

There are crimes that are so horrific, I don't know how people don't take self-defense more seriously. Show them this story.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo..._happened-_did_you_hear_about_it_bet_not.html

I am referring to the brutal torture, mutilation and murder of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom by four black men in Knoxville, Tennessee.

​

Channon (age 21) and Christopher (age 23) were out for a Saturday dinner date, after which Channon called her mom to report that they were on the way to visit friends. But Channon and Christopher never arrived at their friends' house -- nor returned home.

The next day, the mutilated and burned remains of Chris Newsom were found along a railroad track. Two days later, Channon's mutilated body was recovered from a trash bin.

Channon and Chris were in Channon's Toyota 4-Runner when they were carjacked. They were taken to a nearby house, brutally gang-raped, mutilated and then murdered. They were subjected to lengthy torture in each other's presence.

Newsom was raped, his genitals were cut off, and then taken to the railroad tracks where he was shot execution-style. The perpetrators soaked his body with an accelerant and burned his body.

Christian was kept alive for a while longer, repeatedly raped, mutilated, had cleaning solution poured down her throat in an attempt to destroy DNA evidence, and then stuffed inside a trash can where she suffocated to death.

​

 

[Dryden]

Someone who believes evil does not exist, is like someone that believes gravity is an illusion.

 

[Scam1789]

How do you justify driving? If you don't, then I shouldn't have to justify carrying...

 

[Chuck26287]

How do you justify driving? If you don't, then I shouldn't have to justify carrying...

Who said you have to justify carrying? Personally, I've already stated that I don't feel anyone has to justify carrying. However, just because I don't have to justify it, doesn't mean there aren't times when I want to justify it to someone. The world is full of anti-gun folks who I'm never going to change. I won't debate with them for the sake of argument. On the other hand, there are probably even more common everyday people I could easily find myself talking to about this subject that when presented with a rational "justification" for private carry, their opinion of it improves. Maybe they'll decide to carry themselves, maybe they won't. But just maybe they will be less intimidated or scared by the ability of others who have chosen to carry. Maybe they will be a little better informed. Maybe the next time they hear about proposed legislation on firearms, they will think about what I said and not just assume the legislation is a good thing because it was proposed by someone who says it's in the interest of public safety.

As for your analogy of not having to justify carrying if you don't have to justify driving... I'm apparently missing something. In fact, neither require any form of justification to obtain the required permit/license, nor to exercise the privileges of that permit/license. In actuality, right now, it's easier to get the LTCH permit than a driver's license. To become a licensed driver you have to take written and practical tests. If one considers testing a form of justification, maybe you do have to justify driving.

 

[Scam1789]

Who said you have to justify carrying? Personally, I've already stated that I don't feel anyone has to justify carrying. However, just because I don't have to justify it, doesn't mean there aren't times when I want to justify it to someone. The world is full of anti-gun folks who I'm never going to change. I won't debate with them for the sake of argument. On the other hand, there are probably even more common everyday people I could easily find myself talking to about this subject that when presented with a rational "justification" for private carry, their opinion of it improves. Maybe they'll decide to carry themselves, maybe they won't. But just maybe they will be less intimidated or scared by the ability of others who have chosen to carry. Maybe they will be a little better informed. Maybe the next time they hear about proposed legislation on firearms, they will think about what I said and not just assume the legislation is a good thing because it was proposed by someone who says it's in the interest of public safety.

As for your analogy of not having to justify carrying if you don't have to justify driving... I'm apparently missing something. In fact, neither require any form of justification to obtain the required permit/license, nor to exercise the privileges of that permit/license. In actuality, right now, it's easier to get the LTCH permit than a driver's license. To become a licensed driver you have to take written and practical tests. If one considers testing a form of justification, maybe you do have to justify driving.

That was actually my point... just more succinct

 

[Walter Zoomie]

...because I can.
...because I want to.

As a side note...I'm getting a huge ration of crap from many members about guns and carrying at a private message board for...get this...US Marines and Navy Corpsman(many of them combat vets)!

I know...I don't get it either. Can anybody here help me understand this?

Basically, I'm called a delusional punk who is compensating for small genitalia by talking about and investing in firearms I will never have any real need for.

I've copied and pasted some of the comments made here...over there.

I'm standing by for a real shellacking there.