How do you justify carrying?

[U.S. Patriot]

OK... for those who just got all worked up over the title, calm down. I firmly believe no one has to "justify" carrying to anyone. What I'm asking is how do you answer the question "why do you feel you need to carry a weapon?" when asked by someone who doesn't have any desire to carry a handgun? Or... "have you ever really been in a situation where you would have pulled a handgun if you'd had it?".

I'm not neccesarily talking about the full-blown anti that wants to debate, but the person who you respect, and they respect you, but they don't understand why you would want to carry a handgun.

Because it's a constitutional right. That, and I have the right to defend myself, my family, my friends, my country, and the innocent. This country is not getting any safer, and I'm not going to intentionaly be a victom.

 

[theweakerbrother]

I never thought about owning/carrying a gun....Until I had my daughter. End of story!

Or the beginning of one!

 

[Mkidwe01]

I am a the sole gun owner at the place I work and many of the people I work with have never even held a gun. I get asked all the time why I feel the need to carry a weapon that has the can easily kill someone. My asnwer to them is the bad guys would think twice about blowing away an unarmed man, but when push comes to shove but bad guys are cowards and will run the other way when presented with my .40. I never want to be in a situation where my family's life is in harms way and I cant save them.

 

[chachi73]

i reply, i bet the guy on the news last night wished he had been carrying

 

[jboritzki]

I point out that I will be wearing glasses for the rest of my life because a crack head put a baseball bat through the window of my truck without warning, causing the glass to slice the lenses of my eyes and cause them to be misshaped. IF something like that ever happens again and I can't get away I will at least have the option of defending myself. Most people understand that.

 

[88E30M50]

... because I don't want to live in a society where only the criminals are armed.

 

[g+16]

I don't feel that I have to justifiy myself to anyone, I carry to protect myself, my wife, and my home.

 

[Cat-Herder]

I carry for the same reason I have a set of jumper cables in my car, and a multi-tool in the glove-box.

 

[Beau]

I carry for the same reason I have a set of jumper cables in my car, and a multi-tool in the glove-box.

I could see using it to remove a stuborn cable but how do you use it to charge your battery?

 

[kcw12]

I normally say cause i want too.

 

[kcw12]

I could see using it to remove a stuborn cable but how do you use it to charge your battery?

Duh man, you set it on one post on bat and on post on the other bat!!!!! Haven't you ever done that???

 

[Drbrok]

I'd rather be safe than sorry. I hope I never need to use it, but if I do, I can.

 

[wizard]

Because I don't know if the guy in the car next to me or the guy in line at the ATM or the guy at my door or the drug nut in line at Mac's is Charlie Brown or Charlie Manson !

 

[teknickle]

I occasionally use a flippant remark, such as "because I can't carry a cop" or "when seconds count the police are only minutes away.

But usually I compare carrying to insurance, or fire extinguishers/ smoke detectors, first aid kits. All things that the majority of people have and hope to never use.

Here's another snide answer:
"Do you know how exhausting it is have to beat [a criminal] to death"

 

[Cat-Herder]

I could see using it to remove a stuborn cable but how do you use it to charge your battery?

I use two Buntline Specials terminal to terminal, what else?

 

[jacobswell]

Because I can't rely on anyone else to protect my family in a time of need.

 

[Comp]

In response to the OP's question : Meth heads scare me. Meth seems to be widely abused in Indiana. I remember once hearing on the news that 4 out of 5 people in walmart at 3am are methhead. Those stats just scare me.

 

[goColt]

Answer by asking them if they have a fire extinguisher. Or smoke detectors. Or a home/car insurance.

I carry just in case I need to save my life or the lives of my family/friends or to protect my property. The same reason I have the above mentioned items.

I prefer not to answer with things like "Because it's my Right!!" Although I believe it certainly is our Right. This often gets dismissed by a lot of people as an answer a "crazy gun owner/militia member" would give.

One other thing I've run into is, "Why don't you carry Mace/pepper-spray instead of a gun?" One answer that I like to give is, "Because that'd be like a lion urinating on a threat to his pride." It may not be the most sophisticated response but it gets the point across.

 

[Chuck26287]

In response to the OP's question : Meth heads scare me. Meth seems to be widely abused in Indiana. I remember once hearing on the news that 4 out of 5 people in walmart at 3am are methhead. Those stats just scare me.

Do you have any idea where one could find those formal statistics, or maybe what news station you heard that from and about when? I don't doubt you, but would like to read a little more about these types of Indiana statistics. You are right... that's scary as I don't know what.

 

[Chuck26287]

I prefer not to answer with things like "Because it's my Right!!" Although I believe it certainly is our Right. This often gets dismissed by a lot of people as an answer a "crazy gun owner/militia member" would give.

I agree wholeheartedly. On both counts... 1) The fact that it IS my right and that is all the justification that's really required and 2) Most persons who have no real thought-out opinion on carry don't take that answer as a thought-out reason, and you start to fall into the "gun fanatic" category. I think most people see the "right" as a reason given by the constitution... but are much more interested in your personal reason to carry. Almost like they are saying "I have that right too, and it didn't persuade me... what persuaded you?"

Remember, I admit none of us is required to justify a decision to carry. But, there are person out there whom I truly hope I could justify it to, because I do value there opinion, and I hope they would value mine. While I am not attempting to convince them they should carry, the conversation just might improve their opinion of personal carry in general, and I see that as a good thing.