Still feel a bit uncomfortable.

[jamil]

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.

 

[PlinKing2392]

I oc'd to kroger, pier 1, and goodwill today. I felt far more comfortable than I did in the beginning. Practice and consistent carry are proving to ease the discomfort. I did get a few looks and only one person would approach me from my right (strong side) side, and that was an employee restocking shelves.

 

[Smokepole]

I've been carrying for years, & still get 'a feeling' when I'm carrying. I defintiely feel different when I'm carrying. What is it? It's knowing that (1.) I have a responsibility now, that is pretty important. That responsibilty is that I have the power to defend myself & my family & take somone's life in exchange for the safety of my family's lives. That is not a little thing. And (2.) It's a feeling of relief that if 6 drunk guys come up & want to mug me or hurt me for any reason, it's not going to happen, and if some crack addict feels I might have the $50.00 he needs for his next high, that's not going to happen either.

This explains it better:

"The Gun Is Civilization"
By Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret)

Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that's it.

In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.

When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force.

The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.

There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a [armed] mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat - it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed.

People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.

Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser.

People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal forcewatch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level.

The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weight lifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable.

When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation... And that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act.

REP TO YA'.

 

[Smokepole]

I've had a LTCH for many years now, and I still feel a little uncomfortable some times. Mainly I'm concerned some looney Brady bunch member will see my gun barrel sticking out or see my "print" and Scream "OMG He has a gun!" Silly I know but maybe I'm just a little paranoid.

Yeah, that'd be my luck. Call in MWAG to the cops.

 

[John Galt]

I felt uncomfortable for a little while when I began to carry a few years ago. Now, I feel naked as hell when I can't (school). I carry a full size .45 in a good IWB and am so used to it that I don't even notice it. As far as what others think, who cares? Whenever I get the "You carry a gun" comment, my favorite reply is "You don't?" i then tell them I view it the same as insurance, pray you never need it but I sure don't want to be without it. Hopefully, by the time you read this, your comfort level is already improving - best of luck!

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

It's just like a fire extinguisher. That's my favorite analogy. Something catches on fire, you want a fire extinguisher. It's too late to run to the store to buy one, you need it now. If someone is threatening you, you need to be able to deal with it now. If I never find myself facing the prospect of shooting someone, that'll be perfectly fine with me. It's serious. It's traumatic. I don't have any hero complex about it. But if I face that, I don't want to face it with less than the right tool for the job. Realize you're doing the right thing with regard to your philosophy. Be comfortable with that. If your understanding evolves, just adapt, but don't anticipate things you can't foresee. Be comfortable to the best of your understanding now. That's all you can do.

 

[Rey B]

Not to be a wet blanket guys but the correct person to credit for "The Gun Is Civilization" is Marko Kloos aka the munchkin wrangler. As for the OP I know what you mean about feeling a bit strange but this too shall pass.

 

[Tandor]

I've CC for the better part of 15 years. Was a little un-nerveing at first but like any tool, train yourself, shoot more, take classes. But my awareness level does go up when I carry.

 

[mrortega]

I've been OCing almost everywhere the last month because of what happened to TF at the zoo in E'ville. It was weird at first but the biggest thing I've noticed is that the vast majority of people are so asleep to their surroundings that they wouldn't notice if you walked around with an axe imbedded in your forehead! I've seen eyes go to my gun but I haven't had one comment yet.

 

[45calibre]

you'll get used to it.

if its physically uncomfortable then you need a better holster i recommend an MTAC. since its just a pf-9 weight isnt an issue otherwise you would need a good thick belt also.