A Hearty THANK YOU for Carrying!

[acmariner99]

I think along the same lines. I have gotten similar, altho probably not quite as strongly worded comments.

I have started making my first response to "why do you carry a gun?" Be "because I am responsible for MY own safety". If the conversation doesn't start that way, I do my best to work it in asap. Rarely left unsaid is, YOU are responsible for your own safety. You can see the light come on, if that was their original line of reasoning.

I hate the term "sheepdog". It is not me. I'm gonna look something more like an armed retreat to cover. After that, I may choose to get involved but I certainly see no requirement for me to do so.

Oh yeah, our news is on at 10 pm here!

I echo these sentiments as well. I do not carry to protect others. I carry to protect me and mine. If by my actions someone else is 'protected,' then yay. I do not have any combat training, I am not a soldier or a police officer. I am not a hero (and have no desire to be one) and I am not a vigilante. All I know is how to put a shot on target if me, myself, and I come under attack. I have a family to get home to every night and I am going to make darned sure that happens. If I get home, I've won. If someone else dies due to my 'inaction,' it will certainly be tragic, but it won't be my fault.

 

[TigerEYE]

I echo these sentiments as well. I do not carry to protect others. I carry to protect me and mine. If by my actions someone else is 'protected,' then yay. I do not have any combat training, I am not a soldier or a police officer. I am not a hero (and have no desire to be one) and I am not a vigilante. All I know is how to put a shot on target if me, myself, and I come under attack. I have a family to get home to every night and I am going to make darned sure that happens. If I get home, I've won. If someone else dies due to my 'inaction,' it will certainly be tragic, but it won't be my fault.

Very well said, clear and precise. I agree with these terms because I too have a wife and a child who needs me.

 

[cloudcroft]

I have ZERO sympathy or concern for what happens to people who do not carry (for whatever reason) even though they legally COULD carry if they chose to. Let them own the consequences of their choice.

Additionally, I'd not AT ALL come to the aid of a known (for sure) anti-gun/won't-carry person/people if I knew that fact in advance: After all, I wouldn't want to offend them by MY gun being on the scene, too. ;-)


"I agree with these terms [posted by acmariner99] because I too have a wife and a child who needs me." -- TigerEYE

In my case, I have no one who "needs me" so am very likely to "get involved" -- there'd be no "inaction" on my part. That's just me though, as it's my nature to "get involved" in such things. And I don't care if I survive the incident or not.

"Have gun, will travel." -- Paladin


P.S. I've had no one (yet?) thank me for carrying (as I did up in Colorado Springs on occasion) here in El Paso, TX...maybe because I seem to be the ONLY one here in this huge city who is OCing anyway! So no one knows what to make of it I guess.

But I HAVE had a few conversations about it...and that's one of the 2 major reasons I OC: Doing some "D&E" out there on the streets while out & about in this backwater metropolis. ;-)

The "equation" I use is "D + E = N"

Desensitizing + Educating = Normalizing

 

[HPmatt]

On 25 post threads - I skip to the bottom to get the beginning - had a moment of happiness then sadness seeing posters from 2 years ago...
Want to say I do remember this thread when it was new and it did bring front & center issues t/b considered of why I OC - at the time due to
archaic unConstitutional restrictions here in Texas - it was refreshing to OC when visiting Old Dominion.
Certainly not interested in being a policeman or a hero - just happy to be able to protect lives & health of my family.

 

[cloudcroft]

...at the time due to archaic unConstitutional restrictions here in Texas...

I hope TX -- which took 2 steps forward then 1 backwards -- can get OC to be "free" (meaning no permit required, like almost all the states surrounding TX are, except OK, which IIRC, also requires a permit to OC).

That's one thing I miss about living in CO for 3 years: OCing without a permit, which is good because I could at least CARRY while I went through the CC permitting process (however long it took)...so I was never unarmed (firearm-wise).

When I recently returned to TX, I had to be unarmed for 3 months (except for an EDC knife) while waiting.

Anything can happen in 3 months... ;-)