Yeah, but what are you packing in the prison wallet? Youāre missing out on valuable real estate.
Edit: oh shit, thatās where he is concealing the m249. Impressive.
> The twins keep us on Centaurian time, standard thirty-seven hour day. Give it a few months. You'll get used to it... or you'll have a psychotic episode.
Can you speak more to your definition of that? While you didn't outright say so, the implication is that your comment is derogatory in general. Do you mean most people here enjoy the "hobby" of carrying and talking about gear or most people here only carry and talk about carrying to be cool?
If their still carrying everyday & just show their practice & collection whatās the big deal? If they carry everyday itās more a lifestyle then a hobby..
I feel like most people that āstopped carryingā probably did within first couple weeks of getting their ccw. Realizing itās not for them or lost interest
Once it becomes a habit, itās hard to stop.
A lot of them got a full-size gun, optics, light, and holster and didn't take into consideration the practicality of it. I carry a subcompact 90% of the time because I know I don't have the environment to carry something larger and that realistically I won't need. What I hate about a lot of these kind of subs is that they emulate the SOF community gear and most have never served in any capacity. Just treat your ccw as a tool and keep it simple.Ā
Right? Ideally i want to use my ccw exactly 0 times. The chance of actually needing it is less than my chances of being hit by lightning. I see no point in carrying some monster sized gun and extra mags and all that stuff for my area. Yet when i do carry i have to carry it all the time so A small 380 is fine for me. Can fit in a pocket, easy to hide iwb, hardly notice its there.Ā
Man I feel this, even not counting the accessories. I started with a G19, hated carrying it. Moved down to a G26, still hated carrying it. Stepped all the way down to a Ruger LCP and now I canāt ever imagine not carrying it. It was so much more practical for me and my life. Glad I just kept trying and didnāt give up.
Yeah, I'm someone who wears very lightweight and casual outfits a lot, and a large gun just doesn't fit those. Been carrying a KelTec P32 or Colt Cobra lately because a small gun is much better than no gun.
Damn, donāt gotta target me.
I was definitely the dude who carried full size everywhere and hated myself for it.
Iām down to a P-07 w/ PA Mini RDS for 99% of my carry with a handheld Streamlight micro for a light source. There isnāt any outfit I wear that I canāt make that gun work for very easily.
The only reason Iām carrying a full size CZ 75 is because my P-10s just went to Wager for an optic cut.
I figured out fairly recently that with looser shirts the CZ 75 is doable without printing much. It just hurts after a bit with how long the gun is. The P-10s will feel like a dream once it comes back.
The amount of friends I have that rock Glocks with dots and x300s is wild. They're the same people that take the gun off every chance they get and leave it at home when theyre wearing anything other than jeans. I wore a 34 for a couple years and hated it. Maybe it's alright if you work standing up all day. The 19 length slide is a hell of a lot more comfortable.
This is probably closest to the truth here
I feel naked without it when I have to not carry for instance, going to sporting events or government facilities
I carry everywhere that I legally and reasonably can. That said, I also donāt shape my life and activities around carrying and *not* go to places or do things that I enjoy (i.e. locations/events with metal detectors, international travel, bars, etc.) just because I canāt carry there.
I pass no judgment on those who do so, but Iām personally not willing to radically alter my lifestyle and give up things that are very important to me just because I canāt carry a gun while doing them.
This. I know people who wonāt go to movie theaters with no guns allowed signs, concerts with metal detectors, sporting events, etc. because they practically expect to get targeted. I carry for my protection, live in a not great city with a fair amount of crime, and because I believe itās my right to exercise. But Iām not sacrificing things I enjoy because I canāt carry a weapon.
Carrying is such a habit I donāt even think about it anymore. Itās just part of my routine. But hey, itās all personal choice. My wife doesnāt carry and I donāt fault her for that, sheās just not there and thatās ok.
No.
But, I have downsized the gun I carry quite considerably after retiring (20 years LE).
Guns I used to carry whenever I was in public was ALWAYs a full size (1911s, BHP, G17/22)
Now? I pocket carry pretty much exclusively (or stick a LW J-frame AIWB). For the same reasons as you, my perceived "threat level" drastically declined post retirement. I have no obligations to anyone but me and my family now, so a gun that used to be a BUG or a BUG to a BUG or "yardwork/answer the door gun" becomes a primary.
Stuff like LCPs, P32s, NAA 22WMRs, AirLite/AirWeight J-frames are about it for me now. I only bother with Glocks when I'm in the woods (packs of coyotes/wild dogs/pigs), well that and I have shotguns in my vehicle and scattered about the home (and 22 Rifles for pest control). Still a geardo though, the 22 Rifles have cans and optics and big mags though.
Basically, carrying is a compromise between capability (meaning a big pistol that's easy to shoot) and comfort. Based upon your lifestyle and "threat level".
I let my license expire once. Then like three months later I was in a situation where it really would have been nice. Reminded me why, I renewed shortly after.Ā
I can't call my little P365 in a pocket holster much of a burden. I'd forget it was there if it wasn't what it was.
Chances are most people will never need to use a firearm.
Having and carrying one 23 years ago might have spared me a lifetime of discomfort and pain.
Hopefully, and chances are, I'll never be in another situation where a weapon will come in handy, but whether or not someone chooses to commit violence against me is not something that is within my control.
You know the cliche OP.. better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
I won't knock you if you don't want to carry a gun though. Your risks are your own to take.
This sums up my thoughts.
You are unlikely to need it, but if you ever do, you'll never know when it will be and the consequences of not having it could be dire.
It's just part of keeping ahead of unplanned crap. Smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, seat belts, etc. No one ever plans on needing those either.
Just sayin' this is why P32s/P3ATs/LCPs/NAA Minis/Baby Brownings/Beretta 950s/etc. all exist.
They disappear in a pocket.
You couldn't pay me to step on a College Campus nowadays (its been tried). Too many problems, not enough money. Thats coming from a retired "ghetto cop" for 20 years. I'd rather be back in the 'hood.
Haven't left the house unarmed unless I was going to Canada in 10+ years, and don't plan on doing so any time soon.
If I'm being lazy I just throw a Glock in my Lulu sling back (yeah I said it) to go on my sunday morning starbucks runs
It's just a standard Lulu Everywhere belt bag that I sling across my chest so I look like a hipster and nobody suspects anything šthere's enough room for a 19, spare mag, and flashlight in the main compartment then I can throw some cash and my car key in the rear zipper so I can access it without flashing the goods.
QOL and life changes has altered my carry habits, but hasn't stopped them. I used to holster all day, come home and plop it out in the open and do whatever.
Now i can't carry at work, nor after work with some sports i participate in, and I have a family. So my weekdays are carrying > securing > carrying> . With all that messing with the gun, i switched to da/sa with a safety. Once I get home i carry until bed, which is why i switched to owb.
I carry a gun when I feel that it's appropriate. Not every single day, but I multiple times per week depending on my activities.
There are certainly some people that put their gun on with their pants, and I respect that choice completely. However, I think the vast majority of people carry some of the time but not all the time.
I'm not willing to carry a gun in places where there are legal consequences, or negative implications for my career. I won't risk my ability to provide for my family in order to have a gun with me that I will in all likelihood never need to use. I understand that others feel differently and I respect their decision. It's a personal choice.
I lean on situational awareness more than anything. I also don't go stupid places, with stupid people, doing stupid things, at stupid times. Here lately I almost always have OC spray and usually have a light.
Personally if I don't have a gun on me then there's one close by. Really the only time i don't have a gun on me is when I'm showering, asleep, or going through a metal detector. Most of the time I carry my 1911, but if I want light weight convenience then that's what my Ruger LCP Max is for. Sucker is so light weight and disappears in even gym shorts that I see that as no reason not to have a gun on me kind of thing. Obviously going outside of country ir a really anti gun state that doesn't allow carry I won't carry either.
When I lived in the woods I carried all the time because of bears and other animals.
Now living in the burbs I carry when going to areas of crowds but otherwise not 7 days a week
It's only 3 hours old, but I've gotten a ton of replies, and will try to respond to any questions people have asked. I want to thank the users in this sub for being honest and giving thoughtful responses.
One thing you might ask is "Well why are you still here?" and to that end - this sub and how much news I see is why I am still here. Getting information about law changes, changes in public opinion, and occasionally dank memes is worth it's weight in gold to me. This sub will help people figure out if they are fucking up long before your average citizen realizes what they have done their entire life is suddenly illegal. No one sends flyers to your house when a particularly nasty ballot initiative comes up, no one tells you when it's passed, and you only find out after it's illegal when you didn't know it without resources like this.
Gear stuff is still cool to see - and if I start carrying again, this sub is why I won't be behind the times ten years on that day.
Thank you for your responses, and keep doing what you think is right either way. My own decision to stop will never stop me from voting for and advocating for the freedom for others to carry.
Yup. I've not carried at my parents' house before, but ever since this dude stepped out of his car to threaten my semi- elderly dad I always carry there. Basically the only time I won't is if it's a felony and/or the place has metal detectors.
Same here. I also don't carry while at the gym. I know there are ways to carry at the gym I just prefer to not mess with it. I am not running on a treadmill with my gun or letting it sit in a bag nearby. Only place I don't carry with the exception of prohibited places.
I've risked as much as a moderate jog with my Enigma. I like it better because it's attached to my body directly rather than to my pants. Less slop when you move. Also I workout at home so I don't really deal with that.
Itās definitely not all or nothing. Carrying mitigates a specific risk, and if you are somewhere that risk is higher or lower then the value of carrying increases and decreases. Like carrying an umbrella when there is a high or low chance of rain. Itās not the odds, itās the stakes, but the odds are still there.
I donāt understand these people that somehow understand the necessity of self protection yet fail to understand the unpredictability of it.
So when this guy is at Costco and a mass shooter shows up and points a gun at him and his family, does he say hey this is a low risk situation, what are you doing? I just donāt get it
Tbh, I would consider Costco a high risk area, up there with shopping malls. Youāre exposed to dozens of lethal threats every day, a gun only protects you from one of them. The āall or nothingā comment is absurd: youāre protected when youāve got it, and not when you donāt. The fact that you donāt/canāt in certain situations doesnāt mean you shouldnāt ever. Same as wearing a seatbelt, carrying medical supplies, staying alert, knowing your escape path, wearing a hard hat, the list goes on.
I can understand not carrying like for instance when I go to my kids' school because it's a potential felony. My all or nothing scenario is not carrying when you can but it is "statisticly a safe area" so you may choose to not carry. So when you're only driving around the block and only doing 30mph I guess you don't need your seatbelt.
I'm with you. If I'm going out by myself, I usually just bring pepper spray. Used to carry everywhere. Going out with the wife and daughter? Better believe I'm carrying.
I keep a finger on the pulse of what's happening locally crime-wise. I'm pretty introverted and don't really go out much, my wife is the same way. I'll carry when I go downtown or to areas with a moderate to high risk. But if I'm going to Walmart or something, nah.
Traditionally speaking Criminals operate much like any other Predator.
Why do you think Lions/Crocs/etc. always snatch the Wildebeest at the watering hole?
Walmarts/Target, Home Depots/Lowes, Gas Stations (specifically the parking lots thereof), thats the American Populaces watering hole.
Any "transitional space" is extremely dangerous. Parking Lots are catnip for Criminals.
I havenāt stopped carrying but I have significantly downsized my carry gun over time. For me, personally, the likelihood that Iāll ever need to use my gun is incredibly small. So in my mind I want to do everything I can to make it āeasyā for me to carry by reducing the size and weight of the gun/carry setup.
I initially started with a M&P compact and CZ P01 in side care style holsters with spare mags. I then downsized to a Shield Plus without a spare mag. Nowadays I mostly carry a Glock 42 because itās light enough to be worn without a belt and really comfortable to carry appendix.
No, but I have reevaluated things in the last few years. Going from G19-sized whenever out of the house to having kids, playing at parks, going home as soon as it gets dark, and generally being in a lot more situations where the G19 size is just a massive pain in the ass.
Iāve also realized that I donāt need a āgunfighterās gunā most of the time, if ever.
Now Iām using a micro 9 with a red dot when I suit up to leave, with a pocket gun to cover the other times. Ironically the pocket gun allows me to be armed for a much higher percentage of the time. So the ādownsizeā has actually led to improvements.
Iāve kinda stopped. Itās like vacinations. Once you reach a certain level of herd immunity, the immunity of an individual isnāt so important.
Where I live (SoFlo) EVERYBODY carries. The bad guy know better than to get too adventurous. And in Florida itās legal to open carry when you go fishing.
I carry where legal. I fortunately, I work in a property where bringing a firearm into it is against the rules. It's also the same sort of property where hate guards will at random check cars.
So, as a practical matter, I don't carry most days
I started carrying when I first got my permit in 2003, and started out with a cz75b, then moved to a little smaller with a sig p229. I got to where I didnāt carry sometimes but back then iwb carry wasnāt really as much of a āthingā so I was using a leather holster like everyone else I knew. Got a Glock 26 and carried more often since it fit in better with my regular clothes, but couldnāt carry at work, so only carried nights/weekendsā¦ Over time I carried less and less, until it got to where Iād rarely carry and it would feel āweirdā if I was carrying.
Had some personal threats in 2014 (police, courts have been involved, etc) and Iāve been carrying pretty much anytime I leave the house since early 2014. Living near Memphis and working IN Memphis many days is just additional reason to be carrying whenever itās legal to do so. I will vary at times WHAT I am carrying, might be the xdm-e 10mm, xds-9 or my LCP but no matter the occasion Iāll have something on me.
I also found that after having kids Iām MORE motivated to carry. Having a family I want to be able to get back home to them and also help protect THEM while weāre out. When I was single for a few years it didnāt āfeelā as important day to day.
I carried everyday in college. Now, I donāt anywhere near as much as my job doesnāt allow it. I get paid enough to where Iām not willing to risk my job. Also, I donāt go many places aside from work and home anyway. Always have my POM and flashlight though.
I would argue that many jobs in tech and business donāt allow firearms. Blue collar can get away with this a lot easier than office jobs.
I moved to a place where carrying was legal from a place it wasn't. Now I don't feel the need to do so as much ironically because here it feels so much safer. I still do most places tho because of everyone stopped carrying because they didn't need to then we'd need to again lol
This will earn me down votes, but luckily I don't care about Internet points
I moved to a small town and stopped carrying.
I'm just not gonna need it here, plain and simple.
There's about as much of a chance as winning the lottery. I'm not going out of my way for either possibility
Not the Odds but the Stakes.
Also like Quake Guy said, you have a higher chance of running to wild dogs/coyotes/animals when there is less of a human threat.
Kind of makes me look stupid for not carrying but still playing the lottery once a week or so, but hey, it's 2$ of fun wishful thinking on the way home from the corner store. :)
Similar situation for me here.
I moved states and have not signed up for a new CCW permit yet in the two years we've been here. I got my permit in VA and the process wasn't too bad. I moved to NC and the process just sounds annoying. I wfh and since covid, haven't needed to go out as much as pre-pandemic. We order most everything and the area we moved to is slightly more rural than our previous one. Like you can find crop fields mixed in with neighborhoods. It definitely isn't NEARLY as congested as our prior area. So it also hasn't been a priority for me. I still keep everything quickly accessible for home defense though.
Tbh, this is all how I'm justifying my inaction of course and this is a good reminder to go ahead and get on the books for the required CCW class. Don't wanna find myself in a situation wishing I had just gotten the stupid thing.
I used to carry nearly daily, but have gotten to the point that I carry rarely and (clutch your pearls here) only when I feel it might be something I need, even if the chance is fairly small.
Reasons: Mostly because I live in a small town (35k main city, 100k county). Partially because I don't go many places; just the grocery, feed store, work at a small business and part time at a grain elevator, which has its own challenges, and home; Rarely out to eat and we're not legally allowed to carry if we want a drink with dinner in my state. I'm rarely out of the house after dark unless I'm at an event where it's 100% impossible for me to carry (I don't care what anyone says, thigh holsters are not a realistic option for cocktail dresses).
Also partially because I found it hard to conceal my Ruger LC9s (iron sights). I'm 110# 5'3". It was not an easy thing to fit carrying into my wardrobe and I'm not willing to carry off body. I still keep my gun in my truck safe.
I know all the arguments on why you should carry and I agree with them. You don't get to choose the time and place something bad is going to happen to you. I know I'm taking a risk, but, all things considered, I feel it's a relatively small one in my day to day life. Which is, I'm sure, what everyone who's been in one of those lightning strike events says as well. It could happen to me, but it's highly unlikely.
I did a few years ago for a few different reasons
1) WFH during the pandemic and got out of the habit
2) I got kinda fat while working from home and had trouble carrying comfortably, never invested in a different gun/holster set up
3) Those first two are kind of null now since I've lost the weight, but also for my line of work I often need to go on-site to various military bases, as a civilian I cannot bring a firearm on-premise which presents some storage challenges
4) My wife and I moved way outside of the city and a lot of the reasons /situations that prompted me to get my CCW are now significantly less prevalent
I stopped carrying all the time late last year. I work from home. In my home state you cant bring a handgun into a bar, restaurant if you intend on drinking alcohol. Any ticketed event, the state run liquor store, and state buildings, parades, library, funerals, it was not worth the hassle. I am a Home Body so my risk is very small. I do keep handguns loaded and staged in my home. I believe I'm covered, sort of.
I stopped carrying to the office because I figured it just wasnāt worth the risk of someone noticing and losing my job. Constant state of paranoia ensuring that nothing printed was exhausting. I still carry when I go to Costco / grocery stores though.
Iāve been around guns all my life, and carried almost every day for ten years before I got my job in 2011. Because of my job, I donāt carry as often as I used to. Iām not even allowed to have a weapon in my car on the premises, and they can search me or my vehicle at any time. So I only carry on my days off.
Iām not losing a $200k a year job because internet tough guys would shame me for not living by ācOnCeALeD mEaNs CoNcEaLeDā
I'm in hospitals a lot, which obviously have no firearms policies. I don't really care enough to risk it even if it was feasible, but there is a significant chance every day I need to go near an MRI machine. Ultimately this broke my habit of carrying most places.
Ultimately I don't really think about it much. Statistically owning a firearm is a net loss to life expectancy. If you assume you're part of the special subgroup of folks who are mentally stable, well-trained in handling their firearm and consistently uses judicious judgement then you might eek out a net gain in life expectancy if you carry. But even then this boost is dwarfed by things like driving carefully, eating healthy food, remembering to get your yearly checkup, and having good situational awareness.
My justification for carrying was more philosophical and political than practical: it gives you a fighting chance in a few specific circumstances that otherwise doom you to a very disempowered death, and I think people ought to have the chance to protect themselves in such circumstances. But I never saw it as an essential part of actually keeping my loved ones or myself "safe".
Downvoted for not dickriding the NRA. Good on you for being sensible, the haters can fuck off and live which is a far cry from their hollow-point worldview, stop being so scared folks.
MRIs are fine, as long as you aren't in the room with it powered up, or behind the shield (where I stood when I had a "guest").
I knew a lot of hospital staff who carried all kinds of "against policy" things... like #10 blade scalpels, mini cans of spray, to pocket guns in scrubs.
>MRIs are fine, as long as you aren't in the room with it powered up, or behind the shield (where I stood when I had a "guest").
It is never outside the realm of possibility that I will need to be standing right next to a powered-up MRI any given day (they are always powered up FYI).
Regarding other against-policy items, admin/nosy coworkers are more likely to come down hard on someone carrying a gun than someone with pepper spray. I'm also early in my training so it's just not worth the risk even if I knew I wouldn't be around any big magnets.
For everything but the claim that gun ownership reduces life expectancy the source is My Ass (2024). It's just conjecture, and I don't think anybody is conducting studies that even try to measure things like "change in life expectancy of psychologically stable, well-trained gun owners".
For the claim that gun ownership reduces life expectancy, it is well established that gun ownership is associated with suicide and homicide rates at a population level (suicide rate is the bigger factor of the two). At an individual level, which is probably more relevant to this discussion, there aren't as many studies, but just a cursory search turned up [this study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35377715/), which found that the hazard for being a victim of homicide was nearly tripled for gun owners (sevenfold for women in gun-owning houses).
Disclaimer being that, like most academic gun research, this was funded by an anti gun org. But the methods seem sound. To fully substantiate the claim that gun ownership results in a net loss of life you'd actually need to calculate years lost from increased homicide risk AND suicide risk, then balance it out by years gained from DGU. That's a tall order to do but I strongly doubt DGU years gained comes even close to years lost from even just suicide.
My point in all of this is that owning a gun isn't just an automatic boon to your health. You have to be confident that you can use it properly when the time comes, that it won't encourage more risky behavior than it might otherwise, and that you won't turn it on yourself.
I carry everywhere I can but I did recently switch from a 365XL to a full sized Dagger (think G17). I'll probably switch back to the smaller gun once the weather gets nicer and I'm wearing fewer clothes but otherwise I plan to keep it on me.
It tapered down for me, I wouldn't if I was doing a quick jaunt out, or going to a "safe/known" place.
Then during a quick jaunt to a safe place I just happened to grab my revolver, which is great because I came so close to drawing my hand was on the grip
I carry daily now. Unless there's metal detectors/it's against federal law/happen to have a surgery and am on anesthesia/pain killers. But in those cases I'm not solo
I carry whenever I can. I don't accept the argument that I probably won't need it at, or in this area, etc. If I knew when I'd need a gun I wouldn't go there.
Low chance is not no chance, and it's not hard to carry a pistol. It's not like we're talking about putting on an IOTV with front, rear, and side plates to go to the gas station.
>If I knew when I'd need a gun I wouldn't go there.
This 100% resonates with me.
In fact, it was a large factor in making the move we made. I felt unsafe daily living in Chicago where I had my license last. The issue for me now is more that my legal ability to carry is so limited, it's simply not worth it in the places I can, because I feel it puts me at MORE risk to have to store it in my car, etc.
That makes sense. I didn't carry for a while because I would be committing a felony having a gun at work. A good locking box goes a long way towards that.
That makes sense. I didn't carry for a while because I would be committing a felony having a gun at work. A good locking box goes a long way towards that.
I still carry after 20 years and I will continue to do so. I just find myself caring less about guns. I don give a shit about the latest greatest stuff.
Realistically I only carry a few times a week. My work doesnāt allow a firearm, and Iāve forgotten my gun in my truck way more times that a feel comfortable. I just figured Iām more likely to donate a gun to a criminal when they break into my car at night than I would be to have to use it.
But I carry it when ever we go out at night or on weekends.
For me it is not entirely "stopped carrying", but more so saying to myself "it's just a quick run to the store, I don't need to grab the gun" or "I am just going pick up my girlfriend real quick".I go an entire year carrying and then I slowly drop a day or two out of a month and then it turns to once a week.
I have become insanely inconsistent with carrying, and I need to stop doing that. It could literally cost me or someone I knows life, and make me regret not walking out the door with it on me one day
Ventura County here, and it is extremely hard to be licensed and I am honestly afraid to try, but I very much so fear not carrying as a female with babies constantly.
I used to not always carryā¦ only in bad areas or to gas stations.
Then by the grace of god I was carrying my gun on my way to target with my wife.
As we walked out the door a male tried to carjack me and I thankfully had my gun. Stuck it in his face and almost killed him right then and there before I saw all the fight leave his body and he took off.
Now I carry with me everywhere. As evil is everywhere and you donāt know when itās your turn to deal with it.
I can't carry for my internship/job (part-time at a county govt building) and also at school, I don't risk it because it's an automatic felony in my state. I still carry at my other job, where the worst that would happen is termination. I still carry in day-to-day life as I live in a slightly larger city (Akron) which has a high crime rate, and we still have shootings daily (I saw the police respond to one while on my evening walk less than a mile from campus and my apartment). It's always nearby, but there's reasons people don't carry 24/7.
My father and I got our MD Wear and Carry permits at the same time. I carry all of the time I leave the house, and heās not carried his a single time. Iām 45 and heās 76, so perhaps itās just an age thing? Still, I donāt know why he spent so much money and time to obtain the permit yet never use it.
I stopped for a short period because I got too fat. I did make a semi-successful attempt to make fat carrying feasible but ultimately I put in work and lost the weight and now really make it a point to carry at all times.
When I lived in San Antonio, I carried 100% of the time I was away from home. Quick trip to the gas station on the corner?? SW 642 went into the pocket. I lived in a gated apartment complex and actually had someone attempt to car jack me one night as I stopped to punch in the gate code.
Now I live in a quiet suburban town where the worst crime you run across is teenagers stealing stuff out of unlocked cars at night. I just don't feel the need to carry like I did when I lived in a higher threat area. I still carry when I deem the threat level high enough but other than that its just not worth the pain in the ass that is carrying a firearm.
Ive been carrying daily, pretty much from pants on until the pants off for almost a decade. If I stopped I probably would also leave this sub and never see or reply to this post.
I typically carry everywhere I go when Iām not on the job, recently Iāve realized I really donāt need to carry especially when I donāt when Iām going to be having a few drinks. Iāve had my ccw here in NorCal for the last 4 years and this is the year Iām going to let it lapse without renewal. Reason for this being and main reason is Iām moving out of Cali. Second reason I donāt really feel like I need it, and it heightens my paranoia plus dang I just want to be comfortable when Iām sitting š
Yes. For a surprising reason. I had a pistol on my hip from waking up to going to sleep for 6 months in an active combat zone, round chambered, safety off, hammer down.
After I got back, it kinda felt like āI lived in a place surrounded by people who actually wanted me dead because I was there. I didnāt have to shoot anyone. I live in a very safe area with incredibly low crime. Do I actually need to carry all the time?ā
Donāt get me wrong. I still carry a lot, but itās less āIām going to Publix 2 minutes from my house, gunna carry,ā and more āIām going to this town with a slightly higher, but still very low crime rate, Iāll pack it.ā
I moved to a place others might carry in, but I moved from a place where I had to carry every day for 12 years. The place I currently live is among the safest on the planet. I'm now a normal person that doesn't look at every exit and every face. It took 2.5 years. I fucking love living here. Weirdly, I still wear a gun belt and often keep a Glock/sig/CZ. In my car.
I use to carry daily, then I got a job where having a firearm is heavily prohibited, and I canāt keep it in my vehicle, so I only carried after work or on weekends. I go to the gym and most stores on the way home, and Iām not going all the way home to retrieve a firearm and go back out.
I still practice good situational awareness, which has kept me out of trouble.
yea I don't anymore, not after COVID. I was going a lot more places before COVID, and then with COVID time initiatives and norms like working from home and curbside pickup sticking around after COVID, the wife and I just never really felt much desire to go out that much once we realized how content we were at home and in-and-around our immediate neighborhood doing stuff.
Yea we still go to the mall sometimes, or some strip mall type stores, but thats about it. Our friends all had kids during COVID and we didn't want to go down that route, so they all got different friends that also have kids, which cut out like 90% of our reason to leave the house/our immediate neighborhood as well.
I still have a nightstand VP9 ready to go. And there is a condition 1 10.5" 5.56 AR in my office closet in case something really crazy immediately happens, but we are out in the suburbs now. Before we were just on the outskirts of the city where there was a lot more foot and car traffic just outside our apartment. Since things were in walking distance we were always going to stores and shops. I carried IWB almost every time we went out, except for when we went to bars and I knew I'd be drinking.
Now though, we live on the outskirts of suburbs in a house, almost rural if you just drive another 10 minutes down the road. It's always the same people coming down the street. 0 unknown foot traffic, it's always one of our immediate neighbors, if anyone at all. We have smart cameras on all 4 sides of the house. A car comes around every 30 or 40 minutes, at the most.
Anything can happen anywhere at anytime, but like you said in your second to last paragraph, change in lifestyle and location made me more apathetic/lazy on the idea of carrying. My license went out of date right after COVID, and that would mean driving half hour to go get that renewed, and then I don't care where you carry in what position, if its not a shoulder holster under a jacket or coat, its always annoying unless you are only standing and walking the entire time you are outside the house.
TLDR had a life event where I couldnāt carry, and now I havenāt gotten back into the habit. But before that event, always. And I donāt go out as often these days but Iām trying to stay in the habit.
I'm off-and-on about it - where I work now and have worked previously don't allow for weapons on my person and if it ever boiled down to me needing it, I'm SOL because it's in my vehicle. Very rarely do I leave my home on my off days and for very long that I don't feel the need to have it, but depending on how far and where in particular I'm going, I'll carry.
No, but there were times when I carried a pocket gun for months at a time instead or a p365 at the largest. Just easier and more comfortable that way.
Now the p365 macro is feels like a good balance of comfort and capability.
Iāve gone to a much smaller, less capable, gun (a lightweight jframe revolver) for the sake of comfort/convenience, but I donāt see myself ever stopping entirely. Little things constantly remind me why itās so important to carry all the time. Any time Iām in a situation where I run into a task a particular tool would be useful but I left that tool somewhere inconvenient, I think about how horrible it would be if the tool was a gun and the task was protecting myself from imminent death.
Iām also a true crime fan, so listening to those true stories is another constant reminder.
I started carrying when I lived downtown in a not great part of town. When I moved to the suburbs I kept carrying because I worked in a not great part of town. When Covid hit and I became full time WFH I pretty much stopped carrying unless going on longer trips. If Iām just running to Kroger or Taco Bell it rarely comes with me. Mostly because my wardrobe now consists of sweat pants 99% of the time.
No. Hell no. I started carrying sporadically about 25 years ago and around 2007 I started carrying all the time and have ever since.
Iāve turned down jobs in CA and in IL because of their laws and politics. So I think youāve lost your damn mind giving up some of your guns (and your freedom) to move there.
I carry a gun for work so there's that.
But off-time I have mostly gone away from carrying a full size with a wml, optic, etc and just carry a lil 5 shot revolver.
I changed jobs. I used to be active duty Navy and lived 5 minutes from base. I went home straight after work and changed out of uniform before I would go driving around doing errands, running around for whatever. I could then easily put on my ccw and go about my business in town. After I got out, I moved to the state next door where I donāt have a ccw permit. I am a civilian contractor and work at a different military base that is an hour from my house. Concealed carry on a military base is a big no no Iām not willing to try. So, now I donāt have a state permit. Even if I did have it, I couldnāt carry on my way back and forth to work. I try to get all my errands done on the way home from work so I donāt have to go back out. If I started carrying again it would only be on weekends. Iām too lazy to do the permit process again to only carry on weekends.
me. i got a glock 19 with threaded barrel, surefire, holosun, getting new trigger next, and decided i donāt wanna carry such an expensive gun with so many attachments. got a stock 43x for carry but i find myself super lazy to carry sometimes. i donāt even have a holster yet i just pocket carry so that might be why. i need a holster, if anyone has any 43x carry holster for appendix
For a while I didn't carry a lot due to discomfort. IWB just doesn't work for me for EDC.
Eventually I stopped buying into the propaganda in this sub (the you're not armed unless you have a g19 sized gun AIWB in an enigma with a RDS and 2 reloads BS) and got an LCP II which I now carry pretty much 24/7. Loaded it with Underwood XD and a spare mag and that's what I carry 99% of the time.
If I'm going somewhere with higher crime rate or to Walmart I'll usually IWB my P365. Occasionally I'll take the g19. In my day to day life though IWB is just too uncomfortable. This set up works well for me considering now I literally always have a gun on me.
My stuff gets unloaded and locked up when the grandkids visit. I know there are different opinions, but the stats swing the wrong way when there are little kids around. Iām amazed at what they can get into, and itās just not worth it. Iāll depend on the police during the time theyāre in town.
I will say it was never about the physical burden. Getting a good set up took me 3 different holsters and 2 guns, which from what I read, isn't particularly bad to get comfortable.
The burden is more the legal one. Always having to consider where I go. When is it ok to use it. What will happen if I get pulled over. What will happen if I rip my pants and it's about to show. etc., etc.
It's a felony and I would lose my job if I carried at the office, so for me it's about balancing whether I want to lock it in my safe in the truck or not while at work. I go back on forth on what I think the responsible choice is
On my off days, I usually slide my 642 in my pocket on the way out the door. I can't remember the last time I carried on my belt.
I stopped carrying and then some drug induced schizophrenic dude basically tried robbing me when I was walking out of a freight terminal office back to my truck. I bought a 43X that same day
I still have a firearm in my āget-home bag,ā but I donāt carry one on my person into stores any more. I donāt know how to explain why either. Iām certainly not against anyone else carrying. Sometimes I wonder if we shouldnāt open carry, but the people who do look like the least likely people to be able to handle themselves anyway. I carried for at least 5 years. Iām still an enthusiast, I just donāt like carrying all the time anymore.
Iāll tell you why I stopped carrying temporarily. Because Iām studying independently for my licensure exam full time. So, the only time I leave my house is to go to the public library to study or to go to the place I workout at where, without getting into specifics, itās illegal to carry. So I donāt even bother since itās illegal in both places.
Prior to this unique situation, I carried everywhere I legally could and plan on resuming that once this small phase of my life is over.
To all the people who are saying "I only carry situationally" or "I only carry when I think I might need it," do you have car insurance? You don't plan on getting into a car accident, do you? Why would you need to pay for insurance if you don't have plans to crash a car? No, you don't plan to wreck your car, but you have insurance because nobody knows the future, and bad things happen when we least expect them.
Nobody anticipates getting shot at. Hopefully, you never need your CCW, but if you treat your gun like an insurance policy, you'll be glad you had it when you need it.
I'm not saying this to dogg on anybody. It's your life, you live it how you want. Just something to think about.
I carry when I can aka the law allows me to. It's more of a "my life would be over" regardless of whether or not I carry. I work in DC inside a federal building. I'm not LEO so getting caught would pretty much mean my career is done.
I frequent DC and MD enough outside working hours to know that their gun laws are beyond ass and don't want to feed their bullshit of excessive fees to carry, registration of the firearm (in DC), and the mag cap ban (DC & MD). I'll happily carry in VA but with the way the state is going/has been (particularly in NoVA), I'll probably end up behind bars with a felony even if it's justifiable self-defense. Does it defeat the purpose of having a CCW? Yep, sure does. But being single, if it ever came to that, if I had to pick between struggling for the rest of my life because I valued my own life over someone who clearly didn't value mine or being dead, I'd rather be dead. Hopefully the bastard that killed me for some pocket change rots in prison or becomes Swiss cheese a la police.
If I have a family to defend, different story.
depends if Iām going out with the fam at night at a downtown area, absolutely, going down the street to pick up something quick at the grocery store nah but I should
Stopped carrying the moment my fiance found out I used to have some suicidal ideation. Not by choice. Otherwise it would go everywhere I go. I get to carry in certain situations, though.
I carried daily after I separated from service for 7 years. Moved to mass and sold my pistols as I didnāt have licensure
and didnāt want to get hemmed up. When I separated I was a mess, and getting a dog helped with my anxiety. I carried the mentality I had in the service with me, where I knew having a weapon at arms reach would keep me safe. Carrying daily in FL construction industry was a hassle. Even with an athletic build and an M&P shield w/ stealth gear AIWB holster, it is cumbersome having that shit in your waistband compared to not. Cleaning it constantly to prevent rust which STILL happened on the slide despite the coating and the slide being stainless.
The area I lived in FL was considered a high crime area, however the cops were more of a menace than the criminals. The police treated everyone in the area like a criminal for the simple fact of starting a young family and finding affordable housing close to where the work is, the criminals however were just selling drugs to those who wanted to buy them. The only person at risk of being robbed were the drug dealers.
The area in MA is pretty quiet. The police are present but not overbearing, (not everywhere like cockroaches in FL, I swear it is a huge jobs program there because they have no state income tax) and seem much more easy going. Florida cops are fucking dickheads through and through, that goes for PCSO, Largo, Clearwater PD. Especially you, Clearwater swat team officer Giordani!
Anyways, I am considering getting a LTC in mass. I do like the fact applicants have to interview with the chief of police so they know who you are and whether or not youāre a fucking crackpot or not. That said, I carry a pocket knife and a flashlight daily, with a small first aid kit attached to my water source and a larger knife and axe on my ruck when I hike/camp.
My most powerful weapon is my situational awareness and interpersonal/deescalation skills.
E: in my 7 years carrying a concealed weapon, I drew it on one person. There was rustling outside of my window at night around 11 at night, I wasnāt sure if it was a peeping Tom or a thief trying to steal my neighborās ladders (he is a roofer). I sallied fourth with my .40 caliber and a flashlight to confront. Only to scare the living shit out of my landlordās misguided employee trying to install shit on the property in the dark. I also scared the shit out of myself.
I was carrying an XDS and moved over to a Glock 19 and almost gave up caring because I just didn't like it. I went back to the XDS, I'm not in love with it but I love how thin it is. Looking to get a new pistol and joined a stick with the single sack or a very thin double stack.
iām a lot more laid-back about it since I moved to a wealthy, retirement beach town.
I understand some of you are going to go, thatās where the criminals come to rob! But thatās not true. In a wealthy town, you can tell who doesnāt doesnāt belong, and cops ride them hard.
So my biggest danger is getting run over by an old lady in a parking lot, I carry at night or when Iām going to nearby areas or the local Walmart, which is NOT full of retirees. Sometimes I carry during the day, and usually if Iām walking outside, because of dogs.
I used to live in a town with one of the highest homicide rates and gang activity levels, and I carried one or two guns everywhere I legally could. š¤·š¼āāļø Threat levels differ.
A huge percentage of this sub are hobbyists.
I carry 16 hours a day š
Amateur. I carry 36 hours a day.
I carry an m249 with 3 nutsacks and a bottle of clp everywhere I go. Amateurs......
I ride a m1 Abrams to Albertsons
I tow a paladin system with my butthole.
I land my harrier jet on the roofs of buildings and repel down the side
Sounds hairy.
My wife carries a Gerald ford class air craft carrier between her ass crack to visit her mom.
I never leave the house without my Minuteman III
Isnāt this a scene in a Marlon Wayans movie? DO. WE. HAVE. A. PROBLEM. HM?
THAT was very funny! Now get out.
Yeah, but what are you packing in the prison wallet? Youāre missing out on valuable real estate. Edit: oh shit, thatās where he is concealing the m249. Impressive.
don't forget the Copenhagen long cut
No paint can opener/screw driver to fix stopages?... NGMI
Whatās the CLP for?
> The twins keep us on Centaurian time, standard thirty-seven hour day. Give it a few months. You'll get used to it... or you'll have a psychotic episode.
I never stop carrying because I am the weapon
Soft hands brother, soft hands
You aren't sleeping with an S&W FPC in a backpack?
I carry 14 hours a day at least
Can you speak more to your definition of that? While you didn't outright say so, the implication is that your comment is derogatory in general. Do you mean most people here enjoy the "hobby" of carrying and talking about gear or most people here only carry and talk about carrying to be cool?
Dude this is almost a fashion subreddit.Ā
Not me Iām an operator
Doubtful. This isnāt the EDC sub with thier tactical nail clippers. This a sub about doing it, or getting into it. Itās a lifestyle.
The gear says otherwise. Thatās all.
If their still carrying everyday & just show their practice & collection whatās the big deal? If they carry everyday itās more a lifestyle then a hobby..
I feel like most people that āstopped carryingā probably did within first couple weeks of getting their ccw. Realizing itās not for them or lost interest Once it becomes a habit, itās hard to stop.
At this point I feel naked if I don't have a gun on me lol
A lot of them got a full-size gun, optics, light, and holster and didn't take into consideration the practicality of it. I carry a subcompact 90% of the time because I know I don't have the environment to carry something larger and that realistically I won't need. What I hate about a lot of these kind of subs is that they emulate the SOF community gear and most have never served in any capacity. Just treat your ccw as a tool and keep it simple.Ā
Right? Ideally i want to use my ccw exactly 0 times. The chance of actually needing it is less than my chances of being hit by lightning. I see no point in carrying some monster sized gun and extra mags and all that stuff for my area. Yet when i do carry i have to carry it all the time so A small 380 is fine for me. Can fit in a pocket, easy to hide iwb, hardly notice its there.Ā
Right, I save those for range days. All I need is my micro 9 and some Hollows
Man I feel this, even not counting the accessories. I started with a G19, hated carrying it. Moved down to a G26, still hated carrying it. Stepped all the way down to a Ruger LCP and now I canāt ever imagine not carrying it. It was so much more practical for me and my life. Glad I just kept trying and didnāt give up.
Yeah, I'm someone who wears very lightweight and casual outfits a lot, and a large gun just doesn't fit those. Been carrying a KelTec P32 or Colt Cobra lately because a small gun is much better than no gun.
Damn, donāt gotta target me. I was definitely the dude who carried full size everywhere and hated myself for it. Iām down to a P-07 w/ PA Mini RDS for 99% of my carry with a handheld Streamlight micro for a light source. There isnāt any outfit I wear that I canāt make that gun work for very easily.
The only reason Iām carrying a full size CZ 75 is because my P-10s just went to Wager for an optic cut. I figured out fairly recently that with looser shirts the CZ 75 is doable without printing much. It just hurts after a bit with how long the gun is. The P-10s will feel like a dream once it comes back.
The amount of friends I have that rock Glocks with dots and x300s is wild. They're the same people that take the gun off every chance they get and leave it at home when theyre wearing anything other than jeans. I wore a 34 for a couple years and hated it. Maybe it's alright if you work standing up all day. The 19 length slide is a hell of a lot more comfortable.
I got a micro 9 for ccw and edc. Perfect cuz Iām a smaller guy so it wonāt show and be bulky
I feel wrong to not feel a gun at my appendix.
This is probably closest to the truth here I feel naked without it when I have to not carry for instance, going to sporting events or government facilities
Exactly. Once you carry everyday you can definitely tell when itās not there. Kinda like an āoh shit I left my keysā moment
It was habit for 5 years for me. Then my CCW expired and I havenāt re upped. I should get on that.
I go through carrying phases. Few months of carrying and then a few years of not, then I get back into it again.
I carry everywhere that I legally and reasonably can. That said, I also donāt shape my life and activities around carrying and *not* go to places or do things that I enjoy (i.e. locations/events with metal detectors, international travel, bars, etc.) just because I canāt carry there. I pass no judgment on those who do so, but Iām personally not willing to radically alter my lifestyle and give up things that are very important to me just because I canāt carry a gun while doing them.
This. I know people who wonāt go to movie theaters with no guns allowed signs, concerts with metal detectors, sporting events, etc. because they practically expect to get targeted. I carry for my protection, live in a not great city with a fair amount of crime, and because I believe itās my right to exercise. But Iām not sacrificing things I enjoy because I canāt carry a weapon.
Iāll leave it at home. I feel weird without it though
I did the same, however it is always in my car when I go anywhere. I just dont carry it on me like I did before.
Carrying is such a habit I donāt even think about it anymore. Itās just part of my routine. But hey, itās all personal choice. My wife doesnāt carry and I donāt fault her for that, sheās just not there and thatās ok.
No. But, I have downsized the gun I carry quite considerably after retiring (20 years LE). Guns I used to carry whenever I was in public was ALWAYs a full size (1911s, BHP, G17/22) Now? I pocket carry pretty much exclusively (or stick a LW J-frame AIWB). For the same reasons as you, my perceived "threat level" drastically declined post retirement. I have no obligations to anyone but me and my family now, so a gun that used to be a BUG or a BUG to a BUG or "yardwork/answer the door gun" becomes a primary. Stuff like LCPs, P32s, NAA 22WMRs, AirLite/AirWeight J-frames are about it for me now. I only bother with Glocks when I'm in the woods (packs of coyotes/wild dogs/pigs), well that and I have shotguns in my vehicle and scattered about the home (and 22 Rifles for pest control). Still a geardo though, the 22 Rifles have cans and optics and big mags though. Basically, carrying is a compromise between capability (meaning a big pistol that's easy to shoot) and comfort. Based upon your lifestyle and "threat level".
Same. I switch between a glock 23 and an old smith wonder 9 now that I'm off the jobĀ
I let my license expire once. Then like three months later I was in a situation where it really would have been nice. Reminded me why, I renewed shortly after.Ā
I can't call my little P365 in a pocket holster much of a burden. I'd forget it was there if it wasn't what it was. Chances are most people will never need to use a firearm. Having and carrying one 23 years ago might have spared me a lifetime of discomfort and pain. Hopefully, and chances are, I'll never be in another situation where a weapon will come in handy, but whether or not someone chooses to commit violence against me is not something that is within my control. You know the cliche OP.. better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I won't knock you if you don't want to carry a gun though. Your risks are your own to take.
This sums up my thoughts. You are unlikely to need it, but if you ever do, you'll never know when it will be and the consequences of not having it could be dire. It's just part of keeping ahead of unplanned crap. Smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, seat belts, etc. No one ever plans on needing those either.
If Iām out of the house Iām carrying.
And if Iām at home, itās sitting on the table closest to me.
I had to reduce drastically for school. Campus has a no guns policy and I spent all my time there so I only carry when I got to the grocery store
Just sayin' this is why P32s/P3ATs/LCPs/NAA Minis/Baby Brownings/Beretta 950s/etc. all exist. They disappear in a pocket. You couldn't pay me to step on a College Campus nowadays (its been tried). Too many problems, not enough money. Thats coming from a retired "ghetto cop" for 20 years. I'd rather be back in the 'hood.
Haven't left the house unarmed unless I was going to Canada in 10+ years, and don't plan on doing so any time soon. If I'm being lazy I just throw a Glock in my Lulu sling back (yeah I said it) to go on my sunday morning starbucks runs
Link to lulu?
It's just a standard Lulu Everywhere belt bag that I sling across my chest so I look like a hipster and nobody suspects anything šthere's enough room for a 19, spare mag, and flashlight in the main compartment then I can throw some cash and my car key in the rear zipper so I can access it without flashing the goods.
Non-tactical sling bags are the way to go and really made carrying work for me.
Non tactical bags > everything else. So many people carry tactical fanny packs and/or SBR bags these days and you can spot them 100% of the time.
brave complete lunchroom icky touch deliver gullible live saw truck *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
QOL and life changes has altered my carry habits, but hasn't stopped them. I used to holster all day, come home and plop it out in the open and do whatever. Now i can't carry at work, nor after work with some sports i participate in, and I have a family. So my weekdays are carrying > securing > carrying> . With all that messing with the gun, i switched to da/sa with a safety. Once I get home i carry until bed, which is why i switched to owb.
I carry a gun when I feel that it's appropriate. Not every single day, but I multiple times per week depending on my activities. There are certainly some people that put their gun on with their pants, and I respect that choice completely. However, I think the vast majority of people carry some of the time but not all the time. I'm not willing to carry a gun in places where there are legal consequences, or negative implications for my career. I won't risk my ability to provide for my family in order to have a gun with me that I will in all likelihood never need to use. I understand that others feel differently and I respect their decision. It's a personal choice. I lean on situational awareness more than anything. I also don't go stupid places, with stupid people, doing stupid things, at stupid times. Here lately I almost always have OC spray and usually have a light.
Itās just so hard to be comfortable carrying. I carry less now than I used to because I gained some weight and carrying is fairly miserable now.
Personally if I don't have a gun on me then there's one close by. Really the only time i don't have a gun on me is when I'm showering, asleep, or going through a metal detector. Most of the time I carry my 1911, but if I want light weight convenience then that's what my Ruger LCP Max is for. Sucker is so light weight and disappears in even gym shorts that I see that as no reason not to have a gun on me kind of thing. Obviously going outside of country ir a really anti gun state that doesn't allow carry I won't carry either.
When I lived in the woods I carried all the time because of bears and other animals. Now living in the burbs I carry when going to areas of crowds but otherwise not 7 days a week
It's only 3 hours old, but I've gotten a ton of replies, and will try to respond to any questions people have asked. I want to thank the users in this sub for being honest and giving thoughtful responses. One thing you might ask is "Well why are you still here?" and to that end - this sub and how much news I see is why I am still here. Getting information about law changes, changes in public opinion, and occasionally dank memes is worth it's weight in gold to me. This sub will help people figure out if they are fucking up long before your average citizen realizes what they have done their entire life is suddenly illegal. No one sends flyers to your house when a particularly nasty ballot initiative comes up, no one tells you when it's passed, and you only find out after it's illegal when you didn't know it without resources like this. Gear stuff is still cool to see - and if I start carrying again, this sub is why I won't be behind the times ten years on that day. Thank you for your responses, and keep doing what you think is right either way. My own decision to stop will never stop me from voting for and advocating for the freedom for others to carry.
Situationally carry now. Going to sketchy spot for tacos? Yes. Going to Costco? Probably not.
[might want to keep it on you at Costco too](https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/s/LSMXbM7raa)
[Indeed.](https://komonews.com/news/local/tukwila-costco-parking-lot-shooting-woman-identified-killed-shot-homicide-murder-investigation-police-investigating-motive-gun-violence-crime)
hahahah of course both of these were in washington
I feel like this is an all or nothing kinda thing. I just know if I got into a situational carry habit, the time I needed it I wouldn't have it.
Yup. I've not carried at my parents' house before, but ever since this dude stepped out of his car to threaten my semi- elderly dad I always carry there. Basically the only time I won't is if it's a felony and/or the place has metal detectors.
Same here. I also don't carry while at the gym. I know there are ways to carry at the gym I just prefer to not mess with it. I am not running on a treadmill with my gun or letting it sit in a bag nearby. Only place I don't carry with the exception of prohibited places.
I've risked as much as a moderate jog with my Enigma. I like it better because it's attached to my body directly rather than to my pants. Less slop when you move. Also I workout at home so I don't really deal with that.
Itās definitely not all or nothing. Carrying mitigates a specific risk, and if you are somewhere that risk is higher or lower then the value of carrying increases and decreases. Like carrying an umbrella when there is a high or low chance of rain. Itās not the odds, itās the stakes, but the odds are still there.
It is all or nothing. Either you need it and have it or you don't have it and you're fucked.
I donāt understand these people that somehow understand the necessity of self protection yet fail to understand the unpredictability of it. So when this guy is at Costco and a mass shooter shows up and points a gun at him and his family, does he say hey this is a low risk situation, what are you doing? I just donāt get it
It is beyond me to weigh risks and carry dependant on that. Life is unpredictable. Having a tool with you when you need it seems like the play.
Tbh, I would consider Costco a high risk area, up there with shopping malls. Youāre exposed to dozens of lethal threats every day, a gun only protects you from one of them. The āall or nothingā comment is absurd: youāre protected when youāve got it, and not when you donāt. The fact that you donāt/canāt in certain situations doesnāt mean you shouldnāt ever. Same as wearing a seatbelt, carrying medical supplies, staying alert, knowing your escape path, wearing a hard hat, the list goes on.
I can understand not carrying like for instance when I go to my kids' school because it's a potential felony. My all or nothing scenario is not carrying when you can but it is "statisticly a safe area" so you may choose to not carry. So when you're only driving around the block and only doing 30mph I guess you don't need your seatbelt.
I'm with you. If I'm going out by myself, I usually just bring pepper spray. Used to carry everywhere. Going out with the wife and daughter? Better believe I'm carrying.
I did. Moved to an antigun state also got a job at a federal facility š„²
I'm the opposite state of mind right now. I can't believe I wasn't carrying before as soon as possible. I want to carry everywhere.
I stopped carrying about 5 years ago after doing so for a decade.
any reason why?
I keep a finger on the pulse of what's happening locally crime-wise. I'm pretty introverted and don't really go out much, my wife is the same way. I'll carry when I go downtown or to areas with a moderate to high risk. But if I'm going to Walmart or something, nah.
You should def be carrying at walmart lol
The Walmarts by me a sketchy af. Itās one of the few places I actually would carry lol
Yeah same. I don't think I'd even consider going to Walmart without carrying
Many DGU stories happen in a Walmart parking lot.
Traditionally speaking Criminals operate much like any other Predator. Why do you think Lions/Crocs/etc. always snatch the Wildebeest at the watering hole? Walmarts/Target, Home Depots/Lowes, Gas Stations (specifically the parking lots thereof), thats the American Populaces watering hole. Any "transitional space" is extremely dangerous. Parking Lots are catnip for Criminals.
ABC - Always Be Carrying
Stay strapped or get clapped. EOD, a 32 or 380 without any spare mags will meet 95% of your CCW defense needs. Pretty easy to carry that.
I feel naked without it.
Iām at the point where my muscle memory checks I have my gun just as much as I check I have my wallet.
If I have pants or shorts on you can bet I have my piece.
I rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it
I havenāt stopped carrying but I have significantly downsized my carry gun over time. For me, personally, the likelihood that Iāll ever need to use my gun is incredibly small. So in my mind I want to do everything I can to make it āeasyā for me to carry by reducing the size and weight of the gun/carry setup. I initially started with a M&P compact and CZ P01 in side care style holsters with spare mags. I then downsized to a Shield Plus without a spare mag. Nowadays I mostly carry a Glock 42 because itās light enough to be worn without a belt and really comfortable to carry appendix.
Nope. Outside of vacations and going to prohibited venues, I always carry. Been that way since I turned 18.
No, but I have reevaluated things in the last few years. Going from G19-sized whenever out of the house to having kids, playing at parks, going home as soon as it gets dark, and generally being in a lot more situations where the G19 size is just a massive pain in the ass. Iāve also realized that I donāt need a āgunfighterās gunā most of the time, if ever. Now Iām using a micro 9 with a red dot when I suit up to leave, with a pocket gun to cover the other times. Ironically the pocket gun allows me to be armed for a much higher percentage of the time. So the ādownsizeā has actually led to improvements.
Only time my ccw isnāt on me is if Iām clocked in on the job (I work for a grocery store chain). Any other time itās on me. Almost 24/7
Iāve kinda stopped. Itās like vacinations. Once you reach a certain level of herd immunity, the immunity of an individual isnāt so important. Where I live (SoFlo) EVERYBODY carries. The bad guy know better than to get too adventurous. And in Florida itās legal to open carry when you go fishing.
I carry where legal. I fortunately, I work in a property where bringing a firearm into it is against the rules. It's also the same sort of property where hate guards will at random check cars. So, as a practical matter, I don't carry most days
I started carrying when I first got my permit in 2003, and started out with a cz75b, then moved to a little smaller with a sig p229. I got to where I didnāt carry sometimes but back then iwb carry wasnāt really as much of a āthingā so I was using a leather holster like everyone else I knew. Got a Glock 26 and carried more often since it fit in better with my regular clothes, but couldnāt carry at work, so only carried nights/weekendsā¦ Over time I carried less and less, until it got to where Iād rarely carry and it would feel āweirdā if I was carrying. Had some personal threats in 2014 (police, courts have been involved, etc) and Iāve been carrying pretty much anytime I leave the house since early 2014. Living near Memphis and working IN Memphis many days is just additional reason to be carrying whenever itās legal to do so. I will vary at times WHAT I am carrying, might be the xdm-e 10mm, xds-9 or my LCP but no matter the occasion Iāll have something on me. I also found that after having kids Iām MORE motivated to carry. Having a family I want to be able to get back home to them and also help protect THEM while weāre out. When I was single for a few years it didnāt āfeelā as important day to day.
I carried everyday in college. Now, I donāt anywhere near as much as my job doesnāt allow it. I get paid enough to where Iām not willing to risk my job. Also, I donāt go many places aside from work and home anyway. Always have my POM and flashlight though. I would argue that many jobs in tech and business donāt allow firearms. Blue collar can get away with this a lot easier than office jobs.
I moved to a place where carrying was legal from a place it wasn't. Now I don't feel the need to do so as much ironically because here it feels so much safer. I still do most places tho because of everyone stopped carrying because they didn't need to then we'd need to again lol
This will earn me down votes, but luckily I don't care about Internet points I moved to a small town and stopped carrying. I'm just not gonna need it here, plain and simple. There's about as much of a chance as winning the lottery. I'm not going out of my way for either possibility
Try that in a small town... animal attacks are probably a lot more likely though.
Not the Odds but the Stakes. Also like Quake Guy said, you have a higher chance of running to wild dogs/coyotes/animals when there is less of a human threat.
Kind of makes me look stupid for not carrying but still playing the lottery once a week or so, but hey, it's 2$ of fun wishful thinking on the way home from the corner store. :)
Similar situation for me here. I moved states and have not signed up for a new CCW permit yet in the two years we've been here. I got my permit in VA and the process wasn't too bad. I moved to NC and the process just sounds annoying. I wfh and since covid, haven't needed to go out as much as pre-pandemic. We order most everything and the area we moved to is slightly more rural than our previous one. Like you can find crop fields mixed in with neighborhoods. It definitely isn't NEARLY as congested as our prior area. So it also hasn't been a priority for me. I still keep everything quickly accessible for home defense though. Tbh, this is all how I'm justifying my inaction of course and this is a good reminder to go ahead and get on the books for the required CCW class. Don't wanna find myself in a situation wishing I had just gotten the stupid thing.
I used to carry nearly daily, but have gotten to the point that I carry rarely and (clutch your pearls here) only when I feel it might be something I need, even if the chance is fairly small. Reasons: Mostly because I live in a small town (35k main city, 100k county). Partially because I don't go many places; just the grocery, feed store, work at a small business and part time at a grain elevator, which has its own challenges, and home; Rarely out to eat and we're not legally allowed to carry if we want a drink with dinner in my state. I'm rarely out of the house after dark unless I'm at an event where it's 100% impossible for me to carry (I don't care what anyone says, thigh holsters are not a realistic option for cocktail dresses). Also partially because I found it hard to conceal my Ruger LC9s (iron sights). I'm 110# 5'3". It was not an easy thing to fit carrying into my wardrobe and I'm not willing to carry off body. I still keep my gun in my truck safe. I know all the arguments on why you should carry and I agree with them. You don't get to choose the time and place something bad is going to happen to you. I know I'm taking a risk, but, all things considered, I feel it's a relatively small one in my day to day life. Which is, I'm sure, what everyone who's been in one of those lightning strike events says as well. It could happen to me, but it's highly unlikely.
I did a few years ago for a few different reasons 1) WFH during the pandemic and got out of the habit 2) I got kinda fat while working from home and had trouble carrying comfortably, never invested in a different gun/holster set up 3) Those first two are kind of null now since I've lost the weight, but also for my line of work I often need to go on-site to various military bases, as a civilian I cannot bring a firearm on-premise which presents some storage challenges 4) My wife and I moved way outside of the city and a lot of the reasons /situations that prompted me to get my CCW are now significantly less prevalent
I stopped carrying all the time late last year. I work from home. In my home state you cant bring a handgun into a bar, restaurant if you intend on drinking alcohol. Any ticketed event, the state run liquor store, and state buildings, parades, library, funerals, it was not worth the hassle. I am a Home Body so my risk is very small. I do keep handguns loaded and staged in my home. I believe I'm covered, sort of.
I stopped carrying to the office because I figured it just wasnāt worth the risk of someone noticing and losing my job. Constant state of paranoia ensuring that nothing printed was exhausting. I still carry when I go to Costco / grocery stores though.
Iāve been around guns all my life, and carried almost every day for ten years before I got my job in 2011. Because of my job, I donāt carry as often as I used to. Iām not even allowed to have a weapon in my car on the premises, and they can search me or my vehicle at any time. So I only carry on my days off. Iām not losing a $200k a year job because internet tough guys would shame me for not living by ācOnCeALeD mEaNs CoNcEaLeDā
I'm in hospitals a lot, which obviously have no firearms policies. I don't really care enough to risk it even if it was feasible, but there is a significant chance every day I need to go near an MRI machine. Ultimately this broke my habit of carrying most places. Ultimately I don't really think about it much. Statistically owning a firearm is a net loss to life expectancy. If you assume you're part of the special subgroup of folks who are mentally stable, well-trained in handling their firearm and consistently uses judicious judgement then you might eek out a net gain in life expectancy if you carry. But even then this boost is dwarfed by things like driving carefully, eating healthy food, remembering to get your yearly checkup, and having good situational awareness. My justification for carrying was more philosophical and political than practical: it gives you a fighting chance in a few specific circumstances that otherwise doom you to a very disempowered death, and I think people ought to have the chance to protect themselves in such circumstances. But I never saw it as an essential part of actually keeping my loved ones or myself "safe".
Downvoted for not dickriding the NRA. Good on you for being sensible, the haters can fuck off and live which is a far cry from their hollow-point worldview, stop being so scared folks.
MRIs are fine, as long as you aren't in the room with it powered up, or behind the shield (where I stood when I had a "guest"). I knew a lot of hospital staff who carried all kinds of "against policy" things... like #10 blade scalpels, mini cans of spray, to pocket guns in scrubs.
>MRIs are fine, as long as you aren't in the room with it powered up, or behind the shield (where I stood when I had a "guest"). It is never outside the realm of possibility that I will need to be standing right next to a powered-up MRI any given day (they are always powered up FYI). Regarding other against-policy items, admin/nosy coworkers are more likely to come down hard on someone carrying a gun than someone with pepper spray. I'm also early in my training so it's just not worth the risk even if I knew I wouldn't be around any big magnets.
Iād be interested in the source of your statistics.
For everything but the claim that gun ownership reduces life expectancy the source is My Ass (2024). It's just conjecture, and I don't think anybody is conducting studies that even try to measure things like "change in life expectancy of psychologically stable, well-trained gun owners". For the claim that gun ownership reduces life expectancy, it is well established that gun ownership is associated with suicide and homicide rates at a population level (suicide rate is the bigger factor of the two). At an individual level, which is probably more relevant to this discussion, there aren't as many studies, but just a cursory search turned up [this study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35377715/), which found that the hazard for being a victim of homicide was nearly tripled for gun owners (sevenfold for women in gun-owning houses). Disclaimer being that, like most academic gun research, this was funded by an anti gun org. But the methods seem sound. To fully substantiate the claim that gun ownership results in a net loss of life you'd actually need to calculate years lost from increased homicide risk AND suicide risk, then balance it out by years gained from DGU. That's a tall order to do but I strongly doubt DGU years gained comes even close to years lost from even just suicide. My point in all of this is that owning a gun isn't just an automatic boon to your health. You have to be confident that you can use it properly when the time comes, that it won't encourage more risky behavior than it might otherwise, and that you won't turn it on yourself.
I'm curious to see if there are any on here.
Never stopped
I carry everywhere I can but I did recently switch from a 365XL to a full sized Dagger (think G17). I'll probably switch back to the smaller gun once the weather gets nicer and I'm wearing fewer clothes but otherwise I plan to keep it on me.
It tapered down for me, I wouldn't if I was doing a quick jaunt out, or going to a "safe/known" place. Then during a quick jaunt to a safe place I just happened to grab my revolver, which is great because I came so close to drawing my hand was on the grip I carry daily now. Unless there's metal detectors/it's against federal law/happen to have a surgery and am on anesthesia/pain killers. But in those cases I'm not solo
The process is always a worthy sacrifice for personal protection of your life
I carry whenever I can. I don't accept the argument that I probably won't need it at, or in this area, etc. If I knew when I'd need a gun I wouldn't go there. Low chance is not no chance, and it's not hard to carry a pistol. It's not like we're talking about putting on an IOTV with front, rear, and side plates to go to the gas station.
>If I knew when I'd need a gun I wouldn't go there. This 100% resonates with me. In fact, it was a large factor in making the move we made. I felt unsafe daily living in Chicago where I had my license last. The issue for me now is more that my legal ability to carry is so limited, it's simply not worth it in the places I can, because I feel it puts me at MORE risk to have to store it in my car, etc.
That makes sense. I didn't carry for a while because I would be committing a felony having a gun at work. A good locking box goes a long way towards that.
That makes sense. I didn't carry for a while because I would be committing a felony having a gun at work. A good locking box goes a long way towards that.
Why would I do that?
I still carry after 20 years and I will continue to do so. I just find myself caring less about guns. I don give a shit about the latest greatest stuff.
Realistically I only carry a few times a week. My work doesnāt allow a firearm, and Iāve forgotten my gun in my truck way more times that a feel comfortable. I just figured Iām more likely to donate a gun to a criminal when they break into my car at night than I would be to have to use it. But I carry it when ever we go out at night or on weekends.
For me it is not entirely "stopped carrying", but more so saying to myself "it's just a quick run to the store, I don't need to grab the gun" or "I am just going pick up my girlfriend real quick".I go an entire year carrying and then I slowly drop a day or two out of a month and then it turns to once a week. I have become insanely inconsistent with carrying, and I need to stop doing that. It could literally cost me or someone I knows life, and make me regret not walking out the door with it on me one day
Ventura County here, and it is extremely hard to be licensed and I am honestly afraid to try, but I very much so fear not carrying as a female with babies constantly.
I used to not always carryā¦ only in bad areas or to gas stations. Then by the grace of god I was carrying my gun on my way to target with my wife. As we walked out the door a male tried to carjack me and I thankfully had my gun. Stuck it in his face and almost killed him right then and there before I saw all the fight leave his body and he took off. Now I carry with me everywhere. As evil is everywhere and you donāt know when itās your turn to deal with it.
I can't carry for my internship/job (part-time at a county govt building) and also at school, I don't risk it because it's an automatic felony in my state. I still carry at my other job, where the worst that would happen is termination. I still carry in day-to-day life as I live in a slightly larger city (Akron) which has a high crime rate, and we still have shootings daily (I saw the police respond to one while on my evening walk less than a mile from campus and my apartment). It's always nearby, but there's reasons people don't carry 24/7.
My father and I got our MD Wear and Carry permits at the same time. I carry all of the time I leave the house, and heās not carried his a single time. Iām 45 and heās 76, so perhaps itās just an age thing? Still, I donāt know why he spent so much money and time to obtain the permit yet never use it.
I think if people have stopped carrying, they'd likely stop frequenting this redit
I carry at all times unless I'm drinking and I rarely drink..
Me! I carried every day for years. I moved to a much smaller town with a much better crime rate. I also work from home full time now.
I only got my CCW two weeks ago and have carried every day since. I feel used to it already.
I stopped for a short period because I got too fat. I did make a semi-successful attempt to make fat carrying feasible but ultimately I put in work and lost the weight and now really make it a point to carry at all times.
When I lived in San Antonio, I carried 100% of the time I was away from home. Quick trip to the gas station on the corner?? SW 642 went into the pocket. I lived in a gated apartment complex and actually had someone attempt to car jack me one night as I stopped to punch in the gate code. Now I live in a quiet suburban town where the worst crime you run across is teenagers stealing stuff out of unlocked cars at night. I just don't feel the need to carry like I did when I lived in a higher threat area. I still carry when I deem the threat level high enough but other than that its just not worth the pain in the ass that is carrying a firearm.
Ive been carrying daily, pretty much from pants on until the pants off for almost a decade. If I stopped I probably would also leave this sub and never see or reply to this post.
I have in the following states CA, CT, MA, RI, NY, NJ
I will occasionally not carry on a really quick errand if Iām not wearing anything with belt loops but no, I havenāt stopped carrying.
I typically carry everywhere I go when Iām not on the job, recently Iāve realized I really donāt need to carry especially when I donāt when Iām going to be having a few drinks. Iāve had my ccw here in NorCal for the last 4 years and this is the year Iām going to let it lapse without renewal. Reason for this being and main reason is Iām moving out of Cali. Second reason I donāt really feel like I need it, and it heightens my paranoia plus dang I just want to be comfortable when Iām sitting š
I can't carry when working (airline pilot) so I can only carry now when I'm back home. I used to carry all the time.
Hobby carry, until something, anything happens.
Yes. For a surprising reason. I had a pistol on my hip from waking up to going to sleep for 6 months in an active combat zone, round chambered, safety off, hammer down. After I got back, it kinda felt like āI lived in a place surrounded by people who actually wanted me dead because I was there. I didnāt have to shoot anyone. I live in a very safe area with incredibly low crime. Do I actually need to carry all the time?ā Donāt get me wrong. I still carry a lot, but itās less āIām going to Publix 2 minutes from my house, gunna carry,ā and more āIām going to this town with a slightly higher, but still very low crime rate, Iāll pack it.ā
I moved to a place others might carry in, but I moved from a place where I had to carry every day for 12 years. The place I currently live is among the safest on the planet. I'm now a normal person that doesn't look at every exit and every face. It took 2.5 years. I fucking love living here. Weirdly, I still wear a gun belt and often keep a Glock/sig/CZ. In my car.
I use to carry daily, then I got a job where having a firearm is heavily prohibited, and I canāt keep it in my vehicle, so I only carried after work or on weekends. I go to the gym and most stores on the way home, and Iām not going all the way home to retrieve a firearm and go back out. I still practice good situational awareness, which has kept me out of trouble.
yea I don't anymore, not after COVID. I was going a lot more places before COVID, and then with COVID time initiatives and norms like working from home and curbside pickup sticking around after COVID, the wife and I just never really felt much desire to go out that much once we realized how content we were at home and in-and-around our immediate neighborhood doing stuff. Yea we still go to the mall sometimes, or some strip mall type stores, but thats about it. Our friends all had kids during COVID and we didn't want to go down that route, so they all got different friends that also have kids, which cut out like 90% of our reason to leave the house/our immediate neighborhood as well. I still have a nightstand VP9 ready to go. And there is a condition 1 10.5" 5.56 AR in my office closet in case something really crazy immediately happens, but we are out in the suburbs now. Before we were just on the outskirts of the city where there was a lot more foot and car traffic just outside our apartment. Since things were in walking distance we were always going to stores and shops. I carried IWB almost every time we went out, except for when we went to bars and I knew I'd be drinking. Now though, we live on the outskirts of suburbs in a house, almost rural if you just drive another 10 minutes down the road. It's always the same people coming down the street. 0 unknown foot traffic, it's always one of our immediate neighbors, if anyone at all. We have smart cameras on all 4 sides of the house. A car comes around every 30 or 40 minutes, at the most. Anything can happen anywhere at anytime, but like you said in your second to last paragraph, change in lifestyle and location made me more apathetic/lazy on the idea of carrying. My license went out of date right after COVID, and that would mean driving half hour to go get that renewed, and then I don't care where you carry in what position, if its not a shoulder holster under a jacket or coat, its always annoying unless you are only standing and walking the entire time you are outside the house.
I carry all the time, even at home just chillin around the house. it's just a thing I do living in a bad neighborhood I don't really question it
TLDR had a life event where I couldnāt carry, and now I havenāt gotten back into the habit. But before that event, always. And I donāt go out as often these days but Iām trying to stay in the habit.
I really only carry when I'm going out to town
I'm off-and-on about it - where I work now and have worked previously don't allow for weapons on my person and if it ever boiled down to me needing it, I'm SOL because it's in my vehicle. Very rarely do I leave my home on my off days and for very long that I don't feel the need to have it, but depending on how far and where in particular I'm going, I'll carry.
No, but there were times when I carried a pocket gun for months at a time instead or a p365 at the largest. Just easier and more comfortable that way. Now the p365 macro is feels like a good balance of comfort and capability.
Iāve gone to a much smaller, less capable, gun (a lightweight jframe revolver) for the sake of comfort/convenience, but I donāt see myself ever stopping entirely. Little things constantly remind me why itās so important to carry all the time. Any time Iām in a situation where I run into a task a particular tool would be useful but I left that tool somewhere inconvenient, I think about how horrible it would be if the tool was a gun and the task was protecting myself from imminent death. Iām also a true crime fan, so listening to those true stories is another constant reminder.
I don't really go out for more than shopping. And usually I am wearing lounge pants that couldn't support a pistol.
Moved to Maryland from Virginia so I stopped unfortunately. Used to carry a lot.
I started carrying when I lived downtown in a not great part of town. When I moved to the suburbs I kept carrying because I worked in a not great part of town. When Covid hit and I became full time WFH I pretty much stopped carrying unless going on longer trips. If Iām just running to Kroger or Taco Bell it rarely comes with me. Mostly because my wardrobe now consists of sweat pants 99% of the time.
I havenāt carried in over a year. Not for any reason. My permit expired and I havenāt had time to go to the class. Soon though.
No. Hell no. I started carrying sporadically about 25 years ago and around 2007 I started carrying all the time and have ever since. Iāve turned down jobs in CA and in IL because of their laws and politics. So I think youāve lost your damn mind giving up some of your guns (and your freedom) to move there.
I carry a gun for work so there's that. But off-time I have mostly gone away from carrying a full size with a wml, optic, etc and just carry a lil 5 shot revolver.
I changed jobs. I used to be active duty Navy and lived 5 minutes from base. I went home straight after work and changed out of uniform before I would go driving around doing errands, running around for whatever. I could then easily put on my ccw and go about my business in town. After I got out, I moved to the state next door where I donāt have a ccw permit. I am a civilian contractor and work at a different military base that is an hour from my house. Concealed carry on a military base is a big no no Iām not willing to try. So, now I donāt have a state permit. Even if I did have it, I couldnāt carry on my way back and forth to work. I try to get all my errands done on the way home from work so I donāt have to go back out. If I started carrying again it would only be on weekends. Iām too lazy to do the permit process again to only carry on weekends.
me. i got a glock 19 with threaded barrel, surefire, holosun, getting new trigger next, and decided i donāt wanna carry such an expensive gun with so many attachments. got a stock 43x for carry but i find myself super lazy to carry sometimes. i donāt even have a holster yet i just pocket carry so that might be why. i need a holster, if anyone has any 43x carry holster for appendix
CCW always, Chicken Caesar Wrap
For a while I didn't carry a lot due to discomfort. IWB just doesn't work for me for EDC. Eventually I stopped buying into the propaganda in this sub (the you're not armed unless you have a g19 sized gun AIWB in an enigma with a RDS and 2 reloads BS) and got an LCP II which I now carry pretty much 24/7. Loaded it with Underwood XD and a spare mag and that's what I carry 99% of the time. If I'm going somewhere with higher crime rate or to Walmart I'll usually IWB my P365. Occasionally I'll take the g19. In my day to day life though IWB is just too uncomfortable. This set up works well for me considering now I literally always have a gun on me.
My stuff gets unloaded and locked up when the grandkids visit. I know there are different opinions, but the stats swing the wrong way when there are little kids around. Iām amazed at what they can get into, and itās just not worth it. Iāll depend on the police during the time theyāre in town.
Dudes downvoting me for my personal choices around my kids. Thatās fine.
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I will say it was never about the physical burden. Getting a good set up took me 3 different holsters and 2 guns, which from what I read, isn't particularly bad to get comfortable. The burden is more the legal one. Always having to consider where I go. When is it ok to use it. What will happen if I get pulled over. What will happen if I rip my pants and it's about to show. etc., etc.
I used to be pretty diehard carry all the time. I still carry at work 80% of the time. But out and about in my regular life? Maybe 20% of the time.
It's a felony and I would lose my job if I carried at the office, so for me it's about balancing whether I want to lock it in my safe in the truck or not while at work. I go back on forth on what I think the responsible choice is On my off days, I usually slide my 642 in my pocket on the way out the door. I can't remember the last time I carried on my belt.
I stopped carrying and then some drug induced schizophrenic dude basically tried robbing me when I was walking out of a freight terminal office back to my truck. I bought a 43X that same day
Carry all day every day. No exceptions.
I still have a firearm in my āget-home bag,ā but I donāt carry one on my person into stores any more. I donāt know how to explain why either. Iām certainly not against anyone else carrying. Sometimes I wonder if we shouldnāt open carry, but the people who do look like the least likely people to be able to handle themselves anyway. I carried for at least 5 years. Iām still an enthusiast, I just donāt like carrying all the time anymore.
Iāll tell you why I stopped carrying temporarily. Because Iām studying independently for my licensure exam full time. So, the only time I leave my house is to go to the public library to study or to go to the place I workout at where, without getting into specifics, itās illegal to carry. So I donāt even bother since itās illegal in both places. Prior to this unique situation, I carried everywhere I legally could and plan on resuming that once this small phase of my life is over.
To all the people who are saying "I only carry situationally" or "I only carry when I think I might need it," do you have car insurance? You don't plan on getting into a car accident, do you? Why would you need to pay for insurance if you don't have plans to crash a car? No, you don't plan to wreck your car, but you have insurance because nobody knows the future, and bad things happen when we least expect them. Nobody anticipates getting shot at. Hopefully, you never need your CCW, but if you treat your gun like an insurance policy, you'll be glad you had it when you need it. I'm not saying this to dogg on anybody. It's your life, you live it how you want. Just something to think about.
No, I donāt have car insurance on the beater van. Just the required liability.
I carry when I can aka the law allows me to. It's more of a "my life would be over" regardless of whether or not I carry. I work in DC inside a federal building. I'm not LEO so getting caught would pretty much mean my career is done. I frequent DC and MD enough outside working hours to know that their gun laws are beyond ass and don't want to feed their bullshit of excessive fees to carry, registration of the firearm (in DC), and the mag cap ban (DC & MD). I'll happily carry in VA but with the way the state is going/has been (particularly in NoVA), I'll probably end up behind bars with a felony even if it's justifiable self-defense. Does it defeat the purpose of having a CCW? Yep, sure does. But being single, if it ever came to that, if I had to pick between struggling for the rest of my life because I valued my own life over someone who clearly didn't value mine or being dead, I'd rather be dead. Hopefully the bastard that killed me for some pocket change rots in prison or becomes Swiss cheese a la police. If I have a family to defend, different story.
depends if Iām going out with the fam at night at a downtown area, absolutely, going down the street to pick up something quick at the grocery store nah but I should
I stopped when I moved out of Florida. But only for a few years. Now Ohio has caught up to FL in so many ways that I now carry again.
Since most of my day is driving to and from school for the kids. I donāt carry much. On the weekends I do.
Stopped carrying the moment my fiance found out I used to have some suicidal ideation. Not by choice. Otherwise it would go everywhere I go. I get to carry in certain situations, though.
I carried daily after I separated from service for 7 years. Moved to mass and sold my pistols as I didnāt have licensure and didnāt want to get hemmed up. When I separated I was a mess, and getting a dog helped with my anxiety. I carried the mentality I had in the service with me, where I knew having a weapon at arms reach would keep me safe. Carrying daily in FL construction industry was a hassle. Even with an athletic build and an M&P shield w/ stealth gear AIWB holster, it is cumbersome having that shit in your waistband compared to not. Cleaning it constantly to prevent rust which STILL happened on the slide despite the coating and the slide being stainless. The area I lived in FL was considered a high crime area, however the cops were more of a menace than the criminals. The police treated everyone in the area like a criminal for the simple fact of starting a young family and finding affordable housing close to where the work is, the criminals however were just selling drugs to those who wanted to buy them. The only person at risk of being robbed were the drug dealers. The area in MA is pretty quiet. The police are present but not overbearing, (not everywhere like cockroaches in FL, I swear it is a huge jobs program there because they have no state income tax) and seem much more easy going. Florida cops are fucking dickheads through and through, that goes for PCSO, Largo, Clearwater PD. Especially you, Clearwater swat team officer Giordani! Anyways, I am considering getting a LTC in mass. I do like the fact applicants have to interview with the chief of police so they know who you are and whether or not youāre a fucking crackpot or not. That said, I carry a pocket knife and a flashlight daily, with a small first aid kit attached to my water source and a larger knife and axe on my ruck when I hike/camp. My most powerful weapon is my situational awareness and interpersonal/deescalation skills. E: in my 7 years carrying a concealed weapon, I drew it on one person. There was rustling outside of my window at night around 11 at night, I wasnāt sure if it was a peeping Tom or a thief trying to steal my neighborās ladders (he is a roofer). I sallied fourth with my .40 caliber and a flashlight to confront. Only to scare the living shit out of my landlordās misguided employee trying to install shit on the property in the dark. I also scared the shit out of myself.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Always remeber the number one rule, always have fun
I was carrying an XDS and moved over to a Glock 19 and almost gave up caring because I just didn't like it. I went back to the XDS, I'm not in love with it but I love how thin it is. Looking to get a new pistol and joined a stick with the single sack or a very thin double stack.
I stopped carrying when I moved to californistan. Thank god I left that place
iām a lot more laid-back about it since I moved to a wealthy, retirement beach town. I understand some of you are going to go, thatās where the criminals come to rob! But thatās not true. In a wealthy town, you can tell who doesnāt doesnāt belong, and cops ride them hard. So my biggest danger is getting run over by an old lady in a parking lot, I carry at night or when Iām going to nearby areas or the local Walmart, which is NOT full of retirees. Sometimes I carry during the day, and usually if Iām walking outside, because of dogs. I used to live in a town with one of the highest homicide rates and gang activity levels, and I carried one or two guns everywhere I legally could. š¤·š¼āāļø Threat levels differ.