[4Rules]

Originally Posted by Mr. Niceguy

I was at a new year's eve party several years ago (outside) and at the stroke of midnight a bunch of other people started firing their guns into the air in celebration. I felt like the odd man out, and vowed to never again be in a situation where I didn't have the ability to punctuate a joyous occasion with a little gunfire.

Arab Wedding Celebration with Guns - YouTube

Arab Wedding Celebration with Guns - YouTube

[MikeLadner]

I turned 21...

[SCmasterblaster]

I had a pit bull dog leap a third of the way out of a car window at me eight years ago. I had my G17 in it's snout. I didn't squeeze the trigger because the dog couldn't reach me (the window opening was a centimeter too narrow). But boy was I scared! I used to carry occasionally, but since then 24/7.

[FireMission]

I've been carrying off and on for 15 years or so. But a couple of years ago, there was a robbery at a grocery store, here. 2 in the afternoon, broad daylight. Generally I feel very safe in my town, we have some really good LEOs, the town is conservative and the badguys generally don't stick around for long. But you can never relax your guard, you're never 100 % safe. I have a responsibility to protect myself, others, and my family. So now I carry almost all the time (it would be ALL the time but I work for the DoD and they don't allow me to carry). So that's it, just a simple robbery that woke me up a little bit. I carried for almost 2 years and my wife didn't even notice

[jime17]

i'm 59 never owned a gun or had any interest, with the events of the last couple years i have been paying closer attention to all sides views of gun ownership or not. the one constant for me was do not be a victim, so i bought myself a glock, went to sheriffs office and got my ccw and my only regret is i should have done this years ago!

[Joe BOLO]

!!!LONG POST ALERT!!!! I read through all 43 pages of this thread before posting my story.

New poster here but I’ve been reading this and other forums as much as possible for several years. This is a great place for sharing ideas and for Q and A. Thanks so much for starting this thread.

My moments-

-I was a teenager up to my wrists in frozen chicken in the kitchen of a Roy Rogers in Baltimore, MD when I heard yelling and see someone who does not work with me run around the front counter and point a shotgun at me, screaming, “Down! Down on your knees!” Long story short, five armed criminals forced the manager to open the safe, robbed some of my coworkers, and then marched us back to the walk-in freezer. I suddenly realized I was probably going to die. Surprisingly, we were simply blocked in to the freezer so we could not get out to call 911. It took us 20 minutes but we got out and made the call.

-My sense of outrage when I found out that my first true love in high school had later been brutally raped while strolling down a bike path by some idiot.

-My strong sense of personal and civic responsibility was further strengthened by getting married and eventually becoming a father (x2). That is a commonly mentioned motivator here in this thread and I completely agree.

-Trying to save a police officer who had been ambushed and shot in the line of duty. I've posted something about that in another section of this forum.

-I worked part-time as a crime scene-biohazard remediation specialist for 5 years. We basically picked up the pieces, decontaminated scenes, and tried to repair and replace everything so it looked like nothing happened. There were many emotionally hard jobs but one of the worst was working on the aftermath of a bank hold-up where three people were forced into the back room and executed (remember my Roy Rogers fear?) One of the victims was the mother of a good friend and fellow firefighter.

-I was introduced to guns by professionally trained LEOs and friends. I continue to try to learn as much as I can about guns, how to shoot, and how to care for them. I’ve discovered that I have an aptitude with and a real love of firearms.

-The natural and probably inevitable conclusion that all the above and my ability to be permitted to concealed carry led me to seek additional formal training, my own firearms, and mailing my CWP application off to the state.

My 70-something mother discovered my intentions to CC and I could tell she had reservations. My explanation to her took awhile and I believe she better understands the level of my convictions and the breadth of my preparations to do it properly and effectively.

I think the key element of my reasons that got her attention was when I said, “Wherever there are sheep, there are wolves. I am not wired to be a sheep. I am wired to be a sheepdog.”

Thanks for everyone’s submissions to this thread and for reading my post.

[SRT76]

I found this article in the Houston chronicle this morning. Surprised that it originated in the NY times. It seems so simple to us... "if someone is trying to kill you, don't just lay there". But obviously to many it's a very original and innovative thought.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/us...anted=all&_r=0

Arm yourself, train yourself, prepare yourself.


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire

[GLOCKpaperscissors19]

I was a cop for 13 years and never missed the gun as a new civilian. But I did get a carry permit. But I never used it. I live in Denver, and after the Aurora Theatre shooting I told my wife I was going to carry from that point on (we have two little kiddos). But after a few days I stopped. Then came Newtown (Newton?). Since then I have carried everyday.

[SCmasterblaster]

Originally Posted by GLOCKpaperscissors19

I was a cop for 13 years and never missed the gun as a new civilian. But I did get a carry permit. But I never used it. I live in Denver, and after the Aurora Theatre shooting I told my wife I was going to carry from that point on (we have two little kiddos). But after a few days I stopped. Then came Newtown (Newton?). Since then I have carried everyday.

Welcome to GlockTalk!

[Frinker]

Originally Posted by G30MI

When Michigan passed its "shall issue" CPL law back in 2001, I got my permit because...well, because I could. I rarely carried...I thought it was a MAJOR P.I.T.A., having to be aware of "Gun Free Zones", being concerned about my piece getting stolen from my car, etc. I let the permit expire without hardly a second thought in 2004.

On March 29, 2007, I was the victim of a home invasion. Now, before I go any further, let me clarify that I was NOT home at the time of the break-in. Yet my HOME was VIOLENTLY INVADED, along with my privacy and my sense of security and well-being. The thugs (I'm 100% convinced that there was more than one) kicked in my back door in broad daylight while my next door and across-the-street neighbors were home. The invasion was so violent (door frame shattered and the dead-bolted door essentially ripped off its hinges) that I'm convinced that they would have done great harm to me had I been home. They worked too hard getting in to then turn around and leave simply because someone challenged them. They made off with about $10,000 worth of electronics and other items, including a Mossberg 500 12 gauge.

So now there are at least two FELONS armed with MY shotgun who know that I own some expensive electronic toys, the layout of my house, which bedroom is mine (I live alone, so it's not hard to figure out where I sleep) what kind of door and window locks I have, what kind of dog I have (and that he barks a lot but doesn't bite) and what my schedule is (they broke in sometime after I left for work at 8:30 and before I got home at 4:30, and apparently took their sweet time considering the number of items they took). I'm not at all OK with any of this. I got very, very serious about my safety and security after the incident. My nightmare scenario is that I come home at night to find someone waiting for me inside my house. A CCW permit is just one tool in my effort to stay safe. Just this afternoon I turned in my paperwork at the County Clerk's office for my new permit.

.

Also from Michigan I have a very similar story! Got my permit when they finally became a shall issue state. Let it expire because you couldn't even carry into a restaurant that served liquor. Since then the law has changed and it is much easier to carry legally. My home was robbed in 2006 in the same manner as above. My gunsafe with my Glocks was taken. So I let it all go till recently. Now have a gun friendly wife! Which makes it even easier to carry. LA riots, New Orleans , living just outside Detroit and being burglarized are my clarifying moments.

[Kahr-Driver]

[NB: (With BIG Kudos to Mr. 'Joe BOLO, SIR!) ...

!!! LONG POST ALERT !!!!

I read through all 43 pages of this thread before posting my story. ... ]

I grew up on a farm 'back east' and, of course, guns were just part of my early life. Sadly, after we moved to AZ, all this just became a distant memory.

However, after a tour in the Navy, I began to collect guns and really enjoyed shooting. Along the way, I met 'the girl of my dreams.'

Shortly after our honeymoon, my sweet bride confided in me that she really didn't like guns - despite the fact that I'd taken her along to the range a few times before we married! So, in the interest of 'tranquility and domestic harmony', I eventually sold off my entire collection.

However, one Saturday afternoon a years later, my wife went shopping and I was working in the garage when I heard a motorcycle slowly drive by. Then I saw the driver turn the corner and come back - to pull up into my driveway! He was dressed in leather and had a 'real babe' sitting on the back of his 'bike' - she looked totally stoned and he looked 'biker bar' mean!

Anyway, without uttering a word, he quickly 'dis-mounted' his bike and began to walk towards the garage with me inside. Trying to aboid 'being cornered' in a confined space, I grabbed a pitch fork off the wall and met him halfway up the driveway - at which point (Pun Intended!), I asked him (as nicely as I could) why he'd stopped at my house.

He said that he needed to use my phone and asked to go into the house with me! I lied and told him that we only had a cell phone and that my wife had taken it with her. Incredibly, he then insisted that we still go into the house ... where we could wait for her! (Cojones as big as church bells.)

I 'adjusted my attitude' somewhat and firmly told him 'that isn't going to happen.' I then encouraged him to leave. He stared at me for a few seconds as if to 'size me up.'

Frankly, I figured his next step would be to produce a gun - at which point I intended to jam the pitchfork into his neck and twist it several times!!! I guess he surmised that I was just crazy enough to use the pitchfork 'to good effect' on him, so he smiled and got back on his M/C.

As he slowly pulled away, I noted his plate no. (Nebraska and probably stolen) and subsequently called 911. I then called my wife and told her what had happened and to be careful coming home!

After THAT, she and I talked about 'getting a gun', but she was still against it!

Then, one night a year or so after the 'driveway incident', we had someone try to stage a home invasion by attempting to kick in our front door! FWIW, we live in a nice neighborhood here in AZ (near a golf course) and had never seen or heard anything like these incidents occurring elsewhere in our area! Fortunately, the police arrived to apprehend 'the miscreant' before she (yep, SHE!) gained entry!

She was dressed like a man with pants, a coat, and baseball cap - so even the PD thought they'd tackled a guy. Anyway, as they hauled her away, a LEO told me that she was totally drugged out and thought that our house was really her long-lost home! That night, I also learned from the police that there had been quite a few burglaries in the area - probably by drugged-out transients/illegals traveling 'el norte.'

After all this, I told my wife that I strongly felt it was time for us to purchase a firearm. This time she agreed - and, the next day, we went out and bought a nice .12-Ga pump shotgun and a big ol' Ruger .357! Needless to say, I began to take her along to the range and, now, she feels comfortable with guns and - AND! - she's also quite a good shot!

'Nuf sed!