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Defining Moment(s) that led to your decision to CCW

419K views 1K replies 1K participants last post by  Chuck Finley69 
#1 · (Edited)
[Edit on 12/09/2010]: I requested a change to the thread's name, and I've decided to add something to this OP to better clarify the thread's intent.

There are dozens of threads, if not hundreds, with the subject "Why I/you/we CCW"...which is why I started this thread in the first place: to ask specifically about "Defining Moments" that you may have had, which led you to the decision to CCW. I haven't kept track of exact numbers, but a considerable portion of the posts -- particularly those more recent -- have been along the lines of "I CCW because..." which doesn't fit the thread's intent.

I'm not trying to play Moderator here, nor am I criticizing those who've posted "Why I Carry" responses to this thread; I'm simply wanting to remind folks that this thread is meant to be different from those "Why I Carry" threads.


Thanks

[End of 12/09/2010 Edit]
I want to briefly describe two incidents that led me to the decision to carry a firearm for self-defense. And if YOU had a defining moment--or numerous ones--that led to your CCW decision, then I think it would be interesting to read about them.

My story isn't very exciting, but I do hope you'll share your "defining moment(s)" with your fellow GT'ers.

Brief Background
I grew up in a family that only occasionally hunted. My dad had a .22LR rifle and a bolt-action .30-06 for large game. As for "incidents," I'd witnessed a few road-rage episodes and the like, but no weapons were ever involved and no deadly threats--perhaps one possible threat of serious bodily harm at age 15 (road rage).

Defining Moment
It was around October of 2002. My wife and I were talking about starting a family, and my mind was occupied by the responsibilities of a husband and future father. One morning I was listening to a local radio talk show (Bob Lonsberry -- www.lonsberry.com) and he was talking about CCW (he's a CCW'er and a vocal advocate for it), and he urged his audience to read a column he'd written regarding CCW entitled "This is Why I Carry a Gun." (He wrote two versions: one version for a general audience and another version for Guns & Ammo.)

I read both articles, and it was as if lightning had struck me. Paternal instinct? Maybe so.

The Decision
Long story short, from late 2002 till early 2003 I conducted my own crash course in firearms (handguns mostly) and CCW -- did so via the Internet, books, magazines, friends, etc. I'd handled Glocks in the gun shops and took a particular liking to the Glock 19, but budget constraints forced me to settle for a Kel-Tec P-11, which I eventually purchased in early summer of 2004 and could legally carry concealed one month later, UT permit in hand. (I eventually purchased a G19 and subsequently sold the P-11.)

Like I said, it's not that exciting a story.

Anyway, I hope you'll chime in and tell us about your Defining Moment(s).
 
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#927 ·
I turned 45 this summer, got my ccw in March of this year. I had gastric bypass surgery, it was a year ago this past March. I'm just under 6 foot and for about the last 10yrs weighed in at 270 or so. I have always been able to take care of myself, strong as an ox and sometimes as dumb:whistling:. My job involves visiting various auto shops around the state and reviewing claims, diagnosis of claims etc and sometimes I'm not a welcome site. I had that surgery to eliminate diabetes, yes, look it up, it does cure diabetes but I now weigh in at 195 and went from a max of just under 400lbs bench to about 240. I no longer have that superman nobody will mess with me attitude that has gotten me through my entire life. I'm not a fighter, yes, I certainly don't let people walk over me but have always stood my ground, felt confident etc. Carrying just gives me security in knowing if I get in a really bad situation due to my job or some of the questionable areas I end up in due to my job that I feel much safer.
 
#928 ·
This is my first post here, so here goes. I'm turning 22 this year and I haven't actually gotten my CCW or my pistol yet, but I have definitely decided I'm going to. Hopefully, I'll have them by the end of the year. But back on topic: there's two instances that I can recall, and both of them happened within a short amount of time.

Instance one: We had a police officer that was shot not even 1000 feet from my parents home (still in college). The scariest part was that the officer served two tours of duty in Iraq. The man served his country proudly and his reward was being ambushed by some piece of trash. Also was scary because my dad is an officer at the same department. Immediately after I noticed that my dad started carrying two guns everywhere he went. There's something quite scary about seeing your LEO father packing his service weapon and a backup everywhere because he's so shaken up. Especially when you're hoping to follow in his footsteps and become a cop.

Instance two: Not more than a month after incident 1. I was home with my ten year old brother. I'm laying down to go to sleep at around 2 am and hear what I'm sure are five or six shots right outside the bedroom window. Then I hear a loud bang on the front door. So I do exactly what I've always trained myself. Grabbed the brother and locked him in the parents room. Went to the closet to grab dad's Glock 22 service weapon and realize NO GUN! Called the cops and just sat there with my heart racing. The worst part was that we have other guns in the house, but all our ammo was at the police station. I've never had a worse feeling than knowing that if something were to go down I wouldn't be able to protect my brother. I'm on the small side (5'7 and about 140 pounds) so I would have been toast if anybody had come through the front door. When the old man came home we discussed what happened and I learned he actually bought his old service Glock 22 when his department got new guns. He agreed to keep it at home.

So long story short, there is now always a loaded gun in the house. If the old man is home, there are three. Otherwise I feel a lot safer knowing I'm packing a loaded 40 cal in my closet. Feel even better since I know my brother is capable of shooting it if it ever came to that. Gotta love a ten year old who can be on the paper at 15 yards with a gun bigger than his head.
 
#930 ·
My defining moment happened New Years Day of 2006. Although their were other families, this one is the one that hit home the hardest because it was just a random knock on their door and this is what happened.

http://www.forgottenvictims.com/Harvey Family.htm or Search Harvey killings in Richmond Va.

I live in the Richmond, Va. area. and this was just crazy and from that point forward, I told myself that I will always be prepared at home and when Im not.
 
#932 · (Edited)
No defining moment for me so much as a progression. I think this may be my first post or one of my first posts but I have been lurking for over a decade.

1. I grew up around guns and was always fascinated by them. Dad was not really a "gun guy" but owned a couple pellet guns, a Mossberg 12 ga pump, and a Ruger 10/22. He no longer hunted anymore but always had them around. My parents would take us to the land they owned south of the cities in a rural farming community and taught us to shoot clays and pop cans/paper targets. He also even built a little pellet gun shooting range made from a cardboard box and some newspaper in the basement for me to screw around with as a kid. Somewhere around that same time(9-13 yrs old) he worked summers part time at a local pistol range as he was a teacher and had summers off and had plenty of time to make some extra money. We spent a few evenings after-hours shooting pistols there. It was a ball to have the whole range to yourself(I still shoot there on occasion). It's weird he wasn't really a hardcore gun guy but it seemed he wanted me to be able to respect and properly use firearms so shooting guns every now and then was the norm when I was a kid.

2. Fast forward to 1995 and I'm 22 yrs old and living with my girlfriend in an apartment and working overnights and after shooting at a local indoor range with my g/f's father(ret. military) decided to buy a handgun from a coworker(Taurus PT92) for the apartment so she can protect herself when I wasn't there, which was every night.

3. 1998 still on overnights and now in my own house we bought together and I buy my first Glock(G23)...because I like guns that go bang EVERY TIME you pull the trigger and I'm still worried about her being home alone every night. I'm still very interested in guns but have other hobbies so I just don't have the money to get into it like I'd like to but always have them around just in case. At this point I fall in love with the simplicity and reliability of Glocks and dive in head first into the big pitcher of Koolaid.

4. Shortly after 9/11 and it's off to the store to buy another gun(only have the Glock because I sold the Taurus to a friend's Dad). This time S&W 686 4". Love the wheel guns and now I have one so g/f and I both can be armed if need be in the home. End up selling the S&W years later to a good friend due to lack of use and lack of interest and need money for more fishing gear.

5. Between MN becoming a shall issue state, Obama being elected, the recent Aurora, CO shooting, and the overall economic state along with all the news on crazy people doing harm to others daily, and I'm really falling off the deep end and lurking on GlockTalk and other gun forums quite a bit, researching guns and ammo ballistics, recently bought a S&W 642 and Glock 26 along with a healthy quantity of ammo for practice and SD with plans for both of us to get CCW very soon and get her into a shooting class to help perfect the skill.

I've always felt it was my responsibility to take care of myself and there are just too many weirdos out there these days to be without something you may need and I've ALWAYS subscribed to the motto of better having it and not needing it than needing it and not having it.
 
#933 ·
Thanks for your story. It makes a perfect sequential sense to me. The #23 was a great 1st pick- 9 or 40? Most likely 9 for your lady. Your #26 I have not fired. The @27 is a great little master piece of a small hand cannon and easy to carry. I have both, also (40's) and I find I need hrs. more practice with my 27. I too have a beautiful condition Det. Special Special 6 shot I purchased 40 years ago @ a pawn shop in S.F. and a new Smith 5er w/lazer- ( air weight) both a dream to carry and conceal. Good logic, good choices and practice, practice, practice- damn near any caliber is effective if your shot placement is on. Get those permits and have some fun!! Thanx again for your story- stop "lurking" around!!! Take Care, Jon
 
#934 ·
Thanks for the warm welcome, Jon. I can't remember exactly why I chose the G23 to begin with. I guess .40S&W cartridge was gaining huge popularity at the time with law enforcement and I've always done a good amount of reading and research on any interests I had so I guess I thought it would be a good home defense gun and being a 2nd Gen it just felt good in my hands. I still think the 19/23/32 is the perfect size for self defense and great compromise between size and capacity. In hindsight I probably should have gone with a G19 for the less recoil for her but she has no problems shooting the 23 so it all worked out ok. The most recent purchases were well thought out with carry in mind so I wanted something that I know would be a pleasure to carry often(642) and something that shared the same operations as the Glock we already owned, so I settled on the G26...after much internal debate. After shooting both now numerous times I've come to the conclusion that airweights are a beast to shoot with +p but I'm decently accurate with it at 21' and the 26 is a tack driver and works flawlessly, like every other Glock I've shot.
 
#936 ·
Aside from my much earlier post, today is a prime example of why I carry. Yesterday everything was great. I had the house to myself and crawled around under my desk some, rerouting wires and removing the dead power supply from our computer. Went to bed a little late but feeling fine.

This morning, I woke up and my knee is stiff and swolen. After getting out of a chair, it takes me 10 steps or so before I can limber up enough to walk somewhat normally.

As anyone else with arthritis knows, there's good days and bad days. I'm only 5'9" but broad-shouldered with a big frame. I've worked in construction for the last dozen years. I've had arthritis for almost 20 years - since I was 12.

I know on "bad days" like today, hobbing around all stiff and hurting, I look a lot more like a target. Just to be safe, I carry on the "good days" too.
 
#937 · (Edited)
I've wanted to get a CCW license for sometime because I am photographer/videographer and often have at least $3K worth of equipment with me in the car or on a job.
About a month ago I made up my mind to finally do so when I was driving home and a thug was walking down the street in my neighborhood carrying an AK47. No BS.
The police are supposed to protect and serve, and they do, God bless them for it, but you aren't going to be assaulted when a cop is within earshot. Hope for the best and plan for the worst, be prepared.
 
#938 ·
Virginia Tech was the turning point for me. Yes, it was a tragedy, but what bothered me most was that no one fought back. I decided at that point that I would never willingly yield to evil...I would fight to protect me and mine. For evil to persist only requires that good men and women do nothing.
 
#941 ·
Finally accepted the fact that my body is not as it was, I am not 39 any more. My body is braking down.Three rotater cuff sergeries. and two torn rotator cuffs, now. Ruptured/torn meniscus disk, siatictica, COPD, arthritis. Just getting old!! I am in my mid fifties. The news, I live next to Ciudad Juárez Mexico.
 
#943 ·
I got mine after watching NUTNFANCY videos on youtube. This guy some love, some hate him but he is very informative.

After watching a video he described about evil, a bunch of robbers in a bank made people drink acid and if they refused, they used a drill through the ear and killed a few people. he went all on about this story, and then commented this did not just happen, it was back in 1970s-- evil is not new to us, we just get multiple heavy doses of it daily in this information age. Though evil is not new, I think the threat of becoming a victim of a violent crime is higher. If you look at violent crime statistics, it goes way up and down--but there IS a lot of crime out there that goes un-reported and uncaught. Today we have crackheads, meth heads, drug addicts, hungry, unemployed, and just the plain old I don't want to work so I'll take what I want individuals. Ethics and morality are at an all time low in my opinion.

Also as one of the people that is sick to hear about instances like Aurora, CO (and I already had my license when this happened) I will not be a duck in a shooting gallery with no protection! yes, they may kill me on the first shot, I may get taken by surprise walking to my car with groceries, but at least I have the option of protecting myself.
 
#945 ·
I got mine after watching NUTNFANCY videos on youtube. This guy some love, some hate him but he is very informative.

After watching a video he described about evil, a bunch of robbers in a bank made people drink acid and if they refused, they used a drill through the ear and killed a few people. he went all on about this story, and then commented this did not just happen, it was back in 1970s-- evil is not new to us, we just get multiple heavy doses of it daily in this information age. Though evil is not new, I think the threat of becoming a victim of a violent crime is higher. If you look at violent crime statistics, it goes way up and down--but there IS a lot of crime out there that goes un-reported and uncaught. Today we have crackheads, meth heads, drug addicts, hungry, unemployed, and just the plain old I don't want to work so I'll take what I want individuals. Ethics and morality are at an all time low in my opinion.

Also as one of the people that is sick to hear about instances like Aurora, CO (and I already had my license when this happened) I will not be a duck in a shooting gallery with no protection! yes, they may kill me on the first shot, I may get taken by surprise walking to my car with groceries, but at least I have the option of protecting myself.
The robbers-in-the-bank story sounds a lot like the Hi-Fi Murders that happened April 22,1974, in Ogden, Utah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-Fi_murders
 
#948 ·
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.
 
#949 ·
The biggest reason that I chose to CCW is because my previous neighbors were drug dealers and counterfeiters, and they didn't hide the fact that they were. I was always afraid of there being a drug deal go bad next door to my house (less than 50yds from my home). Fortunately, one is in jail and the other moved away. The other reason is most of my friends ccw and may state is a very lenient may-issue state.
 
#950 ·
I carried on duty for 22 years, I also carried when I was off duty, you never know when you will run across your favorite felon. I was standing in line to go to a movie with my wife, I had turned to talk to her and heard a familiar voice behind me.... It was some fine citizen I had arrested for Domestic Abuse two nights before. It was not what one would call an easy arrest but not quite a donnybrook. He went to jail I went home after my shift and now he was right behind me with the woman he beat. I was carrying but I just told my wife we needed to leave, she understood. I will continue to carry cause you can't always walk away and the protection of you and yours is the most important principle in life or so I believe. Just my thoughts from the Big Sky Country...
 
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