New Shooter Monday: Never thought you'd have a gun?

There are a lot of new people who concealed carry in the last few years who’ve told us never thought they’d own a gun, much less carry a gun in public.

Did you ever think you’d concealed carry a firearm?

  • Yes, I grew up around guns and this was a natural progression for me.
  • Yes, It was always a possibility, not surprised I’m carrying today.
  • No, I never thought I’d own a firearm much less carry a gun in public.
  • No, I still don’t carry and I don’t know that I ever will. I have a firearm in my home.
  • Maybe?? I’m still not sure I’ll ever own a gun.

0 voters

For those who never thought they’d concealed carry a gun, what has been your biggest influence in making your decision to carry in public?

As a wildlife and landscape photographer in the past for Texas Highway Magazine, I decided to carry when a pack of feral dogs stared me down, out in the country on a deserted road.

I never considered carrying for personal protection against a human Dynamic Critical Incident.

4 Likes

People.

  • predators who run around me with firearms
  • friends who told me to equal the force against predators

To be honest, I spent half of my life without firearms and was happier that way… but World has changed, my life has changed…so I just adopted to these new conditions.

6 Likes

Riots, covid and a bad boy friend choice by our daughter.

6 Likes

-Idiotic talk about defunding the police.

-Kenosha burning just a few miles to our south.

-False social narratives with one goal: anarchy.

Never until the last year or so have I actually thought that buying 10 acres in northern Wisconsin and arming myself to escape the insanity of the cities might actually make sense. Once the absurdly over-inflated real estate market corrects, I just might.

5 Likes

None of the above for me.

I came from a none gun owning family but always had an interest in them from both a military history and hunting perspective. Worked a lot of seasonal jobs in my twenties so took me a long time to get into a position where I was actually sleeping in a state that matched my drivers license and had enough money in pocket to purchase a firearm.

Carrying really wasn’t on my mind at that time. I lived and worked in mostly low crime rural areas. I was interested in teaching myself to hunt and learning self defense skills just in case but didn’t feel the need to have one on hand all the time. Wasn’t till I started working in sketchier remote areas where I had a few sketchy encounters that a firearm became a more regular part of my wardrobe.

3 Likes

Response to Janices prediction of present day America. I’m glad I responded to her prediction before it started to happen. Fantastic pastime, keeps me calm, disciplined, and focused. The best cure for anxiety is to respond to the cause of it.

2 Likes

The very right to do so I’m slave descended black not African American they stopped importing slaves and just bred them in Virginia so most American blacks are part of that legacy. We got full rights the year I was born to put it in context 400 years ago the slavery thing started 150 years ago it ended 50 years ago I got full rights 3 years I have been exercising my right to keep and bear arms. I am not new to this I served my country as my father did and my son Navy ,Army, Marines respectfully! Just note again for context my father served in the navy is buried in caverton national cemetery, a veteran of world war 2 , Korea , and served as a merchant marine during the Nam conflict. Can you guess what job my dad had in the navy COOK ! Because the government didn’t think we could be anything else? I guess , I , we paid our dues so it’s only right I get to exercise my rights the rights some take for granted here on this forum! Rolling their eyes every time some one say BLM or straight and plain just don’t kill me officer I am no threat ! Period , we all need to stop placating ignorant ideologies and use this valuable resource as a tool to educate one another. Instead of fragmenting into factions that only identify with the one percent who coincidentally can care less about us. I have more in common with a working man or a business owner than the namesake of a brand

So without all the slavery stuff, what are you saying?

I am exercising my rights that I got in my lifetime what say you ? No hyperbole just facts if all you see is the “slavery stuff “ instead of the American tapestry then you miss an important part of being American, period ! Our story ain’t for the faint of heart but it’s our story, it ain’t pretty but it’s our story I don’t hold white people responsible for slavery but it was the government that put in measures to uphold it you disagree? Show me I’m wrong or show me the way you see it. But remember only speak on the topic at hand everything else is a trigger for most reading

1 Like

I couldn’t say it any better Owen.

Stay safe out there.

2 Likes

Right on! The one-percenters, the vocal radicals on the fringes of both left and right, are artificially creating factions that weaken us, not strengthen us. Let’s be 99-percenters who can still seek to respectfully understand and affirm others, even if we don’t 100% agree with each other.

The US Constitution was written by a bunch of people who didn’t 100% agree with each other. We can do it, too!

Thank you Owen2! Again, right on!

1 Like

“ what has been your biggest influence in making your decision to carry in public?”

The realization that Law Enforcement is vilified in the current political climate and that the current administration has absolutely no intention of protecting the law abiding citizens of our country.

5 Likes

I really HATE the judgment people lay on others without knowing them… there was so much “slavery” stuff that whatever message you were trying to get across was lost… I was merely asking for clarification.

As a young man in my 20s and 30’s being able to handle the world was seen through different eyes.

When I hit my mid 40s I saw things that I felt it would be prudent to be better prepared.

5 Likes

You spoke your peace and I spoke I took none of your comments as disparaging nor hateful nor your rhetoric, I actually added to the narrative you outlined and structured it in a way In which it would expose a bot. Or someone on the page espousing a biased ideology. I basically don’t want anyone to scare away one of the million plus gun owners new to the art of self defense with a fire arm, we can save our discussion for a different platform like discord where we can have a healthy debate. Or meeting of the minds, furthermore I would like to inform you that opinions are something we all have. And all they are are a set of thoughts or ideas some factual some hyperbole, and the individual who would act on baseless minutiae and such should curtail their thinkings to their own echo chamber but please note this forum is not it ! We have lgbtq members here white black Asian low income and upper incomes soldiers and civilians Leo’s and victims of crimes. We should not as a minority group in our own right be espousing alienation but how we move forward in common. You may not like my altruistic leaning in this matter but we , maybe I should speak for myself. I believe we are truly equal here and of like mind from different diaspora not limited by the short thinking in our particular races but looking toward us being responsible law abiding Americans who just differ on some “ opinions “ that’s my mic drop!

2 Likes

I followed your posts and feel they were misinterpreted by those voicing complaints. Not a fan of blocking posts. If you can’t handle rhetoric, how are you going to handle a gun?

2 Likes

I always thought I’d carry. Even though I wasn’t around guns, or knew anything about them. But I knew there was a purpose. The final straw was after getting robbed a 3rd time at the gas station I work at. The next week I bought my own gun, the next month I got my CHL. The month after my CHL I got USCCA.

4 Likes

Thanks for getting us back on track, @Forensic_Wow! I’m so glad to know that you have another tool in your toolbox for your self-defense.

How does your family feel about your owning a firearm? Did they have a strong reaction either way? (Sounds like you didn’t grow up with firearms.)

Two way street! The way it was going-- without the moderators intervening-- one or both of us were going to get banned from the group.