What started your 2A/protector lifestyle?

Miscellaneous
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I was always around firearms of some sort when I was growing up, but I was on the small side and my Dad, being the WONDERFUL father he is (sarcasm), did not feel I was adequate enough to be taught to shoot or even hold a weapon. No BB guns, no sling shots, no bow and arrow set. Nothing. My fondest memory of weapons in our home is from when My Mother asked me to put something away in our front closet. I was 8, and our front closet was the catch all. I opened the door and everything fell out on top of me including My Dad’s Browning A5. The shotgun is longer than I was tall at the time and the bead hit me between the eyes. Still have the scar. All my Dad saw was his beloved AutoLoader on the ground. He beat the snot out of me. Like I stated above: WONDERFUL father.

Fast forward a few years and I am off to the Air Force. Dad is Navy and his thought was I wasn’t man enough for the Navy anyway. Thanks Dad. Anyway, every veteran knows that every military member, regardless of rank, job, gender (back then anyway - don’t know about now) EVERYONE trained on small arms. I figured out I was pretty good. Not expert out of the gate, but higher than anyone else in my Basic Training Flight. And that was the first time I had ever fired a weapon.

I was a Tactical Aircraft Maintenance Technician (basic airplane mechanic) so I really had a job in the Air Force. It also put me in a field where I would be deployed from time to time so I always kept a bag packed in the back seat of whatever vehicle I had. I was even assigned to the Rapid Deployment Force for a short time. I was a World Traveler back then, and it got me into the mindset of ALWAYS keeping a bag packed, even to this day. I have two bags in the back of the Expedition. One is a Bug Out Bag, one is a Get Home Bag.

Then I became a civilian with a family. That is when the 2A/Protector began to shine through. I was no longer a Traveler. I became a Tourist with a Wife, children, and a home. I no longer had “The Gang in Blue” to support me when things went South. It was up to me to protect my family.

We are preppers. Solitary Preppers. We do not belong to the local group of preppers because they are nuts. The leaders of the group wanted us to leave all our supplies at their “encampment” so they could keep an eye on them. More like so they didn’t have to buy their own groceries. They could just eat what we left there. Several other members of the same group found that out the hard way.

As preppers, most of our supplies are in totes inside our house. Some rooms are a little cramped because of the totes, but all we have to do is grab totes and load the truck. Texas 6 or Texas 21 any direction we need to go. I do have a secret location in my head of where to stop first, collect what supplies we left at home, and get back on the road.

I know this post is longer than others within this thread, but it explains a little more about why I am who I am. I could just say “I started when I got married”, but it just doesn’t give enough information of what started it all. I have a Father who is still unsupportive to his family and I swore I would not be like him. I was in the Air Force and I had a job that took me to some very odd places for extended periods so I learned to survive with what I had.
Add in the fact that I have a family I love beyond reason and I am it makes me who I am. I am the Protector. It is my job to protect them. No one else’s job. MINE. And I take it seriously. Call me a nutcase if you want. I have been called worse things by better people.

Some of you may ask what the difference between a Traveler and a Tourist is…

A Tourist, when he goes on vacation, has everything planned out with his home as the final destination. A Traveler may never get home.

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68 tet

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Wow.

Thank you.

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strong textAfter spending almost 29 years in the Army I went about 10 years then a friend talked me into going deer hunting with him. Two weeks latter I bought a Mossberg 30-06. Then I started turkey hunting, got a single shot 12 gauge.
About 2 years later had 2 as*holes come to my house wanting to rob me and threatened to stomp me in the ground. I asked if they would like to see my new “toy”. Of course they said yes. I pulled a pump 410 out of my pickup, they told me I couldn’t do any damage with a ‘toy’ gun. I asked which one wanted to take a load of 00 Buck shot first, from only about 5 yards.
The next day I brought my first pistol, a 357.
As the saying goes the rest is history.

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Forensic:" I’m not there yet but one at a time I will."

Stay the course Brother. My opinion ,you are on the right track!
As MANY have said " Train like your life depends on it…because it does!
None of this Bulls–t matters. Climate change, politicians, electric stoves…
WE will sort this crap out when WE are fed up enough!
What will ALWAYS matter is BEFORE someone sticks a gun
in your face you will be ready because your SITUATIONAL AWARENESS (training)
Will have already kicked in ! THAT will save you and other Innocents lives!
“If yours hairs stand up on the back of your neck, ANGELS are telling you
to pay attention, somethings not right or is about to happen”. LISTEN to it!
Be an observer of man, Be in the moment, If a guy looks ‘hinky’ he probably is.
ACT ACCORDINGLY! Be ready. He just may be odd and go away but you are NOT a victim.
YOU will NEVER be a victim again. You are Armed, Training up, confident, A survivor.
This for me is why we do all this.
Learn, soak it all up, listen to these guy’s experiences , PREPARE then teach.
If we each teach/train up ONE person WE will make America better for it.
All is not lost. This WORLD is SERIOUSLY Fu–ed up! YES. but EVIL has tried (and failed)
to dominate the world before and Gunner’s have sent them packing.
And now it’s back ! In many forms. We will all have challenges to deal with.
Geography will dictate those challenges. For myself the Southern invasion
will probably be my fight. All the other fights will have to be handled by you guys.
HOLD THE LINE!

Good Luck!
God is with us all.

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“BruceE”
It is my job to protect them. No one else’s job. MINE. And I take it seriously. Call me a nutcase if you want. I have been called worse things by better people.

You are a wonderful soul Brother! Nobody can take that away from you with negative words/thoughts.
You are doing what you are doing for yourself and your family. There is no greater cause.
Keep the Faith!

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Old Dude,
A wise person once said:
“When Westmoreland told us to prepare our obituaries (during Tet '68) that life was FINITE.
You really see what is important in life. Doing your job, acting accordingly, it really is how you wish " To go out!” Will you go out on your feet or on your knees ?" (probably serious paraphrasing here folks, when told often enough but you get the jist )

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NYC is far safer from a per capita standpoint than OKC.

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@Don102…

“If yours hairs stand up on the back of your neck, ANGELS are telling you
to pay attention, somethings not right or is about to happen”. LISTEN to it!
Be an observer of man, Be in the moment, If a guy looks ‘hinky’ he probably is."

Keep your head on a swivel and watch the Watchers.

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It all starts somewhere, Brother, and a .410 is just as capable in that application as any other. It is a lighter weapon, easier to maneuver and less felt recoil to deal with so following shots are easier to get a bead on. Nothing wrong with a .410 HD gun. Good follow-up with the .357.

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JimL,

I’ll buy you (10) tokens for the subway Brother.
We can revisit this conversation when you have successfully used all ten.
(Numbers, bar graphs, studies mean diddily when you on the street),
jus’ sayin’
(former NYC Survivor)

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I’ve told the story before, happy to tell it again.

I was at work at a meeting one evening (not too late). My wife was home with our infant son. A man came to the door, knocked, and waited. My wife didn’t answer. He stood on the porch for a long time. My wife was alone. I don’t think we really even knew the neighbors at that point.

People don’t go door to door in our neighborhood. It’s a quiet place and people who solicit here don’t usually come back for more.

The guy was likely soliciting. But it got her (and me) thinking, “what if?” She was home. Alone. With a son to protect. The 20 gauge was upstairs in the closet, but she didn’t know what to do with it. She didn’t even know how to load it.

I bought my first pistol within a couple of months. She couldn’t shoot it due to the double stack mag making the grips so large. So we went shopping again and she picked out what she wanted.

It was probably a year or two later that I got my concealed carry permit. I think I’ve had a permit for around 15 years or so.

Prepping became a natural extension of the personal protection lifestyle. We are not serious preppers, but we dabble in it. The pandemic certainly upped our game. When we felt things heating up and headed towards lockdowns, we went out that night and stocked up. We spent about $800 between the two of us that night (a lot of money for us-especially at the time). I went to Wal Mart for basic necessities. She went to the grocery store. Even then, we had some basic supplies put back. So I laughed at empty shelves of toilet paper. We still see empty shelves from time to time for certain supplies. So we have made it a point to be in a position to never again run out of basic household items.

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At least in OKC I have a better chance of protecting my family and myself. Also, I have only been to NYC once, in my 22 years there. I grew up in the Adirondacks, so the Per Capita crime rate is probably even much lower than NYC, but still, I would like the comfort I that can carry.

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Spent last week in NYC, felt weird not having Kimberly on my belt.

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Just a thought from USCCA for us preppers for future sale of barter. :thinking:

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I started competing when I was 8. Before that, I shot here and there with my Dad and his friends. When we moved to Germany and started competing in their clubs, I became interested in the differences between our laws and attitudes toward guns. When I returned to the American school system, schooling provided by our Army, civics, American history, and government came into my worldview. By the time I graduated high school, I was well-versed in the ideas and reasons behind the Second, along with our government and how it works (or is supposed to work.)

On our return to the States, we lived in TX for two years. It was the first time I/we had suffered culture shock (seriously). The treatment we got there had me seriously studying concealed carry and self-defense. When we got back home to AZ, I spent a huge amount of my time outdoors, where four-legged predators became a concern, along with the two-legged predators found in the city. At that time, AZ didn’t have CCW (by about 20 years), so I carried in a manner consistent with our (then) laws. Only once did I ever encounter a problem, a young sheriff who thought the rules applied to me but not him. Several discussions with his supervisor disabused him of that idea.

AZ passed its CCW in 1994, and my wife and I applied immediately. The necessary adjustments to clothing, mindset, and comfort were made over time, given that CCW has a learning curve just like everything else.

Now, in my creaking old age, I don’t leave the house without my younger, stronger friend on my belt.

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Served 22 years in uniform and never thought of owning my own firearm until President Obama said I didn’t need one.

As on a SAC base it is official policy not to confirm or deny the existence of certain types of weapons in my house.

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@Glenn24, only SAC base I was stationed at was Plattsburgh AFB back in the early 80’s working on FB-111A’s, but since my entire career was working on several different models of the F-111, I had to memorize that statement because everybody wants to know. F-111 is a medium range bomber with a fighter designation so it could be stationed in England and deployed into Europe. Russia would have never allowed us to park a bomber in Europe.

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The protector lifestyle came first, my stance on 2A came much, much later in life.
It all started when I was a small boy watching TV westerns - everyone carried a gun; good guy with a gun beats a bad guy with a gun. Growing up I learned safety, responsibility, and etiquette from my dad and hunter education.
Fast forward to the birth of my daughter - I came upon the stark realization that I could not physically be a protector with my hands alone…enter my first concealed handgun. I’ve carried in some way ever since. I developed the attitude that any evil act should be met with a far more severe consequence; give the bad guy an “oh sh.t, come to Jesus moment”. Thankfully, I’ve never had to go beyond letting evil know that I was prepared to make my stand.
Fast forward again about 25 years or so when I woke up to the plight of the 2nd Amendment and the constant and relentless attacks against it. That’s when I had my “oh sh.t moment”.
Now I’m in my mid sixties, children all grown and blessed with grandchildren. My role as protector has not diminished. My attitude towards evil is unchanged, my support of the 2A only gets stronger by the day, and my belief that a good guy with gun beats a bad guy with a gun have all been passed down two generations.

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My dad worked on the F-111. Took these pics at the Air Force Museum. My dad worked on this bird. Awesome airplane.

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