Because MY life matters and some feel it's only worth the price of the paper in my wallet. Oh, also because I can :-)

Absolutely 😊

In addition to all the reasons stated by others I point to an incident in San Antonio or maybe New Braunfels years ago. A woman with a pistol in her car met her parents for lunch. Before entering the restaurant she decided that there really was no need to carry inside and you can guess the rest. A killer with a gun entered the restaurant and started shooting. The three of them hid under the table they were at. The man decided he had to charge the killer and was killed. The woman and her mother tried to get away. The mother was killed. The woman says she will never forgive herself for leaving her pistol in the car.

I was able to find this article online a few years ago but could not today. It's probably still somewhere. This incident emphasized for me the necessity of carrying all the time and forget the excuses for not doing so. It happened to her; it could happen to me; it could happen to anyone.

There is a simple but pithy statement regarding carry.Going beyond the need for personal and family safety/defense. It goes like"I'd rather have a bad legal trial than a nice funeral"..

Quote from: rognp on November 13 2020 01:00:48 PM MST
There is a simple but pithy statement regarding carry.Going beyond the need for personal and family safety/defense. It goes like"I'd rather have a bad legal trial than a nice funeral"..

If you were ever in a bad legal trial you might consider it a closer question.

I carry for the same reason I do many things in life. I work out and eat healthy to take care of myself. Pay bills save money and prepare for the future. Carry insurance in case of emergency.  Even though violent crime is only half of what it was 25 years ago.  That doesn't mean I  can slack off and not take care of myself along that path either.

Mr Sneed, I'm not too sure of your reply, but I assume you have had a bad experience. With my current experience level I think I would still cjoose the bad trial.  Ther are always those situations where there is no good answer or outcome.

The Police do NOT have a duty to protect the citizen
Now I don't think that most LEO would wuss out like the one in Bower Co. FL.
But it's a fact and I need to protect myself
The Gov. in Va. is defunding the police through the back door and nobody paying attention to it , so instead of LEO being minutes away they will be 1/2 hour away
So now I carry two extra mags

Quote from: rognp on November 16 2020 10:57:18 AM MST
Mr Sneed, I'm not too sure of your reply, but I assume you have had a bad experience. With my current experience level I think I would still cjoose the bad trial.  Ther are always those situations where there is no good answer or outcome.

My  answer wasn't entirely serious as a bad result is certainly preferable to a funeral. However, I'm a lawyer and have seen the effects on the losing party from bad results and they're unpleasant, whether for my client or for the opposition. Once they have gone through a full trial on the merits, civil or criminal, most people, winners and losers, never want to repeat the experience. Still beats a funeral though.

Because I don't like being the only person without a gun..

Seriously. I love my family.  And not just them, I am wired to help others.

Quote from: Sneed on November 03 2020 10:47:53 AM MST
In addition to all the reasons stated by others I point to an incident in San Antonio or maybe New Braunfels years ago. A woman with a pistol in her car met her parents for lunch. Before entering the restaurant she decided that there really was no need to carry inside and you can guess the rest. A killer with a gun entered the restaurant and started shooting. The three of them hid under the table they were at. The man decided he had to charge the killer and was killed. The woman and her mother tried to get away. The mother was killed. The woman says she will never forgive herself for leaving her pistol in the car.

I was able to find this article online a few years ago but could not today. It's probably still somewhere. This incident emphasized for me the necessity of carrying all the time and forget the excuses for not doing so. It happened to her; it could happen to me; it could happen to anyone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanna_Hupp

Quote from: sqlbullet on December 15 2020 06:06:59 AM MST
I was able to find this article online a few years ago but could not today. It's probably still somewhere. This incident emphasized for me the necessity of carrying all the time and forget the excuses for not doing so. It happened to her; it could happen to me; it could happen to anyone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanna_Hupp

That's the one. Thanks.

One is none and two is half of what you need.

Always be prepared.

In the Army;  "Earl, why you always carry three canteens and four mag pouches full of ammo?"

Earl: "I hope I never have to show you why".

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

What if?...the that leads to "What if I hadn't"

I never carried until this explosion of mass shootings and terrorism starting about 10 years ago. Obviously I used to carry in the woods, never really for animals. The places I used to carry had some black bears, cougars, bobcats. I do not fear them really. My grandfather always told me the only animal to fear in the woods is the 2 legged kind. Humans up to no good.

Nowadays, we can't go a day without hearing about terrorism, mass shooters or road rage. The pressures of daily life, bad traffic, stress and over medication coupled with a lack of mental health care has got this country in a bad spot. I honestly don't know who to trust. I feel exposed everywhere, at the mall, restaurants or just driving on the freeway, afraid to even honk at someone that cuts me off for fear they start shooting.

I carry because I won't be a victim. I was raised to hunt, been around guns my entire life, been through the best firearms training the government has to offer in various capacities as a military firearms instructor, military police officer as well as several in private security. I feel prepared to handle most situations. I hope to never be in a situation, but being prepared just seems smart. My greatest fear is to reach for my gun and it not be there. This is why I refuse to send my kids to public school. They can't defend themselves. They're safer with me.