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bisley
Posts: 10,815 Senior Member
What is your scenario?
bisley
Posts: 10,815 Senior Member
I have always contended that the individuals who have decided to commit to the very serious step of carrying a lethal weapon have done so out of fear of some specific scenario that they fear more than all others. Certainly, it is a completely logical decision that a person may simply come to after thorough research. But still, I believe it is a fear of some more specific scenario that probably caused that person to start doing that research.
In my opinion, many civilian folks that have decided to carry a weapon have had some sort of 'come to Jesus' moment, after some particular criminal assault that they could easily see themselves as having been involved in. Once the commitment is made, that one particular moment may fade into the background, and will probably be replaced by a more inclusive training strategy, but it is always in the back of the mind, and always influences the way a person prepares himself. At least, this is the way it was for me, and I consider myself to be fairly representative of the average citizen.
For me, it was the Luby's massacre, at Killeen, TX, in 1991, and the subsequent testimony of Susanna Hupp in Congress. I think it is reasonable to say that her powerful testimony got the attention of many Texans, who had previously found it easy to shake off their initial fears, and do nothing about self defense. I know that it was this way for me. I was about 40 yo, at the time, and still a big, strong guy who foolishly believed he could take care of his family in any circumstance, without ever having a thought about carrying a gun.
This tragedy struck home for me, because I had stopped at this particular Luby's on at least two occasions, while traveling to San Antonio with my parents to visit relatives. Though not exactly elderly, at the time, my parents preferred to travel with me and my family through the high traffic Austin - San Antonio area. Luby's was a good place to eat for old folks and families, and they liked to go there and treat the family, as their part of paying the expenses for the trip.
So, when the story broke and the aftermath videos started to appear on TV, along with eyewitness accounts, it caused a chill to run up my spine that would come back whenever the subject came up, again, for several years. It spurred the CHL movement in Texas, and as soon as Bush was elected to Governor, it was passed into law. It was still several years before I saw the Susanna Hupp video, where she described her unarmed father trying to attack the shooter, and dying without being able to save his family. It was just so obvious that one person with a gun he knew how to shoot, could have stopped the killer, who strolled around the restaurant with two 9mm pistols, emptying them and reloading several times, at his leisure.
I was a brand new grandfather, by the time I finally took the CHL course and started carrying a handgun, and it was a relief, after worrying about it for several years. I kicked myself for hesitating so long, but was determined to be prepared if my growing family ever needed to depend on me.
Please share your 'scenario,' if you have one, or discuss whatever helped you decide to carry a weapon.
In my opinion, many civilian folks that have decided to carry a weapon have had some sort of 'come to Jesus' moment, after some particular criminal assault that they could easily see themselves as having been involved in. Once the commitment is made, that one particular moment may fade into the background, and will probably be replaced by a more inclusive training strategy, but it is always in the back of the mind, and always influences the way a person prepares himself. At least, this is the way it was for me, and I consider myself to be fairly representative of the average citizen.
For me, it was the Luby's massacre, at Killeen, TX, in 1991, and the subsequent testimony of Susanna Hupp in Congress. I think it is reasonable to say that her powerful testimony got the attention of many Texans, who had previously found it easy to shake off their initial fears, and do nothing about self defense. I know that it was this way for me. I was about 40 yo, at the time, and still a big, strong guy who foolishly believed he could take care of his family in any circumstance, without ever having a thought about carrying a gun.
This tragedy struck home for me, because I had stopped at this particular Luby's on at least two occasions, while traveling to San Antonio with my parents to visit relatives. Though not exactly elderly, at the time, my parents preferred to travel with me and my family through the high traffic Austin - San Antonio area. Luby's was a good place to eat for old folks and families, and they liked to go there and treat the family, as their part of paying the expenses for the trip.
So, when the story broke and the aftermath videos started to appear on TV, along with eyewitness accounts, it caused a chill to run up my spine that would come back whenever the subject came up, again, for several years. It spurred the CHL movement in Texas, and as soon as Bush was elected to Governor, it was passed into law. It was still several years before I saw the Susanna Hupp video, where she described her unarmed father trying to attack the shooter, and dying without being able to save his family. It was just so obvious that one person with a gun he knew how to shoot, could have stopped the killer, who strolled around the restaurant with two 9mm pistols, emptying them and reloading several times, at his leisure.
I was a brand new grandfather, by the time I finally took the CHL course and started carrying a handgun, and it was a relief, after worrying about it for several years. I kicked myself for hesitating so long, but was determined to be prepared if my growing family ever needed to depend on me.
Please share your 'scenario,' if you have one, or discuss whatever helped you decide to carry a weapon.
Replies
Seriously. That's about it. Read history. Read the papers. They're really twitchy, unpredictable critters, and then there's the stuff out there with actual teeth and claws. I never really needed a specific event to keep me out of "Condition White".
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
was in progress. When I got to the Hialeah gun shop a line went around the building and only a certain number of customers were allowed inside
at a time.
We ended up on the roof of my Brothers business along with some folks from the Harley dealer next door, every one was armed and we were able to
to discourage looters. AR's were not available in those days, sure would have been comforting. Things got a little testy until some Harley customers
showed up. Been armed every sense
Things are a bit different for us rural types. Until recently, we knew our neighbors and legitimately had little cause for worry. Now, we have city slickers sprinkled around heavily, not to mention the numerous illegal immigrant villages and the occasional meth lab. It's only in the last 20 years or so that most folks in my area started getting more serious about home defense. So, naturally, we have a calmer approach to the problem, though one should not surmise that we can't get the job done, when necessary.
I do not have expectations of any type of fixed scenario. At most I picture maybe waking to a bump in the night or fending off someone being maliciuos. Finding myself in the middle of a mass shooting is a surreal and alien concept byond my routine patterns of thought.
I have no notion I can save the day in a bad situation but I do want to be able to at least defend my family and myself as best I can ... I might get lucky and save our butts because the LEOs are stretched to thin and not around when needed most of the time.
- George Orwell
early,
That almost exactly describes how I felt, for most of my life. But, when that lady described a situation that I could have found myself in, had the shooter chosen a different day, it became a little bit less of an alien concept to me, and finally tipped the scale for me, towards creating a more energetic defense capability. I'm a very conservative fellow, and I will usually take as much time as I need to make the right decision, but this convinced me that I was way 'behind the curve' on making this decision.
My scenario is yours, as many Texans is. When that came down it forever changed me. I mean I've always been a gun guy, but had reservations about everybody carrying guns around. But when I heard that woman exclaim before Congress, God, and everybody that she had left her gun in her car because she didn't want to get in trouble and now wished she would have gone ahead and broken the law that day, it got my attention big time. I remember thinking so what? Laws are made for the good of society so what if I break one in the interest of my own and everyone else's safety? I thought about this for years until I finally got my first LTC. I let mine expire thoughtlessly and have just now, 4 years later reapplied and I won't let it slip again.
But your thread really hit home. And that we both were inspired by the same incident really gets me thinking about it all. Another scenario that gets me thinking is the Fort Hood shooting courtesy of Mr. Hassan. I won't do him the honor of referring to him as an Army officer. He's a Scumbag.
But what I'm getting at here is that here we are the most powerful military force in the world and our soldiers can't even carry a weapon while on duty. What's wrong with this picture. Another reason I'm voting for Trump. I figure he'll fix that his first month in office. When you go to vote, think Principle before Personality.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
:that:
Suspect - 0.
No rematch.
Obviously, there is a major difference between big city life and rural life. I have always known this, but I just didn't realize that so many people had figured out the whole self defense thing, so much sooner than I did. Admittedly, I grew up in a time, and an environment where winning a couple of fist-fights made the average 'predator type' give you a wide berth. Mass murder, serial killers, strong-arm robbery, and gang warfare were almost unheard of - something that happened to people a long way off, and rarely, even then.
Small-town USA, in the '50's and 60's, I reckon - the last of the good old days, maybe.
It's hell when all you have to protect yourself is your bare hands and the bad guys all have guns.
After that I started carrying either a Ruger .41 or .44 mag.
When CC became available I got mine, now I carry either a 1911 or a Charter Arms .44 spc.
JAY
From then on I always carried a gun, just not legally . Never had a need to use it. Over time have heard of more and more people getting into trouble for carrying without a permit, so the wife and I got ours and I have kept it current since
This.
"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and speed is the economy of motion" - Scott Jedlinski
Also at the time I was living on the edge of the county I live in, so the chances of rapid response were low. Meant that I needed my own protection if I wanted to be "safe." Now I live inside the city limits and have had some activity nearby. Fun to have a chopper overhead searching for no goods up to mischief.
Some things for you "rural types" to ponder. . .
1. When the first man got there, the place was full of all the stuff that would eat him. You feel safe from that in what you mistakenly call "the boonies" because there are or were enough humans around to shoot all that stuff out. Man merely chose to swap the ravenous timber wolves for the choice of being surrounded by the thing that wiped the ravenous timber wolves out. While the phrase "Every man a tiger" wasn't coined to describe this scenario, think about it for a second - you're surrounded by tigers. Never mind those minor differences of community such as when those "tigers" in your East Texas were known as Comanches.
2. "Small town USA" has it's own set of problems - the maladjusted that would be better off in cities, the Kaczynski-types who don't fit in the cities or anywhere else, the dissatisfied youth of Indian reservations or any other group, and that meth cookers and other folks similarly involved are too lazy to go into the true sticks, but Mayberry is off the beaten path enough for what they need to do.
3. In suburbia, you get the possibility of running into the whack-a-doodles from both the cities and the outlying fields.
I have faith in my fellow man - to continue to be the mess that has always been man, regardless of location. Low population density just means you only have to keep your eyes on a few of them at a time.
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
My step-grandson was on the scene of a high school shooting that predated Columbine. Nobody ever mentions Richland High School in Giles County Tennessee, where a student and a teacher were killed and another teacher was permanently disabled by a nutcase named Jamey Rouse. The girl who died was my grandson's girl friend. A couple of years later, the high school my kids attended was the scene of a murder- - -one boy killed another over a girl. Remember the muslim nutcase who shot up the Marine reserve center in Chattanooga? He was a newly-hired engineer at the place my son works. He had already created a stink about "discrimination" there.
All these things happened in backwoods Tennessee and they've hit far too close to home too often!- - - -Anybody who doesn't go armed whenever possible is a damned fool!
Jerry
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
I live out in the country, but there's meth dealers, meth cookers, meth users, drunks and wife abusers in my hood, and a half way house for drug abusers a couple miles down the road run by a preacher; the 'inmates' have learned to avoid my place.
― Douglas Adams
Maybe.
In my case I grew up self sufficient and old for my age. When I had to repel boarders as a kid, cowering in the corner was not a part of the thought process. Scared? Yep. I remember it clearly. Then I locked and cocked a lever gun. Nothing happened of import, the boarders decided to find elsewhere to be. I got my CCW 9 or 10 years after that when I was legal, but I don't think I would not have gotten one had that not happened.
I think if your first CC was a flintlock pistol, you're grandfathered in.
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and politician
Chose that after seeing how well it worked for Cain?
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
Looking back, I guess the determination to be armed and take care of myself was when I was in Junior high and was sent to in-school suspension for 2 weeks for being a stupid kid. While I was in there, I was able to get the full days school work done in the first 2 hours, then got to sit in little room with the golf coach watching me and a bunch of delinquents. The golf coach had a bunch of magazines in there to read if you were bored (could not bring in my own book to read, but could read years of Coach Moses's back issues of magazines), and it included about 10 years of American Rifleman magazines. I was already a gun nut, but by reading 120 episodes of The Armed Citizen it opened my eyes to the fact that guns are used for self defense ALL THE TIME. You never heard about that in the news, but there it was in print, like 15 times a month.
So I guess that would be my moment that I realized it made sense to carry a gun and protect yourself.
-Mikhail Kalashnikov