Defining Moment that led to your decision to CCW?

[TheTman]

I always had a gun in the vehicle when traveling, legal or not, it's easy to get into a bad side of town when you don't know your way around. Or for someone to jump you in a rest stop on the interstate at night. Then when my state passed the CC law, I got a permit to be legal in my state and all the states that reciprocate. Those are usually the states I vacation in now, or make a bike run through or whatever. I don't let stupid laws violate my right to defend myself anywhere I drive, but I don't have any business anymore back east in CT or NY or Illinois, so I have no intent to go to those places. I've been to Kommiefornia once, and that was plenty. That would be a real nice state if it wasn't for the libtards and foreigners and the just plain weirdos.

[marcinstl]

Hawkeye911
Daryl, I lived in Chgo. back in the 70's. at that time it was estimated that 1 in 3 cars had a gun in it. cops would come into a restaurant where I ate and have a duty pistol, something in a shoulder rig and something in the small of the back, probably something on the ankle too. over dressed? if I lived in metro Chgo. today, I'd be over dressed too. the Il. gun laws, the extra gun laws in Chgo. did nothing.
glad you got your carry card. good luck.

[marshal kane]

The day I moved to Arizona. Here, you may legally carry concealed or open without a permit except in government buildings, schools, places where liquor is served, or where a "No weapons" sign is posted. You may apply for a permit after attending a licensed permit class, then passing a written and range proficiency test.

[340pd]

Legally. The day the laws changed and I got my permit, about a decade ago.
Prior to that, randomly, as I felt warranted.

[Armybrat]

No defining moment.
Being armed just seems like common sense.

Same here.

After watching the U. of Texas Tower sniper do his evil work firsthand, I saw how a carry weapon could have prevented much of it from happening. After college & getting married, I always carried a handgun in the car while traveling. However, I did not start carrying a gun on my person until 20 years later, then a few years afterwards got a CHL when Texas passed the legislation & George Bush signed it.

[C_Class]

Born, raised, and still live just NW of Chicago. The Brady bill passage is what got me to research firearms. I quickly realized that it's MY responsibility to protect myself and my loved ones.

A firearm is not a magic talisman that wards off evil. It takes "sweat equity" to build proficiency with a firearm. Having taken Mas Ayoob's LFI-1 class in 2008 (now called MAG-40) one of the takeaways from the class was to document my training. I've taken several defensive training courses, participated in USPSA matches with my various carry guns over the years, become an NRA certified Instructor (Pistol, PPITH, PPOTH), IL CCL Instructor, and partnered with a very sharp self defense attorney in our area to teach the IL CCL classes.

Even my wife has come to the realization that she needs to develop proficiency with a firearm too...

[RRP]

~ Having taken Mas Ayoob's LFI-1 class in 2008 (now called MAG-40) one of the takeaways from the class was to document my training. I've taken several defensive training courses, participated in USPSA matches with my various carry guns over the years, become an NRA certified Instructor (Pistol, PPITH, PPOTH), IL CCL Instructor, and partnered with a very sharp self defense attorney in our area to teach the IL CCL classes.

Congrats. You are in the minority of gun owners.

[robk]

I moved from CA to Or. Done deal.

[HAP1978]

There are a lot of reasons why I always carry and will always be armed. Incidents like this one reiterate that fact. I cringe whenever I hear about this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-Fi_murders

[SlowBurn]

Defining Moment that led to your decision to CCW?

I used to be a prosecutor in the late 70s and early 80s. About a year after leaving the state attorney's office, the prison system wrote to inform me about a prisoner they caught trying to escape. Co-conspirators who ratted him out said his motivation for escaping was to come after the sentencing judge, the victim and me. I had convicted him of repeatedly smashing his ex girlfriends legs with an iron bar, trying to permanently crippled her because she had dumped him. He didn't make it, but it made me think other sickos might also decide to make it personal. I got a CCW permit and bought a G17.

But I only started carrying every day a few years ago after a good friend, a (mostly) retired cop and expert handgunner, showed me his new LCP. A serious, reliable gun that is incredibly small and easy to carry- at that time it was a revelation.

[CharlieW]

There WAS a specific moment in my case. I was driving my little Geo Tracker on the highway a mile from my home, and as I entered an underpass, there was a loud bang on the door frame just behind my ear. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a white SUV racing the other way. When I got home I found a deep dent in the panel behind the door, perfectly round, and my son, who is an LEO, confirmed my suspicion that it was probably from a pellet gun. If the shot had been four inches forward, it would have hit the glass right where my ear was. There had been several reports of shots being fired at random cars from a white SUV, but no one was ever caught. From that point I proceeded to obtain my CHL, and I have continued to take defensive firearm classes and train and practice for the past 5 years.

[Ron AZ]

Two things swayed me. 1.) I decided to start carrying while bowhunting as I was starting to go into bear country, and 2.) Aftermath of the 2012 election, when they started to talk about taking away the right to own the kind of guns (large cap mags) that I wanted. So I went out and became a centerfire handgun owner (always had a .22 handgun).