The Lottery of Violence

I found this phrase at the AMOK! self defense school and it struck a cord with my thoughts on concealed carry. We buy a ticket every time we leave the house. There are many things you can do to increase or decrease your odds of "winning," but there's always the chance of violence.

A week without carrying

We spent the last week visiting our family in San Diego. California does not honor permits from other states and, in many of its counties, rarely issues permits to its own residents, so the Glock stayed home.

It felt a little odd not carrying around that extra weight on both hips. At the same time it was disconcerting. I’m of the mindset that if I ever need to use my firearm for self-defense outside the home, it’ll be in a place I least expect it. That's why I carry everywhere.

It's funny how a few years in a "free state" changes you.

Do You Feel Lucky Today?

I find it funny that I run into permit holders that only carry when they're traveling into or through a "bad part of town." My reply to that comments is always, "tell me where that is so I don't accidentally go there." I say this in jest, but my point is serious. If there is a place so bad, so dangerous that you know you'll need a gun, why go there? The best way to win a gun fight is not to get into one in the first place.

I have always been of the mindset that bad things can happen to good people in the best parts of town. That is why I carry a gun everywhere I go. It's the same reason I have water and a first aid kit in all of our vehicles, fire extinguishers, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors throughout the house, and why I am CPR and first aid trained. When something bad happens, I am responsible for my family and myself.

Tactical Response is a highly regarded firearms training school. I found a great quote from the owner, James Yeager, on this subject on the company's forum GetOffTheX.com. I'll paraphrase for language. At the start of the second day of a two day class he asked, "How many of you guys didn't carry your gun to class today." A couple of students raise their hands. "So how many of you guys bought a lottery ticket on the way in." No one raised their hands. "Oh, none of you feel lucky today."

Welcome

Hi, welcome to my little spot on the web.

I've toyed around for quite a while with the idea of setting up a blog (oh, I hate that word) to chronicle my experiences carrying a concealed handgun daily since moving to Arizona nearly three years ago. For better or worse, here it is.

I plan to write posts as if the reader, if there ever are any, are not gun owners or are owners who do not carry. I am not planning on arguing for concealed carry, obviously by exercising the right, I support it. There are many sites on the web that do a much better job than I ever could in articulating the "pro" side of concealed carry. I am looking to show you a personal side of concealed carry.