TexasCHLforum.com

I have to be careful to keep my hair trimmed fairly short or my grown kids accuse me of sporting a skullet.

I, like you, am very new to this "culture". I am now coming up on my tenth month of learning about guns and my eighth month of owning one. In that time, I have taken probably a dozen gun-related classes. I have had my CHL for since last Christmas. I have been welcomed without any apparent judgement at several different ranges and on this and other forums. Everyone I have talked to has been as helpful as they could be. Not one of them has made fun of the fact that I don't own any gun specific clothing. At the advanced tactical classes that I have attended the attendees range in age from about 22 to 65. There are crewcuts, high-n-tights, business looks, and ponytails. The clothing ranges from business suits to tactical. I only own my XD9 and a couple of .22 rifles that I inherited. I have no current plans to buy any more guns (well, maybe a HD shotgun). I don't have a gun safe but I do plan to get one. I have a small lockbox in the car, but that is just so I can lock my gun up if I end up somewhere that I can't carry it. I guess what I am saying is that I just don't see what it is that you are talking about.

You mention the cycling culture as a parallel, yet you somehow feel that the CCW culture is more offensive and troublesome. I have lived in that culture and found it to be very much the same as the one I describe above. Acceptance and assistance seem to be the watchwords of the day in both cultures. For someone who allegedly has thick skin you seem to be more bothered by this than anyone I have met so far in either world. Admittedly, my foray into the cycling community was a long time ago. There was no Cat 5 class back then but Fred was a term already long in use. :)