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It’s easy to sit in a class and listen to this is what you do here and this is what you do there, but when it comes down to really cracking the nuts it’s a different situation. I’ve been in that situation two times and luckily each time I didn’t have to pull the trigger. Afterwards it gets you thinking about the repercussions. I know for a fact that there is no amount of training that will prepare you for the actual moment you pull the trigger.

I lived 30 years in California, most of that in Southern California and gang activity there is more prevalent than Texas. However, California gangs are now spreading their influence throughout the country and the Texas gangs are adopting the California styles. I don’t think a lot of Texans are really aware of what gang activity is. If you kill a gang member, you’re a dead man. I don’t care where you go, how many guns you’ve got, or how good a shot you are — you’re a dead man. Let me repeat again — you’re a dead man.

So I think that you need to be thinking about the possibilities here. Is it better to be dead now or wait in fear for a few days or perhaps a week? Will they also kill your wife and family? If you haven’t thought about these things, I question your maturity to carry a weapon. I know that cops think about these things. I don’t consider this fear; I consider it intelligence.

seamusTX, you live in Galveston and maybe the gang intensity is not as great there but when you say:

an armed citizen who defends himself is viewed as a really bad dude to steer clear of.

I don't think that holds true for gangs. They like to get bad dudes and will go out of their way to accomplish that.

Kyle - I have no fear of death. I do have a fear of playing pick up the soap in some bull pen. Just because you shoot someone and you have a CHL doesn't mean that the cops let you go. There may be an extended period until they are satisfied that your action was justified and legal.

frankie_the_yankee - you have the right idea. However, that takes funds and everyone who has the funds has already moved. That leaves those of us that can't afford to go right now -- a major source of the problem. As soon as I am financially able, I'm gone!

I have been carrying for over 3 years in the Southwest portion of Houston. I never go out of my house without being armed. This area is ripe with gang members, pimps, and prostitutes. Only yesterday I was accosted by two young black men in a street near my home. One of them yelled "come here" and started to get out and come at me and then he saw my hand on the tab on top of the gun pouch I wear on my belt and he reversed his path. This has happened to me several times in this area. You will say that his seeing my hand there was a sufficient deterrent and that is true.

But I know that every bullet has a lawyer attached to it. If the man yesterday had come at me and I had killed him, his family and gang members would have sought me. If I had shot and only wounded him, he would have pursued me until he had killed me. There are times that I really wonder if there is any use in carrying. If I have to use it, the result may well be worse than not having a weapon.

I am not afraid to shoot; that is not a factor. I have used guns all my long life and spent time in the military. I just wonder if it's worth it. Has anyone else had these thoughts? If so, what is your recommendation?