Carried first time

[j1132s]

Hi,

Thanks for all your support and helpful advices.

I'm officially licensed to carry. Actually, received my CHL last Tuesday or Wednesday and carried (concealed) first time this past Saturday while visiting some properties that I bought at a tax auction, which aren't located in very nice neighborhoods. Also went to HEB after.

The interesting thing is I kind of forgot I was carrying most of the time while driving and even in HEB. The only time I'm very conscious of that fact was when I decided to get out of my car to take some pictures of a particular property... due to some people hanging around a car on the street next door.

It was also very hot that day, so I only had a t shirt on. Like others have mentioned, initially I feel like it's printing a lot. But I got over it before leaving my front door when my wife couldn't tell I was carrying although I was purposely walking around her a lot.

Anyway, I'd like to thank you for bringing me up to speed so quickly w/ your posts.

BTW, I just found out a few days ago that my wife is an anti-gun person. And to think I was trying to get her to take a CHL class.. ah, I was so wrong (and we've been together for over 15 years and known each other to almost 20 years).

[longtooth]

Your "forgetting you have it" is not uncommon. When your rig is comfortable you will not consiously feel it or think of it all the time any more than you do your billfold, hankerchief, or keys. (my keys bother me more than anything) A good belt along w/ a quality holster is the answer to comfort. I carry a Kimber compac & you will learn from this forum that many carry this size arm. I know several who carry full size 1911's w/o conciously "knowing it is there" or a bother. Take heart concerning your wife. She will get used to you having one & she will not be gun consious even if she does not become a patron. When I first got mine, the wife was worried that the anti theft devices you walk through at HEB were going to pick up my pistol. Now 6 yr later she forgets she has hers in her purse. Works in a school & has gotten out of the car, locked it, & then remembered. So far she has not gotten inside. She says she has not anyway. Most of us here will encourage you to carry 24-7 when legal. You can never guess when you are going to need it. If I could I would stay home. Welcome aboard.

[dws1117]

Congrats. I agree that you can tend to "forget" that it's even there. It sure is comforting to "remember" that it is there.

BTW, I just found out a few days ago that my wife is an anti-gun person. And to think I was trying to get her to take a CHL class.. ah, I was so wrong (and we've been together for over 15 years and known each other to almost 20 years).

Keep working on her. Don't push, but don't give up. My wife is/was the same way. Over time and her seeing that guns and people that own guns are not evil she is beginning to come around. Whether we will eventually enjoy shooting as a couple that way many of the forum members are fortunate remains to be seen.

Have you had guns the whole time you've been married?

Contact Charles or TraCoun concerning one of the ladies classes that they put on. Hopefully my wife will attend after the baby is born.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Wives/girlfriends and guns - that has the potential of being a separate, long-running thread of it’s own!

It’s somewhat of a standing joke around my law firm. Whenever we have a new female employee or temp. at the office (sometimes even clients or visitors), everyone starts betting how long I’ll wait before asking whether they have a gun and, if not, “do you want one and when can you come to class?�

Yeah, I’m a huge supporter of women having guns for self-defense and secondarily for sporting purposes. But I have to say that I know of very few wives who are active in shooting; i.e. shoot in competition or on a regular basis. Steve is very lucky that Donna is an avid shooter. (She won her Class/Division in this year’s Texas State IDPA Championship.) There are a few others with wives or girlfriends that shoot regularly, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

My wife and I met when we were 12 years old and I’ve been crazy about her ever since. We’ve been married for over 32 years and she’s carried various pistols every day of our married life. She goes to Thunder Ranch with me at least once a year and she’s very serious about training when she’s there. She’s even been to TR without me! However, she is not an avid shooter at all. She goes to the range only reluctantly and solely because she knows she needs to practice, if she’s going to carry a gun and expect to be able to defend herself with it, if the need arises.

For years, I made the mistake of pushing her to start shooting in competition with me, so we could enjoy the sport together. It never worked, not once. The only time she’s been at the range during a match or one of our State Championships was to bring us food. (She made a lot of friends doing that!) She has no desire to compete in a match. For her, a gun is a tool with which she must maintain a certain level of competency for it to be useful to her - nothing more. Over the years, God has blessed me with some moderate level of wisdom and I have learned to be content with Martha’s position on guns. She’s level-headed, very competent with firearms (including AR’s), well trained in tactical shooting and that gives me a great deal of comfort.

So, what’s the moral of my rambling story? Only this; don’t try to make the ladies in your life avid, competitive shooters who won’t let you go to the range by yourself. If it works out that way, great; just don’t push it. Let her know that her owning, training, and carrying a gun for self-defense is not a prelude to you brow-beating her into making weekly visits to the range or shooting in competition. It is far more productive for the ladies to truly understand we want them armed and competent in self-defense skills for their safety, as opposed to a pretext to get them to the range more often. Some percentage of women who approach gun ownership for defensive purposes will enjoy shooting to the point they make it a sport and that’s great. I envy you guys who have wives that do. But when the ladies in your life tell you, as Martha has told me on several occasions, “I’m glad you convinced me to carry this thing for self-defense, but don’t think I’m going to the range every time you do[;]� don’t be offended or feel like you’ve failed. Our duty is to protect our wives and daughters and to teach and equip them to protect themselves when we are not around. (I know that’s a chauvinistic statement, but I’m old enough to have lived at a time when that attitude was appreciated, and I don’t care!) We can take pride in meeting that duty; beyond that, it’s all gravy.

(I may post this in the Ladies Forum as well, so as not to hijack this thread.)

Regards,
Chas.

[gigag04]

good post! Thanks for the perspective charles.

[stevie_d_64]

+1

[longtooth]

Ditto here concerning the wife shooting. She is competent & shoots to stay that way. Now Mother on the other hand is my shooting buddy. She has hijacked my deerstand this yr too. I am having to put up a 2nd one tomorrow so I can have a place to hunt. Giving her a 25-06 for her b-day last Aug. has really kept me busy. It sure is fun when 75 ry old Mom outshoots some men at the range. She is kind of slow but the holes are all close together. Concentrated somewhere around center mass. She loves the loading room too.

[dws1117]

Good post, Charles.

[onerifle]

+1.

Well said, Chas.

[j1132s]

So, what’s the moral of my rambling story? Only this; don’t try to make the ladies in your life avid, competitive shooters who won’t let you go to the range by yourself. If it works out that way, great; just don’t push it.

This is pretty much what happened w/ my wife. I think I nagged a little too much trying to get her to attend beginner pistol and CHL classes that she's sick of hearing anything about guns. Finally she told me that she's actually anti-guns and thinks they are dangerous. Now I can't even do my dry fire practice in the house w/o getting some complaints.

Previously I've used a very effective method to get wife's approval regarding gun purchaes. I'll shared that w/ you; although I'm not sure if it'll work for me any more.

Basically, I pointed out to my wife that a gun costs about the same as a decent purse. And once you add the cost of the wallet to the purse, that'll get you some accessories. This does not include any matching clothing/shoes costs. Now, I can sell my gun for a decent price but you can't do that w/ a purse since there's no used purse market and they go out of fashion. Having many guns is like having many purses in terms of cost and usage, but the guns can potentially be sold and recover much more $ than the purses. This worked so well for my last 3 guns purchased within a month (or was it just weeks) of each other.

Now she's not buying the above arguments any more. In fact she's asking me to sell some guns to decrease the danger of having so many.
Oh well.

[stevie_d_64]

Charles must be tapping into my ruminations...

Our journey began with my wife telling me as a matter of fat statement...

"I think I want to go get my "permit"."

It was all I could do to throw her into the truck and find an application card (at that time)...

I was excited, I was thinking of regular trips to a range to go shoot a box or two at a range nearby...

Just something that we could do as a couple, that we both enjoyed...That didn't involve walking around looking at swatches of cloth patterns, or drinking beer and eating things that made you gassy while watching TV...

As it stands now she has an interest in shooting that with Charles synopsis makes more sense...And where I feel we are now...

I think we could very easily get pretty good at putting good scores on a paper targets...What I think that could grow from that is a limited ammo drill on the "stars" at PSC...

Thats the fun of it...And if she comes out with me to shoot...It makes it that much better...

Who would ever think on the other side of the argument, that firearms would improve a marriage...

The irony astounds me...

[KBCraig]

Basically, I pointed out to my wife that a gun costs about the same as a decent purse. And once you add the cost of the wallet to the purse, that'll get you some accessories.

I'm glad my wife doesn't buy purses where yours does!

Either that, or I need to find out where you're getting the $15 guns!



Kevin

[dws1117]

Basically, I pointed out to my wife that a gun costs about the same as a decent purse. And once you add the cost of the wallet to the purse, that'll get you some accessories.

I'm glad my wife doesn't buy purses where yours does!

Either that, or I need to find out where you're getting the $15 guns!



Kevin

+1 on that!!

[j1132s]

Basically, I pointed out to my wife that a gun costs about the same as a decent purse. And once you add the cost of the wallet to the purse, that'll get you some accessories.

I'm glad my wife doesn't buy purses where yours does!

Either that, or I need to find out where you're getting the $15 guns!



Kevin

+1 on that!!

Hey, tell me about it. Before I started dating (post-college), I never knew how expensive purses can get! And unlike my wallet, there seems to be different purses for different seasons and occasions.

BTW, the above gun buying "method" no longer works for me. But wife and I have a good relationship where notification of any purchase is realy just a nice consideration and not necessary. That's why I just bought another gun :) I'll let her know when it comes.

[SRVA]

I gotta' tell you guys...It's great to be the luckiest guy in the world. At last night's match, Donna held first place over some very good shooters until the last scenario. A lot of us ate humble pie.