Reason you decided to get CHL ?

[bigity]

I've wanted one for years but was in the Air Force, which made it pretty pointless, then I worked on an Air Force base as a DoD contractor, which made it pretty pointless, then I worked for a school district, which made it pretty pointless, and now I work for a company that allows CHL holders to carry at work. So I finally got around to it. With offices all over Texas, it's a nice piece of mind.

[WCDUB]

Two reasons:
1.Turned 70 and don't feel as physically fit/strong as before.
2.Important to support 2nd. amendment rights in this stupid,PC time in which we live.

[Lubbock1911]

I am new here. Been following the forum for awhile. I hope to learn all I can prior to applying for my CHL. I love to bird hunt but time does not allow me to hunt as much as I'd like. I am 62 and have lived my life free of trouble and never felt the need to arm myself outside my home. I have always been observant of what is happening around me and been fit enough to pose a threat to those who have question it.

Now in my thinking I can't fight anymore, won't run from a fight, so I am forced to rely on a gun. I never dreamed the day would come where I felt it necessary to protect myself with a gun. I never dreamed our nation and our citizens could pose a significant risk to me and my family. I have always been prepared too protect my home but never felt the need to do so outside the home. Back in the day the police were here to protect and serve. IMO today they are more of a law enforcement agency and I worry about them protecting the public.

Today we have the Mexican drug lord to our south, drug gang member growing daily, ISIS activist living in our home land, and way, way too many wackos shooting up theaters, schools, and malls. Unsupervised and mislead kids watching the news and repeating stupid acts. Our current leaders are being force to take action and many believe in gun control as a way to relieve the problem. Guys you can't fix stupid.

My long guns can and have provided me with food. All I have killed have been eaten. A hand gun by design was made to kill people and I never saw the need to eat a person. My hand gun is for protecting myself in a life threating situation, only! I don't plan to use it to protect my property, property can be replaced. I am not law enforcement and never intend use a weapon to prevent a crime.

I have many friends who have a CHL they went out bought their first weapon and got licensed. To many have never shot and killed an animal and seen what the bullet does to flesh. Several have not fired their weapon enough to be able to hit a target or have enough education to even properly clean the gun. I ask them where their gun is and they answer at home.

My plan of action is to first become a responsible CHL person, learn and understand (not just read) all the laws, learn how to avoid and prevent a threat, have a clear understanding of using deadly force and the potential outcome. Practice gun safety, gun storage, and gun handling to where it is second nature. Currently I have practiced enough to be able to hit my target, hit a moving target, move and shoot, and dump a mag on target. However, I know I am not prepared enough mentally to perform effectively in a real world situation.

So in closing say a prayer for me as I begin the journey to CHL.'dom

[RetNavy]

There is really no reason why I got a CHL…. I have lived in major cities most of the time after joining the Navy in 77, Norfolk, Philadelphia, San Diego, Portland Or, Honolulu, Las Vegas. Have worked in few cities after retiring also, and never had any problems..
I never owned a gun during all of those times… never even thought of having one…. I did grow up around guns, mainly long guns,used for hunting and qualified on the pistol/rifle/shotgun every time during my career. Even after moving to Texas in 2000, never having a gun crossed my mind…

Then Thanksgiving weekend in 2013, my sister-in-law called saying that they were going over to her uncles place to go shooting and wanted to know if I wanted to go, which I said yes. Then my wife pulled me into the bedroom and pulled down this box and inside was another box that said Ruger on it. She said it was going to be a Christmas present but I could have it now. Opening it was a SR1911 CMD .45 ACP. (Pollen count must have been high that day). She had asked me a couple months ago what kind of gun I liked and since I shot and carried the Colt .45 in the service that was what I was used to..
We went shooting that day, stopping off to buy her a FNP9.
After getting the pistol I then started researching the Texas Gun Statutes, finding that I could legally carry in a vehicle under the MPA… that started me looking at the CHL program.. January 2014 took the class, submitted forms, and received CHL on March 1st…
Now I carry constantly, even home, I travel with my wife at least once a month while she is involved in a Leadership Program for her work and visit various cities here in Texas… and there have been a couple of times that she asked if I was carrying due to the area we were in…
I am glad I did get a CHL, and like everyone on the site, hopefully will never have to use a weapon to defend myself or my family,
Sorry if it is kinda long….

[mr1337]

I think for me, it was when I was about to get married. I realized the world isn't has safe as I thought it was, and I would be responsible for not only my own safety, but the safety of my wife. I knew that I wouldn't have a fighting chance if either of us were attacked. (I'm a scrawny guy.)

My friends took me to the gun range for my bachelor party, and I was hooked.

[RoyGBiv]

Here's a new one...

Terrorists' 'soft-target' strategy puts anyone -- and everyone -- in danger

ISIS and Al Qaeda are increasingly mounting and calling for attacks on soft targets as a means of deterring Western assaults on their strongholds -- a strategy that is extending the reach of terrorism to hotels, cafés, supermarkets and malls where Europeans and Americans once felt safe.

[Tazman]

There are a couple of reasons I got my CHL:

First and foremost, because I can! which dovetails into the second - because I wanted to take up a right that is given to me by the 2nd amendment and I wanted to do what was necessary to carry legally before someone took that right away from me.

I now carry everyday.

[OSCAR E]

CHL because I have a family that I want to protect, there is a lot of crazy people out there, I travel a lot to down south the border to visit my parents.

[Javier730]

CHL because I have a family that I want to protect, there is a lot of crazy people out there, I travel a lot to down south the border to visit my parents.

You mean you travel near the border or you actually cross the border? Crossing into mexico with a firearm will get you into alot of trouble.

[treadlightly]

My concealed handgun license has at long last been mailed and will probably be in my hands in a week.

There were many reasons for wanting to carry. It's the right thing to do. I have people I care deeply about I need to protect.

I'm an American and law-abiding. It's what law-abiding Americans do, particularly in rural Texas.

It's a natural thing to do.

But I've discovered another reason. It puts me at greater distance from the open carry nuts.

After all, I can get a CHL. Their upper leadership can't. I apparently have a touch of Saturday Night Live's church lady in my soul, fitting, perhaps, since a guy played that part.

And even as I do my little Superior Dance, it bugs me that the State of Texas stands as gatekeeper to this civil right. Not that there aren't people who shouldn't have any of their civil rights, much less gun rights, but it nags at me that there should be inequal access to civil rights, prior to due process and convictions.

'Course, in certain cases among the open carry nitwits, due process has already sailed.

[epontius]

I first got my CHL in '95, first year Texas offered them. My parents own some property about 45 minutes north of Austin and I used to travel up there to either work on the property a little or target practice. Even if I wasn't shooting I carried when on the property because it's pretty wild. Perfectly legal to carry on your own property. However, at the time TX gun laws on the books regarding traveling with a firearm and even having one in the car were a big mess. There was no guarantee that if I got pulled over traveling to my parents' property one day I wasn't going to wind up in jail.
So when TX started to offer the CHL, I jumped on it. The whole process was a lot more complicated at the time. No online process. The first year you got either a 2 year or a 4 year license. I seem to remember going to DPS to get a card to fill out and send in that would then be put into a lottery to figure out if you got a 2 year or 4 year license (the fees were different). They did this to prevent everyone rushing to renew at the same time in 4 years.
I carried mainly when I traveled or when I went up to my parent's land. Every 4 years I had to renew the license, make time to go to the class and spend money. Eventually the properties surrounding my parent's property became a little more populated and I didn't feel comfortable with shooting there anymore. Eventually, after 15 years of having a CHL, I let it lapse when work and life made taking time out for sitting through a renewal class and paying the fees difficult.
Fast forward a few years and I start to wake up and really realize that our world is changing and not for the better. The list of things spiraling out of control grows daily. Terrorism, ISIS and "lone wolf" incidents on the rise, government regulations trying to limit freedoms to purchase firearms, riots and general global unrest, the potential for economic collapse, and so on... were all factors in getting me to realize that I needed to renew my CHL and start carrying when at all possible and not just for going to the range or when I felt insecure in my environment (bad part of town, traveling, etc...).

[joe817]

Very well put epontius! Thanks for sharing. Your reasons for getting and maintaining a CHL are spot on!

[sigLady]

Hi all. New to the forums. Received my CHL in the mail Saturday! I grew up around guns. My dad kept loaded guns in our home and I was taught to respect and use them at a young age. Fast forward 30 years....married with 2 kids and though we live in a relatively safe area, you just never know. I want to do everything possible to protect myself and my family. Just because I'm a woman, doesn't mean I should be a victim. I'm trying to learn everything I can about firearms and self defense and I hope someday I can empower other women and help them learn to protect themselves as well.

[jmra]

Hi all. New to the forums. Received my CHL in the mail Saturday! I grew up around guns. My dad kept loaded guns in our home and I was taught to respect and use them at a young age. Fast forward 30 years....married with 2 kids and though we live in a relatively safe area, you just never know. I want to do everything possible to protect myself and my family. Just because I'm a woman, doesn't mean I should be a victim. I'm trying to learn everything I can about firearms and self defense and I hope someday I can empower other women and help them learn to protect themselves as well.

Welcome to the forum and congrats on getting your plastic.

[romeofox]

What it comes down to is this. There are predators in our communities looking for opportunities (just look at the crime map).
If I hear a scream in a parking lot or see another citizen under attack I will call 911, secure my family and do my best to end the threat & render aid until LEO's arrive.
My family expects this of me. I grew up in a community where that was the norm.