Epiphany. My life mission changed from one best accomplished with nuclear weapons to one best accomplished with a handgun. Having been a professional warrior, I had to come to terms with a new reality; my mission and tools had changed.mojo84 wrote:If I remember correctly, you purchased your first handgun a couple years ago when you obtained your CHL. What caused such a drastic change from not even owning a handgun to almost always having one openly carried on you? I'm not attacking or critizing you. Just curious what changed.oljames3 wrote:I tend to agree as to moving out of a negative situation.Oldgringo wrote:Nope. We live in a small rural town in the Pineywoods. Should someone come unannounced to the door after dark, they will be cordially met by me with my Compact 1911 by my side.
I think we'd be long gone from any location that required me to walk around the house/yard with a gun on my person.
My view on carrying, though, is that I carry not because I am required to do so but rather because I choose to do so. I do not "need" to carry. I need to breathe. I find it prudent to carry. Since I cannot accurately guess when a violent threat may present, I use my firearm as a control to reduce risk to a manageable level for me. I am certain that others, presented with the same information, would decide differently.
We each must decide for ourselves which risks we are willing to manage and which benefits matter most to us. Y'all carry your way and I will carry mine.
Not a single event, experience, or insight. Rather a gradual change in understanding my responsibilities and different ways to address those responsibilities.
I constantly re-evaluate my life. This process involves diligently examining my responsibilities so as to chose the best method for discharging those responsibilities. In the early seventies, I came to understand that I owed a debt to my country and had responsibilities for the freedom I enjoyed. I joined the Army. I commanded soldiers fielding nuclear capable weapons. My individual weapon was either an M1911 or M16.
After reading LTC Dave Grossman's On Combat http://www.amazon.com/Combat-Psychology ... =on+combat, I came to a better understanding of my calling in life. I'm a sheepdog.
For the bulk of my 34 years in uniform, my tools were crew-served weapons; nuclear capable self-propelled howitzers and heavy missiles. My mission was to defend my country and my family strategically. Upon retiring from the Army, I no longer had those tools or that strategic mission.
After retiring, I embraced my new mission of protecting my family and myself tactically. A concealed (at the time) handgun seemed my best tool. I had been scheduled to attend two CHL classes prior to retiring, but duties and life intervened. I began researching how best to employ a handgun in my new mission. Less than a year after retiring, I had applied for my CHL. Two months later I bought my first pistol. My evaluation was, and continues to be, that carrying openly enables me to best discharge my responsibilities. I've done so in 5 states.
I continued to research and study. I applied the knowledge and skills gained from prior experience to my new situation. I came to understand that I could not accurately predict when the violent threat would present. Thus, as I had in my strategic mission, I must train and perform to best meet the threat in my new tactical role. Taking inventory of myself, my capabilities, my limits, and my situation, I concluded that having my pistol at hand at all times was my best option.
We each must decide for ourselves which risks we are willing to manage and which benefits matter most to us.
I continue to perform my due diligence, conduct my risk analysis, consider the strategic/tactical implications, and assess my capabilities/limits. I continue to carry openly were I can, conceal as the situation dictates, and disarm if I must. There will come a day when my mission is over, but it is not this day.
