The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - How important is it for you to carry gun?

cchardwick · December 10, 2008, 05:09 PM

Very interesting post!

I used to live in the baddest of bad neighborhoods, way before I was into the gun thing. They would steal my flowers in front of my house, break windows and steal stereos out of cars, run over people with cars, shootings on the next block... one night I looked out my window at 1:30 AM and saw some guys running down the street with a couch! They would put your car up on blocks and steal your wheels, real bad place. I didn't carry then but if I still lived there I would.

That reminds me of the time some punk came up to my car right in front of my house and he was saying something (yelling and swearing but I didn't know it because my stereo was so loud). Well I stopped and fumbled for my window controls, didn't know where they were because it was a newer car. Well when I found the controls, right before I rolled the window down the guy did a 180 and ran as fast as he could. I think that he thought I was going to pull a gun. Got out of that one and I didn't even realize what was going on until it was over!

Now I live in a totally different environment. I left the city and live in the mountains, no bad guys, no crime, I can even leave the keys in my vehicles all year and no one will bother them. BUT now I have a new problem - dangerous game! Bears, mountain lions, packs of wild dogs, wolves, coyotes and deer (believe it or not there have been reports and videos on Youtube of coyotes and deer attacking people). Now every time I'm out in the back yard or in the woods I always carry just for defence against dangerous game. In fact when I got my CCW I didn't even think about shooting a bad guy, only a mountain lion. And believe me, I have been stalked by HUGE mountain lions!

Some guy at church was elk hunting with his son, both of them over 6 feet tall. One time a mountain lion jumped on the father, came out of no where and at one point he was flat on his back with a paw on each shoulder and a mountain lion breathing in his face! Somehow the mountain lion got his paw stuck in his pack and jumped off of the father and went for the son. They had just enough time to shoot the big cat. This was never reported and the dead cat is still frozen up on the mountain, but it made me realize that I have to always carry around here if I'm to survive! It's funny, city folks come up here to the mountains to go hiking or whatever and when they see you have a gun they laugh because they are oblivious to the dangers out there.

December 10, 2008, 05:09 PM	#64
cchardwick Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 574	Very interesting post! I used to live in the baddest of bad neighborhoods, way before I was into the gun thing. They would steal my flowers in front of my house, break windows and steal stereos out of cars, run over people with cars, shootings on the next block... one night I looked out my window at 1:30 AM and saw some guys running down the street with a couch! They would put your car up on blocks and steal your wheels, real bad place. I didn't carry then but if I still lived there I would. That reminds me of the time some punk came up to my car right in front of my house and he was saying something (yelling and swearing but I didn't know it because my stereo was so loud). Well I stopped and fumbled for my window controls, didn't know where they were because it was a newer car. Well when I found the controls, right before I rolled the window down the guy did a 180 and ran as fast as he could. I think that he thought I was going to pull a gun. Got out of that one and I didn't even realize what was going on until it was over! Now I live in a totally different environment. I left the city and live in the mountains, no bad guys, no crime, I can even leave the keys in my vehicles all year and no one will bother them. BUT now I have a new problem - dangerous game! Bears, mountain lions, packs of wild dogs, wolves, coyotes and deer (believe it or not there have been reports and videos on Youtube of coyotes and deer attacking people). Now every time I'm out in the back yard or in the woods I always carry just for defence against dangerous game. In fact when I got my CCW I didn't even think about shooting a bad guy, only a mountain lion. And believe me, I have been stalked by HUGE mountain lions! Some guy at church was elk hunting with his son, both of them over 6 feet tall. One time a mountain lion jumped on the father, came out of no where and at one point he was flat on his back with a paw on each shoulder and a mountain lion breathing in his face! Somehow the mountain lion got his paw stuck in his pack and jumped off of the father and went for the son. They had just enough time to shoot the big cat. This was never reported and the dead cat is still frozen up on the mountain, but it made me realize that I have to always carry around here if I'm to survive! It's funny, city folks come up here to the mountains to go hiking or whatever and when they see you have a gun they laugh because they are oblivious to the dangers out there.