[45Gunner]

Life style, where and how one lives is, for me, the determinant factor in what and how much one should carry. If I am going into combat, I would want my AR and as many rounds as I could carry, along with helicopter and artillery support. Been there, done that...don't want to do it again.

I carry a 1911, with little exception, with two spare magazines. Overkill? Perhaps, but it is my comfort level. If I felt the need to carry more firepower, than I would really need to consider my lifestyle. Am I frequenting areas loaded with bad elements, gang-bangers, drug dealers, etc. If I lived among them, perhaps an Uzi would make me feel comfortable. But I don't.

I live in an upscale, upper middle class neighborhood. It used to be safe to walk the streets but with the down swing in the economy, the crime rate has been rising, mostly as a result of gang-bangers and other low life elements coming into our community to prey upon those who may provide a larger bounty than in the poorer communities. I'm sure this is not isolated and is happening across America.

My house is protected by a monitored alarm system and a watch dog. My house is in a gated community. I have an AR and Shotgun, along with my 1911 to protect my "fort." I am adequately prepared for nearly all possibilities (inside my house.)

I avoid going places that obviously will lead to trouble. I don't use my gun as a confidence builder...if I thought I would need my gun, then I am in the wrong place. My gun(s) is a last resort measure. I hope I never have to use it. And, I see it as an extraction tool, to get me out of a mess I never wanted to be in, in the first place. It is to save my life and those of my loved ones. Realistically, how many gang-bangers am I going to chase down with 22 rounds of ammo? I am not the aggressor, but a defender. If I can't extract myself with 22 rounds, chances are I wouldn't be able to extract myself no matter what I had.