Carried, and glad you did...

[pokerace]

I couldn't imagine carrying a gun at all times. My car keys and mobile phone are bad enough. I might go the CHL route for the reason above though. Feeling more at ease transporting guns to/from the range.

There are no stories about having a gun on your person and how it really paid off because the real odds of that are about .001%. All the above examples could have been deterred with a Kimber double whammy 90mph pepper spray, or better yet common sense and retreat. Plus the odds of going to jail or being sued if you ever pull the trigger just isn't worth it at all. Post SHTF all those things change of course and CHL or no CHL won't be an issue.

you should read the armed citizen in the NRA mag.


I think with you attitude you should NOT ever carry a gun...

 

[soulrider]

My only reason for wanting to get my carry permit is, I feel it is my right to do so. There have been a few occasions I wished I had a weapon on me, but for the most part I handled it. another reason is firearm transportation. with a permit there is not the gray area that will get you in trouble...... But to answer the OP's question NO I have never had to pull a weapon. unless my foot or hand counts

 

[Will]

I've CC for more than ten years and have never had to pull & shoot (I expect if I pull my intent at that point is to shoot otherwise there wpou;ld ne no need to draw the firearm). Three years ago my girlfriend went to a street fair, it was a famly focused event and concluded with a firework show. When we were walking back to our car we were followed by two guys seemed to be drunk or high. They had a lot to say as we walked and I kept telling my girl don't look back just keep walking. When we got to our car a hit the unlock button on the key fob for the doors. The guys closed the gap from fourty feet to about fifteen feet quickly still taking. I faced them and told them to back off, one of them asked if I thought I could take both of them. I told him we would never know just back off. The other guy said werre gonna kick your azz. I said don't make me shoot you, they backed up yelling you don't have no gun if you did you would have pulled it. I got my girl in the car walked to the other side of the car with these guys still yelling from a distance. I drove about four blocks pulled over and called 911. Leo's got there pretty quick and while taking our information another squad car pulled up with the two numb nuts in the back of it. Several years before that I had a guy trying to kick in my front door at 3AM. I told him I was armed and had called the police, it seemed to fuel his fire, I was on the phone with the 911 operator who told me not to open the door, I told her the door frame wasn't going to take much more, the guy was backing up three feet and then running to ram my door. After more than a dozen hits I knew he was getting in soon. I waited for him to back up for his next run and open the door with my pistol pointed at center mass and told him to get on his belly. If he would have moved forward I would have put him own. The look on his face went from hate to fear in a heart beat and he complied. The police showed up less than five minutes latter, gave me the commands to put down the firearm, asume the position and cuffed us both until they sorted things out. The guy was drunk and thought he was breaking in the door of his ex's (she didn't live anywhere near me). The whole event was over in a little more than ten minutes but it felt like hours.

 

[The B]

i've had a number of scary situations, but i've yet to pull to fire. the closest i've come is reaching for it when a bum who'd been kicking another bum lying on the sidewalk came at me with a gigantic WW1 style bayonet. nw 20th, between everett and burnside. my spidey-sense didn't tell me he was going to stab me, so rather than draw and fire, i simply reached back and grabbed the grip to be ready.. he obviously recognized the motion, and realized he had better places to be. i called the cops, and i can't actually remember whether they found him or not... the bum he'd been kicking didn't want to press charges, so i told the responding cops i'd press for menacing- i'm pretty sure they didn't find him. im sort of glad they didn't- would have been darwinism at its best, but i really don't think the stupid SOB wanted to really hurt anyone.. i got the impression he was actually bum buddies with the guy on the ground, and that they scrap each other with regularity.

the SCARIEST one i had, i didn't even have the opportunity to draw, as i was sitting on my pistol... taking a shortcut between a couple of buildings after school one night in N portland, driving my jet-black freshly waxed/polished mustang GT, two thugs PROBABLY tried to car-jack me. we didn't get farther than "SUP WIT YOU, NIGAH," before i floored it, nearly running the other one over. the only firepower i had on me was a beretta bobcat in my back pocket... didn't make that mistake again.

 

[darkminstrel]

I've lived in some pretty ghetto areas in my life. Seen many things first hand that shouldn't be off of a battlefield. I've been shot twice, once just randomly whilst walking down a street in the nice part of town. Violence doesn't really have borders. Those willing or wanting to do harm don't stick to places you can just avoid. Now that I'm older and in a free state I carry every time I set foot out my door because while my life may be worth little the lives of my children are paramount.

Of interest is that I had an obvious 'banger stop me one night on my way home from work. I did night shift so meeting the guy in the park at 0300 was a surprise. I went to cross the bridge separating the park sections(and also the only way across for 3 blocks either direction) and he stopped me saying 'This ain't ya bridge.'. I was so tired from working a near triple shift I just stared at him and kept moving foreward. He pulled a very shiny pistol from his pants, gansta grip pointed it at my head. Can't recall what he said but I looked him dead in the eye and said that I was tired and that I was walking by or he was going to shoot me. Sometimes it just takes a set of steel bearings. MOST of the time it takes a pair really.

Do I think everyone should carry? **** no. It takes discipline and constant training to have that tool with you. How much do you need to carry? Well, are you going to be ready and able to properly react to a situation where you will have to make the decision to end another human's life?

So far since carrying my I've had to show a group of 17-19ish kids that I wasn't going to be a victim. I was just walking down Division pretty late at night(missed the last bus) and about 6 or 8 of them were just sitting in front of a store front, taking up the sidewalk. I heard them talking about me and a couple of the guys got up and I thought some trouble might happen. Put my hand on the grip and said 'I don't think you should bother me.' and went right on through without a thing happening and not a sound made by them.

 

[Chipperxd]

I was once robbed in Renton WA at knife point. My mom purchased her car down there and needed maintenance. So I went to drop off the car pretty early, around 9 AM, and was walking across the street to get some breakfast while I wait. When I just finished walking into the parking lot of the shopping plaza, 3 kids ran up to me, says "Hey! Hand over your phone." and pulled out a knife. I mean they were no more than 16-17 yrs. old. When the kid in the middle with the knife took a few steps towards me, I stepped back and pulled out my gun and said "No" (I wish I could have said something more cool but all I could get out was a "No" ).

When they saw the gun, they took off running. Some lady in her parked car saw the whole thing and was calling the police. She got out all shaken up and asked me if I was ok. I was like, "are you okay maam?" Because she was really shaking.

Wait around for the cops to show up and took a statement and went back to the dealership still hungry!

 

[The B]

I was once robbed in Renton WA at knife point. My mom purchased her car down there and needed maintenance. So I went to drop off the car pretty early, around 9 AM, and was walking across the street to get some breakfast while I wait. When I just finished walking into the parking lot of the shopping plaza, 3 kids ran up to me, says "Hey! Hand over your phone." and pulled out a knife. I mean they were no more than 16-17 yrs. old. When the kid in the middle with the knife took a few steps towards me, I stepped back and pulled out my gun and said "No" (I wish I could have said something more cool but all I could get out was a "No" ).

When they saw the gun, they took off running. Some lady in her parked car saw the whole thing and was calling the police. She got out all shaken up and asked me if I was ok. I was like, "are you okay maam?" Because she was really shaking.

Wait around for the cops to show up and took a statement and went back to the dealership still hungry!

and though they likely will never realize it, that was the luckiest day of their entire lives.

 

[Puddin99]

Whats wrong with taking your weapon into a DMV?

Recently I came home about 3am, it was during January so you know how pitch black everything can get, luckily in my neighborhood, the street lamp shines on very corner of my drive way, which causes the entrance to my home to be completely dark, I've carried for 3 years regularly, as in, I had a gun on me except for days when I went into a Post Office/DMV or whatever government building. Anyways, I get out of my car and my eyes fix on the lavender bush I have infront of my sitting room window which is to the left of the entrance to my home, its shaking, theres no wind around me and its shaking pretty nicely from side to side, since this was my home, my land and i'm about 8 feet away from it, I yell out "Get up and get out" bush stops moving and I draw out my XD45 with surefire X300 and did a quick blip of the light, didn't see anything, so I put the light to constant on mode, slowly walked up, shine my light directly into the base of the lavender and see two cats cuddling in the branches of the bush. This story causes big smiles and laughs from my buddies even until now. But at that time, my heart was beating out of my chest so I did what I was suppose to do.

 

[The B]

Whats wrong with taking your weapon into a DMV?

some DMVs like to violate state law and put "NO FIREARMS" signs in their lobbies. has caused the dissemination of some misinformation.

 

[Puddin99]

They may violate the law, but as long as you have an Oregon permit, there is noting illegal about it regardless.

some DMVs like to violate state law and put "NO FIREARMS" signs in their lobbies. has caused the dissemination of some misinformation.

 

[drew]

They may violate the law, but as long as you have an Oregon permit, there is noting illegal about it regardless.

If they rent from a private party that has a no firearms policy, it is trespass. I believe the Lloyd Center location is one like this.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

If they rent from a private party that has a no firearms policy, it is trespass. I believe the Lloyd Center location is one like this.

It does not become trespass until you are asked to leave and refuse to do so. Until someone asks you to leave you are not breaking any laws.

 

[wjv]

I couldn't imagine carrying a gun at all times. My car keys and mobile phone are bad enough.

One reason that the 380 mouse guns have become so popular. I borrowed a friends LCP for a few days to try it out. You really can carry one and forget that it is in your pocket. I ended up getting a Centennial Airweight 442 instead.

Was in Seattle ~10 years ago with wife and 8 month old daughter who was in a stroller. It was evening and we were walking from our car to a restaurant when some fine upstanding urban youths decided that we looked like good targets for a strong armed robbery. There were 6 or so of them. Didn't have to draw my Taurus 85CH, but once they saw I had it, they disappeared like cockroaches when the lights get turned on.

Some years before that we were in Utah when three guys tried kicking in the door to our motel room at ~2am. Bad tactic on my part but I drew back the curtains covering the window and they saw me standing there holding a Glock 19. They also saw our 70lb Black Lab trying to claw through the window to get at them. They left quit quickly.

So far since carrying my I've had to show a group of 17-19ish kids that I wasn't going to be a victim. I was just walking down Division pretty late at night(missed the last bus) and about 6 or 8 of them were just sitting in front of a store front, taking up the sidewalk. I heard them talking about me and a couple of the guys got up and I thought some trouble might happen. Put my hand on the grip and said 'I don't think you should bother me.' and went right on through without a thing happening and not a sound made by them.

Dang! That's pretty darn close to what happened to us in Seattle. Walked passed a group of "17-19ish kids". Heard them talking about us. Then heard one say "Time to get some money" and a group of them got up and started following us. Could hear them getting closer and closer. All I did was "adjust" my top shirt and for a brief instant, the holster/gun was "accidentally" uncovered. Literally within 1 second, all six of the thugs decided to cross the street in the middle of the block, and walk the other way. Sometimes you just need to trust your instincts when you get that knot in your stomach, and the hairs on your arms start tingling!

I should also add:

1) Both of those situations took place a long time ago. ~18 and ~10 years ago.
2) I had/have a WA carry permit & open carry is also technically legal in WA State
3) No permit was required in Utah because I wasn't carrying. I was in my motel room which legally = home.
4) In both cases my tactics sucked. In Utah I should never have exposed myself by opening the window. if one of the thugs had been armed, he could have shot me before I could have reacted. . And then he could have even claimed self-defense!!!! In Seattle, what I did worked, but again, someone could have claimed that I was "brandishing", which I why I purposely did so in a manner that looked more like a simple accidental uncovering. Still, not the best tactic allowing the group to know that I was armed. Again, if one of them had been armed, I might have just been simply shot in the back of the head and then robbed!

Needless to say, in both cases I learned from my mistakes (even if they were successful) and would use different tactics today.

 

[revjen45]

Do you only take your spare tire when you expect to have a flat? I was visiting the doctor on Seattle when I was approached by 2 young men. One was carrying a skateboard over his shoulder, moving to my right side while the other came up to my face and asked for money. About 2 weeks prior a man had been bludgeoned to death with a skateboard in that general area. I turned to a bladed stance, put my hand on the 5-shot .38 in my back pocket, and gave them the fish eye. They left. Now when I go Seattle, I carry a 10-shot 9mm with 2 spare mags + the .38. I'm too old to go mano-a-mano and too fat to run, but I can shoot pretty well. Glad they decided to be on their way.

 

[Trlsmn]

Ah, yes. I remember the ice maker incident. Be afraid. Be very afraid!

 

[9mmMike]

I've carried since the early 90's, and every day since about 2000. In 2004, I drew my S&W 66 with Crimson Trace Grip , when after coming home really late and just starting to get ready to turn in, my Lab starts going off. I figured it was just someone walking the streets as I lived in inner SE PDX and that is common. But the hound would not calm down and continued to growl after I got him to stop barking. Thinking my car might have been in the process of getting broke into,(since the dog wouldn't settle), I walked to the front door and opened quickly while turing on outside light at the same time. To my amazement and suprise, a guy was attempting to break into my window to the home that was about halfway up my wheelchair ramp. I immediately drew down on him and placed the Crimson Trace sight on his chest when he turned to me and yelled some profanity and to get the **** out of there. The guy ran, stumbling to the ground at the bottom of the ramp where it meets the sidewalk, while begging for me not to shoot. I could see where he was trying to jimmy the wooden vertical slider window, when I looked the next morning. He had to be drugged up or something to still attempt to break in after hearing my 95 pound Lab, going off for 20 seconds or so. I learned to not disregard my dogs alarm so quickly from then on. Sorry for the long story. Only time I have ever drawn my weapon, even though I've been in other confrontations. Although you may not feel my scenario was appropriate to draw, it did the job as I was sure he was going to enter my residence and being in a chair, my level of threat is greater (or required to be less than most) ... I sure wasn't going to let him charge me from the 6 ft. he was away which I thought he was going to when he turned towards me at first instead or turning and running when the door opened.

 

[svtrc51]

I learned to not disregard my dogs alarm so quickly from then on.

I too have black labs. Always quiet and peaceful. I know when he is alerted I need to be too.

 

[jyerxa]

I carry every day.... I have never needed to draw the gun and I hope I never have to.It is not a large effort to carry after awhile you don't evan know its there. But the one time you need it it is there and you never know when that time will come.

Exactly!

 

[Remfire]

Do you only take your spare tire when you expect to have a flat?

Made me laugh. Once in the old days I was carrying a 1911 off duty. One of the old timers was berating me for carrying it cocked and locked. He said "I have been an officer for 18 years and have never drawn my revolver in the line of duty."

I can only say I was inspired when I replied "I've been driving for 20 years but I don't carry a spare with no air in it." He got red in the face and left the area . . .

 

[deen_ad]

Several years ago I had to take my 41' Type A motorhome to Michigan and Indiana for major work. On the way from Washington state to the above I passed through Wyoming. Since the state doesn’t recognize my concealed carry permits I was not carrying my .45 but did have it close. I stopped one night at a truck pull off. Not wanting to be bothered by the running engines I pulled as far forward as possible and called my wife on the cell phone. The connection was poor and I got disconnected.
I started the generator to run the microwave and heat some dinner. As I looked up I caught a movement at the front window. Looking out I saw an Hispanic man was at my door, asking a question (after trying the door handle). I also noticed that there was a white pickup parked crosswise, blocking me in. Since I couldn’t make out what he wanted I went to the passenger side window and opened it (I always have the door locked). He asked me in broken English how far it was to the border. Since it was my first trip through I didn’t know and told him so. I went to look for a map to answer his question, as I did so he went back to the truck and started to rummage under the seat, I also noticed there was a second man in the drivers seat of the PU. I reached down and retrieved my .45 and stuck it in my IWB holster, in full view of them (very large motorhome windshield). I then turned and went to the back to get my 12 GA. By the time I got back to the front they were GONE!! Guess I wasn’t quite discrete enough when I holstered my handgun. Gee, I hope I didn’t scare them!! In over 25 years of having a CCW permit it's the first time I've ever felt that I needed to show a weapon. I drove another 100 miles till I found a nice, safe, quiet Wal*Mart parking lot, where I stayed the night.
Had they not left my next move would have been to start the main engine and push the pickup out of the way. 435 HP and 1200 ft lbs of torque in a rear engine will let you do that!

Eight U.S. Presidents have been NRA members. They are: Ulysses S. Grant,
Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Dwight D. Eisenhower,
John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George Bush

80 MILLION gun owners didn't shoot anyone today, a few criminals did!

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The "Feedback Score" is low by 4, not everyone posts it I guess.

Deen
NRA Benefactor/Recruiter
Washington Arms Collector member
South West Washington Arms Collector member