Oregon CHL Journey

[esexton]

For most of my adult life (I'm 35) I have lived in ignorant bliss to the greater firearms community, or even just the 2nd amendment itself. It wasn't anything I had ever been interested in, largely because nobody around me ever really exposed me to anything related to firearms/2A.

Then one day I witnessed a drive by shooting in broad daylight perpetrated by teenagers in a beat up Subaru in broad daylight, not 5min prior to a school bus driving down my street to drop their kids off from school. This singular moment in time sparked something in me that got me thinking about firearms in general. How they work, how they are regulated, how those regulations are enforced (or visa versa). This was in June 2022. Since that incident that I witnessed, I challenged myself to reach a point to where I would be comfortable with potentially buying my first firearm and potentially becoming a responsible gun owner in this great nation of ours

In the last 9 months: i have since purchased my first firearm, i go to a range atleast twice a month, i constantly read/watch 2A and other educational firearms content, and finally came to the conclusion that I am now informed enough, comfortable with, and confident in myself with being a responsible gun owner.

Today I oficially received my CHL in Oregon. This was the eventual/inevitable goal that I set for myself when I started this journey all those months ago. And God damn it, I'm proud of myself, for doing this right and appreciating the amount of thought, consideration, and time it took to achieve this goal of mine.

Cheers

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[Member 24198]

Welcome, congratulations and enjoy the ride. If you haven't already done so, read up on ORS 166 and become familiar with what is legal and what is not.

 

[TTSX]

The first gun is "free", now you're gonna own ten by year's end. Welcome to the addiction.

 

[Koda]

i constantly read/watch 2A and other educational firearms content, and finally came to the conclusion that I am now informed enough, comfortable with, and confident in myself with being a responsible gun owner.

It's an ongoing education keeping up with laws, be sure to add lawful use of force to your education journey.
"free" if you pay for the shipping cost, this book is essential education.

FREE BOOK | The Law of Self Defense Principles

Get The Book That Makes It Easy To Understand The 5 Elements of Self Defense Law, FREE!

get.lawofselfdefense.com

 

[FireArm]

I witnessed a drive by shooting in broad daylight perpetrated by teenagers in a beat up Subaru in broad daylight,

so let me get this straight, it happened in broad daylight?

 

[bradsteen]

Congrats on taking the plunge! It's worth remembering that firearms are a highly personalized thing, so what works well for one person may not work well for another. The only absolutes are the safety rules - everything else is a matter of personal preference and your own assessment of your specific needs. Learning is a continuous process and you never really "know it all", so be open to new ideas and approaches. Anytime someone offers you a recommendation, ask questions to better understand the why behind it. "Because that's what [insert elite paramilitary organization] does" isn't a good answer - be curious, dig deeper, and see how it may/may not apply in your unique situation.

 

[PiratePast40]

I know you already have your CHL, but you didn't say what course you took. Adam Johnson with Coat of Arms in Keizer has one of the best CHL courses I've ever observed. He includes his personal experience with a shooting in a convenience store as well as the medical realities of a real shootout. He's got some pretty graphic real world videos of civilian gun fights. It's an eight hour course so be ready to spend all day on a Saturday. It's $100 well spent.

Remember - the only gun fight you're guaranteed to win is the one you don't get into. Learn avoidance and de-escalation.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Good job of taking responsibility for your own personal safety and welcome! Most important thing imo is learning and never breaking the 4 rules of safety. After that know the laws of when you can and can't use a gun.

I strongly advise to also carry a non lethal option like pepper spray. There are lots of potential situations that can happen that don't rise to the level of deadly force and it can get you out of trouble without creating additional trouble. Pom pepper spray Fe is tiny, fits in your pocket and it works (I know via experience).

 

[Kcee]

A friend of mine was shamed into getting her CHL. Another friend told her, "Why's it my job to protect you? You're just making hard on others."

Bad people that illegally carry guns is probably well over 50%. What percentage of law abiding people carry guns?

The more advantage given to bad people, the more crime they commit.

 

[Xmark1]

OK, I can't help myself.

Don't carry unless you are ready, willing, and able to End the bad guy.
Otherwise, you risk being shot with your own weapon.

There - I opened that can of worms.

 

[bradsteen]

OK, I can't help myself.

Don't carry unless you are ready, willing, and able to Kill the bad guy.
Otherwise, you risk being shot with your own weapon.

There - I opened that can of worms.

It's a loaded assumption. Most folks will never really know if they can pull the trigger until they find themselves in that bad situation. Everyone reacts differently under stress, and while training can help lower the mental barrier a bit, it's still there. Best advice I can give to mentally prepare for it is to actively practice Jeff Cooper's color codes of the combat mindset.

View: https://youtu.be/id6x3CP6SVE?feature=shared

 

[esexton]

I know you already have your CHL, but you didn't say what course you took. Adam Johnson with Coat of Arms in Keizer has one of the best CHL courses I've ever observed. He includes his personal experience with a shooting in a convenience store as well as the medical realities of a real shootout. He's got some pretty graphic real world videos of civilian gun fights. It's an eight hour course so be ready to spend all day on a Saturday. It's $100 well spent.

Remember - the only gun fight you're guaranteed to win is the one you don't get into. Learn avoidance and de-escalation.

Michael Stranger, USCCA rep, was my instructor over at Tritac. Was a good class, good teacher. But I also spent a long time learning on my own beforehand, educating myself, absorbing information and watching content with any and everything relateing to 2A and firearms more broadly including safety, best practices, laws, fundamentals, long before I ever purchased my first firearm and pursued my CHL.

That's just how I approach anything new to me. Over educate myself, know everything before doing anything so that when i did take my first step, that step is on a solid foundation of understanding what I'm doing.

 

[NeoBlackdog]

Have you got your mind right with the idea of ending the life of one (or more) of your fellow human beings, cretin though they might be? It's one thing to have a firearm and know how to use it. It's quite another to use it to end another's life.

 

[esexton]

OK, I can't help myself.

Don't carry unless you are ready, willing, and able to End the bad guy.
Otherwise, you risk being shot with your own weapon.

There - I opened that can of worms.

Everyone's feedback is always appreciated, and you will find no disagreement from me, sir.

 

[esexton]

Have you got your mind right with the idea of ending the life of one (or more) of your fellow human beings, cretin though they might be? It's one thing to have a firearm and know how to use it. It's quite another to use it to end another's life.

A question most people should, and do, ask themselves everyday when they decide to carry a firearm. The video about color codes of awareness and action is a good watch (posted above)

 

[PiratePast40]

Michael Stranger, USCCA rep, was my instructor over at Tritac. Was a good class, good teacher. But I also spent a long time learning on my own beforehand, educating myself, absorbing information and watching content with any and everything relateing to 2A and firearms more broadly including safety, best practices, laws, fundamentals, long before I ever purchased my first firearm and pursued my CHL.

That's just how I approach anything new to me. Over educate myself, know everything before doing anything so that when i did take my first step, that step is on a solid foundation of understanding what I'm doing.

Met him about a month ago. Seems like a great guy. I finally signed up for USCCA after meeting him and talking about their instructor certs vs NRA.

 

[HiFi Magnetics]

The first gun is "free", now you're gonna own ten by year's end. Welcome to the addiction.

For most of my adult life (I'm 35) I have lived in ignorant bliss to the greater firearms community, or even just the 2nd amendment itself. It wasn't anything I had ever been interested in, largely because nobody around me ever really exposed me to anything related to firearms/2A.

Then one day I witnessed a drive by shooting in broad daylight perpetrated by teenagers in a beat up Subaru in broad daylight, not 5min prior to a school bus driving down my street to drop their kids off from school. This singular moment in time sparked something in me that got me thinking about firearms in general. How they work, how they are regulated, how those regulations are enforced (or visa versa). This was in June 2022. Since that incident that I witnessed, I challenged myself to reach a point to where I would be comfortable with potentially buying my first firearm and potentially becoming a responsible gun owner in this great nation of ours

In the last 9 months: i have since purchased my first firearm, i go to a range atleast twice a month, i constantly read/watch 2A and other educational firearms content, and finally came to the conclusion that I am now informed enough, comfortable with, and confident in myself with being a responsible gun owner.

Today I oficially received my CHL in Oregon. This was the eventual/inevitable goal that I set for myself when I started this journey all those months ago. And God damn it, I'm proud of myself, for doing this right and appreciating the amount of thought, consideration, and time it took to achieve this goal of mine.

Cheers

Congrats and Welcome!
I just started with one for self defense. Ended up multiplying by itself like a Gremlin. Now I don't bring my credit card anymore. Though Bi-Mart s only 2 miles away from my house...

 

[HiFi Magnetics]

I was gonna ask if I can conceal carry a rifle here in OR. Of course it'll stay in the car when I bring ti just for in case...