The choice of whether or not to carry a firearm for self-defense is a highly personal one. There are many factors to take into consideration when making this choice. Your knowledge of the firearm you choose to carry, your own individual skills, your temperament and ability to keep a firearm concealed are just a few of the critical questions you must ask yourself before making the decision to carry a gun.Now assuming that you’ve decided to carry, you still have a few questions that you’ll have to ask yourself. When should I carry my gun? Should I carry it only when I’m going into a “dangerous neighborhood”, or should I carry it at all times? What size gun should I carry? Where should I carry my gun so that I can keep it concealed as well as have easy access to it should I need it? There is no single answer to any of these questions, as each one requires a personal choice. Unfortunately, some of these answers are not easy to come by for many individuals and some ultimately choose to not carry at all.
When deciding when I should carry, I made the decision that I will carry whenever I legally and practically can. That may not be the best choice for everyone, but that is the choice I have made for myself, because in my mind there is no such thing as a “safe area”. Even in “safe neighborhoods”, bad things can happen. After all, if you could predict when and where bad things were going to happen, wouldn’t you try to just avoid them altogether? Unfortunately, due to other states’ lacking reciprocity laws, we must also take into consideration whether or not you’ll be leaving your home state, and where the final destination will be. (Note, the NRA’s website shows a state by state breakdown of gun laws, including reciprocity laws: http://www.nraila.org/recmap/usrecmap.htm).
When I had to decide what gun was to be my primary carry weapon, I decided on two guns, the Kel-Tec P32 and the Glock 23 with an internal LaserMax sight. I did this so that I can allow myself to carry a more potent gun (the Glock) when conditions permit, while not leaving myself totally disarmed when conditions require a smaller, more concealable weapon (the P32). Again, this was a personal decision. Someone else may make the same decision to carry and choose two totally different guns; it’s all about what’s best for you.
I mentioned the LaserMax sight for my Glock. Another thing to take into consideration is your ability to aim during low light situations. There are a variety of laser sights on the market that can be fitted to most guns, which serve two purposes. One you are given options, in that your attacker will likely be frightened by the laser pointed at his chest and will hesitate to continue with the attack and two you are now able to aim without necessarily bringing the gun up to eye level, allowing you to observe other threats.
The bottom line is this: The decision to carry a gun is a personal one, which needs to take into consideration many different factors. You should not carry a particular gun just because your buddy told you that’s what he thinks you should carry. The examples of what I carry and where I carry were just examples, and in no way should it imply that I think everyone should carry the same gun as I do (although I am a little biased towards that laser sight – it’s just so cool!). Come up with your own criteria for the type of gun you would like to carry as well as where you will carry your gun. And do yourself a favor, don’t go out and buy the biggest and baddest gun on the market as your first carry gun; because I can guarantee that if it is too big and uncomfortable to carry, it will wind up locked in your safe, never to see the light of day again after just two weeks of trying to carry it everyday.
If you already are one who has made the decision to carry, share this article with your friends, relatives, neighbors, etc. who may be on the fence about concealed carry. Don’t pressure them into making a decision; just offer the article as friendly advice. Hopefully this will help them make their decision.
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