Do you ever carry a back-up weapon?

[kwe45919]

I would launch into a monologue on the utter nonsense of all that (I mean if you think like that, then why even carry a gun to begin with...), but I'm not. I'll just say that for me, myself, I will do everything in my power to keep my time of death in my own hands and not someone elses. Not some thug's or one of the various supreme being's.

I am of sound mind with very rational thoughts,not a dipstick.

You don't think I will try everything in my power to live another day?? Gun, knife, pen, coat hanger, snickers bars, hot coffee, my fist in your face or my foot in your butt....I'll fight to the death and I'll fight dirty!!

Carrying a gun or not, your still going to kick the bucket. Does it really matter about the actual "how, who or why" of your death?? Crooks, God/various supreme beings, self-inflicted GS wounds, thugs, runaway train, falling bird poo, what ever it may be, when it's your time, it's your time. You will have no power to stop your death contrary to your own thoughts when the actual time comes. Just because you might be able to cheat death once, doesn't mean you'll get away from it the second time.

We all know opinions will vary on this subject. I understand your view and others completly, mine is different. My firearm, knife, lighter, flashlight and other items I carry every day are tools. That's all. Call them "Survival Tools" if needed. Like any tool, yes it might fail but I don't go buying 2 cars to put 2 set of automotive tools in them because I'm afraid one might fail. I just don't feel the extra hassle of a second gun is needed knowing my firearms are beyond well maintained and always have premimum ammo for use in them. Besides, we all know there are people in this world who have never handled a firearm in thier life that can kill you just as easy.

One last thing......I'd be afraid of a "dud" bullet/bad primmer waaaaaaaaaaaaay before I'd be afraid of my gun failing me. Even then, if that happened, I believe I could clear the round faster than attempting to pull another hidden firearm.

Edited March 26, 2009 by kwe45919

[TGO David]

I've been to a few classes as well and I understand the point. I am well aware of my surroundings and "outs" if they were needed to be used. I'm not a cop or a soldier so why do I need to carry extra equiptment?

Why carry a firearm for self defense in the first place, then?

Pocket pistol or not I see no use in carrying 2 guns.(rifle/pistol combo's don't count) I don't have 2 cars cause one might fail. God didn't give me 2 lives cause one might fail.

Got a spare tire in your car or truck?

I've got better things to worry about other than my gun failiing me.

When your firearm fails at the worst possible moment, you will quite literally have the rest of your life to worry about it. The problem is, the rest of your life at that time may only be measured in seconds.

And where does that leave your wife / kids / family / friends who might now be left to fend for themselves against whoever just did you in? Your willingness to lay down in the dirt and die seems somewhat contradictory to some of the other statements you made in this post.

Sure, the gun might fail and I might die. What's the point?? I'll die someday when God decides it's time.

God helps those who help themselves.

Until then, I'm paying for life insurance for my family's benifit

If they live long enough to take advantage of it, of course. You're dead, so now your wife has to fend off the guy who just killed you. But he might decide to have a little fun with her first. And then your kids.

Let me be clear; you might end up dying anyway in the effort to defend your family. But why not stack the deck in your favor and take the bastard down with you?

I take advantage of everyday to the fullest, I spend as much time as I can with my family and friends and best of all, I DON"T worry about what's gona happen around the next corner or if my gun's gona fail. I'm not paranoid nor do I see the need to have the "what if" mentality. I'm totally comfortable with dying when it happens.

This is all entirely your prerogative and I'll leave you alone about it after this post. I do think that it's a bit silly for you to even be carrying a gun. Maybe you should send your wife through a class and let her protect you instead.

Edited to add:

Listen, I realize that some of what I said in this post may be conceived as being a bit harsh, but let's be men here and talk about this frankly. We aren't discussing your golf handicap or the weather. We're talking about life and death. Not just yours, but the lives (and perhaps deaths) of your loved ones. We're talking about your decision to go armed to protect yourself and them against some really evil **** that stalks the unaware in this world.

Having a realistic assessment of this fundamental truth and preparing yourself to deal with it should the situation arise is not being paranoid. It's called being prepared. You're halfway there since you have undertaken it to arm yourself. I encourage you... no, I implore you... to consider all of the angles before carelessly dismissing the use of a backup weapon as the domain of police officers and soldiers. That sort of thinking is what the Leftists use to argue against civilian gun ownership in the first place.

So, if I've offended you in this post... good; that means I got your attention. That's all I am trying to do. I'm not trying to offend you for the sake of making a random stranger mad. I'm just trying to get you to reconsider some of the narrow-minded and completely contradictory statements that you made.

Good luck and stay safe.

[Guest Ggun]

Geez, the guy gave his reasons, leave him alone. It's really not fair to be mean to him. Telling him that he ought to have his wife take a gun course class and protect him because he chooses not to carry two guns around in his daily activities? He's already taken the courses and made a decision.

These things are situational. Greater risk of harm requires greater use of reasonable care.

[TGO David]

Geez, the guy gave his reasons, leave him alone. It's really not fair to be mean to him. Telling him that he ought to have his wife take a gun course class and protect him because he chooses not to carry two guns around in his daily activities? He's already taken the courses and made a decision.

These things are situational. Greater risk of harm requires greater use of reasonable care.

I disagree.

[Ninja9]

I have no doubt there are more pros than cons to carrying two guns. But seems to me if you are carrying concealed, two guns could:

a) Limit your mobility

Get you "made" more easily

c) Increase the likelihood of having a gun taken away from you

Of course you can limit your wardrobe, and/or be even more aware of the people around you, and train more often while wearing the extra hardware.

Not trying to . Just some of my thoughts on the issue. I haven't totally ruled out carrying two guns yet.

[TGO David]

My BUG is probably more concealed and yet easily accessible than my primary. I carry a S&W J-Frame revolver inside my front hip pocket.

[Guest Ggun]

Originally Posted by Ggun

[These things are situational. Greater risk of harm requires greater use of reasonable care.]

I disagree.

Really? It seems axiomatic to me that as the risk of harm increases the degree of care one should take to prevent harm should increase as well.

[deerslayer]

Carrying a gun or not, your still going to kick the bucket. Does it really matter about the actual "how, who or why" of your death?? Crooks, God/various supreme beings, self-inflicted GS wounds, thugs, runaway train, falling bird poo, what ever it may be, when it's your time, it's your time. You will have no power to stop your death contrary to your own thoughts when the actual time comes. Just because you might be able to cheat death once, doesn't mean you'll get away from it the second time.

That's all well and good, if you believe in the "when it's your time to go, it's your time to go" BS. I don't. I believe sh*t happens because circumstances come about that make sh*t happen, not because some supreme being or fate or some fortune teller said I would die at 1:42 on a Tuesday afternoon, etc. If I believed that, I would go BASE jumping every weekend. If God has planned for me to die on a certain day, I'll do my best to spoil His plans. Maybe I'll prevail, maybe I won't.

[creeky]

A second gun is purely up to the individual. Their life, their decision.

Shouldn't be blasted for doing it or not.

Some have likened a firearm like a seat belt. (I have it with me just incase.)

To take that analogy a bit farther... a second firearm could be compared to a helmet. No doubt that it adds an additional layer of protection. That may be why race car drivers are so fond of them... after all they have an increased chance of being in an accident, right? A helmet on a daily commute would also add an additional level of protection for the typical driver... and some might argue the daily driver has a higher chance of being in an accident since they are on the road more drivers.

I don't see a lot of people wearing a helmet on their commutes, if they did... fine. If they don't... fine. Doesn't effect me in the least.

If you feel the need to carry a "bug" Great! If you don't... Great!

That's your choice.

[Guest tbreed725]

yes i always have my backup . if you feel you need to carry one you should probably carry two . that goes with everything to my way of thinking . i always keep a p3at with me i have for 2 years now its my American Express card . i usually carry a modified G23 as primary 2 flashlights one on my keychain a streamlite thunder ranch and one in my pocket a surefire g2 , 2 knives a emerson cqc7b wave and a kneck knife , always have a knife .

[Guest archerdr1]

dang, just asked a question, didn't mean to get anyone hung over it. I feel that carrying an extra gun can really help, even if not for mechanical malfunction, but also, as was pointed out a few posts up, if there are more shooters than you can really handle by yourself, the spouse, friend, etc (make sure it is at least someone you trust, you don't want to be tossing a gun to an accomplice), can back you up. I keep mine in the glove box b/c if I am broken down, or stop for something and someone attacks, my wife can grab it and help me out.

[Guest archerdr1]

also, I too believe that when it is your time to go, it is your time, but since I don't know when it is my time, I will do everything I can to make sure that it is not my time to go, but rather that it is THEIR time!

[Guest Ggun]

dang, just asked a question, didn't mean to get anyone hung over it. I feel that carrying an extra gun can really help, even if not for mechanical malfunction, but also, as was pointed out a few posts up, if there are more shooters than you can really handle by yourself, the spouse, friend, etc (make sure it is at least someone you trust, you don't want to be tossing a gun to an accomplice), can back you up. I keep mine in the glove box b/c if I am broken down, or stop for something and someone attacks, my wife can grab it and help me out.

...then she would be possessing and carrying the firearm and would need a HCP...

[Guest archerdr1]

but if it is in MY truck and I am the "Driver" even if I get out to look under the hood, and the driver is responsible for what is in the car, I would be carrying it and she would just be using it to defend (much like I were giving it to her to help in a bad situation), would that still be true? I am not sure on the legalities there.

[Guest kcnative]

I would simply play the odds. The odds of getting into a firefight are pretty small to begin with. Carry the gun, defend yourself if the situation DOES arise...but the odds of your (presumably dependable, otherwise why carry it?) gun/ammo malfunctioning at that specific time and place?

Astronomical.

You're probably more likely to get killed by a bee sting on a Tuesday afternoon.

I'm not going to bash a person either way, but for me the odds of my gun failing in the unlikely event that I'm attacked are so low that, to me, it's not worth worrying about.

[Guest archerdr1]

Well, going back to the "If it's my time" ordeal, if My primary malfunctions and my BUG malfunctions too, I will be pretty sure that it is, undoubtedly, my time. However, I will not just lay there, I will give everything else I got!

[Punisher84]

...then she would be possessing and carrying the firearm and would need a HCP...

Not if it's in his vehicle and he has an HCP. If he owns the vehicle anything in it is technically his responsibility.

I really doubt his wife would be charged for taking said weapon and shooting someone in defense of his life under those circumstances.

[Guest db99wj]

Not if it's in his vehicle and he has an HCP. If he owns the vehicle anything in it is technically his responsibility.

I really doubt his wife would be charged for taking said weapon and shooting someone in defense of his life under those circumstances.

Hmm, what about joint owned vehicles? When me and my wife are together, I drive. It is her primary vehicle, but I always drive....

I also doubt wife would be charged anyway.

[Guest JHatmaker]

I think I may finally pull the trigger (hey-oh!!) on a backup weapon tonight, been going back and forth b/t several choices and decided on a Sig P232.

It's hard to explain, and maybe I'm paranoid, but in the short time I've been carrying, I look back and think how vunerable I was not having a weapon handy "just in case". It's not that I have a feeling of being immortal now versus when I didn't carry, it's just I have this greater sense of calmness hanging over me, and find myself not thinking about worrying about certain things anymore. It's hard to explain. I'm more aware of my surroundings now, no matter where I am or what time of the day it is.

So that has lead me to think it's always good to have a back-up plan to a back-up plan. One of these days soon I want to take that defensive class CIS does as well.

By the way db99wj, your signature "picture" is nifty

[Punisher84]

Hmm, what about joint owned vehicles? When me and my wife are together, I drive. It is her primary vehicle, but I always drive....

I also doubt wife would be charged anyway.

If it's joint owned then it would probably fall to the driver, but again I don't think to much of a deal would be made if a person had an HCP and another person grabbed their gun to defend them.

Imagine if an LEO got shot and you got his gun and shot the Suspect, you aren't going to be charged with possession of a firearm.

[Guest db99wj]

If it's joint owned then it would probably fall to the driver, but again I don't think to much of a deal would be made if a person had an HCP and another person grabbed their gun to defend them.

Imagine if an LEO got shot and you got his gun and shot the Suspect, you aren't going to be charged with possession of a firearm.

Good comment. Agreed. If I say it is my gun, my wife says it is my gun, then it is my gun.

[Punisher84]

If I say it is my gun, my wife says it is my gun, then it is my gun.

There are many like it, but that one is your's!

[deerslayer]

I won't carry a BUG because I read on the internet that the Masons do.

[Guest SUNTZU]

I won't carry a BUG because I read on the internet that the Masons do.

[creeky]

I won't carry a BUG because I read on the internet that the Masons do.

BWahahaaha!!