,I'm rather new to the boards, only been lurking for a few weeks. I've also recently decided to obtain my CHL so I can conceal carry my Glock 23. This forum looks like a great community with good discussion, information, an all around good place to hang out online if you want to talk things CHL in Texas
I didn't see a sticky for introductions or "Why you did get your CHL" (interesting that there is a "why not" thread though). But I thought I should at least introduce myself before I start posting away.
I am 27 and live in Plano. 10 years ago you would have found me hanging out with the Brady Campaign crowd. I didn't like the idea of guns, the thought of people around me having a gun, the fact that "almost anyone could get a gun". So circa 1999 I was about to graduate high school and the incident at Columbine High School started off the great "gun" debate among my peers. I was all on board with the "ban all guns" 2nd Amendment be damned crowd. Guns Kill People! And all that jazz...
My parents however taught me never to accept anything at face value, always listen to the opposing side of a debate, respect their position, and convince them with compelling arguments and evidence. So I set off to prove just how evil guns were. And I'll be
the more I looked in to it the more difficult my position was to defend.In 2002 I saw a cartoon I wish I could find a copy of. It shows two people in ski masks with AK-47s outside a bank. A sign reads "No Guns Allowed" and the caption reads "What do we do now?" And I suddenly had a "Well Duh!" moment. Guns are everywhere, and there is no law that can stop someone from breaking the law. Someone about to commit a crime w/ a gun would NEVER stop and say "Oh, I forgot it's against the law to use this gun. I should switch to a knife." Guns don't kill people, people with guns kill people... and people with fists, knives, cars, etc. kill people. The people are the problem, not the guns.
But you know, people can be iditos [sic...please laugh]. 2003 I found myself on the fence. I understood the reasons for wanting a gun. If common sense were really common I thought we as a society would be fine with guns, but then it only takes that 1 person to ruin it for the whole. There were (and still are) plenty of examples of people carrying around guns and getting in to trouble. I believed it was fine to own a gun, keep it in your house, lock it up, separate the magazines, keep away from children... you know all that stuff the government tells you
But to carry it around, openly or concealed, was reckless and endangered lives. One irresponsible person getting mad in a crowd could, with a gun, cause a bunch of mayhem. Summer 2005 I happen to watch the Penn & Teller: bull episode on Gun Control. I found myself pretty skeptical trying to convince myself that they were blowing things out of proportion (Hollywood dramatics). Once the episode got to Suzanna Gratia Hupp I was watching with complete disbelief. "That couldn't be a real story!" I told myself. Further research revealed of course the truth about the incident. Following links online, I continued to read more and more accounts of individuals who owned a gun, couldn't or didn't have it with them and suffered through a horrible event. And so a series of revelations, which seem now more like common sense, take place.
-- Criminals do not follow the law... by definition.
-- Guns are everywhere, criminals are everywhere, criminals can get guns (illegally) everywhere
-- Lack of education and simple precaution accounted for many of the points raised by my former Brady Campaign friends.
-- A "Gun Tragedy" really means "irresponsible use of a firearm"
By early 2007 I am reading more and more about gun control, conceal carry, the statistics, and by this time I had made my way to the many stories of individuals who DID have a firearm and used it for protection (you won't find these incidents in any statistic, most don't get reported!!). Could it be?? Perhaps the average person carrying a firearm is a responsible citizen. After all, how many people do I pass in any given day? So far ALL of them have chosen NOT to rob me, NOT to assault me, NOT to murder me. Were they just too busy at the time or could these be decent folk just like myself. How depressing my previous views of society became. I shudder at how pessimistic I was about the character of your average citizen.
And then there was Virgina Tech. Another "rally your troops" to the gun debate. I actually reverted and joined my old Brady Campaign friends. See! Another example of guns killing people! Something had to be done to stop this from happening again. I joined back up to see what I could do. My friends didn't appreciate it. I kept asking "annoying questions."
"Was it illegal for him to carry his weapon on campus?"
"Was he trained to use it?"
"Did he get the guns legally?"
"What would have happened if just 1 person, just 1 other responsible person, had a firearm in that building?"
Here I realized I was on the wrong side of the debate and another final shocking realization occurred... that could happen to me
I began learning everything I could about firearms, all types. I went to the range once a month. I studied firearm safety, maintenance, history, use in self defense. In 2008 I purchased a Glock 23 for home self-defense. The idea of getting my CHL was always in the back of my head. I tried getting the airsoft replica of my Glock and an in-the-waist holster. I carried the airsoft around for a couple months kind of as a "CHL training." It wasn't as bad as I thought and I quickly got used to it. I decided early this year to take my CHL class.
Whoa... that was longer than I thought it would be, didn't mean to give my whole life story
If you made it this far, thank you for reading. If nothing else, I hope relating my experience has shown you that even the most die hard gun control advocate can come around
JP,
