New LTCF just in time

[matty70]

I'm kinda new around here, I've been reading for a while but just started posting. Anyhow I'm proud to join the ranks! About a month ago I got my LTCF even before I bought my first handgun. I wanted to make sure I had the LTCF so I could carry as soon as I picked up my new XD45C. went to Berks County Sheriff's dept and it took all of 15 minutes! It would have been quicker but I left my references' addresses in the car.
I've already been in 2 instances in the past month that by carrying I was able to protect my self and my wife.
Story 1 goes like this:
we were heading down to Cherokee Nat Forrest for a backwoods camping trip and ended up at the TVA campground /public use area where they posted "no firearms" but when I paid for my camp site the guy said "Good to see you got a dog with you, we've been having a real bear problem around here lately. We got a 700# boar up on the hill and a 400# sow with a couple of cubs that have been hanging around. If they show up get your dog to tree him and I'll call the boss to see if we can put some buckshot in him!" Is he for real??? Cause I'm thinking that rug is gonna have 14 holes in it when I empty my 45 in that bear-Yeah I'll call you pal right after the dog trees him Well guess what, the bear did drop in on us 2 nights in a row. We never saw it but it was only maybe 20 yards from the tent, crashing and snaping the trees. I grabbed my gun and woke up the dog (he's amazing!) worked up the stones to get out of the tent and was able to scare off the bear by yelling and getting the dog wound up and barking. So I challenge someone to give me one reason why I shouldn't be allowed to carry especially in the wilderness where the threat is real not Yogi and Boo Boo and there is no cell reception and "Ranger Smith" is off looking for "pickanic baskets"
Story 2:
While on our way home from that same trip at about 2:00 am I was asleep and the wife was driving, she pulled into a small truck stop in VA to get some coffee. The stop was just a "mini mart-turkey Hill/Sunnoco type place, with lines of rigs parked diagonally along the side of the store. I was awakened when she parked the car in front of the store, and I wanted to get some more sleep so I could drive later, so I didn't want to walk in the store because that would have woken me to the point that I would not have gone back to sleep. She gets out of the car and goes in the store, then I start looking around its all about a heightened sense of awareness right? So as I'm being observant a trucker gets out of his rig and starts staggering accross the lot past the car and glances at me quickly as if to check to see if I am noticing him. Well I did and I continued to watch him go into the store. He went in and walke down to the end of the first isle. I had an unobstructed view of him because he was right in front of the glass and at the back of the store, I watched him as he stood there staring across the store not moving not shopping he was staring at something. Then I see him go into his pocket pull something out and put it back in and at this point I can't see my wife or anyone else in the store and he's moving around now to where I cant see him either, I pull my gun from under the seat and tuck it in my pants and go in. I see my wife at the counter paying for her coffee and this guy is crowding her standing to her right and somewhat behind her. He's got his back to an endcap and when she has to leave he has positioned himself so that she would nearly bump into him leaving. I notice all this before I even get halfway through the door, I walk past the guy through the narrow opening he has left between himself and my wife and as I go by he nods his head at me and says "How ya doin?" I looked him dead in the eye and said nothing to give him the message that I knew he was up to no good. I positioned myself to the left of her, so I could talk to her and stilll keep my eye on him without turning my back. Now I notice that the guy has nothing to pay for and is still standing there, I tell her I'm going to the bathroom I'll be right out, I told her "I have the keys" because I figured she would wait for me in the store if she knew she couldn't get in the car (she unfortunately is oblivious to what's going on and says "well give me the keys, so I give her the keys and as I do the guy starts heading for the door and I am able to give her a nod in his direction pointing him out to her and signaling her to keep an eye on him, thinking now that she is aware and will stay in the store I go to the bathroom and when I come out she's in the car, (women)and I see him walking towards the rig he came out of looking over his shoulder looking for me. She tells me that he was zig zagging around wandering the gas pump area and when he saw me come out he high tailed it toward the rig. All ended well because of a heightened awareness on my part that I may not have had if I wasn't carrying. I'm sure he was up to no good and I think that cold stare I gave him when he said "how ya doin" let him know there were no easy targets here.
Before these 2 instances there was no way I could convince her of a need or purpose for daily cc -carrying in the city going to work was OK for me but she had no idea that things like this could ever happen to us-now she's seing things a bit differently-I think she'll be getting her LTCF soon but unfortunately getting her to carry every day will be another hurdle.

[Stuartsab]

Good job but you might get some fire from the women here for that comment

Anyway all in all good job!

[GoldWinger]

Good stories but I'm wondering if you gave the bears any reason to be sniffing around your campsite? Food in the tent? Did you brush your teeth before going to bed? Deordorant? Clothes that you had worn while eating in your tent for the morning? Was your food in a bear vault or hanging from a tree a good ways away from your tent? Bears have better sniffers than dogs and if something smells vaguely interesting, they'll want to investigate.

[StraussiE WousiE]

Good stories yes. But if anything, this proves that you don't need to carry. The only reason you got out of your car, and went into the store, is because you thought some guy looked shady, and you scared him out of doing whatever he was gonna do. I would say that you can't wait to see somebody robbing a store, so that you can finally shoot them. You may have detered him from robbing a store, or raping children, but your glare did that, not your gun. No need to change your actions based on you having a gun. That's usually how mistakes happen. God forbid you drive through a heavily populated city, you will reach for your gun everytime you pull up to a red light. And that will stop all crime, in all the land. Plus, you didn't shoot the bear, and your fine.

[matty70]

Sorry to ladies! But my wife was oblivious-forgive her -she's a Jersey Girl she thinks the Gov't has her best interests at heart!

Good job but you might get some fire from the women here for that comment

Anyway all in all good job!

[Stuartsab]

Good stories yes. But if anything, this proves that you don't need to carry. The only reason you got out of your car, and went into the store, is because you thought some guy looked shady, and you scared him out of doing whatever he was gonna do. I would say that you can't wait to see somebody robbing a store, so that you can finally shoot them. You may have detered him from robbing a store, or raping children, but your glare did that, not your gun. No need to change your actions based on you having a gun. That's usually how mistakes happen. God forbid you drive through a heavily populated city, you will reach for your gun everytime you pull up to a red light. And that will stop all crime, in all the land. Plus, you didn't shoot the bear, and your fine.

How does this prove he doesn't need to carry? If either of these has escalated he could have been boned. If anything carrying more than likely has taught him to be more aware of his surroundings.

[matty70]

Good stories but I'm wondering if you gave the bears any reason to be sniffing around your campsite? Food in the tent? Did you brush your teeth before going to bed? Deordorant? Clothes that you had worn while eating in your tent for the morning? Was your food in a bear vault or hanging from a tree a good ways away from your tent? Bears have better sniffers than dogs and if something smells vaguely interesting, they'll want to investigate.

Well the bears had been there for a while, and they have learned to associate tents and campers with food. We didn't leave anything out I knew better and locked all the food in the trunk of the car, I believe he was just making his rounds being curious, We did have quite a few paw prints on the car though, I guess he smelled the food in the trunk. I set up a trail camera so I might get some pics back.

[StraussiE WousiE]

Assuming bad things are going to happen is not the reason to have a gun. It's for when bad things actually happen. If that guy would have pulled a gun, and threatened lives, theres a good reason to be the good guy with a gun, and take some action. I'd hate to be the guy that LOOKS suspicious, and ends up being the one scared out of buying a pack of cigarrettes because im getting nasty looks from a man acting strange, and signalling to people. I can't tell you the last time I walked up to a convenience store counter with something in my hand... Does that mean I'm going to rob it? Its just fact that him having a gun did not prove to be a necassary thing for these stories. If the story went, " A man walked into a 7-11 with a shotgun, and I noticed this... and reached for my gun and dealt with it." then theres a good reason to carry.

I carry, but I don't think that me having my gun is a reason to profile people, and glare at them because I have a good sense of what bad could happen if I don't.

I could write stories too, about how I felt.... Comfortable. Knowing that if this guy walking down the street started shooting women and children, that I can protect some people. But you don't wanna see a story about how I got a bad vibe from somebody I thought to look suspicious. GOOD THING I HAVE A GUN.

[Stuartsab]

Assuming bad things are going to happen is not the reason to have a gun. It's for when bad things actually happen. If that guy would have pulled a gun, and threatened lives, theres a good reason to be the good guy with a gun, and take some action. I'd hate to be the guy that LOOKS suspicious, and ends up being the one scared out of buying a pack of cigarrettes because im getting nasty looks from a man acting strange, and signalling to people. I can't tell you the last time I walked up to a convenience store counter with something in my hand... Does that mean I'm going to rob it? Its just fact that him having a gun did not prove to be a necassary thing for these stories. If the story went, " A man walked into a 7-11 with a shotgun, and I noticed this... and reached for my gun and dealt with it." then theres a good reason to carry.

I carry, but I don't think that me having my gun is a reason to profile people, and glare at them because I have a good sense of what bad could happen if I don't.

I could write stories too, about how I felt.... Comfortable. Knowing that if this guy walking down the street started shooting women and children, that I can protect some people. But you don't wanna see a story about how I got a bad vibe from somebody I thought to look suspicious. GOOD THING I HAVE A GUN.

Point taken. However I think what the OP means is he got it just in time when something remotely close to needing it actually happened to him.

[StraussiE WousiE]

Not having a gun | Using a gun


The only two sides.

When I don't use my gun, I might as well not have one. Unless I need to fire it, in my book, there is never a reason that I feel more comfortable because I have one. Call it aware of your surroundings, whilste I call it paranoia/ trigger happy