I have been carrying for about 2 years.

Lately, i don't know if it's the heat, or if the "thrill" of carrying has worn off.

I should say, i don't carry to be "thrilled", it's more of a statement of how over time, my attitude has changed from,

carry everywhere it's legal every time,

which turned into carrying sometimes,

now  i carry only when i have good reason.

Talking to others buddies that have carry permits,  and one chuckled and ask "so the honeymoon is finally over?"  He claimed the same happened to him after time.


Now i know most here carry at all times and places, even in the shower....but wondering if others have had similar experiences.  I still have the itch to go shooting at least once a week, and reload constantly, but the carry bug has seemed to have subsided.

thoughts?

It's insurance.  I never feel like I need my gun, but carry it everywhere I can.

You don't have to carry if you don't want to.  But when you step out your house and don't have a gun on your person, look around and then quietly say... "baahhhh"

Nice.  You do not know when you will need a gun.  That's the point

Only when you have good reason, huh?

Fight through it. It's a daily carry accessory just like a watch or a wallet. Get to the point that you're uncomfortable without it.

So the newness––the "coolness"––of it has worn off. I experienced that too at first (quite a few years ago). Now you're just down to its function. Carry it for its function. If you think you don't need it, how do you know?

Meh. The "thrill" wore off for me in about two days. Now it's just another piece of equipment I carry around, like my knife, or cell phone.

I have been carrying for the last nine years or so .  Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Think of it like your seat belt, you hope to god you dont need it to save your life, but its there in the event its necessary.

If I think I am going to a place I will "need a gun", guess what - I'm not going there. If you carry, carry all the time. If the gun you have is too inconvenient, get one that you can live with. In the AZ summer, 80% of the time I carry my Kahr MK40 in a pocket holster.... a belt gun is just too much hassle.

Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Not sure how you determine when you need it or are going to need it. In my mind when you go out you need it or should have it.

Carrying is more than just strapping a gun on and walking out the door. It's a mindset. If you're not willing to make the committment to protect yourself and loved ones, then by all means stop carrying since it's an inconvenience. Some people have a warrior mindset and some don't. Sounds like you don't and there's nothing wrong with that. Heck,  half the cops I work with don't even carry off duty.

Complacency kills.

I genuinely hope that nothing bad has to happen to make you decide to carry every time.

This.  Same here.

+1.5

It does get a little old sometimes, but you get to a point where you feel uncomfortable without it. I left the house in a hurry for work one day and forgot it and was uneasy all day (not to the point that I was freaking out or anything though)

I've been pretty gung-ho for the first three years I've carried. I honest to God haven't left the house without my pistol. And it was a service size pistol. I cannot leave the house without my firearm. I've forgotten my wallet and had the pistol. Coming up on this summer, I just decided I did not want to strap that full-size gun on every day. So, I went shopping (always fun ) and picked up a j-frame. So far, this has been worth every dime. It requires very little effort to strap on that little bastard. I don't know what you carry, I'm just saying maybe this would help renew your interest in carrying daily.

I've been carrying for about 6 years now. When I first got my permit, I carried it EVERYWHERE. Even wearing it at home. Didn't take it off until I got undressed. Pretty soon, I was used to wearing it everywhere, and after that, I was uncomfortable without it.



Now, I still just take it off when I'm getting undressed.

 

My personal opinion is that if the "thrill" has worn off, you might have been carrying for the wrong reason in the first place...

If you want to carry just because of some thrill of having a gun on you then it won't last. If you carry and eventually think its a PITA then your not going to carry. Get a good holster, belt,gun and attitude and make it an everyday thing and you'll wonder how you went without it. It eventually becomes second nature like not leaving the house without your wallet or keys. You also must learn to be able to conceal it well without thinking about it. If you spend all day thinking of your showing or not then its going to become that PITA that you'll feel batter about if you just don't carry. Its not as big of a daily routine difference once you do it enough. I carry as much as I can legally here and either open carry or conceal with my PA license when I can. In a very short time I felt naked without it.

I know people that think CCW is a good idea but wouldn't last long with them because they would be doing it for the wrong reasons. Why not try a smaller type pocket gun like a P3AT, LCP or J-Frame? Get a decent pocket holster and its no different than putting your wallet in your pocket.

I have left mine at home a few times.Was in a 7-11 one day and some real mouthy weirdo's were getting strange acting.
I am thinking damn nice day to not be carrying..One of those hair standing on neck moments,
but nothing went down, .I carry everytime i leave the house now.If ya find a gun/holster combo
thats confortable you will get used to it and almost forget about it.If its uncomfortable, bothering you,
digging in to ya, more likely to stop carrying it.You have to make it a routine, just like putting your
wallet, keys etc on ya very morning...just do it.

Kind of almost. I've been carrying about 8 yrs now. Initially I started out in response to robberies that happened at a cash business I owned. I never was thrilled with the gun and especially not the thought of needing it. The demographics, stats, and obvious threat motivated me to arm and train. Facts learned and experiences with firearms has led to changes in lifestyle and mindset, and also an interest in and hobby with firearms.

 I've moved several times since then and now live in a much quieter community, am no longer in cash business, and in general don't feel that I may attract attention from BGs these days. So sometimes I just don't feel like gearing up - it just seems unnecessary. And so far it has been all along - thank God. But that doesn't change some simple facts. There is a small percentage of the population that is predatory and has the means, intent and motivation to prey on innocent people. And you never know where they are and when they're near. Just the reminder of that simple fact is reason enough for me to keep a weapon in my quiver of available tools and skillsets. There's of course many layers to the onion, and my point is that one doesn't need to peel back much to find the heart of it.

  So, no. Often I really don't feel like hauling the damn gun around. It's bulky, uncomfortable, could be socially uncomfortable sometimes if detected etc, etc. But I do. Something inside me knows it's the right thing to do. I really don't want to , never did really like it. But life forces me to do many things I don't like or am not thrilled about - but I do them too.

-JC

I didn't carry on a few occasions that stick out in my mind because I was going to be spending time in bars.

The first one I was hanging out in the parking lot (which non-smokers do from time-to-time for air), when some very fucking off-kilter motherfucker in a trench-coat comes shambling over from out of nowhere. He was turned away because of the cover, made about 5 steps, and wheeled around 180 degrees enraged back in. That's when I understood that if this guy does what I think he might, there are about to be a bunch of dead people and I can't do much of anything to stop it other than run the fucker over when he exits. Nothing happened, fortunately, but it breathed some additional awareness into me.

Next time I knew I would be away from the car (at a bar) and there was no sense leaving a gun for my auto-burglar. We drove past some bizarre activity looking for a space, parked about 6 lengths over and cautiously walked off in the other direction. Turns out it was  concealed armed robbery in progress.

The last time, I said "fuck it" brought a .357 (locked in the car)  and took the girls out to the titty bar. When we returned to the car to leave, DJ Jazzy Jerkoff parked his Charger across my trunk, boxing me in so he could holla (thinking I was a pimp or something). This time I replied in a clear voice as I brought the gun up to my waist and cocked the hammer "Yes Lemonjello,I heard: 'you laks da ladeez'. You said that twice already. We are going to back out now, so you need to move your car"

Then there was the time I actually needed it had it and used it, amidst at least another dozen times where I may have needed it (with/without knowing it) and was glad it was with me. If it's not worth the bother of you selecting a proper effective weapon, training with it, carrying it, and being willing to use it, then you probably shouldn't carry if you aren't willing to do all of those things.

+1

I know the feeling though... I started out carrying my G19 in a super truck IWB, it got too "big" for daily carry after about 2 weeks of 95+ weather... went to the J frame in a IWB for about a year; from there moved to a inside the pocket, carried that way for about 2 years... finally it just got to be too much of a hassle so I stopped carrying... that only lasted about a month... went into a gas station on a rough side of town to prepay for the pump, (no card readers on the machine ), a young man proceeded to hassle me for change, I kindly said I do not have any cash on me... he instantly became belligerent and showered me with racial slurs... It didn't go any further than that, but I sure had that "naked in public " type feeling immediately afterward, so the next day I went down to the gun store & bought a Ruger LCP/laser combo with pocket holster, don't even notice it's on me anymore.

Thanks for the reply's

A few points.

1. I work from a private residence.  So i am basically sitting in a house for 8+ hours a day, a house that has many other guns besides my carry.  I would carry my G30sf no matter what.  Then i started not seeing a reason to have it on me when i am sitting next to an AR all day.


2.  When i say "thrill" it may be a poor choice of words.  I went through all the trouble of getting a unrestricted full carry permit in NY not for a "thrill".  And the time i have spent training and practicing has always been for the reason of defending my family and loved ones.  

3. I only carry when i have a reason, the main reason being i will not be sitting in a house next to an AR.  So any day i have to go anywhere i am carrying.  

I guess i just looked at my overall situation and felt i was going a bit overboard.  But the best lesson i can take away from the reply's is that complacency kills.  And I thank you all for that lesson.

Yep.
The moment I *know* I'm gonna need it (barring work situations,) is the moment I decide to stay at the house and watch TV instead of whatever else I was gonna do.

This is slightly different than what many interpreted your initial post to mean.  When I wake up in the morning I put my gun on when I get dressed for the day.  When I come home, change clothes and I plan on being home for the evening I take it off.  There have been days that I left the house without a wallet or a cell phone but I never leave the gun.  The one exception to 'never' is when we are going somewhere where we will be having drinks.  I don't like to even have it in the car if I am planning to have a couple of drinks.

OP, don't you have a spare tire everywhere you drive?

There ya go.

It's a tool, it might be necessary for survival, and it's the kind of tool that no other will substitute well for, if you truly need it.  (like a spare tire, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, etc.)

Sure, if you're workin' in the home for hours, as you said, right next to an AR (that is, arms length away), then yeah, ya might not need to have a pistol on you at all times (I myself still would, but that's just me).

I don't remember, I've been using and carrying weapons for years.................don't remember the "thrill".............but, maybe it's like driving...........ya know, you first started driving, and said "MAN, THIS IS AWESOME"...............maybe that awesomeness wore off after a while, but you're still gonna be driving, regardless, 'cause it's necessary.

Stay prepared, stay vigilant.

Yep, been there done that.  Been there done that with the tiny, 8 oz mouse guns too.  Someone where along the line a light bulb came on in my head and I made a decision that I'd treat my carry gun the same way I treat my pants.  And the gun would be one that, IMO, was of a minimum power, reliability and accuracy.  
That decision made many years ago completely removes the "Do I carry today or not?" dilemma.  When the pants go on the gun goes on.  No thoughts about it, no hand wringing, no discussion with the SO.  



Make the decision once and make it for life.


 

It should become a habit to carry eventually.  I carry every where I go except to work.  I work on building new schools so they kinda frown on it.   I still feel naked without it when I am at work.

Two weeks ago my  new neighbors had a home invasion like about 4:30am. 4 guy's armed tied them up, stole everything they could and took their SUV. This all happened while their 6 year old was sleeping in his room. I was at a resort for the weekened and when I arrived at my house my new neighbor told me what happened and while I was speaking to him another neighbor approached me and informed me that someone had broken in her house when she was not their that same night. Where I live there is a control access entrance, cameras and security. I have been through 1 city police department and 2 Fed agencies in my 14 1/2 years career. My wife was a state trooper, Veterans Hospital police officer and now is working as a PHS in a federal agency. We know how bad things get when you least expect it. We carry every where we go and when we are at the house we have our firearm at reach. When you purchased that firearm what was the reason for it? Was it to protect yourself and your family or because it was cool to have one? The bad guy's are not gonig to announce when they are coming. You better stop thinking and acting like a sheep that is how you get killed. If you aint going to carry you firearm because your bored of it  just sell or give your firearm to some one who is committed in protecting his/her life and family. You might as well give in your license to carry.

I have been carrying for a very long time.  I started as a police officer in 1984.

I went through a period about ten years ago, where I had gotten tired of always carrying.  I started limiting it to those times where I felt there was more of a threat.  It had gotten to be a hassle, putting the gun on, keeping it concealed, clunking on hard chairs when I sat down.  I had gotten lazy, and was justifying that laziness by telling myself that I was in a 'safe' area, lived in a 'safe' neighborhood, etc.  

A bunch of us used to hang out at this bar/restaurant, the place was always packed with cops, it felt 'safe'.  One day, a guy came in and robbed the joint at gunpoint.  None of the cops were there at the time, nobody got hurt.  

That woke me up, I realized, hell I had always known, that there is no 'safe' place or neighborhood, or time.  

I went back to 24/7 carrying.  Now, if I'm wearing pants...

Sounds too me like you are carrying for the wrong reason. I just hope you don't come home one day and find someone standing there with the gun you got tired of carrying.

the biggest problem I see is many people start carrying and are unrealistic about it- meaning they try to routinely carry a 1911 and two spare mags in august. They find it challenging or uncomfortable or whatever, then stop carrying. It would be much better in the long run if people used carry systems (guns, ammo&spare,holster) more in tune to a civilian's realisitic needs. I feel most people would be best served with a smith j frame- yes one of those old fashioned revolvers -in a pocket holster they can wear every day with any wardrobe year round. Then they will have the gun if they need it. Say all you want about calibers, performance etc. bottom line is the gun you have is better than the one you left home. I have no problem carrying j-frames or even my seecamp in my swim trunks as this will always be better than nothing.

I can respect that.

carry your fucking gun everywhere, everday, everytime