5 signs you take CCW too seriously

Carrying a gun every day is no laughing matter. It is a tremendous responsibility, and one that far too many fail to take seriously. However, there is another segment of people who maybe are going a little bit overboard on the “CCW lifestyle.” In fact, that’s probably a sign right there: if you’ve ever used “CCW lifestyle” without a hint of irony, you need to calm down. But anyway here’s Wonderwall the list.

M&P 9mm with RMR and CRKT

1. You buy your clothes based on how easy it is to conceal all your EDC crap.
Look, I get it. We all should carry full size service pistols, a reload, two knives, a flashlight, 2 liters of water and a portable super-computer at all times. There’s also nothing crazy about buying your jeans a couple of inches bigger to accommodate an IWB holster. That’s just good sense. It’s when you start doing all kind of craziness such as only buying medium polos that hang a certain way, or never buying any clothes that actually fit nicely simply because “I can’t conceal in them.” That’s crazy because 1) yes you can, and 2) carrying a gun shouldn’t be such a thing that you have to let it run your clothing choices.

2. You won’t go out with your friends to certain bars/restaurants because they don’t allow concealed carry there
I’m…I’m actually guilty of this one in years past; I wouldn’t go to a bar with my friends if that bar did pat-down’s at the door. There’s some logic to that, but really it was just me being stubborn and prioritizing “being a sheepdog hur-dur” over “having a good time with people I like.” Hey, we should all carry our guns and be mindful of where we go, but there’s also a point where we should maybe chill out. For example, if you tell you friends you won’t go out with them because where they’re going doesn’t allow carry. Of course, if you have that kind of mindset, this probably isn’t a problem for you.

boxxy-trolling

Because you don’t have any friends.

3. You actually care which business are pro or anti-gun.
I don’t care that Buffalo Wild Wings hates my guns. I don’t care that uh…Chick Fil A is completely ambivalent to them. I just go the places I like to go, and try to not worry too much about the political leanings of major corporations. Now, if you’re talking mom and pop shops, that’s a different story, because to them, losing one or two customers or gaining a new customer can have a real significant financial impact. But Starbucks isn’t going to give two shits if they lose me forever because of blah blah blah open carry whatever.

4. You’ve ever participated in a lengthy forum discussion about “mandatory EDC items.”
You’re probably just a terrible person. But I actually get this one. We carry all this gear, so it’s natural to want to talk about it, and it’s natural to want to see who has better gear, or whatever. But it’s also really easy to get wrapped around an axle about all the shit we carry and forget that what you’re really carrying is a 2 pound insurance policy in case your day takes a really statistically unlikely turn for the awful. There really isn’t anything wrong with talking about our gear, it’s just that on forums, those sorts of conversations usually end up running down these crazy rabbit trails of “what if you’re attacked by 25 axe wielding ninjas at night in an alley? I bet you’d want more than 100 lumens then!” Which is true, I would. I’d want an M240b, an assistant gunner, and a sandbagged fighting position. Wait, crap, what was I talking about again? Oh yeah, EDC conversations.

5. You’ve ever written a smug blog post about how other people need to get over themselves about CCW

…waitaminnit…

17 Comments

  1. I’m not willing to spend my money in places that seek to disarm me — even if, at the moment, I choose to be unarmed.

    Fortunately,my friends, for the most part, feel the same way.

    Also, fortunately, there are options where I live. In more rural areas, there may not be.

  2. I can’t even get a ccw and I fit all those things! I’m a veteran, you know, an enemy of the state. Actually, I found out it was because my health was really bad for a while and I think the V.A. took over my finances for a bit (bad heart is my problem). Anyway, if they do that, they take away your right to own/carry. Thankfully I had firearms from earlier.

    I won’t go to places that don’t allow ccw. It isn’t just a rights thing, it’s not choosing to be a target. If I can’t carry, that doesn’t mean others shouldn’t. I want to think that someone remembered to bring something special for perps.

  3. I guess everybody’s got his own shibboleth. I’ve done business in establishments with “no gun” signs in the window – but I didn’t bother to disarm first. If a bouncer wanted to pat me down before I could enter, I’d never darken the place’s door.

    When doing business in states where I was afraid of getting tagged by cops for my concealed handgun, I have dressed *very* carefully.

  4. Why would you want to go anywhere where they’re patting you down? I avoid flying and NFL games for that same reason. It has nothing to do with whether I’m carrying or not.

  5. Well, I wouldn’t go to a bar that did pat-downs at the door, but not because they wouldn’t let me carry a gun. 😉

    1. Honestly, that’s another post entirely about stupid places with stupid people, and it’s one I generally agree with. Sometimes though…

  6. The pat down gets VERY cursory when you declare, “at least someone will be touching my junk tonight!”

  7. “and a portable super-computer at all times.”

    You do realize we actually do this, right? Smartphones are insanely more powerful than what NASA used to get to the moon the first time. Hell, my dad’s (new-ish) flip phone is still more powerful than that.

  8. Funny and true to some degree. I do try to avoid antigun establishments. If my friends are there I will make an exception. I arty a gun sized to my clothing not the other way around. Yes I would love to carry an AR 308 with 100 round drum but just not going to happen. I love the edc stuff and I have plenty of it but I typically end up with a 3 inch pocket knife and whatever I can hang on a key chain.

  9. You can kiss my ass comma man. It’s liberal pussies like you that plague this country.

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