Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Concealed Carry License Dilemna

I carried when it was illegal. When Virginia passed the conceal carry law I was one of the first in line to get mine. I carried it until I moved back to West “By God” Virginia. Immediately got my WV CCP. Now that we have constitutional carry I still get my concealed license. Why? Because I still travel to Virginia.

Back in the day I worked at Newport News Shipbuilding, there was a young sailor murdered. He stopped at a convenience store at Fort Eustis, as he walked to his vehicle there were two “darker colored” youths that took him at gunpoint. He drove them to his bank, took out $300 (max at the time). They then took him to over to Smithfield, shot him, set him on fire, then ran over him with his own vehicle. The look on the kids face that the bank camera captured said it all, it was desperate, I still see it today.

That’s why I have my license, that’s why I carry. Legal in your state or not.

For someone your age who would probably have a difficult time in a fight with a 20 year old...why would you not carry.....legal or not.

NEVER go out of the house unstrapped. PERIOD.

F the laws.

If you don't carry when you drive, then you don't carry when you get there either. So you don't carry at all. What's your question?

I've never understood the willingness of folks to "self register" themselves with a CCL. What part of "shall not be infringed" do they not understand.

You are 69 years old and wringing your hands about cops being nervous around you?

Man you gotta stop watching the news and live your life.

If you decide you don't want to re-up your ccw, don't. Quit overthinking [bleep].

I think given your mindset that is the right approach. If you are this nervous about things, you probably don't need to be carrying.

Well, if I could retract or delete this post, I sure would. Didn't mean to whack a hornet's nest but it seems I did any way.

With respect to the gentleman who said the original post was very poorly written; you're right. Thank you for pointing that out. I would have been far better off to have asked, "Do LEOs generally see CCW licencees as more law-abiding than most people they come in contact with?" and stopped there. Might have been an entirely different tone to the discussion. My bad.

I would like to thank the people who made comments that seemed to be intended to help. When someone else said I was a troll, I thought I should dispute that out of politeness to them.

For the people concerned with my demographics; I am 69, Caucasian and male. How or why that is relevant escapes me, but there it is.

To the person who said I should move to a different state; you're right too. Unfortunately there are a lot of personal reasons to stay.

To the rest...well, this has really shown me how unmoderated forums differ from moderated ones! I'm sure at this point I've piled up enough rocks so that the stoning can resume...so have at it.

In Texas, we are required by law to hand our CC permit over with our driver's license on a stop. That lets the officer know you're possibly carrying.

I've been stopped twice since I received my permit. First time, I wasn't carrying, and the officer asked, "Why not?" I replied I was just out quickly to pick my son up from school. He said, "Even so, you NEVER know when/where the bad guy is going to show up!". He's right.

Second time, I was carrying. The deputy sheriff asked if I was carrying, to which I responded with a yes. He asked where, and I told him. He simply told me to keep it holstered. His attitude became more relaxed after that - I guess he was one of the few that realizes a CCW means you're one of the good guys (wish there were more like him), as the rest of the stop went...friendly.

I used to wonder what a police stop would be like here in Texas. I now know it's mostly an extra courtesy point to consider with the police.

As a CDL holder and an Ohio resident who let his CCW expire for a few years while over the road in places like Canada and DC where I couldn’t carry, I speak from experience when I say they will still know that you had one, they will know it’s expired, and the ones I’ve encountered in Ohio will not be nervous if you don’t give them a reason to be.

Edited to add: And once I started driving local and sleeping in my bed at home again, I renewed my CCW almost 10 years ago and keep it up to date.

" they will still know that you had one, they will know it’s expired, and the ones I’ve encountered in Ohio will not be nervous if you don’t give them a reason to be."

I figured their computer system would do that. And as I said, I've never had a bad experience with the police. I also don't do anything that will get me stopped (as far as I know). If my vehicle matches the description of one they're looking for, that might change things, but it hasn't happened yet.

Thanks to both of you (TXLoader and bhemry) for the thoughtful responses!

I’d go a step further on the politeness I’ve experienced, and in talking to friends, and reading “Real life encounters” on the Ohioans For Concealed Carry website for years, in the early years when it was a new thing for Ohio, cops were all over the map in their treatment of CCW holders.

It’s been a thing for quite some time now and it seems like you get much better treatment than the “normal” public now. It’s almost as if they realized that the ones who have jumped thru hoops and been background checked are not the ones they need to worry about. In fact, if you’re NOT carrying they will often wonder why not and even suggest that maybe you should.

Me too. Cops are always tailing me. What's up with that?