It’s okay to leave it at home sometimes…
It’s okay to leave it at home sometimes.
I think this is a really unpopular opinion amongst concealed carriers, both beginner and seasoned alike. Although, I think the general distaste for leaving guns in the safe from time to time can come from a misunderstanding as to WHY it’s being left there, and I think that distinction is fairly important to note.
When I was just getting started with carrying a gun I would leave it at home from time to time because: I didn’t FEEL like carrying it for one reason or another. Common thoughts: “I’m not going anywhere dangerous” “I don’t want to wear a belt” “I don’t want to worry about printing” “I hate my holster” “I just want to feel comfy today”. To be clear, carrying a gun, and choosing when and when not to do that is a personal choice. I’m not going to say you should always carry or that you should leave it at home whenever you feel like it, it’s a personal choice, and I don’t think you should really let anyone dictate that for you.
I started carrying pretty much everywhere after an evening that I chose not to carry because I didn’t feel like it, and I came home to dozens of news trucks and police sectioning off our street because someone had been shot in their front yard. That scared me, and I brought my gun with me everywhere after that.
Until I didn’t anymore.
If I’m going to leave my gun at home, personally, I’m going to do it for a very particular reason, and not because “I just don’t feel like it.” Again, personal choice. These days my gun stays at home if I know I’m going into a building that I cannot carry, for example, the post office. I’ll leave my gun at home if I’m going to Jiu Jitsu, not because I don’t feel like it, but because I’m ONLY going to my gym and back, and I have nowhere to securely place my firearm while I’m in class. The odds of it getting stolen are higher than me needing to use it.
This is partially why I carry multiple tools. Just because I’m not armed doesn’t mean I’m not taking measures to equip myself for some level of violence. Whether I’m carrying a gun or not, I always have my medical and POM OC spray readily available.