Today was finally the day.

[Chieftain]

I've put this off for long enough.  Here in Washington, open carry is the law of the land, and obtaining a Concealed Pistol License is a matter of $50.75, a one page application form & a set of fingerprints to the local Sheriff, who has 30 days to conduct a background check, and will then issue a 5 year renewable permit.

I got home just a bit ago from completing the process and I'll have my permit sometime next month.

My car has been prowled 5 times in the last five years in my driveway, under a streetlight.  My wife's car window was smashed & her purse grabbed last September.  By the time she got home to make a police report that Sunday morning, the thieves had already cleaned our our checking and her credit card.  We made the police report and heard nothing more about it.

Last January on  the first Monday of the New Year, someone broke through our front door and raided our bedroom for everything shiny they could find, including all of my Navy medals and collar devices.  They got my Great Grandfather's pocket watch, and my wife's good pearls.  The police gave us fingerprint dust stains on our bedroom carpet and a case number to hand to our Insurance company.  The value was just a squeak over $22,000.

I've upgraded our home security since then with a very good surveillance camera system that we've already tapped twice for our neighbor.  The burglar did not steal my .45 Glock, but he did handle it.  I was out in my shop when the bastard was in there (we figure he took 10 minutes, tops) and if I had come in the house he was between me and my handgun.  That's why I bought a 9mm and 1000 rounds to support it with some of the insurance proceeds.

What tipped me over the edge is this latest terrorist attack.  How in hell this guy could be under any kind of terrorist investigation and still hold an advanced firearms license, work for a security company, and purchase multiple firearms at will is beyond me.  What do we have a background check program for??  What the hell is the money we pay in fees going for?? 

It is clear that the system we have is not being used now, and adding any more layers of regulation on top will do absolutely nothing.

I figure I better get my CPL now rather than wait until I need it and it becomes impossible to do so.  We're on the brink of God only knows what else; Orlando was just a taste of what's coming.  Thank God there were 9 SWAT Officers who had the guts to make the life & death decision to storm that gunman or he would have continued slaughtering people like sheep.

Better to have a CPL and not need it, than to need it and not have it.  When seconds count, the police are only minutes away...

 

[SZonian]

"Better to have a CPL and not need it, than to need it and not have it.  When seconds count, the police are only minutes away..."

 :thumbsup3:

[WAC]

(((...We're on the brink of God only knows what else; Orlando was just a taste of what's coming.  Thank God there were 9 SWAT Officers who had the guts to make the life & death decision to storm that gunman or he would have continued slaughtering people like sheep...)))

I can't imagine being in a place with that degree of crime happening directly against my home you also wrote of your post!! ..and now all the security you've had to install etc. I'm stunned! Really! How in the world do you sleep at night???

I agree what's happening in Orlando is going to happen again...and more I suspect. They're getting bolder each and every time because they can.... Heck they have no fear of lose of life,  believing they'll be entertained by virgins and their family left with a huge Life Insurance bundle to live out their days set.  Further they'll get great honor among other Muslims for killing Americans....what do they have to lose in their twisted minds?????

These death cult killers are already here.....this was just ONE man.....what do people think will happen if more than one cuts loose on the population in a coordinated effort as in France?......or several of these killers are called on to do what they will wherever they can at any given time and place.

To the Islamists this killer went out in a blaze of glory......they celebrate and laugh because they know this nation cannot stop them.
They simply have no concern over what measures we take ...as long as they can come and go freely throughout this nation they will take the opportunity to do their "Duty" to Islam.

I get really annoyed with politicians and people telling us we have to recognize the Muslim community as Americans.....if that were true they wouldn't be trying to change our laws to accomadate their culture, their laws and their way of life which is diametrically opposed to  America life. ..They wouldn't be funding and sheltering these killers as we find each and every time they have done....and the families DO KNOW regardless of what they say and want us to believe.

Next thing we'll see is walled/wired ' in ' gated communities, who have hired their own security force to protect them from those in and coming this nation. Because our police forces will not be able to handle the numbers as they multiply and grow.

[geronl]

These incidents happened at home, you shouldn't need a permit for that.

[Chieftain]

Good for you Chieftain.  I can't believe all the crime you've had to put up with.  When I lived in the Los Angeles area we had a lot of problems, too.  Anyway, good for you for getting that permit.  it is good know the good guys are armed.

My wife and I have lived in this house longer than any other place either of us has lived.  We just started our 19th year here, and we've never seen the crime like we're seeing now.  Much of it comes out of North Portland and the gang activity that goes on unabated.  They cross the river over into Washington and prey on anyone they can find. 

I sleep well at night with my .45 in the nightstand next to me.  You cannot miss the security cameras, night or day, so the house feels secure again.  The harsh reality is that we're pretty much on our own should anything happen.  The police will be around for the mopup but little else.

Our Police chief went before City Council in February and told them he needed 40 uniformed officers and 19 investigators to make up for the cuts the City put on him in 2008-2009.  He told them before the cuts he had 14 traffic officers on staff who wrote an average of 47,000 traffic citations a year.  Last year he had 2 traffic officers and they wrote a total of 1200 citations.  The accident rate in town shows it, as does the complete disregard for any and all traffic laws, signals and stop signs.

I think it will get worse before it gets better.

[sinkspur]

I don't trust my proficiency with a handgun at night. My wife and I go shooting regularly,but if someone bursts into the bedroom in the dark, who can see that? 

So I keep a Remington 870 next to my night stand, propped up, ready to go. Just point and shoot.

My best protection are my four dogs, who are instantaneous yappers the minute they hear anything.  I cancelled my alarm service; nobody's going to come near this place with those mutts barking at the top of their lungs.

We live in a small suburb of Ft. Worth, the police are constantly patrolling, and we have almost no criminal activity.  I have no illusions, though, that we're not immune, which is why we stay ready.

[Chieftain]

I don't trust my proficiency with a handgun at night. My wife and I go shooting regularly,but if someone bursts into the bedroom in the dark, who can see that? 

So I keep a Remington 870 next to my night stand, propped up, ready to go. Just point and shoot.

My best protection are my four dogs, who are instantaneous yappers the minute they hear anything.  I cancelled my alarm service; nobody's going to come near this place with those mutts barking at the top of their lungs.

We live in a small suburb of Ft. Worth, the police are constantly patrolling, and we have almost no criminal activity.  I have no illusions, though, that we're not immune, which is why we stay ready.

I have a forged, razor sharp combat tomahawk with a stout wrist thong, sheathed, under the mattress with just the handle sticking out.  I can reach down and grab it in the dark, and believe me, anything I connect with is in the hurt locker in a big way.  An underhand swing with that thong tight on the wrist is vicious...the blade is a good 3 1/2" wide and suitable for field shaving with a sharp spike on the other end. 

I invested in tritium night sights for my .45 Glock, specifically to help me sight on the center of whatever dark mass comes into the house at night.  I figure the muzzle blast should at least blow the perp's night vision and give me an aim point for the 'hawk.  But ultimately both are a means to get to the 12 Gage and/or a rifle.

I also put in some really good LED motion detection lights.  LEDs come on RIGHT NOW, and light up the scene like Close Encounters.  These have 2000 lumens on two curved panels that are each about the size of a light switch cover plate.  Really bright white, and the motion detectors work very well.  If you approach the house from either side on the sidewalk I light you up.  Each camera is covered by a couple others, at least in part, so I can view up and down both sides of the street, and the complete cul-de-sac across the street, day and night from multiple angles.  My neighbor two doors down has a good system that extends the surveillance and overlaps with mine.

I just put a reflective 10" aluminum sign on the back of the stop sign pole across the street that warns of 24 hour video surveillance.  Its right there in the open where it cannot be missed, and my neighbor loves it.  I've kept him posted on my camera system and I hope he will go for his own soon.  He and the missus travel quite a bit and he likes the camera system.  Great passive and very effective security.  I want people to know they are on video.  My cameras are in plain sight, but the DVR controller is in the house under lock and key & every camera has at least 2 others covering it.  8 cameras, 8 60' cables for video and power, mounts, 1 Gig hard drive controller, for $400 on Amazon.  Their 4 camera system is $200.  You can program it to be monitored remotely on your smart phone if that is what you need.  Very versatile.  The company is Q-See.  Look for them on Amazon.

We're reasonably secure now.  But with our local police so badly undermanned, and the fire department as well, it worries me how quickly they would be overcome by any large scale disaster, like a Cascadia sized earthquake, volcanic eruption, or widespread civil unrest.  The series "The Walking Dead" is a great example of what could happen...the dead themselves are a metaphor for any disaster.  The biggest problem facing the survivors is other survivors...

Some days I don't think I've been drinking anywhere near enough bourbon....

 ^-^