Not as many as you'd think, and it's not as easy to do so as you'd probably think. I do it because I'm the type of guy who likes to think that if things get physical, I'd rather settle it man to man. A few years back, I got myself into a bad situation, had my life threatened by a few people, and realized that not everyone believes the way I do, that things should be settled without violence first, but if violence is necessary, that it should be done without weapons.
It was then that I decided that I would legally provide myself with a way to get out of a life-threatening situation by whatever means necessary. There is honor, courage, and bravery, but none of that matters if you're up against a chickenshit with something as small as a .22 or as big as a 12-gauge.
So, I got my concealed carry license, and I'll be honest, I didn't carry it on a regular basis. Two things in the news changed my mind (and one of them wasn't VA Tech). The first was a guy down here who intentionally crashed his car, and when people came up to check on him, he used a shotgun on them. Four guys walked up (unaware of this) and he fired once, and they all got away because one of the four was a licensed carrier and fired back. He didn't hit the guy, but provided enough cover for them to escape.
The second thing was that mall shooting up in the Midwest where the "troubled teen" with the AK-47 started picking people off.
I'm not gonna act like I'm a superhero or Chow Yun Fat over here (though the "fat" applies), but I'd rather have a sporting chance if some psycho decides to try and kill me when I'm a complete innocent...
That said, we do have what's called the Castle Doctrine down here in Texas that allows you to use deadly force to protect life and property, and it even extends to "anywhere you would reasonably expect personal safety" i.e. your car. You've got a lot of guys out there both licensed and unlicensed talking about how they're gonna blow the first motherfucker away that screws with them or their property, and I say... shit, I'll pay a deductible before taking human life.
I carry to protect life (even if it costs some bad guy theirs), not property, and I'd not bluster about doing so for a vehicle break-in.
I guess it's because in my line of work I've dealt with thieves for five years. I get them, I get the motivation, and while it was a pain in the ass to get my stuff fixed after that most recent break-in, I don't get the sense of violation and anger that other people do about it. Yeah, it's a pain in the ass, and it sucked to pay the cash because some fuckhead was too lazy to earn a living and has to be a leech on society, but I'm not going all "Death Wish" on them for it.
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