Jim,
Thank you for your excellent site. I’m here every day.
My wife and I are considering getting Concealed Weapons Permits. Do you recommend getting a permit? Is it a good idea, or is it a red flag that would attract the unwanted attention of our government officials? Do you have a permit? I would appreciate your insight. – The Forester
JWR Replies: I do not have a CCW permit, but I have the benefit of living in an open carry state. I don’t issue any blanket advice on concealed carry. Everyone has to weigh the risks and benefits of licensure for themselves, in their own particular circumstances. Since I live in a lightly-populated region with low crime, I decided that the high profile that goes along with getting a CCW permit wasn’t justifiable. I am far more worried about being mauled by a bear when out berry picking than I am getting mugged. Street crime is virtually unheard of here in TUWS. (Robert Heinlein was right: An armed society is a polite society.) Again, the decision on whether or not to get a CCW permit is personal judgment call. For many SurvivalBlog readers living in high crime areas, getting a permit would probably be advisable.
BTW, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and perhaps the Dakotas all “going Alaska” in the next few years–dropping the requirement for a CCW for carry inside city limits. This has been the case in Vermont since time immemorial, and the CCW permit requirement for inside city limits was recently dropped in Alaska. (In many southern and western states it is already legal to carry conceal outside of city limits.)