Why get a CHL?

So I'm getting my CHL (Concealed Handgun License).  And I've had a couple of people ask me why.

1.) On July 18, 1984, at McDonald's in San Diego, California, James Oliver Huberty killed 21, and injured another 19.  Among those killed that afternoon were a 74 year old man, and an 8 month old infant.  Finally, 77 minutes after the attack began, he was shot and killed by a SWAT sniper.

2.) On June 18, 1990, at the GMAC office in Jacksonville, Florida, James Edward Pough killed 9 employees and customers, and then killed himself.

3.)  On October 16, 1991, at the Luby's cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, George Hennard drove his truck through the front window, and began shooting.  No rhyme or reason, other than to kill as many people as he could.  He succeeded in killing 23, and wounding another 20 before taking his own life. 

4.) On January 8, 1993, at Brown's Chicken and Pasta in Palatine, Illinois, two gunmen murdered seven employees.  The motive was originally robbery, although less than $2,000 was taken.

5.) On April 20,  1999, at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, 12 students and one teacher were killed before the Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold committed suicide.

6.) On April 16, 2007 at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, Seung-Hui Cho killed 5 faculty members, and 27 students before committing suicide.

7.) On November 5, 2009, at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, Nidal Milak Hasan, opened fire, killing 12 soldiers, one of whom was pregnant, and one civilian.  He wounded 30 others before being shot by an officer.

It is a hot topic, and one that brings out a lot of emotions.  One side says that we need stronger gun laws to keep these things from happening.  But the one common factor in all of these shootings is that the perpetrator was the only one at the scene with a gun.  In the Fort Hood shootings, Hasan began in the Soldier Readiness Center.  There were no firearms allowed there.  But he was there to kill.  He cared nothing about the law. 

If we outlaw guns, and the carrying of them, we insure that the only people who will have guns are the criminals. 

During the Luby's shootings, Hennard approached Suzanna Gratia Hupp and her parents. Hupp had actually brought a handgun to the Luby's Cafeteria that day but left it in her vehicle because laws in force at the time forbade citizens from carrying firearms. According to her later testimony, after she realized that her firearm was not in her purse but "a hundred feet away in her car," her father charged at Hennard in an attempt to subdue him but was gunned down; a short time later, Hupp's mother was also shot and killed. Hupp later expressed regret for abiding by the law in question by leaving her firearm in her car rather than keeping it on her person.

What would have happened if Hennard drove through a Luby's window today?  There is at least a chance that someone there would be able to stop him before he killed 23 people. 

Making the decision to carry a handgun is not an easy decision to make.  And I pray I will never have a reason to pull my gun on anyone.  But if I'm at a restaurant, and someone comes in with the intention of killing my family, I will do everything in my power to stop them.  Unarmed, I might be able to throw a chair at him.  Armed, I have a chance to defend myself, my family, and other innocent people.

With law-abiding citizens allowed to carry handguns, criminals just might think twice before going on a rampage.