Becuz...

Via DougM at SondraK: That's it, in a nutshell.

I don’t carry a gun, because…

...I want to kill people. I carry a gun to keep from being killed.
...I want to scare people. I carry a gun, because sometimes the world is a scary place.
...I’m paranoid. I carry a gun, because there are real threats in the world.
...I’m evil. I carry a gun, because I’ve lived long enough to see evil.
...I hate the government. I carry a gun, because I understand the limitations of government.
...I’m angry. I carry a gun so that I don’t have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for being unprepared.
...I want to shoot someone. I carry a gun, because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, not on a sidewalk.
...I’m a cowboy. I carry a gun; because, when I die and go to Heaven, I want to be a cowboy.
...I want to feel like a man. I carry a gun, because real men know how to take care of themselves and their loved-ones.
...I feel inadequate. I carry a gun; because, unarmed against thugs, I am inadequate.
...I love it. I carry a gun, because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.

I’m not sure where I got this list, but it’s a start.
Of course, that’s just one conservative American’s list.
I expect that there might be other reasons.

(more)
...I think something bad will happen today. I carry a gun, because I have no friggin’ idea what’s gonna happen.
...I’m a Jew. I’m not, but it I were, that’s exactly why I’d carry a gun.
...I’m a woman. I’m not, but it I were, that’s exactly why I’d carry a gun.
...I live in a bad neighborhood. I don’t, but it I did, that’s exactly why I’d carry a gun.
...I’m an American and a free man, and I have a right to defend myself. Well, yeah, okay… I guess that one’s pretty much why I carry a gun.