Most people don't understand it is not carrying a weapon that is going to save your life as much as risking your life if you have one on you and don't know how to use it properly. If you are not trained in the use of handgun combat, chances are you will have your weapon taken away from you before you can use it on your attacker.
What's the risk of having a handgun on you, now your attacker have a handgun too if he takes it away from you.
Carrying a handgun is like owning a jet figther, it's great if you know how to use it under stressful condition, if not, chances are you will not live through it.
I highly recommend for anyone that is considering carrying a handgun to pratice with it once a month if not more, take a handgun combat class and know what to do with your handgun under stressful condition if it missfires or jams.
Understanding the safe distant your attacker needs to be for you to safely draw your weapon and discharge it is also critical.
We pratice handgun take away, and an instructor can take a handgun away from a student if he is less then 10-20 feet away which is pretty far if you think about it, you will not be able to draw your weapon fast enough to sucessfully aim/point and fire before your attacker is on top of you taking the gun away from you.
I carry when I ride, but I also understand that if I need to pull my weapon, I better be able to justify it in court or I won't be riding my FJR much longer if I live through it.
You also better be willing to take someone life if you are going to carry, or else the life you may take maybe your own.