Packing Heat.

[Joseph]

What happens when you (anyone) crosses a state line? I think some have a mandatory 1 year jail sentence for hidden hand guns..... maybe Mass... for one..... just curious.

It varies from state to state. I know I'll be in NY and NJ - two of the most gun-oppressive states in the country - this summer. So the gun stays behind, but the dog comes along. And frankly, if I were a bad guy I'd much rather face a gun than my dog!

Joseph

[dhazard]

Ira would you consider something like this in your tear.


They are only ½ inch hole punches… Just a bit on the slow side


Added Ira anyone can buy a black powder gun without a 72 cool off or a background check… They can also be shipped by mail without a gun dealer’s license. If you know anything about the civil war you would know that black powder guns can kill…Should these works of art be outlawed ?

[angib]

But when I was there (last time 2002), it seemed like the MOD was everywhere, at least in the urban areas, and they are very well armed. Am I remembering incorrectly?

I think you were either in an airport where (civilian) police armed with automatic weapons are common, or perhaps near a (UK or US) military establishment where you would see (mostly unarmed) military police dealing with servicemen/women. Elsewhere neither visibly-armed police nor army units are ever usually seen.

Here are the stats for officers slain in 2004.

That's sobering data. Again for comparison, the UK average is one violent police death per year. Our population is 1/5th of the US, but our proportion of police officers may be a little lower than yours. So that's somewhere around 1/10th the US level - which may illustrate why routine arming of the police might be counter-productive.

There is debate in England of getting rid of pointed kitchen knives. Why? Because they are the weapon of choice for those domestic squabbles.

Miriam, like George, I don't believe the first bit of this - it's hardly the sort of thing that wouldn't get reported in our press!

However the second part is undoubtedly true and I'll add some info from my late father - he was a forensic psychiatrist and did a lot of research on violent crimes. He reckoned there have only ever been two things that lowered the murder rate in Britain and one of them was the introduction of 'central heating' (UK term for whole-house heating, rather than using individual fireplaces) - by removing coal fires from the living room, the poker used to poke (rake) the fire was also removed and this was the most common murder weapon - having to go out to the kitchen to get the next choice of murder weapon, the kitchen knife, provided a 'cooling-off' period in domestic conflicts that actually had a measurable effect!

Andrew

[SteveH]

Texas Law:

POSSESSION

No state license is required to possess a rifle, shotgun or handgun. There are restrictions on possession by a person: convicted of a felony or a Class A misdemeanor involving the person`s family or household; or subject to certain orders issued under the Family Code or Code of Criminal Procedure.


CARRYING

It is unlawful to intentionally, knowingly or recklessly carry a handgun on or about one`s person, openly or concealed, without a license to carry a concealed handgun.1 There are exceptions to the above prohibition, including but not limited to carry under the following circumstances:

on one`s own premises or premises under his control;
while engaged in lawful hunting, fishing or other sporting activity on the immediate premises where the activity is conducted, or en route between the premises and your residence, if the weapon is a type commonly used in the activity; while traveling.

It is unlawful to possess a firearm in a penal institution.

Application for a license to carry a handgun concealed is made to the Department of Public Safety. It shall specify if it is valid for a revolver or semi-auto pistol based on the proficiency certificate.

The applicant must submit: a completed application form; two recent color passport photographs; fingerprints; proof of age (at least 21); proof of residency in Texas; a handgun proficiency certificate from a qualified handgun instructor; an affidavit stating that applicant has read and understands the law concerning a license to carry and the laws on use of deadly force and that the applicant fulfills all eligibility requirements; and an authorization to access records. The Department shall issue a license to carry a concealed handgun to an applicant if the applicant meets all the eligibility requirements and submits all the application materials. Eligibility requirements include no record of felonies, certain misdemeanors, addictions, mental illness or delinquency in child support payments or tax payments. The Department must issue or deny the license within 60 days of receipt of the completed application. The Department must be notified within 30 days of a name or address change.

The Department of Public Safety by rule shall establish a procedure for a person who is a legal resident of a state that does not provide for the issuance of a license to carry a concealed handgun, to obtain a Texas license. A non-resident applicant is required to pay a fee for the criminal history record check and investigation. Such permits remain valid until expiration and can be renewed until the other state issues a license recognized as a valid license in Texas

The Governor shall negotiate a reciprocal agreement with any state that provides for issuance of a license to carry a concealed handgun if the other state`s issuing authority conducts a background check of the applicant to determine eligibility to possess a firearm under federal law. The Attorney General shall determine which states` licenses qualify for recognition in this state.

It is unlawful for a handgun license holder to carry a handgun on the premises of: a government court; a business that derives 51 percent or more of its income from the sale of alcohol for on-premises consumption; a school or educational institution, high school, collegiate, or professional sporting event or interscholastic event that is taking place; a hospital or nursing home; an amusement park; a place of religious worship; a polling place on the day of an election; a meeting of a governing body; a race track; a secured area of an airport; a correctional facility; a correctional facility or within 1000 feet of such, on the day of an execution; the property of another after receiving notice that concealed handguns are forbidden on that property.

It is unlawful for a handgun license holder to carry a handgun while intoxicated. It is unlawful for a handgun license holder to carry a handgun and intentionally fail to conceal the handgun.

[Joseph]

I think you were either in an airport where (civilian) police armed with automatic weapons are common, or perhaps near a (UK or US) military establishment where you would see (mostly unarmed) military police dealing with servicemen/women.

It's true that most of the time I've spent in the UK has been at HM Naval Base Faslane in Scotland. But I seem to remember seeing them around London too. It might have been they had wind of an IRA bomb that eventually went off in Earl's Court about a block from where I was staying. Fortunately (at least for me) it went off about a week after I left.

Joseph

[jbbooks]

I have not camped in my tear yet, but whenever I'm in the woods I'm packing. Remember the little girl that was killed by the bear recently? I have two little girls (5 & 8 ). If the first shot doesn't stop 'um, the next 5 should. 40 S&W FMJ or 380 +P HP's.

We also have a cougar poupulation that's getting out of control up here.

Not meaning to downplay your choice of packing gun for the woods, but I think a .380 is a bit too lite for critters that bite. I dont' go with less than the .45 Colt in a Sherif's model (3" bbl.) . Easy to pack and enough punch to get serious respect from 2 and 4 legged critters.

[Miriam C.]

Andrew and all.
Check this out!

http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?q=%22Pointed+kitchen+knives%22&recipe=allbbc&scope=allbbc&tab=www&x=44&y=16

I haven't decided to carry a weapon because the laws in so many states are changing. I have a 22 hand gun to get rid of feral creatures who won't go away. My opinion is, it is my home at the time.
Miriam

[Ira]

Ira would you consider something like this in your tear.


They are only ½ inch hole punches… Just a bit on the slow side


Added Ira anyone can buy a black powder gun without a 72 cool off or a background check… They can also be shipped by mail without a gun dealer’s license. If you know anything about the civil war you would know that black powder guns can kill…Should these works of art be outlawed ?

No--because you have to put the ball and powder in there just prior to firing, which we all know is ridiculous in practical situations. As is bringing up the fact that there's no 72-hour waiting period to buy these.

Because who the heck wants them anyway, except collectors?

Gotta respond to Joseph's last post, because it's a long one and I gotta do my research. I just know that the NRA system sure ain't working when it comes to gun assaults and accidents in the United States.

[Ira]

Okay. Let's see how GREAT our system is working here. Here's one set of facts:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/ ... lekey=6166

Here's another from John Hopkins:

http://www.jhsph.edu/gunpolicy/US_facts ... %20States'

We're number one--in people getting shot by guns. And guess what? The rates went DOWN 25% under Clinton.

These figures are dated, and I'll find the recent ones. But in 2001, almost 30,000 people died from gunshots, including suicides, which was a very big chunk of it.

So we're going to keep the gun laws exactly as they are so people can plink at their tin cans.

[GeorgeTelford]

Hi Miriam

I thought I had included that BBC article in my post re The doctors talking about it, rather than it actually being a Law Debate, maybe its just a language thing over here, parliament debate legislation before its passed into law, in this case it was simply Doctors putting forward a call to ministers.

[dhazard]

Ira, I can load and fire my muzzleloaders in under 30 sec. And with modern black powder they can be loaded weeks / months in advance of firing. For a practical situation, the first shot is the most important, and this type of gun is capable of killing and it is not regulated at all… As our constitution allows for. (Unlike many thing our government does that is not in the constitution) In your research have you found one case when a Barrett 50 cal. rifle was used to kill someone or even used in the commission of a crime. You won’t find one but they are now outlawed in California. As your research progresses try and find out how many laws are broken by anyone that uses a gun in a crime, will another law make any difference? The assault weapons band is / was a joke, one gun is illegal because of the hole for a thumb in the stock but the same type of gun with a different stock on it is ok. On different models a rivet replaced a screw and the name was changed, illegal to legal overnight the law made no difference at all.
Ira there is one law that the NRA tried to stop that they shouldn’t have. They tried to stop a band on Teflon coated rounds that were made for piercing bulletproof vests. That year they didn’t get any money from me. Other than that one time the NRA is looking out for the good of all law abiding gun owners. Be very careful what you wish for if they outlaw guns then only outlaws will have guns, and with according to one of your links 500,000 guns are stolen every year, that a place I don’t want to live in.

[Joseph]

I have to make this short.

So we're going to keep the gun laws exactly as they are so people can plink at their tin cans.

Well I'm certainly not so foolish as to believe we can control criminal behavior by passing more laws. And yes, keep the laws as they are, but enforce them! It's long been an NRA position that if existing laws were enforced, there'd be a lot more violent criminals behind bars. Unfortunately, one of the first things to get plea-bargained away when a perp gets caught are the gun charges.

Gotta go.

Joseph

[Chip]

Ira, I got to say, Plinking at tin cans is the way most folks learn to shoot and to properly handle a firearm, its like anything else that you get good at,, practice, practice practice,,, If I could eat cans I would have the food shortage in the world licked,,

guns dont harm or kill people its the nut behind them that do,, I have seen people almost killed with a pool stick,, do we outlaw pool cues,, cars kill a ton of folks every year but I havent seen a pile of keys turned in yet,

A handgun is nothing more than a tool that in a responsible hand can be used for self defence (two legged or four)I know this isnt gonna change your mind but ya never know,,, I hadda say it

chipper

[Miriam C.]

including suicides, which was a very big chunk of it.

Ira you said it yourself.

Perhaps if we spend more money to get people the medication they need at an afordable price instead of spending it on biased studies this wouldn't happen.

Miriam

[Miriam C.]

Only in Texas. I hope. I gotta go read Missouri's law and see if it is as convoluted (adj. folded in curved or tortourous windings.)

Where I come from possession and carrying are the same thing.
So busy reading I almost forgot what kind of gun I have.

Interesting and informative anyway.
Miriam