As noted by a number of posters this is an emotional subject & very few (if any) minds will be changed in either direction by any arguments presented herein, however valid or persuasive they may be.
I, of course, am one of those who believes fiercely in the right of every U.S. citizen to keep & bear arms. I do not insist that every citizen exercise that right, nor do I denigrate or hold in contempt those who choose (for whatever reason) to forego that right. Conversely, a great many people, knowing little of the nature, capabilities, or physical attributes/properties of firearms, & understanding even less, are reluctant or refuse to extend to me the same courtesy, i.e. my god given right, guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, to afford myself the means to protect myself & the ones I hold dear. Many of those same folks apparently believe that firearms possess some kind of mystical, evil power that magically transforms every normal, law abiding person into a blood thirsty savage just looking for an excuse to exchange gunfire with anyone that gives them the slightest reason/pretext, merely by the fact that they physically possess a handgun. Such reasoning is of course nonsense, as evidenced by the fact that in the forty-something states that permit concealed carry, a minuscule percentage (a tiny fraction of much less than 1%) of the hundreds of thousands of licensed carriers have been involved in any kind of altercation involving their handgun, much less being the instigator of such. A person licensed for concealed carry is, by the very fact that he/she goes thru the necessary steps to obtain a permit, a responsible, law abiding individual who has demonstrated his respect for and commitment to proper use of that tool of self defense.
I’ve sat at campfires a number of times with Caseydog & lots of other TD’ers, & I’m quite certain none of them had any idea (by my words/actions) whether or not I was carrying a handgun. Don’t remember that the subject came up & even if it did, I’d not have divulged my status one way or the other. That’s why it’s called “concealed carry”, & in a number of jurisdictions, even inadvertent/accidental display of a concealed firearm without cause is sufficient grounds for revocation of the permit.
I spent 20yrs in the USAF, have been around the world a number of times, was a police officer for 14 1/2yrs after that ‘til retirement in 1992, & have seen the best & worst of people, sometimes even in the same person. I’m not much surprised anymore by the depths to which a person can sink, or by the mayhem they can wreak upon innocent/unprotected victims, or sometimes not so innocent victims. Re ob1canola’s post directly above; that definitely wasn’t an ‘innocent’ situation.
I didn’t always ‘carry’ & much to my regret I was once unable to provide my wife & me the protection we needed. I’d unknowingly gotten between a ‘doper’ & his ‘stash’ & my gun was in the camper. From experience I recognized the situation & was able thru a little misdirection, to ‘allow’ the individual to recover his property, apparently stealthily, & thus avoid a direct confrontation. It could have very easily been a really nasty encounter. I’d not have handled it any differently had I been armed but my wife also recognized the danger, knew I was unarmed, & was literally terrified. I promised myself that never again would she be put in that kind of predicament as long as I’m alive. There’ve been other, similar incidents & fortunately I’ve never needed to resort to the ever present handgun. Being armed does however, make a great deal of difference in the way I’m able to handle/present myself in a ‘dicey’ situation. I can be much more diffident & accommodating when I’m confident that I have the means to respond strongly if the situation deteriorates or the aggressor refuses to listen to reason.
The great majority of people, including legally armed citizens, will never in their lifetime encounter a desperate situation & that’s as it should be. It does however happen, & seemingly more frequent of late. The courts (including the SCOTUS) have ruled that police have no duty to protect individuals from physical harm, & they cannot reasonably be expected to be everywhere or to respond immediately to calls for help. It is thus every citizen’s right, duty, & responsibility to provide for his/her own personal safety. Again, I don’t expect every person to exercise that right but they should accept personal responsibility for such decision.
Being a responsible, sober minded adult, if you ever see my handgun, it’ll be ‘cause I’m using it! As I said in my previous post on this thread, “One never NEEDS a handgun . . . ‘til they need it VERY badly!”
Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailersor t n ttt for short (tnttt.com) |
by ob1canola » Wed Sep 19, 2007 2:37 am
spent 20yrs in the USAF, have been around the world a number of times, was a police officer for 14 1/2yrs after that ‘til retirement in 1992, & have seen the best & worst of people, sometimes even in the same person. I’m not much surprised anymore by the depths to which a person can sink, or by the mayhem they can wreak upon innocent/unprotected victims, or sometimes not so innocent victims. Re ob1canola’s post directly above; that definitely wasn’t an ‘innocent’ situation.
I guess not ..These where drug dealers.But I do believe the
guy that brought the firearm to trade for the drugs initial intentions
were to do just that..Trade the gun for drugs. This is a situation where
bringing guns into both sides of the equation turned bad.If the guy
brought a sony walkman to trade those folks would still be alive today.
I don't condone drug use or what these idiots did to each other just
trying to illustrate another view. again I am pro gun.. a gun owner
and regular shooter. Just never felt a need for a CC.
Curious though how to conceal in a group without everone knowing.
I would think a jacket in 90 degree weather would be a dead giveaway.
Vermont requires no permit to carry a weapon concealed or in the open.
only that the owner be legally able to own said gun. Vt believes (for now) that it is an individuals right not a privilage to carry under the second ammendment.
So i can carry a gun without a permit just can't do the reciprocity thing in other states.
Alaska is the only other state that has no permit requirements.
But they allow you to get a permit there so you can do the reciprocity thing . linky thing below
http://www.gunowners.org/vtcarry.htm
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ob1canola - Teardrop Advisor
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That'll work, & it should be the rule/practice for all public interaction, not just gatherings!
but now I'm outta here. Y'all have a great day 
