Brand Spankin' New Glock 19

[ethan]

[ QUOTE ]

Thank you. I was hoping someone would actually bite and answer his question.

I'm curious about the concealed carry use. I don't think I've ever been in a situation where I absolutely needed protection like that. I do however, live in the suburbs (the OC) where there isn't too much crime. If you lived in an area like this, would you still carry a concealed weapon, and why? Or do you carry because you can't avoid high-crime areas with a lot of nutjobs?

Also, I think going to a range would be fun, I have never fired a gun, should I go?

[/ QUOTE ]

I've lived in a fairly dangerous neighborhood (downtown LA, complete with crackheads/gangs/etc) and never encountered a situation where I'd have wanted a gun. Same goes for the people I lived with, and same (as far as I know) for anyone who came to our place. Anecdotal evidence, granted, but there's a lot of it. That said, we had some impressive security doors, and no windows on the first floor. I'm not suggesting running around like Pollyanna, but my guess is most people will be happier if they don't spend their days convinced they're under siege.

I'm all for gun ownership, but I think too many people carry them without proper training and risk using them irresponsibly if they're scared. People are pretty stupid when they're panicking.

[ QUOTE ]
I'm all for gun ownership, but I think too many people carry them without proper training and risk using them irresponsibly if they're scared. People are pretty stupid when they're panicking.

[/ QUOTE ]

And this is a very big sticking point for the pro-gun, pro-concealed carry crowd. Many of us (I guess I can say us now, heh) wish that there was much more mandated instruction/training/testing that was required prior to allowing someone to carry a concealed handgun. Obviously, someone who carries a concealed handgun intends to use it to defend him (or her)self - be it against a "bad guy" or, in some nutty cases, the government [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] Many people buy a gun, take the class and are competent enough to put 180/200 rounds in the silhouette... that's all there is to it. 8 hrs of instruction on laws and the like, 2 hours proving that you can shoot, in a pressure-free, no-hassle environment that is the range.

I, for one, am going to take every bit of instruction I can get my hands on. If I can make it out to Gunsite for a 4day sometime, I'll be oh-so-happy. But, mandating this training means even more government interference in gun ownership and carry rights... its a can of worms. Suffice it to say that proper training is a must... but mandating it may be going too far, in the eyes of the pro-gun lobby. Ah, politics.

So, I'm sure I made a point somewhere. Maybe.

Oh, and about buying a gun?

They had to make a 5 minute phone call to verify that my license was clear. That's all it took. I walked out with a brand new handgun, a couple hundred rounds of ammo and a bunch of other crap.

I guess there's a reason a lot of these crazies love Texas [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Hey, who wants to see pics of Hottie McBigTits? I want proof that the account is validly titled [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Go_Blue88]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Before I consider writing a response to all you awesome people who are so badass with your guns, one of you answer this:

Name one situation that you think a gun will help you in and I'm curious about the area you live in.

[/ QUOTE ]

Join the real world, chief. I live in Philadelphia, and since I'm in law enforcement, I think I'm pretty qualified to answer this. It will help when some crack-deranged lunatic breaks into your house with a knife looking for money and lunges at you or one of your loved ones with a knife.

We don't all live on an secluded campus. Some of us live in the real world and face real problems - problems where it turns out that it's us or them.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't have much time to make a detailed response. But first I understand the possibility that in dangerous areas perhaps having a gun makes sense. The issue that concerns me here is twofold: one, whenever a person takes out a gun that increases the intensity of a situation to the extreme (by extreme i mean, peolpe obviously do whatever they can to survive when their lives are threatened), and two, i think people don't consider how difficult it most likely is to get yourself to look someone in the eye and shoot someone (i have evidence for this reasoning but i don't feel like this post warrants it).

i fully admit a couple of things. first, i don't know the standard arguments against civilians using guns and i'm not even political at all. when i made a few immature posts i didn't consider the idea that people would view me as some hippy pacifist duechebag.

i may have made false assumptions that people don't need guns in their areas (which is why i asked in a post if people would be willing to write their location). the reason for this assumption is founded on my experience with people who have bought guns (many are certainly not in dangerous areas).

just remember the obvious: when people are angry, they do stupid things without thinking. one brief example is my friend at marquette wouldn't let people into a party who didn't attend the school. consequently a guy pulled out a gun and shot one guy in the face and another in the stomach and ran off. or even in ann arbor there was an incident at a frat party where a guy got into a verbal argument, pulled out a gun and shot a kid in the arm. or even consider tony p's post about how he didn't know if he should intervene in a situation where his neighbor's boyfriend was beating her. most of the posters said he shouldn't because you never know what a guy in a state of high anxiety or angery will do with a weapon.

anyways i gotta go to class, this turned out to be more detailed than i planned. i don't have time to edit it out any bad reasoning i noticed, but whatever, i wrote it so i may as well send it.

ps- my goal is to join the fbi in the future, so maybe this will change my perspective.

[djj6835]

[ QUOTE ]
Join the real world, chief. I live in Philadelphia, and since I'm in law enforcement, I think I'm pretty qualified to answer this. It will help when some crack-deranged lunatic breaks into your house with a knife looking for money and lunges at you or one of your loved ones with a knife.

We don't all live on an secluded campus. Some of us live in the real world and face real problems - problems where it turns out that it's us or them.

BTW, to the OP - good choice.



[/ QUOTE ]

We're not talking about a safely locked up gun in a home. We're talking about the idiots who see no problem with people walking around with concealed weapons. I find it absolutely insane that people are allowed to carry concealed weapons in this country, especially since the majority of which that will take part are the last people you want carrying a gun in the first place.

[CheckRaise]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Join the real world, chief. I live in Philadelphia, and since I'm in law enforcement, I think I'm pretty qualified to answer this. It will help when some crack-deranged lunatic breaks into your house with a knife looking for money and lunges at you or one of your loved ones with a knife.

We don't all live on an secluded campus. Some of us live in the real world and face real problems - problems where it turns out that it's us or them.

BTW, to the OP - good choice.



[/ QUOTE ]

We're not talking about a safely locked up gun in a home. We're talking about the idiots who see no problem with people walking around with concealed weapons. I find it absolutely insane that people are allowed to carry concealed weapons in this country, especially since the majority of which that will take part are the last people you want carrying a gun in the first place.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do really think that criminals or gangsters apply for a concealed carry permit? I know quite a few people who carry legally and none of them have ever commited a crime or been arrested. My uncle works for a security firm in California and a few years ago they had an employee go on a shooting spree and kill a few people from his office. He carrys because if a situation like that ever came up again, he can defend himself.

[tripp0807]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Join the real world, chief. I live in Philadelphia, and since I'm in law enforcement, I think I'm pretty qualified to answer this. It will help when some crack-deranged lunatic breaks into your house with a knife looking for money and lunges at you or one of your loved ones with a knife.

We don't all live on an secluded campus. Some of us live in the real world and face real problems - problems where it turns out that it's us or them.

BTW, to the OP - good choice.



[/ QUOTE ]

We're not talking about a safely locked up gun in a home. We're talking about the idiots who see no problem with people walking around with concealed weapons. I find it absolutely insane that people are allowed to carry concealed weapons in this country, especially since the majority of which that will take part are the last people you want carrying a gun in the first place.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do really think that criminals or gangsters apply for a concealed carry permit? I know quite a few people who carry legally and none of them have ever commited a crime or been arrested. My uncle works for a security firm in California and a few years ago they had an employee go on a shooting spree and kill a few people from his office. He carrys because if a situation like that ever came up again, he can defend himself.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is precisely why law abiding citizens should be able to carry. No one seems to remember when that student at Appalachain Law School went on a shooting spree, it was two other students who were lawfully carrying guns that took him down and prevented him from killing numerous other people until police arrived. The argument that people, even those who have never broken the law, shouldn't be able to carry concealed weapons rests on the assumption that less guns = more safety. This is naive. The illegal guns that already are on the street are going nowhere, and the best defense against them is to allow law-abiding citizens to protect themselves.

[housenuts]

[ QUOTE ]

Name one situation that you think a gun will help you in and I'm curious about the area you live in.

[/ QUOTE ]

the hunting of humans. although it also works with my bow and arrow, it's easier with my gun.

i'm in the university of michigan area.

[tonypaladino]

This is an open statement to all the anti-gun nuts that will deluge this thread:

STFU. You have no idea how real life works. Just because you can't see in your sheltered little life how anyone could possibly need a gun doesn't mean you know everyone's situation. There are situations and lifestyles that warrant gun ownership and some situations where it would be downright dangerous to be unarmed. Get a life and stay out of the gun threads.

[Brom]

You don't think there's any correlation to the amount of guns in the populous and the amount of deaths/murders?

[DMBFan23]

[ QUOTE ]
You don't think there's any correlation to the amount of guns in the populous and the amount of deaths/murders?

[/ QUOTE ]

switzerland has a very very high gun/people ratio, but few murders. basically 'there are a bunch of savates in this country' to paraphrase clerks. there may be a correlation over time in the US but other factors are certainly at work. (actually, there is a correlation between legalized abortions via roe v. wade and the decrease in crime rate in the 90's.)

I would read freakonomics, there is a chapter in there dealing with causes of crime level and some of the underlying factors and how they measured the effects of each