I don't know very many people who have concealed carry permits,, but I just have to pass on the story of one I know who did. I was close friends with the owner of a 24 hour convenience store who was also a retired policeman. He had forbidden any of his employees to carry a weapon at the store, fearing the liability. But, one of his clerks had a permit, and carried his pistol at the store, anyway.
The store was the only 24 hour store in that section of town, so the on-duty police officers were frequent visitors. One night about 1 AM, when there were no other customers in the store, the clerk and an officer were standing in front of the store enjoying a smoke. The clerk was carrying his pistol in his trouser pocket. He had his hand in his pocket and was playing with the gun. Somehow, he managed to pull the trigger, shot a hole in his pants, narrowly missed both his and the officer's feet, and ricocheted the bullet off the sidewalk into the patrol car.
The clerk was promptly cuffed and placed in the patrol car and the store owner was called. I happened to be with him when he got the call. We went to the store, watched the clerk bundled off to the pokey, and I stayed with my friend the rest of the night to keep him company while he ran the store.
The next morning, my friend bailed out his clerk and then fired him. I never did hear how his hearing came out. But, that's type type of idiot I'm talking about.
I have another friend whose son had a permit to carry. The son came home one evening and was showing his father the new gun he had just purchased. Somehow, it went off, went through the ceiling and missed the trusses, and went on out through the cement tile roof. No injury, no foul, his father patched the roof and forbade his son to carry any weapons into the house again. Another idiot - both of them. I could tell you about the night that the father, after several drinks on the patio, heard a bird call in the woods across the river from his house. He went in and got his bedroom gun and, before I could reason with him, shot it into the woods blindly in an absolutely absurd attempt to shoot the bird. Needless to say, I got out of there in a hurry. Thank goodness, he does not have a permit and does not carry it. Maybe it was his lack of training.
Are these exceptions to the rule? I don't know. They are the only experiences I have had with people who have guns, other than police officers and a friend I had who was on a pistol competition team, so it should be understandable that I may have a bias.
The store was the only 24 hour store in that section of town, so the on-duty police officers were frequent visitors. One night about 1 AM, when there were no other customers in the store, the clerk and an officer were standing in front of the store enjoying a smoke. The clerk was carrying his pistol in his trouser pocket. He had his hand in his pocket and was playing with the gun. Somehow, he managed to pull the trigger, shot a hole in his pants, narrowly missed both his and the officer's feet, and ricocheted the bullet off the sidewalk into the patrol car.
The clerk was promptly cuffed and placed in the patrol car and the store owner was called. I happened to be with him when he got the call. We went to the store, watched the clerk bundled off to the pokey, and I stayed with my friend the rest of the night to keep him company while he ran the store.
The next morning, my friend bailed out his clerk and then fired him. I never did hear how his hearing came out. But, that's type type of idiot I'm talking about.
I have another friend whose son had a permit to carry. The son came home one evening and was showing his father the new gun he had just purchased. Somehow, it went off, went through the ceiling and missed the trusses, and went on out through the cement tile roof. No injury, no foul, his father patched the roof and forbade his son to carry any weapons into the house again. Another idiot - both of them. I could tell you about the night that the father, after several drinks on the patio, heard a bird call in the woods across the river from his house. He went in and got his bedroom gun and, before I could reason with him, shot it into the woods blindly in an absolutely absurd attempt to shoot the bird. Needless to say, I got out of there in a hurry. Thank goodness, he does not have a permit and does not carry it. Maybe it was his lack of training.
Are these exceptions to the rule? I don't know. They are the only experiences I have had with people who have guns, other than police officers and a friend I had who was on a pistol competition team, so it should be understandable that I may have a bias.