Concealed Weapons Good Or Bad?

Docsknotinn · Jan 14, 2004

Can't wait until next Tuesday when the new kevin Costner Movie " Open Range" comes out on DVD. Hopefully it will have some good lines. " Go ahead ! Skin that smoke wagon and see what happens ! " /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Dave

KNotMe · Jan 14, 2004

Interesting discussion.

Will a concealed gun protect against a gun drawn?

KNotMe

fivestring · Jan 14, 2004

"It's not up to you or anyone else to decide who is responsible or not." 

Not entirely true.... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Convicted felons and those with certified mental problems can not, by law, own any type of firearm. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
The gummit has decided those folks are not responsible.
I aggree 100% with the gummit on that decision. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

livincountry · Jan 14, 2004

One of my favorite movies for quoting is Pulp Fiction:

"Royale with cheese" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

TresCrows · Jan 14, 2004

""Why Ike, Does this mean were not friends ? I just dont think I could bear it if I thought we weren't friends ! " Val Killmer , Tombstone, on my second dvd, wore the first one out ! ""

Dangit, you stole my next line /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, oh well, I will revert to another favorite movie, Quigly Down Under. Remember when he told the bad guy that he did not have a use for short guns? Then in the final scene after being drug by a horse Quigly was handed a pistol and told to stand in front of the bad guys target? Well Quigly faced off three bad guys and told them "You ain't Wyatt Earp and this isn't Kansas". The bad guys drew and Quig shot them up /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. He told the feller " I said I had no use for them (pistols), never said I could not use one /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.
Frankly, if the science backs up the need for concealed weapons and that crime drops as a result I would not be opposed but I still think it is going backwards not forward. No one is saying you cannot have your guns, just not in town BUT, if we are going to have concealed carry where am I gonna put my long rifle. Don't want no girly man pistol /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif. I would rather just wear them in the open and sling my long gun over my back and maybe a belt of rounds over my other shoulder and my coonskin cap (yep, I got one, I made it it when I was a kid and I shot the coon that I got it from, that was not a happy coon).
Love guns, just don't really think we all need to be carrying them around everywhere--what about road rage incidents, if they have guns what might happen. Even normal good people can do really weird things sometimes. Well, wiser folks than me will have to settle this issue, I know one thing, at the current rate of infringment upon the constitution gun carry may soon be our least concern /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif. This whole Homeland Security thing is out of control /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif. We have some understanding that if bad guys intend to hijack airliners that makes us go to code orange--but--under what circumstance would we ever revert to code green? Howabout no code at all /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif. Well, I suppose if everyone had a gun and a terrorist attempted to hijack an airplane with a butter knife /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif he would soon be full of holes, of course airplanes don't do to well full of holes /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif but that is another issue. J

Currmudgeon · Jan 14, 2004

( Are these exceptions to the rule? I don't know. They are the only experiences I have had with people who have guns ... )

Actually, that's probably not true. If we met, and I was carrying, you would probably never know it. The vast majority of pistol packin' people are like that.

Yep, there are idjits. I'm happy no one was hurt.

Currmudgeon · Jan 14, 2004

( I'm sorry but if I have to "unskin my hog" the publics best interest is at best a distant consideration. The only reason to pull your handgun is to defend your life or someone elses, and chances are the police that you want to rely on won't be anywhere near or arrive until long after the need for them has past. )

Actually, in that situation, I will argue that it is exactly in the public's interest for you to use your weapon. It is always a good thing when an honest citizen successfully defends himself against a criminal.

Currmudgeon · Jan 14, 2004

( On "letting the police do their job..." I agree to a point. However, I live 25 minutes outside town. There are 2 Sheriff's deputies living within 10 minutes here... 10 minutes is the SOONEST they could get here, assuming they were dressed, on duty, and heard the call on the radio. In 10 minutes, I can be shot dead, my wife can be raped and/or killed, and my truck stolen. )

This can happen if you live upstairs from the police station. They simply cannot respond quickly enough in an emergency. They never will be able to respond instantly.

Currmudgeon · Jan 14, 2004

( If I had a gun at that time I am convinced that any move for it would have cost me my life as well as maybe Chett and the storeowner as well. )

That would not be a good time to reach for a weapon.

But I have resorted to firearms on three separate occasions, in three different cities, to defend myself or others. Twice with shotguns, once with a pistol. There never was a discharge, and in one case, there was not even a police report. The attempted robber simply melted away.

Apparently, the vast majority of defensive firearms use is like mine.

Currmudgeon · Jan 14, 2004

( I am thinking about getting the CCW permit,if I carried the pistol on me I am not sure if I would keep it loaded all of the time,the gun itself would make people think in a threataning situation,but I would hate for it to be unloaded if I really needed it. )

That's a good way to get killed or have your weapon taken away. Never threaten with a weapon. Shoot with it. Never expose or draw unless you are willing to kill.

Now, this still does not mean you must fire just because you drew. The perp has a reasonable (tiny but reasonable) amount of time to convince you of his good intentions. But once you have evaluated the threat and committed to defense, you should be prepared to follow through.

And remember that you'll have about a half a second to make up your mind. And the rest of eternity to second guess yourself.

( Can an individual get a license or permit to own a machine gun? )

For the most part, machineguns are regulated by the National Firearms Act of 1934. The act requires a background check and the payment of a $200 tax. You can only acquire a machinegun if it is legal to do so in your state and community, and that varies from place to place.

The background check is onerous and expensive, and I believe you have to pay for it. It is roughly equivalent to getting a Top Secret security clearance.

Since the law was passed, there have been two murders in the US, using legally registered machineguns, including those stolen from their owners. One was a hit committed by a cop. I don't recall the details of the other, but based on the butcher bill, I'd say the law works pretty much as intended.

There are many unlicensed, illegally held machineguns out there, and they are used in crime. I believe the penalty for first time offense is twenty years at Club Fed.

Personally, I'd love to own an old Thompson, but could never afford to keep it fed.