I'm confused. Registered firearms? Maybe your state is different. There is no such thing as registered firearms here in SC as far as I know. The form you fill out when purchasing is a background check, not registration. To my understanding, no record of that is kept on file after a certain period. If you want to carry concealed, take the proper course, which teaches you the laws you need to know, and of course take classes about safety and practice. Not being chauvinistic, most women I know didn't grow up around weapons, so they are very clueless about proper handling. Of course there are exceptions, but generally many people who own weapons are inept as far as safety. So take a friggin CWP course. Get a permit to carry concealed or follow whatever your local law is. It's for your own safety and for mine as well.
I've been a cyclist for 35 years. Ridden tens of thousands of miles. Never carried a weapon or felt the need. That being said, I wouldn't want my girlfriend riding alone in remote places, with or without a weapon. I would be more afraid of an accident than other people. The best safety device is group of companions and a cell phone. Also, I wouldn't want the added weight or want my firearm saturated in sweat. Nor would I want to ride with someone openly carrying. Years ago I was riding with a group to the coast, a 300 mile ride. Out in the boonies, a dog started chasing us. One of the riders pulled a little .22 derringer and popped a shot. What a friggin idiot! First, dogs are common. No big deal. If you're a cyclist,you had better learn how to deal with them. But to shoot? That really escalates things and invites retaliation from its owner towards all cyclists. Bad choice.
Let me also say I own dozens of weapons, have my CWP, carry concealed frequently when I feel the need, so have nothing against mature and trained citizens carrying. But never on my bike, and never openly anywhere. I just wouldn't want to have to see people parading around openly carrying.
But if my girlfriend foolishly decided to ride alone in remote areas, disregarding the inherent danger of that, mainly from an accident, health crisis, or from the rare encounter from an individual, I guess I could understand carrying concealed, if she was licensed to carry, trained, and skillful. But generally, if you're on a bike and some deranged person wants to hurt you and he's in a vehicle, you're screwed regardless of what cannon is in your pocket or bike bag.
When I was young, foolish, and immature, I would "flip off" the occasion redneck who yelled at me to get off the road. Then one day I did this, the trucked passed me, screeched to a stop in front of me and my two female companions, and brought out the baseball bats telling me they were going to whip my ***. Man, I regretted flipping them off. I was looking over my shoulder the whole way home. If I had a gun, I think it would have only been worse. My point is when you're riding a 16 pound bike, you're at the mercy of anyone there. Any encounter, you are going to lose. So to be safe, always ride in groups. Carry a phone. Be nice, even to redneck jerks in pickup trucks .
And if you must carry, get a proper license, get trained, practice, practice and practice, and conceal that weapon. And you had better be sure when you pull it out for real, you have a justified cause, and there is no alternative. And that your training was effective, and hope you're lucky that day.
