When I lived in Florida I thought about getting a carry permit when my admin assistant was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight in the parking lot of a 7-11 and no one inside even bothered to call the police. Not long after I found a woman’s purse on the sidewalk near my apartment while walking with my girlfriend and found out after calling the police that some guy had jumped out of a car while the purse’s owner was walking alone and pistol whipped her bad enough to require hospitalization while stealing the contents of her purse. Shortly thereafter I took the class and got my carry permit and was glad I had the option. Never had to use it but that’s how it works in some parts of the U.S.
Can’t speak for everyone, but I’m not here to evangelize concealed carry. It sounds like it isn’t for you - and that’s perfectly ok.
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Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out?
just be careful with guns… laws on guns in the US is a mess and seems rather arbitrary and capricious. In addition to Federal laws (which is bad enough) you got various states and even cities who have strange bans and doesn’t respect any Federal protection, such as people transiting through NY with an AR15 getting hit with felony charges (which is a Federal protection).
In particular if you aren’t white sometimes law enforcement likes to give you extra hard time if you have a conceal carry permit.
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Sorry but that’s just sad.
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What possible reason, other than watching too much TV, would you have for thinking that either of these scenarios would have automatically had a preferable outcome were the victim packing a roscoe???
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I like guns. I especially like big guns.
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What a weird thing to brag about.
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This should go without saying.
Laws on guns aren’t that messy. Outside NYC, California, and Chicago gun laws vary only minutely.
What I think you’re referring to - and is really messy - are local law enforcement’s interpretation in the event that a gun is presented in the defense of self or others. There the variance is wide and is down to a case-by-case basis.
If an American presents a gun, then local law enforcement (LLE) will sniff through everybody’s story and make sure no laws were broken. This applies not just to police officers; it is layered and includes the judgment of the local district attorney, too. This sometimes results in some confusion for all involved. ← although in this case Drejka was rightfully convicted of manslaughter imo.
What I wish all Americans knew is that if you shoot somebody, even if LLE chooses not to pursue criminal charges the odds are almost 100% that you will be sued in civil court anyway. This is true even if you defend lawfully defend your home from home invasion: you will be sued by the criminal or the criminal’s family.
If you choose to get a CCW permit and if you then choose to carry, it’s crucial to then purchase additional insurance underwritten expressly for this purpose. Even if you keep a firearm only in your home, it’s a very good idea to check with your homeowner-insurance company to learn whether your policy includes legal defense in the case of home invasion.
That said, perhaps the greatest utility of CCW law is simply in its implementation. The vast majority of criminals are not looking for a gun fight, and behave accordingly.
Although most people strongly dislike it and prefer some version of koombayah/bury-head-in-sand, the fact is that CCW tends to result in a more polite American society.
I don’t get it. In order to deter people from attacking you shouldn’t you be revealing your weapon? Or am I missing something obvious?
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Correct. It’s basic game theory. The rational criminal must assume every potential victim is carrying a firearm.
problem is most countries don’t allow CCW except for very limited circumstance outside of law enforcement.
And to add to the confusion there are many things that can make you “prohibited” from possessing firearms. Aside from the obvious (which is already a load of problem when many petty crimes that involves no violence or guns makes you prohibited) stuff like living in a gun friendly state that has legalized weed (Alaska is one) makes you prohibited if you smoke it. And its implementation and enforcement is also down to a case by case basis depending on whether the law likes you. Also if you defend yourself legally odds are you COULD become prohibited which can potentially destroy your family if a member of that family still likes guns. Because sometimes the DA might not charge you with murder or anything but charge you with manslaughter and you end up with a few years of probation, and you plead out to avoid trouble (DA will do this if they have a weak case and will try to get you to plead to a lesser charge where you face little to no jail time, especially if the DA is anti gun and wants to make people prohibited, many DA is anti gun).
This is why I said they are arbitrary. Even the NFA is arbitrary where a gun with a 16.5 inch barrel is ok but 15.995 inch is controlled (or the SIG brace fiasco). Unfortunately the NRA isn’t fighting for second amendment rights, just for the minority of mostly white FUDDs who could care less about assault weapon bans. I still believe it means what it says and making someone prohibited without a judge expressly stripping you of that right is a breach of the law. By the way as much as I disagree with Europe’s stance on gun laws they are at least not arbitrary where someone goes to prison for buying ammo at a grocery store. And they do not control suppressors like the US does.
And yes, you do not reveal your weapon unless you are 100% justified in using them, and you would be using them if you are revealing them. None of this movie crap where you say “don’t move”. If you are justified in shooting, you take the shot unless upon seeing the weapon the criminal flees.
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I assume you mean counties, not countries. Off the coasts and in the interior of the US, CCW is legal in most states. In most states the difference in CCW is down to “shall issue” vs “will issue.”
The NRA is again moving in the direction of Fudds, yes. As a result they’re losing to GOA and others.
no I mean countries. USA is the only country that allows CCW. No other countries does (not even gun friendly countries like Czech Republic allows CCW)
Whoops, my mistake.
Yes. This is one reason I don’t agree with exporting American democracy. The US constitution is unique in that all citizens have a civil right to bear firearms. Most other nations believe that only the state should have that right, and so democracy must be made safe for them (not the other way around).
might need a new thread from you of the proper things to brag about in the PC era 
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While in theory citizens have a civil right to bear arms, that right is eroded to the point that almost anyone can be targeted by rogue LEO or DA for any stupid little gun law violation (all of which are felonies, bonus point for making him a felon without costing the state money to incarcerate him). In Hawaii the police are demanding everyone with a medical marijuana license to turn in their guns or else face jail time. And they’re playing around with the definition of “people” so they could deny non citizens that right (which should not depend on citizenship). Having a green card with a CCW could be rather dangerous.
Believe me, the US government is trying very hard to undermine that right at every turn, and they’ll even use tragedies to make it happen.
It’s much easier to ignore the constitution than to change it.
It’s not a theory.
I take your point, though, and you’re preaching to the choir. If you notice, there is one political party in the US that is very unhappy with the US constitution. They’re so unhappy that since (at least) 1974 they’ve tried mightily to change/deny it outside amending it.
The US Constitution and the Bill of Rights are clear on the matter, though. Higher court rulings will always lag law enforcement; we move very slowly on that front. I’m pretty confident the second amendment will emerge unscathed in the end.
Why?
Well the fact that owning a gun is something to be proud of because the country is so dangerous is pretty sad.
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