Concealed gun question

[paulspaddle]

Reading the other 'concealed gun' thread got me thinking....

Being Canadian (carrying a gun is not an option), and growing up in an non-hunting, pacifist home I know little to nothing of gun culture. Shot 25 bullets out of a M16 in Cambodia once which pretty much sums up my gun history.

Do you guys carry a gun all the time or just certain times? Do you look for and recognize other's carrying guns? Is there a comradely, sort of like bikes (Harleys - low wave passing on the highway) Have you ever pulled or used a gun in public? Can you pull a gun out and 'show and tell' in public?- rules for this?

Sorry if this seem daft, but I'm serious. Just trying to understand as its interesting because its so far removed from my life experience.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Concealed gun question

Some folks just like to have a CWP so that they can transport handguns to the shooting range and back without dealing with triggerlocks or gunsafes in the car.

Otherwise you'd have to store the ammo separate and have the gun locked in the trunk or triggerlocked.

Some people sure do carry 100% of the time for safety reasons. Those little snake pistols or small revolvers tuck away easily into a holster.

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Concealed gun question

..... Can you pull a gun out and 'show and tell' in public?- rules for this?.....

A big no no! Discretion in public is a requirement. I got this statement off of a websight: " States that allow concealed carry still criminalize the display of a gun unless there is a legitimate self defense reason."

As far as knowing of other carrying comrades in public, it's not likely, or at least shouldn't be apparent. I don't believe that there is any 'culture' as you mention with Harley riders.

People get permits for widely varying reasons. I have one but seldom carry. I'll thow one on board for trips and used to carry on Scout outings. Other leaders new I had it but it never came out of the wraps. They all were kind of pleased knowing I had it.

My numero uno reason for having it is because I consider it a right that if I do not excercise today, tomorrow I may not be able to.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Concealed gun question

Ayuh,... The love of Guns is very similar to the love of Boats...

The camaraderie comes at the gun show, or the shooting range, or around the base camp fire...
Usually to never in Public...
That's also where "Show & Tell" usually happens, or at your home of course, showin' off a New toy to a friend... Even if the New toy is 100 years old...

Concealed carry means Just that,.....Knowing nobody knows you're carrying,+ never knowing who else is...
To me, not carrying is akin to leaving all the PFDs at the dock....

Probably the Biggest difference between Gun Owning,+ Boatin' is,.... Guns usually Appreciate....

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Concealed gun question

Ayuh,... The love of Guns is very similar to the love of Boats...

To me, not carrying is akin to leaving all the PFDs at the dock....

Probably the Biggest difference between Gun Owning,+ Boatin' is,.... Guns usually Appreciate....

AMEN........the last bit did make me laugh....sooooo true.

As far as public goes, the way I was taught is to only pull your gun when you intend to use it.......so basically you would probably hear my gun before you saw it. If it comes out of the holster, someone is going to get shot, because my life, or that of a family member, is being jeopardized. No show, no threats. No chance.

 

[strokeoluck]

Re: Concealed gun question

Are there any documented cases where a CWP person shot/stopped another person that was shooting at and/or threatening others?

I'm a gun owner myself (only use it once/year for deer hunting), so I certainly believe in the right to possess a gun. But it seems like every time I read about some whacko shooting up a mall or office, there's no one around to shoot back (until the cops show up). I wonder what % of the population has a CWP, and then what % of folks actually regularly carry a gun. I don't know of anyone that carries.

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Concealed gun question

.....To me, not carrying is akin to leaving all the PFDs at the dock....

Spoken like a true 'red blooded Amurican'!

 

[Old & In the way]

Re: Concealed gun question

When I attended a CWP class in Oregon, I was very surprised about some of my classmates, a little ole lady with a big revolver in her hand bag, a guy that wanted to carry in his truck - so he could follow his girl friend to work at night - and wanted to stop people from using their high-beams to make her drive faster on a single land road. Makes one think twice about flipping the bird in traffic

Also, even with a CWP there are lots of places where it is not legal - mostly public buildings, airports, post office.... so then where do you put it ?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Concealed gun question

a guy that wanted to carry in his truck - so he could follow his girl friend to work at night - and wanted to stop people from using their high-beams to make her drive faster on a single land road. Makes one think twice about flipping the bird in traffic

Dang nabit, my wife keeps telling me I'm going to get shot one of these days and apparently she's right!

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Concealed gun question

we've had two cases in recent history of a ccw using lethal force to protect himself, unfortunately I can't find any links to the stories. One was a man who was leaving his girlfriends house here in Easton and he was accosted by two armed men on Butler St. He shot one of them and the other ran off. interesting thing about it is he didn't kill the bad guy. The badguy ran off and called the police himself and told them he had been mugged and shot. The story did get straightened out pretty quickly.

The second was a man who was accosted in the parking lot of a shopping complex by an armed BG. The assailant was on the other side of the opened car door, so the actor pretended to drop his wallet and as he crouched down to get it, he drew his weapon, the BG fired at him though the door and missed, the actor fired back from under the door and scored hits. The BG ran off, dropped the gun in some shrubbery, but was apprehended.
The thing is, when you carry, you are supposed to do whatever to can to avoid a confrontation....you are only allowed to use lethal force when all other avenues have been exhausted.

 

[kei9th]

Re: Concealed gun question

The first reason i have a cwp is that I AM AN AMERICAN and it is a right that i have and i am going to use that right. Otherwise i live in south florida and spend a lot of time for work in places in south miami and i have become increasingly more uncomfortable. my job allows me to carry if i want and now that i have a wife, and a two year old son, my wife pushed me to buy the gun and get the permit. i took the cwp course and i am thinking of taking a course on how to pull my weapon from the holster, aim, and fire properly. i have never owned a gun before but have shot lots of different kinds, now that i own my gun i have put 500 rounds down range and just received 250 more rounds in the mail today.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Concealed gun question

Are there any documented cases where a CWP person shot/stopped another person that was shooting at and/or threatening others?

Ayuh,.... Sure is,.. 1000s of cases... Right Here....

kei9th,... Ive recently become aware of Lt.Col. Allen West from down your way,....
Very Impressive man,....

 

[JB]

Re: Concealed gun question

Years ago, in Ft. Lauderdale, I was waiting in the parking lot of the school where I worked for my boss to show up and unlock the gate. (Tells you what kind of neighborhood the school was in. It was locally called the "Combat Zone").

A young man approached my car and asked for a light. As I leaned over to activate the lighter he produced a little .22 derringer looking thing and announced, "I have a pistol."

As I was already leaning over the console it was only a drop of my hand to the Ruger Super Blackhawk stashed there. As I drew it out the BG threw his popgun down and took off like Jerry Rice running a post route.

I was disappointed. I really wanted to say, "That's not a pistol, THIS is a pistol." in my best Crocodile Dundee accent.

When the cops showed up. . .Deputy Judy Canada; wow, what a hottie!. . .they told me that the "pistol" the BG dropped was a fake and threatened to run me in until she determined that my gun wasn't loaded and the ammo was locked in the trunk.

I don't know if this qualifies as a CWC foiling a BG or not, but it is fun to tell about. . .a LOT more fun than it was at the time.

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Concealed gun question

Here is a great page from Bond-o's link. Go to it, click on the map and see if your mayor is a member of NYC's mayor Bloomberg's insidious "Mayors against illegal guns".

http://www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?id=254&issue=011

If he is, email him and tell to resign or loose. In an interesting note, our local mayor had been a member but resigned on 9/14/09. Didn't do him much good, he lost his re-election bid anyway.

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Concealed gun question

..... and threatened to run me in until she determined that my gun wasn't loaded and the ammo was locked in the trunk....

I'll bet that wouldn't have almost happened in Tejas?

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Concealed gun question

......Ive recently become aware of Lt.Col. Allen West from down your way,....
Very Impressive man,....

" " to that. It'll be interesting to watch him.

 

[paulspaddle]

Re: Concealed gun question

....a quote from the link provided by Bond-o.

"More Guns: There are 250+ million privately-owned firearms in the United States. The number of guns typically rises by about 4.5 million every year."

That's a lot of guns! Actually I forgot, I do own a gun, I have a authentic circa 1871 Enfield that I got off a military base that was made into a floor lamp. It 'might' be worth something, but looks great as a cabin lamp.

Anyway...thanks for the replies. (I knew I spelt "camaraderie" wrong!)

I can understand and respect that someone obtains a permit and a gun for the primary reason that it is their right. At the same time I'm glad its not part of our culture. (dare I say, "yet")

Guns on the streets is a growing Canadian problem. Gun control laws have been a disaster. Who knows where we're heading in respect to this.

 

[JustJason]

Re: Concealed gun question

Gun control laws have been a disaster. Who knows where we're heading in respect to this.

That's part of the problem in America to. And the age old arugement of if you make all guns illegal, then all gun owners become criminal. And criminals will have all the guns, and law abidin folks will have nothing to protect themselves with.
Anyways, that's a bit political, so that's all i'll say about that. But to get to your original question.

I only carry once in a while, if i'm going someplace I don't want to go to in the first place. I live in a small farm town now (3000 people, 10,000+ cows) Although we get some home breakins in my town every year, i'm much more likely to take a corner to fast and plow into one of old McGovern's cows.

It stays concealed unless I feel a need to un'conceal it. Which I have only done once in my life. I didn't pull it on anybody, but I let it be known that I had it by unzipping my jacket and putting my hand on the top of it.

As Bondo said, there is no show'n'tell, except for designated areas.

You never pull the gun out of your holster unless you feel your life is in immediate danger, and have no means of retreat.

You never ever ever touch the trigger, until you have assessed everything and have made the concious decision to fire.

People are either gun folks or they are not. Some people who are not simply do not care. Some hate guns, and no matter what, feel all should be banned. The folks who fall into the latter usually have good reason because there are 3 types of gun owners.

1. the criminal, and these guys obviously give guns the worst stigma.

2. the negligant, people who are to dumb to own guns. They aren't criminal but they still cause problems. Wether it's the guy who homeloads and thinks to himself... A couple of extra grams of powder won't hurt anything, or the redneck that pulls out his rifle and says "hey look at me". There are just some people who are to "Dumb" to own a gun.

3. The educated gun owner. The educated knows the rules. He knows his equipment. He will never "cause a problem" with a gun, (although he may finnish one if needed). But most importantly he knows how sensitive an issue it is with non gun owners, so in public, he keeps it to himself.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: Concealed gun question

That's part of the problem in America to. And the age old arugement of if you make all guns illegal, then all gun owners become criminal. And criminals will have all the guns, and law abidin folks will have nothing to protect themselves with.
Anyways, that's a bit political, so that's all i'll say about that. But to get to your original question.

I only carry once in a while, if i'm going someplace I don't want to go to in the first place. I live in a small farm town now (3000 people, 10,000+ cows) Although we get some home breakins in my town every year, i'm much more likely to take a corner to fast and plow into one of old McGovern's cows.

It stays concealed unless I feel a need to un'conceal it. Which I have only done once in my life. I didn't pull it on anybody, but I let it be known that I had it by unzipping my jacket and putting my hand on the top of it.

As Bondo said, there is no show'n'tell, except for designated areas.

You never pull the gun out of your holster unless you feel your life is in immediate danger, and have no means of retreat.

You never ever ever touch the trigger, until you have assessed everything and have made the concious decision to fire.

People are either gun folks or they are not. Some people who are not simply do not care. Some hate guns, and no matter what, feel all should be banned. The folks who fall into the latter usually have good reason because there are 3 types of gun owners.

1. the criminal, and these guys obviously give guns the worst stigma.

2. the negligant, people who are to dumb to own guns. They aren't criminal but they still cause problems. Wether it's the guy who homeloads and thinks to himself... A couple of extra grams of powder won't hurt anything, or the redneck that pulls out his rifle and says "hey look at me". There are just some people who are to "Dumb" to own a gun.

3. The educated gun owner. The educated knows the rules. He knows his equipment. He will never "cause a problem" with a gun, (although he may finnish one if needed). But most importantly he knows how sensitive an issue it is with non gun owners, so in public, he keeps it to himself.

I agree with JJ.

I fall into the 3rd category. I have a permit becuase it is my right. I own guns for hunting, protection, target shooting, and family heirlooms passed down from my grandfather. I really like guns, but respect guns. I have a military background, and to me a gun is just another tool. Nothing to be scared of, but you have to know how to handle it and when and where to use it.

I do not carry on my persons very often, but I almost always have one in my vehicle... I always take one (at least) when I travel out of town. Each state hase differing laws on permits and carrying, so it is to my benefit to have a license from my state when I travel to another state. Most of the states surrounding me recognize the CWP from GA, so it protects my right to carry in those states as well...

What I do not understand is how states in the US can have laws against carrying when it infringes on our 2nd ammendment right, to keep and bear arms.

I know that is a political statement, and will leave it at that...

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Concealed gun question

I agree with JJ.
What I do not understand is how states in the US can have laws against carrying when it infringes on our 2nd ammendment right, to keep and bear arms.
I know that is a political statement, and will leave it at that...

One reason is because whoever wrote the 2nd Amendment really screwed up the wording (IMHO). It could have made been much clearer what the intent of the amendment was.
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Is the intent to only have a well regulated militia? Is the intent to have only state militias comprised of citizens (not professional soldiers...)? Is the intent for both a well regulated militia and individuals to have arms not related to a militia?
It seems to me that this should have been two separate amendments, or a least two separate sentences.
I'll jump into my magic time machine now, and go back and explain to Madison to make sure the final version of the amendment is clearer. The first versions of the amendment (before some things were taken out) were easier to understand:

June 8 version:
"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person"

Aug 17 version:
"A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; but no person religiously scrupulous shall be compelled to bear arms."

Aug 25 version:
"A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed, but no one religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person"

Then I guess they argued about it and hacked out the bits they didn't like, and the result is a single sentence open to much interpretation.