Pickle

I thought gun control was using both hands?

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rs_al

How come there's not a "No, don't need one" option? Well, I suppose it's better than having the options "Yes" and "No I am a 12 year old girl who is ascared of guns."

You see, real men don't need guns, they use their brains. That's right. I'm talking about telekenesis.

Trooper

"with mind bullets....its called telekenesis kyle"

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that sounds like a good idea trooper.
-Vulcan

ScratchMonkey

I don't really want to carry, as I don't want that responsibility. But I want CCW to be very straightforward and one shouldn't need the permission of the local Sheriff (as is required here in California), just objective proof that you'll be responsible. It's not important that I have a gun. But it's important that criminals think there's a good chance that I (or the grandmother on the train next to me) might.

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leejo

Nobody (sane) wants that particular responsibility. Accepting responsibility, in all aspects of life, is a suprisingly liberating exercise.

Hockeydude

I just don't understand how people are comfortable knowing that only cops, the government, and gangbangers have guns. How far are you willing to relly on the government to protect you?

But I live in the Socialist Republic of New York. So no guns for me.

El_Gringo_Grande

I think the right to have a ccw is a requirement. It says, to me, that the government is not trying to control the people. That, instead, it is in the service of the people and depends on their will. To actually have a ccw boarders on the paranoid.

OK, some may have a real reason to have one. And being paranoid isn't always a bad thing.

But if I ever feel the need to have a gun... That is when I know I either require profesional help or need to find another place to live.

I also understand the need for more restrictive gun laws in certain locations, as long as it isn't the federal government handing out the laws. Local governing bodies (and the people that elected them) must have the ability to control their situation.

What I also see as troublesome is how far some laws go. In some places paintball guns are illegale or require a permit! If they are doing it because those devices have become troublesome then sure. But if it is simply because they look like a "gun" then we have some knee jerking, out of touch with reality and, dare I say it, liberal pansies in control. (BTW I am considered one of those liberal pansies here in oky homy.)

(Growing up in the great state of Oklahoma guns where very common. To not have a gun rack in the rear window of your pickup made people think you a bit flaky. My mother, the Yanky that she was, hated guns. But me and my brothers had a few each. Shotguns and rifles for hunting and other kinds fun.)

Trooper

i completely agree with your post and i think that in some places restrictive laws are needed, but when the government steps in and makes laws that they really dont have any knowledge or wont listen to both sides is not right...and isnt there a place in Wyoming that requires guns....like as in every citizen should have a rifle of some sort..

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that sounds like a good idea trooper.
-Vulcan

El_Gringo_Grande

Could be. And I think there is a place in Florida as well. But this could just be a legend.

I see that as the other extrem and probably more of a political/social statement than an actual solution to anything.

How can you force somebody to own a gun? In some ways that is more dictatorial than restricting firearm ownership. I say that becuase the government is telling people how to use their resources instead of simply restricing how they use their resources.

Trooper

well the whole idea of that place is you dont just move into there you grow up there and learn the way of that town or place....


as long as there is government like the one we have there will always be those around who think they know better then the citizens and try and contol us, its that simple

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that sounds like a good idea trooper.
-Vulcan

TheFeniX

Paranoid always has negative conotations. I don't know of one CCW permit holder that wakes up and says "I can't leave the house if I don't have my pistol." I don't "feel the need" to carry a pistol. The option is simply available to me and I act upon it. It's the same way I feel about home defense: options. The more options you have in a situation, the better.

Some guy breaks into your home, you should get out of their and call the police. But if you decide to defend your home and possesions, that is your right and a perfectly viable option.

To me, putting on my holster is just another step in my daily routine of getting dressed.

I carry a knife on me for random uses (box cutting, wire stripping, etc). I don't use it everyday, but I always have it clipped onto my jeans. Does that make me paranoid about "Oh man, I might have to use my knife today?" No, it just means I take the 3 seconds required to clip it on and forget about it. I have it on me in case I need it.

I view this the same way as wearing my seatbelt. I'm a good driver and always watchful of the road and other hazards. I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about others, so I wear my seatbelt because I have nothing to lose by using it, and a Hell of a lot to gain if I do need it.

I lose nothing by carrying a handgun, and I'm pretty sure I may go my entire life without ever having to draw it in public. I would be perfectly happy if this were the case, just as much as if I went my entire life without being involved in a car wreck.

Even if I didn't carry, the license has other uses (it's a valid 2nd form of picture ID, speeds up gun purchases which is especially helpful at gun shows, among others). I have the guns and the ammo. The license was just one more step.

If you see no need to carry a handgun, that's fine. Your opinion is valid. I just find no basis for calling those that do "paranoid."

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El_Gringo_Grande

Like I said, paranoid isn't always bad. I feel paranoid at work. I am always asking myself "What happens if...?". In addition I always think somebody is going to do something better than me and I will no longer be neccessary. This keeps me up on current technology. (Some guy at Intel got me thinking this way.)

But the analogy between knife and gun is a bit inappropriate. Knives have many uses as you point out. Guns, well, they are made to do really only one thing and that is to impact alot of energy against a piece of matter. And that amount of energy is usefull only if you want to destroy said piece of matter. (Or just want to make a loud noise. Fireworks would work for this also.)

I will reference the classic Simpons episode where Homer gets a gun and joinds the NRA.

And also let me remind you, I said what you do is a neccessary right. I have no problems with what you do. To have a right and nobody actually use it might prompt some to revoke the right on grounds it is outdated. This would be very, very bad.

But let me ask you. Would it not be better if you knew, without any doubt, that the the morning routine of strapping that holster on was a complete waste of time? That the weight you carried could just as well be a big block of cheese?

Yes, I am living in silly fantasy world where there is no way a firearm will be neccessary. In the same way I believe I do not need two years of rations and a deep whole in the ground because no errant comet will strike the earth.

The fact is we all live in fantasy worlds. (Except, maybe, for the insane.) The key is in choosing which fantasy world.

munchkin

The situation here is similar - the only people who have firearms on the streets are a few cops and the criminals. Firearms are only licensed to the civilian population for sports purposes, and are generally strictly controlled. Hell, even BB guns need a gun license. Works for me.

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slugslinger

i wish i could carry a Glock 18c and an AK74-U around in canada. that would be so cool

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lTG- 187th MICSlSlugslinger
Delta MICS
Delta Forces Mobile Infantry & Combat Specilist

perry

Kennesaw, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, has such a law. It requires all heads of households to own at least one firearm with ammunition. It actually dropped crime rates. Here's one article about it.. One interesting quote:
Like the article says, there's big enough loopholes to drive a truck through, but that's fine.. The mere threat of someone being armed seems to be enough to deter crime.

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