theologian, just read your first reply to mine back on the first page(was gone yesterday) Cool, I didn't know that Castle Rock had that club....maybe that's why we haven't had a violent crime here in over 5 years?! No murders, armed robberies, etc...For a "town" with 25k people that's pretty good.

 

There is a new woman's shooting club there now, I can't remember the names of the clubs but they are very active. Castle Rock is one of the few towns round Denver that has not become a haven for the California Set, that left because of fear. (they tried for years to ban guns in Colorado, and nearly succeeded.)

Theo

 

i hope all of yall belong to the NRA without it we would not even have a voice to speak for us on the 2nd amend. or gun laws or the antigun groupes and there are a lot of them FL is a right to carry state concealed need more states to honor each others permits so can travel state to state few years back had bad hurricane south FL police told people they could not protect them was to much damage arm yourself if you can and that is what people did looters where everywhere could go on & on but gotta go for now

 

AMAZING! You beat NRAJOE to the punch!

Waxy

 

Long standing Life Member of the NRA...

 

NRA member. We need more members. We must hang together or we will all hang separately.

 

Just out of curiosity, what does the NRA do for you? They sent me a packet the other day and I still have it at home, haven't opened it yet. You get any discounts, etc.....

 

The NRA is always standing up for your rights, they fight every gun control law that comes up in congress, they own a few senators.

Any form of gun control is illegal.

http://www.nra.org

 

The ultimate goal of the "progressive movement" ( read that as socialism ) is to take away your guns.

A free man can become a slave. A slave can never become a free man. I forgot the exact time that it took to disarm England. The land down under took much less time. Think about it.

 

I agree with Waxy in that this is a great thread, and I am also torn/undecided on this issue. However, I do think that law abiding(sp?) citizens do have the right to bear arms. Also, I think that "gun control" doesn't work. Case in point- Washington, D.C. has had gun control for years, but that doesn't stop or slow down the flow of guns into our nations capital.

I don't own any guns or rifles. Growing up in the Maryland suburbs of D.C., guns just weren't part of my upbringing. Also, my mom is terrified of guns. Her oldest brother was killed by a handgun at the age of 12 playing "cops and robbers" with a friend. Perhaps she instilled a healthy respect for guns in me as I was growing up. All I know is that I've never thought that I needed a gun. That's not saying my opinion won't ever change.

I have to admit that when I moved "down south", the concealed carry permit idea sort of threw me for a loop. Guess you can say it was part of the culture shock. Many of the businesses have the circle with a picture of a handgun with a red diagonal line through the circle posted on thier front doors. The caption reads "No Concealed Weapons". Struck me as kind of amusing that a bank or hospital would post that on their door. I mean really, it's not too smart to carry a concealed gun into a bank. They might get the wrong idea!! And you would need to carry a gun into a hospital because why???? But I guess that I have adapted to the idea and I don't give it any more thought.

A good friend of mine has a concealed carry permit. Trust me when I say that she doesn't take any "junk" off of anyone. I've seen her shoot, and needless to say, she doesn't miss!! I feel total confidence in her ability to handle a gun safely and in her ability to hit the intended tartet. If I were ever in danger, she's the one I'd want by my side. The plain and simple truth about it is she is the type of person who would put herself in danger to protect her friends. A rare quality these days.

 

The states that forbid the carrying of concealed weapons in banks have more bank robberies, that states that do not. This can be checked easily by searching for bank robberies, then looking at the restrictions to carrying, on that state's web site. Colorado has no restriction in Banks or Hospitals, and has a low incidence of bank robbery, except in Denver, a place that has forbidden carrying for a long time. They used not to forbid carrying in schools, bars and public buildings, but the new permit laws added those three to the crime zones.. (ban legal guns in an area, and only illegal guns go there)

Many states ban carrying in public parks, and recreation areas, which is why there are many muggings in such places. Tennessee bans carrying in parks etc, and has two such parks that are notorious for robbery and murder. They really should change the laws.

I carry into my bank here in TN, and nobody gets the wrong idea, because I carry concealed - Nobody can see my weapon, so nobody worries.

Theo

added

I will not patronise any establishment that forbids the carrying of firearms for two reasons.

1. I would have to disarm, and leave my weapon in my vehicle - the prime place to get it stolen.

2. Of places more likely to get robbed, shot up, or otherwise invaded, having a sign saying 'No Firearms' is a beacon to the criminally inclined.

Theo

 

In Washington state there are some restrictions on where persons with a CCW can carry, most of them mirror federal statutes such as into a post office (kinda ironic eh?), airport, courthouse or a national park. In addition you can't carry into any establishment which is designated as being restricted to adults over the age of 21 which serves alcohol IOW a bar but you can carry in a restaurant where they serve drinks. As far as schools go you can carry if you are there picking up or dropping off your kid but not if you're attending a school function or meeting with a teacher, etc. Any private business can forbid patrons from entering with a concealed weapon but it's not against the law, they can only ask you to leave which is basically covered under the same policy as 'we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone'. I have yet to see a busines with a 'No Concealed Handguns' sign on it.

 

theologian,

That is pretty much what I think, especially after living in Massachusetts for a while. In 1999? the FBI tried to sell nice "stolen" hand guns for $50 (!) under cover in Boston and they were surprised they had no takers. Why, because the criminals steal them from stores and cars for free!

Just like you said. Have a NRA or hunting sticker/permit on your car and you are just asking for your locked trunk, locked glovebox, and underneath the seat being checked by an armed criminal.

MA has one of the most strict gun laws were carrying an unregistered gun is suppose to be an automatic year in jail. The result, hardly anyone goes to jail for a year because:

1) They throw the gun down before they are arrested so it is not in their possession (they did not pay for it anyway).

2) The jails are so crowded they let murderers, rapists, and child molesters (if they serve time at all) out early.

3) The maximum security prison (Walpole) disciplines the most worst most brutal criminals that cause trouble by ... taking away their TV priviledges for a week.

It was in CO a few years back that someone was shot dead trying to hold up a store with a knife ... a gun store! I believe he was shot by multiple people.

Criminals like that do not give one thought about your feelings or life, they have one thought, to take what they want by whatever means without any regards to anything.

Maine, a hunting state where probably almost every household has a shotgun, it is not unusual to see people carrying guns into stores or on the back of a truck, is the safest state in the U.S. to send your kids to school.

I have felt more at ease being around armed hunters, including walking around my woods unarmed during hunting season when they are on my property, then I ever did riding the orange line in Boston.

 

I am all for carrying concealed. I will not just stand by and let some criminal endanger me or my family. There should be no restrictions except for felons (they are'nt even supposted to have guns in the first place) and no carrying in bars, alcohol and guns do not mix.

I have to give it to Theo, you have made some excellent posts on this subject.

 

theologian,
You do bring up some very good points. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, but the whole notion of concealed carry struck me as a part of "culture shock" when I first moved to the south. But as I stated, I have adapted to the idea and I don't give it any more thought. Just wanted to clarify that point.