One of the messages I hope people take away from this thread is the enormous responsibility that CCW entails. It is not something that should be undertaken lightly.

Aside from the fact that you have the ability to very quickly snuff out a human life and the psychological complications attendant with that there are other very serious potential consequences associated with actually using your weapon.

First and foremost understand that if you are forced to shoot another person regardless of whether it was 100% justified you can count on spending time in a police station and possibly jail. It may only be for a few hours, maybe overnight but you're going to be detained and thoroughly questioned at the very least. You should probably exercise your right to an attorney prior to telling your side of the story.

Assuming you were completely in the right and did everything 'by the book' you could still face criminal prosecution and even if you beat that you may very likely face a civil lawsuit and lawyers don't take wrongful death suits on a contingency basis.

You also need to be aware that just like a police officer, you can't afford to lose a fight. If you go down and the bad guy gets your gun then you're dead. Period. Just because you have a gun doesn't mean that you have to use it, sometimes it's better to call 911 and stay at a safe distance from a confrontation, particularly if you're not directly involved.

If you do reach the point where it's necessary to pull your weapon then you'd better be prepared to use it, brandishing a weapon for the purposes of intimidation is a crime is most states and will get your CC permit pulled.

If you shoot...shoot to kill, none of this shoot him in the hand or the leg crap. You point your weapon at the largest mass of your target and you pull the trigger until it stops moving.

Be aware that virtually all of the situations you encounter will be at extremely close range. There's no need to be able to hit a target at 50 yards or even 50 feet so choose your weapon & ammunition accordingly and practice accordingly as well.

Always practice 'situational awareness' especially when your carrying. The biggest advatage the bad guys have isn't just the element of surprise, it's the fact that they have a plan while you have to react in a split second. If you know in your mind what you will do in a given situation then you're much less likely to freeze up when it happens.

 

I didn't vote because of the options didn't apply. Having some proficiency but not expert and having no appreciation for the law, I've carried a pistol when it appeared "necessary". My criterion is that I'd rather be alive and in prison ( for some legal pizzaz) than dead (and square with the law). ......Fortunately, none of the above happened. And, yes, there is some very good advice here. Thank you.

 

This IS an excellent thread, and Bill's summary is right on track. I was born and raised in Ohio so I've followed the flap over cc with great interest. Ohio residents are at a critical threshold and if all the law abiding hunters and target shooters continue to sit on their thumbs, they'll never get this legislation passed. Get busy on the phone, with emails, etc. and convince your neighbors and buddies to innundate Columbus with the voice of the majority or the minority will continue to call the shots. And VOTE!

I now live in Montana where we have the right to carry openly and, as others have noted, can get a concealed carry permit. I have one. I also know my representatives on a first name basis and most of them know me and respect me.

I'm also a life member of the NRA since '84 and have to give that organization credit for teaching me more about constitutional law than any college course. The main thing they teach is RESPONSIBILITY. What do I get from them?...a big voice in Washington. If that were absent, this country would be like GB, AU, CAN. The right to keep and bear arms keeps us free.

It gets to be a real pain to clean out the truck every time I need to make a quick run across the border into Canada.

One last thought to stir the pot: Consider that in 1776 the right to keep and bear arms included every weapon available to the military of the day. Have your rights been eroded? You better believe it, for instance, ......are there any types of weapons that you agree shouldn't be available to the general population today because they're unnecessary?

 

I personally feel that if the military has a personal weapon, then I should be able to have it also. For exactly the same reason. Reading the Constitution and studying every aspect of the Second Amendment proves that the intention of the authors was to keep America Free. These Rights have indeed been whittled down to a mere shadow of their intended potential, which is very frightening. The Amendment was written to ensure that the People of America remain free, with the means to ensure that freedom. And who were we to defend our freedoms against?? THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.

Now I am told that it no longer applies, that they didn't really mean it, and that I should give up all the freedoms I emigrated to this country to have.. Yeah Right!

Read the Constitution, and then fight to have it adhered to by a government swayed by mindless fools, and foreign powers. The United Nations have written many reports suggesting that America disarms it's population. Why would they do this?????

Read the Constitution, and determine that you live in the country it writes about, and fight for the validity of it, the uncompromised integrity of it, and the right to live by it.

Theo

 

Theo in 2004....

 

NO! Stop! Don't support CCW! It is a trap. It nullifies the Second Amend.



When you register with the state you acknowledge that the state has the authority to grant permission for you to excercise your fundamental right to self defense. Therefore, you voluntarily submit yourself to athority that the state does not constitutionally possess. Your rights don't come from the state, so why would you "register" for a permit?

When you request a permit to carry, you submit to the authority of the state to require a permit, and you have NO right to **** and moan about the regulations they attach to the permit including defacto registration.

Instead of showing your permit hand him a copy of the Declaration of Independance and Bill of Rights!

 

Thats actually only so you can carry it concealed, you still have the right to carry anywhere else you want.

 

dtpatt2-
I carry a gun with me everywhere. My wife and I get in fights sometimes. I have 7 guns in my house. I loose my cool and punch walls and break things sometimes. I never ever use a gun in anger.
How does getting in "little tifts" relate to pulling a gun on someone?
We finally have concealed carry in NM and I am glad that responsible, trained adults can carry their weapons in concealement so strangers around them will not be made uncomfortable or nervous. Plus a concealed weapon is much harder to ****** off of a person.

 

Mtflat - Question re 1776. At the time you could count the available weapons on your fingers. Do you think it is ok for a citizen to own a shoulder fired ground to air missile?
Dono

 

In 1776 virtually all households had weapons in them. They were used primarily to hunt food as well as for self defense from the native inhabitants of this country.

I fail to see what the relevance of a S.A.M. has to this discussion. No one is suggesting that we should all be carrying weapons capable of shooting down an airplane.

 

I think the point is that the second amendment was written so that the people could rise up in rebellion against our government should it ever become necessary. What would you do with a pistol or rifle against an m1a1? Nothing. You no longer have the capability to fight your government. Your rights have been eroded.

 

When it comes to that, it isnt the gun, its the shooter. I know I can accurately shoot out to 750 yards with my Remington 40X 7mm.

I don't believe a SAM is classified as a firearm.

 

I hope everyone on here that is taking turns on the soap box isn't just writing here. Write your gov reps.

I belive that if our forefathers thought our rights were worth paying for in blood that I exercise today. I should fight for them too. Be it with the pen, or if ever need be with the gun itself.

I cannot stand those people who stand behind other amendments and trample the 2nd just cause they don't agree. Tell those people you shouldn't have the 1st amendment and see how riled up they get. Get out of my country traitors. Like it or leave it!

"Those that trade freedoms for security deserve niether" (quote by someone I can't remember right now)

 

It is erroneous to assume the weaponry available to the public would be useless against a fully armed military unit. Given a secure area, with blast deflectors and adequate cover, a team of ten men could wipe out a military unit with ease. Most hunters can outshoot the average soldier, and an auto weapon is nothing more than a waste of ammunition - which is why the three round burst was invented.

Take a group, armed with FAL clones, and 20 round magazines, put it somewhere mobile, as in guerrilla warfare, and see just how many troops in standard units can be neutralized. Look at Afghanistan - an unruly rabble is making it very difficult for the troops to mop up that area - also in Iraq, a very few badly armed people are creating havoc.

I hope that America has had it's only civil war, but if it happens again, it is not going to be a clear cut victory for the military. I need to be in a cave somewhere when it happens, I am too old to play revolutionary

Theo

 

That may be true however when the first M1 started driving your way you would have no choice but to surrender or run.