I ask this question out of curiosity and to see what you guys have for an opinion on this touchy subject. Let go with what you think. I'm not here to debate with you just see what other persons opinions are. Yes I do carry.




1994 Ford F150
300-6
Highly Modified and more to come!

 

I think that an upstanding citizen should have every right to carry a firearm. It's constitutional.

I've carried a sawed-off shotgun in my car since I was 17. I'm taking the test for my permit to carry a handgun in March when I turn 21.

 

What state is it legal to carry a sawed off shot-gun in?

Ken Payne
Ford Truck Enthusiasts Admin

 

I believe it is a personal choice protected by the constitution. I do personally collect guns and train my kids in safety aspects. But I would not expect anyone else to follow my beliefs.

This question is a real hot potato, so it should be interesting to see the answers.

And ditto on the sawed off shotgun. If it really is a sawed off, I wouldn't mention it to anyone in authority and I surely would get it out of my vehicle and stash it somewhere at home where no one would find it.

Jim henderson

 

It's not legal to carry a sawed-off shotgun in the state of Texas, and no, I do not carry it anymore. It stays loaded beside my bed though! I carried it for a long time until I got pulled over and it was laying loaded in my back floorboard. Thank God the cop didn't see it! That incident scared me into keeping it at the house!

 

I hate to say this.... but keeping sawed off shotguns, even in your home, makes it even harder on those trying to defend our constitutional right to bear arms. A sawed off shot-gun isn't for hunting or defending, its for maiming. Scary....

Ken Payne
Ford Truck Enthusiasts Admin

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 10-Sep-01 AT 12:28 PM (EST)[/font][p]I also carry. But I personally think the best gun control is EDUCATION, EDUCATION,and more EDUCATION. I have never had a problem with one of my guns sneaking out of the house by itself and committing a crime all by itself. Guns get a bad wrap but they are just like anything else that someone may use as a TOOL to commit a crime. As for the sawed off shotgun if it is atleast 28" from end of barrel to end of stock it is not an illegal weapon. I have a Remington 870 pump with a vindicator pistol grip and a slug barrel and it is 28 1/2 " long from end to end and completely legal. My wife and I both have our concealled carry weapon permits.

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 10-Sep-01 AT 12:14 PM (EST)[/font][p]How would having MY gun in MY house make it harder on those of us defending our rights to carry firearms?

Just Curious...

PS: I would personally rather "maim" someone who has broken into my house to hurt my family rather than merely "injure" them.

 

I support our Second Amendment rights.
It's interesting to note that states that have enacted more liberal concealed carry laws have documented a decrease in violent crime.

 

Because people who break gun laws are one of the reasons why law abiding citizens get more and more gun control pressure. Just because its in your house does not make it legal, no more so than setting up booby-traps in your home is legal.

While I would have no problem pulling the trigger on someone breaking into my home, the last thing I want to is to maim them. I would kill them if I had to but why intentionally maim someone?

You asked for opinions, you got 'em. This is not a case of a gun within the length limit as you clearly indicated that the gun wasn't legal when you mentioned

Ken Payne
Ford Truck Enthusiasts Admin

 

It is a constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Unlike many things in the Constitution, there is little debate on this one. "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringend." I'm all for it.

I do think the right to carry should be controlled on a limited basis, and anyone with a permit should have had some respectable training. I took the class required for a Tennessee carry permit last year, and while I'm only 19 (too young for permit) several people in the class who were applying for it couldn't hit a six inch circle from fifteen feet with a 9mm. I hope these people will be smart enough to put in a lot of time at the range before they start carrying. In a defense situation you're gonna have to react very quickly, and if you miss with your first shot, you might not get another.

 

A couple of thoughts:

Depending on how "sawed off" the shotgun is makes a big difference. Anything below 18" is illegal in all 50 states...period.

A short barrel shotgun, usually 18"-20" or so like a rifled slug barrel, is a very fine home defense weapon since it doesn't need to be aimed as precisely as your average handgun. Frankly if someone breaks into my house they're going to be lucky if all they get is maimed. I have an Ithaca Model 12 with a 20" rifled slug barrel and 00 magnum buckshot in it.

Concealed carry in this society, in this day & age is something that should be a right in all 50 states. There are just too many bad guys with guns out there to justify disarming the "good guys". Now having said that I also feel it's important to make it more difficult for bad guys to get guns. With the tools we have at our disposal today a background check before buying should be mandatory and that includes gun shows!

Getting your CC permit, which both my wife & I have, should require some sort of education as well as both a proficiency test and a background check. Currently all it takes to get a CC permit in my state is $60 and a clean record. Before I even applied I went and bought a book called "Concealed Carry: A Practical Guide" by Bill Quinn. It should be required reading for anyone who is considering carrying a concealed weapon...it's a real eye opener. Just think about this, let's say you see someone breaking into or stealing your truck. Do you pull out your pistol and shoot him? If you answered yes then you're going to jail for murder...guaranteed. In general most states laws are written to the "in fear of grave bodily injury/loss of life for you or your family" standard. Crimes against property don't qualify no matter how much you love your truck. Some states have "Duty to retreat" standards that apply to the use of deadly force; IOW if you have any legitimate means or opportunity to escape from the situation you risk prison time for using your weapon on another person. The point is you'd better know your local laws, when and where you can carry, when to use your cell phone instead of your gun and have the number of a good lawyer handy.

 

The state of New Mexico is one of the out of 8 of the fifty states that has pratically no infringement upon the 2nd amendment. Like many Americans I used to live in my little zone of fake safety thinking I would never be a victim and the police would protect me. This was until I had a few run ins in my life and I finally realized its my responsibility to protect myself and loved ones. I finally got my girlfriend to realize why I carry and will shoot someone if I have too. Basically she was at the local Mall and some guy followed here for an hour; harassing her and making vulgar remarks and gestures. She was smart enough to not leave the Mall and gave me a call. I showed up shortly thereafter and made sure to make eye contact with him. He very quickly left in the opposite direction after he spotted the sidearm and had at my side. I really believe the reason why many people these days are againts guns are; they are to lazy and insecure to take responsibility for themselves and they are just plain ignorant to what goes on around them. A lot of people believe they are safe because they are in a public place and its daylight outside. I can prove otherwise. My girlfriends opinions on guns went from anti-gun to PRO-GUN after this encounter with an a**hole who probably would have done some terrible things. I am sure he was trying to get her to go outside, she was just smarter than him.


1994 Ford F150
300-6
Highly Modified and more to come!

 

Not to make light of your situation Paul but there's a couple of issues I have with it.

First, if he followed her for an hour and she had access to a phone then why didn't she simply dial 911? The cops would have arrived, accomplished the same thing as you did and they would have had an FI (Field Interview) card as well. That way when this dirtbag does commit a crime, as we all know he will, there will at least be a lead on him in the system.

Second, I firmly believe that concealed weapons are for self defense, not scaring people. Brandishing a handgun, even if you have a CCP, is illegal in most states. Now maybe in New Mexico it's OK to strap on a sidearm in plain view and maybe that's viewed as a good deterrent but I certainly wouldn't want to do it. Might as well paste a target on my forehead.

If I end up in a situation that I can't talk my way out of or run away from then I'm gonna shoot the bad guy...period. There won't be any verbal warnings or waving of weapons. If I feel that the situation has gone too far and my family or I are in mortal danger I'm going to draw my pistol and start shooting...I'm not a cop and this ain't TV. I'm scared as hell and the only way to stay alive is to kill the bad guy.

 

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