Minuteman statue, Wesport CT (courtesy wikipedia.org)

Over the last five years or so, TTAG has chronicled government abuse of Americans’ natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. There is no question: these insults are geographical. Arizonans do not face the de facto ban on carrying a firearm that bedevils residents in New Jersey, Hawaii, New York and California. Texans are not subject to the “assault weapons” ban imposed on gun owners living in Maryland. I’ve never suggested that people living in [what we used to call] “slave states” stop fighting for their gun rights. But there comes a time when a beleaguered gun owner must realize that an anti-gun regime puts them in the crosshairs. And decide whether it’s worth it to run that risk. Check out this Constitution State story . . .

The case against James Ferry began when he went to the ACAC Fitness Center on McDermott Drive around 4 p.m. on Dec. 28, 2012.

According to court records, Ferry was upset about his inability to discontinue his contract at the popular club. He had spoken with a manager at the club earlier in the day by telephone, who told him his contract could only be voided if he had proof that he was moving out of the area. He did not.

At a preliminary hearing held in March 2013, witnesses testified how they had watched as Ferry went into the ACAC building carrying a handgun on one hip and two ammunition magazines on the other. One employee, physical therapist Bryan Miller, said Ferry “stared down” at him as he passed, and that he “felt threatened” by his demeanor. He “looked determined to get his point across,” Miller testified, according to records.

Miller’s fears were heightened, he said, because the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in which 26 children and school staff were killed by a lone gunman, had occurred just two weeks prior, on Dec. 14, 2012.

Luckily, according to authorities, Zagora had pushed the office panic button and called 911, and Miller had put the club on lock-down status.

I’ve rearranged the story from Connecticut’s dailylocal.com. Author Michael P. Rellahan was so excited by the verdict against Ferry (misdemeanor harassment) and his sentence (15 months of probation, the loss of his guns and the elimination of his gun rights) that he only provided a chronology of events at the very end of the piece.

To be fair, the inverted pyramid news story structure still has legs. And Mr. Rellahan’s account includes the Judge’s admission that open carry is legal in Connecticut – if the gun owner has a concealed carry permit. Which Ferry did. But this exchange, highlighted by Mr. Rellahan, says it all . ..

[Judge] Mahon issuing a fiery reprimand, said that even though Ferry had the right to carry his handgun openly on the day of the incident, he should have immediately recognized the powerful reaction those who encountered him would have at the sight.

“People don’t see that every day,” Mahon told Ferry, a former weapons instructor for the Marines who suffered severe head trauma while on training exercises. “Those weapons are capable of mortality, and you should understand that … As a man trained in firearms, you should know better. It will scare the bejeebers out of people.”

So even though Ferry was within his rights to bear arms, even though he “never verbally threatened anyone or made reference to the handgun,” the fact that he scared people by legally exercising his gun rights – days after the Newtown massacre – was enough to convict him. Because guns.

Two of the employees at the health and fitness club wrote letters to Mahon suggesting that Ferry had indeed placed them in fear for their safety, a trauma that still haunts them.

The staff members, Jillian Zagora and Carie Riley, said that they felt Ferry came to the office the day of the incident intending to bully and harass them so that he could get out of a membership contract that he had signed. The two women asked Mahon to sentence him to a term of imprisonment and take away whatever guns he still owns.

You can fight unconstitutional gun control laws in the court. You can fight anti-gun politicians at the polls. Can you fight anti-gun culture? Sure. But it’s the most difficult battle of all. Which begs the question: is it worth your freedom? Your life? The lives of your loved ones? [h/t JG]

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100 COMMENTS

    • The UBC vote coming up in your state is critical. We have to keep that crap from spreading.

    • Domino theory people. Give up the fight in NY and CA and you will be fighting them in AZ and TX within a couple of years. “Give up and move” my ass. Keep fighting the good fight. They’re doing it in Illinois.

      • Agree. I was not taught to turn tail when the going gets tough. Virginia is quickly going blue, with the former DNC chair and Bloomberger running the state. If liberty lovers skedaddle, they win. We are pushing back and they are playing nasty, but who said life was supposed to be easy?

      • RF is not saying to give up the fight. He’s just saying that at some point, it may be easier to move than to live with the restrictions imposed. For example – there are a number of states that I could not move to with my current firearm collection. I’m not going to move to them. Simple as that.

        As for the domino theory – that’s bunk. Politicians tried that line in the 50’s and it bought us two terrible wars (Korea & Vietnam) and in the geopolitical calculus, no real victory. States (and countries) will fall one way or another depending on the leanings of the people irrespective of outside influences. Whenever a pro-2A person leaves a no-rights state and moves to one that supports rights, that strengthens the side of gun rights in that state.

        The simple fact is that our county faces a massive divide on many issues. As time goes on, more and more people will vote with their feet, moving to states where the prevailing government supports their way of thinking. Ultimately, we will be left with two Americas. New York and California are lost. All that you can hope to do at this point is to slow the inevitable slide down that cliff. Sure – determined work by pro-2A supporters can slow things down and its certainly worth doing that, but in the end, the destination is predetermined.

        And IL is a red herring. Sure, they got some rights back, but that was in reaction to an over the top gun control regime that overstepped current legal decisions. All it would take would be a different court case to hit the Supremes when the balance of power has shifted to the anti-gunners and IL gains could be erased in a day. The fact is that the ruling junta of IL is anti-gun and will do everything in its power to keep IL as gun free as possible.

        Ultimately, the people who elect the representatives determine what laws they wish to have. A concentration of pro-2A people in certain states will guarantee gun rights for those states. A concentration of anti-s will eliminate those rights in other states.

        • Eisenhower tried that line in the 50′s and it bought us two terrible wars (Korea & Vietnam)

          No. Truman started the Korean War and Eisenhower ended it. Truman developed the Truman Doctrine, which was to use military forces to prevent the spread of Communism.

          Eisenhower refused involvement in Vietnam and sent a total of 900 troops into South Vietnam to train the Vietnamese and protect American diplomats. Troop commitment did not expand to mammoth proportions until that Great Society Jackass, Lyndon Johnson.

        • You REALLY need to do some reading of Cold War history. In particular of KGB activities. During the brief “peace dividend” of the late 90s much of the archives of the KGB were made public.

          The Domino theory was correct only delayed the march of USSR when Reagan kicked the dominos off the table.

        • I understand that “domino theory” is a historically charged word. Just like “appeasement”. But that’s what we’re witnessing. It was not that long ago when the “gun control states” were a very short list, comprising of NY and CA. Now its New York, California, Maryland, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois, Hawaii, and New Jersey. The situation in Colorado is the one that is the scariest, because its a projected future of many solid “free” or “red” states like Texas. Its domino theory because liberals, like Muslims, once they conquer an area, they spread. Like locusts. They consume every natural human right in an area and then they move on. Colorado has been shaped into a blue slave state due to an invasion of liberal locusts. Guess who’s next on that list? Texas, Florida, Virginia, and North Carolina. Once these locusts have dominated these regions they will move on, as they gain more and more power at the federal level, and then at some point it wont matter that a few “free” states have held out because federally the they will have all the power. In states were they are fighting back, they are winning, slowly, but they are gaining ground. IL is a good example, but Wisconsin is actually the best example. WI never had an AWB, or severe firearm restrictions, but not that long ago WI had no concealed carry, No stand your ground and DID have a duty to retreat law. They also had no “castle doctrine” type law. Fast forward 10 years and they have corrected all those things, and also have succeeded in turning a state that was solidly blue, into a state that is now solid purple, that could easily go red in 2016.

        • Ralph, you neglected to mention that the troops Eisenhower sent to SVN were at the request of Sen. John Kennedy. When Kennedy was assassinated, there were 13,500 troops in SVN, still designated “advisors”, and there are still rumors the assassination had roots in the idea that he had realized the error of his ways and was about to bring them home. When Nixon took office, there were 550,000 combat troops in SVN, and when he left office in disgrace there were zero. Yet today, we still hear it called “Nixon’s war”. Libs twisting the truth is not new.

    • That’s like a Jew saying “I’m glad I live in France” circa 1936
      Never for a moment think that your 2ndA rights are secure because the communists in Oly haven’t burst into your home, till now. Politicians are now openly calling themselves ‘socialists’ which is just a cowards way of referring to themselves as closet commies/Marxists. We have miles to travel and years of struggle before our nation is safe

  3. NYC, LA, Chicago= high taxes, cost of living, and draconian gun laws.

    My city has a high crime rate, but at least it’s cheap and they allow me the right to have access to the tools to defend myself if need be.

    Insert Latin saying here.

    or something.

  4. I’m sure they found out that the ammunition clipazines were fully loaded, which only showed his intent to #muderdeathkill the maximum number of people. Which he didn’t do, because we #DemandingMoms have made murder illegal in all 49 states that matter. Join us in the fight to make #murderdeathkill illegal in Texas this June 31th at the barbecue. Bring all your friends so we can get double-digit attendance! #FuhDeChillunz

  5. If you want things to change you need to STAND YOUR GROUND and practice your rights to the fullest extent legally allowed and then vote for those who share your views. I refuse to be run out because running from a problem doesn’t solve anything. Everyone who can, legally, should legally practice their rights in order to keep the right regardless of its enumeration.

      • maybe thats what the statists hope we conclude. “fighting for my rights costs me too much, so ill just quit.” maybe freedom actually and truly isnt free, and requires sacrifice to maintain. maybe apathy and thinking “serves him/her right for living there. not my problem. i live in a gun friendly locale,” it whats really killing us.

        not that you specifically said or even implied any of those things.

        • Exactly,

          “Which begs the question: is it worth your freedom? Your life? The lives of your loved ones?”

          You damn right it is! Every single article in the Bill Of Rights is worth dying for! We talk about how we’d fight the coming storm of gun confiscation yet there are many here who would rather tuck tail and run? Hell no! You have to fight for your rights. They are not free and they never ever will be.

  6. Be interesting to know if Mr. Ferry OC’d everyday. If this was the only day he did, hmmm…maybe it was a message being sent.

    Make a long story short. Many moons ago as a salesman, we had a meeting at a Mafia owned business (does that make me a racist ??? ). We waited for the owner. Finally comes in the room. Settles in. Then proceeds to put a 1911 on the table. It was never touched, never moved, never pointed. It just sat there. Enough said.

    Sometimes people do send messages with guns. To not acknowledge that is, well…you put a lablel on it.

    • It doesn’t matter if he carried every day of his life, or this was the first time ever. The law says he can, yet a judge says the law doesn’t make a difference because he upset people. People in cars upset me almost every day and make me fear for my life. Lets take away their drivers license.

      • Sorry, it goes to intent and state of mind.

        If he was trying to intimidate, he was, if he wan’t, he wasn’t.
        Problem is in the determination of which it was.
        Carrying everyday every where makes it lean one way, first time carry makes it lean the other.
        Carrying while angry??????

    • It’s a matter of judgement. In these circumstances, a personal dispute, the open carry of a firearm can properly be considered a not-so-veiled threat. That should have been apparent to James Ferry. It would be an interesting speculation to wonder what would happen if the manager was also openly armed.

  7. I burned my bridges, left friends and family, took a 50% pay cut (cost of living difference more than made up for it) and moved from a slave state to a freeer state. Best decision I ever made. You can always get new friends. Better, more fun friends. You can always get new family too or be the anchor point that helps underground railroad your family members who were left behind.

    Life is too short to spend 50 years of it waiting for the system to tolerate you. On the other hand maybe if people stopped jumping the NK fence into SK The Brilliant Comrade would change his ways. Or not.

    • I did the same. I am too old to wait for things to turn and still enjoy the rest of my life. I moved to Arizona earlier this year, and it is the best thing I have ever done in my life. When I first got here, when I would announce that I just moved here and where I moved from, people would welcome me to America. You do not realize how much freedom you didn’t have until you move to a place where you have it. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it, but it is so true.

    • You still live as a slave. Maybe you can more easily carry a firearm, but still just as much a slave.

    • Go to the link and read the “ENTIRE” story. The new CT law allows for sentence enhancement when a gun is involved and the prosecutor argued and the judge agreed.

      From reading the responses, I do not believe James Ferry has the stomach to push this any further otherwise I would argue it could be taken to SCOTUS over time.

      This is ultimately how we loose, to fall to weigh of the state to impose their laws because it is too expensive to fight.

      • I did, and I understand their laws seem to permit it, but the question still remains. If it was a “gun crime” then it usually would be a felony. A object (gun) happened to be nearby, so that merits “enhancing” things?

  9. Happy I left the NYC before it became the basket case that it is today. Leave to work in civilian clothing on a motorcycle each day wearing a pistol. Neighbors don’t freak out. Work at high end mall cops and employees there just see another co-worker. No bugging out over the handgun-covered or not. It is good to live in a sane state-even while residing in a liberal county and city.

  11. I came across something alarming, or amusing, or symptomatic, or just plain stupid in the “New York Post” Friday – Sunday, August 22-24.

    “Bill to make gun offenders public

    The NYPD’s in-house registry of of ex-cons convicted of of gun crimes would go public under a City Council bill introduced Thursday.
    Under the legislation, an offender’s name, photograph, street, crime and sentence would go on the Web and be available in a regular email alert for which the public could sign up.
    Supporters say the legislation, the Gun Offender Registry Act, would foster transparency and discourage firearm violence, but critics worry the law could fuel recidivism by further stigmatizing marginalized people. Councilman Costa Constantinides, of Queens, sponsored the legislation.
    A sunset clause excludes offenders after four years.”

    It seems as though the stupidity of the “gun free school zone” based on the reasonable “drug free school zone” is to be repeated. We will have a “gun offenders” registry as we have a “sex offenders” registry. After all, aren’t all gun owners — law-abiding or criminal — just as perverted (but perhaps not so incorrigible) as pedophiles or rapists?

  12. Those arguments of fear where the same reasons given for segregation, people with tattoos and for various immigrant groups. During WWII we put Japanese in camps and hung Italians in gallows because we feared something. I take those testimony from those employees and simple BS

    BS like this should be fought all the way up to SCOTUS. He did nothing illegal, he did nothing threatening.

    The Judge is wrong and whole thing should have been thrown out.

  14. “Judge] Mahon issuing a fiery reprimand, said that even though Ferry had the right to carry his handgun openly on the day of the incident, he should have immediately recognized the powerful reaction those who encountered him would have at the sight.

    “People don’t see that every day,” Mahon told Ferry, a former weapons instructor for the Marines who suffered severe head trauma while on training exercises. “Those weapons are capable of mortality, and you should understand that … As a man trained in firearms, you should know better. It will scare the bejeebers out of people.””

    And just like that, a CT judge just decided that he didn’t like the law. Based on that bias, and not on the letter of the law, he just bench-legislated the RKBA out of existence in CT. Just because he feels that the guy did something wrong.

    That judge should be removed and flung homeless into the cold. What a despicable person with no respect for the rule of law what so ever, a disgrace to his profession.

      • I don’t give a rat’s ass about CT’s also-unconstitutional “enhancement” scheme. It’s not complex. You’ve been manipulated into believing it’s complex. Also, seems to me it was “enhanced” based on a non-crime.

        Vote with your feet, CT.

      • Pascal is right. The article shows that the “fiery reprimand” mentioned in RF’s summary was actually directed to the prosecutor, who was asking for a lot more in the way of punishment than the judge thought appropriate. I have to say, I’m a bit disappointed in the way RF’s article is written. Disagree with the verdict, fine, but it looks like the judge was pretty much playing it by the book, not just by his prejudices.

    • James Ferry comes across as a stupid jerk. Did he regularly open carry? Had he been open carrying all day before going to the gym? No. He open carried only to visit the gym to “enhance” his face to face confrontation with they gym to get out of a contract he signed. Sorry, but Ferry got what he deserved.

      What’s unfortunate is that a immature jerk like Ferry caused such a legal precedent to be decided.

      Regarding moving to a more gun friendly state: voting with your feet is a legitimate way to register your support (or not) of many social and legal issues, including 2A rights. Unfortunately, most of us it is not a realistic option to move. Should any of us face the prospect of a major move, I’m sure 2A considerations (not to mention taxes and debt) would be major factors.

  15. This article addresses the unfortunate reality of Democracy. Like it or not the people in power were elected by a majority. We can do all we want to fight it, but sometimes its best to cut bait. You have to weight what it is worth to you though. Sometimes staying because we have a job that keeps food on the table is the choice we are forced into.

    The silver lining of it all, at least currently is that the places where this nonsense is “popularly elected” are on their way to Detroit status so sometimes greener pastures for gun rights also have more job opportunities, but still for some the uncertainty is too much.

    Its a vicious circle, Austin TX being the prime example, we are growing enormously and the job market is great but with the additional influx there ahs been a distinct blueing of the City/State culture. A lot of these people came from slave states only because the jobs were better, they still want their security blanket and social systems. They fail to see the disconnect that with those programs and laws come the crap they were running from. As a result, they pollute the well drop by drop. Thats why it is so important to stand and fight now while there is still a battle to win, while the popular opinion is still pro-gun/ low taxes/ low government. California and state like it will return eventually, generations who see things one way will die off and like a virus eventually the have nots will consume the host and then we can rebuild.

    • You raise good points. That’s why it’s all the more important for pro-gun folk in places like Austin to go out of their way to offer to take a transplant from one of the anti-gun states to the range. When you find out your new neighbor or co-worker is from California or Chicago or some other third-world shithole, offer them an opportunity to shoot your guns (better still if you pony up for the ammo and range fees, so their first experience with freedom is 100% positive). No better conversion method exists for bringing such people to our side. When they pull the trigger and ring the steel that first time, it’s worth an encyclopedia full of facts and figures.

      Most of the people from such places, I’ve found, aren’t really stridently anti-gun so much as they’re just brainwashed and haven’t put much thought into it. You steep in an anti-gun environment for long enough, and it just becomes “the way things are” to you.

      But if you are in Austin, don’t take them to Red’s… That’s not a great first range trip for anybody.

  16. It’s certainly not uncommon for high income, high profile people (conservative talk show hosts, athletes) or corporations to pull up steaks and head to more friendly territory for income tax purposes, and loudly tell the world why.

    But I’m afraid the liberals will never get it. States (like Illinois) that abuse and oppress their taxpayers and job creators with high taxes, oppressive regulations and blatant infringements on liberty, and continue to watch the mass exodus of citizens and employers, will blindly continue such self-destructive behavior until they have run their state into financial ruin. Then they’ll blame the greedy, evil corporations.

    And if you’re one of those people who moved into a state for economic reasons, you can move out for the same reasons just as easily. But it’s quite different if you’re making your living on a farm that’s been in your family for four generations. Or if you have aging parents nearby who need your help. Or if you have children and grandchildren who won’t (or can’t) relocate. Or if you have a specialized job with a specialized company and employment opportunities in your chosen field don’t exist elsewhere.

    Sometimes, standing and fighting is the only option.

  17. “Arizonans do not face the de facto ban on carrying a firearm…” My state, a free state(more free than CA/NY) is frickin awesome.

  18. Someone too stupid to understand a fitness club contract is too stupid to own a firearm. I think he got what he deserved and this Is a bad example of open carry, 2A rights violation.

  19. Former Mass. resident. I wrote and called my state reps, I wrote and called my state senators, I testified at hearings. Mostly for naught. I got sick of wondering if my permit would be revoked for “suitability”. I got sick of events like going back into a carbon monoxide filled house to make sure everything was locked up properly before calling the fire department. I got sick of having three brands of handguns to choose from instead of hundreds. I got sick of knowing that if the “supreme loser” from California had got into that sorority house, they would have rammed through a SAFE act in 10 seconds. I got sick of knowing that it will likely happen. I got sick of knowing that there is no recourse in the state courts for any gun related restrictions, only at the federal level. I got sick of being blamed for the actions of dorchester gangbangers by worthless losers like Yvonne Abraham, John Rosenthal, and other gun grabbers. And I finally got sick of knowing that no elected official in my state, on any level, state local, federal, represented me in any way. So I took a 30k loss on my house, doubled my commute, and I regret neither.

  20. From the linked article: “The case drew attention earlier this year because Mahon initially found it impossible to pick a jury after a large number of those on the panel at the time said they would feel uncomfortable hearing evidence about a man with brain injuries carrying a gun…”

    Really? This is what our society has come to? We’re so soft now that people faint at the possibility of hearing about someone just carrying a gun? Good lord.

    Nuke that town from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.

  21. I live in an extreme anti-gun state (Maryland) and after years and years of fighting, I’ve pretty much given up. The politics in the state are such that an expressed pro-2A candidate cannot get elected to statewide office and could never ascend to a leadership role in the legislature. I’m moving in the spring.

  22. Left NY for VA. The increase in freedom, not just for firearms, is exhilerating. One of the best decisions I have ever made. I understand and appreciate the stand and fight viewpoint, but in a macro sense I looked at my move as a tactical withdrawal. I’m on much better ground to carry on the fight. On a micro level I did what I needed to make sure I lived the way I wanted to and what a great choice it was. FUAC.

  23. Being a conservative minority in a liberal area just means you are paying to promote statism. You will never have a voice and you will get screwed out of more than gum rights. High taxes and restricted property rights will be our lot. You will be supporting the liberal dream as the Electoral College will work against your beliefs. You will be paying for liberal government and politicians.

  24. The debate here about moving pits principle against tactics.

    In principle we all want to stand our ground and fight. It is the ultimate expression of a “free man” and sometimes that feels really good. And sometimes that guarantees our demise.

    Tactically, we should never fight a battle on our enemy’s terms or a battle that we cannot win. Rather, we should “live to fight another day”. It doesn’t feel good. Yet sometimes it is necessary to survive and win the long war.

    So where does this take us? Staying and fighting in states like California, New Jersey, or Connecticut is the right thing to do in principle, and the wrong thing to do tactically. There is a supermajority of rabidly anti-gun voters, politicians, bureaucrats, and judges in those states. Pro-gun laws, referendums, and constitutional amendments will take at least a generation if they ever happen at all. While pro-gun disposition of lawsuits happens occasionally, they are few and far between. And failed lawsuits strengthen and embolden the state.

    There are extremely important tactical advantages to moving to any of the 42 pro-gun states. For one thing, the more obvious, visible, public, and “normal” gun culture is, the less likely that rabidly anti-gun people will move into those states. Pro-gun states also provide concrete, undeniable proof that the good armed people of the state are responsible and trustworthy and that violent crime decreases rather than increases. Most importantly, the pro-gun states are raising the next generation of responsible and politically active pro-gun people who will continue the momentum into the future.

    Let me make this real. Had my ancestors chosen to “stay and fight” in WWII Europe they would have been wiped out and I would not exist. Why did my ancestors beat feet? Because they knew that standing their ground was suicide. As a result of their decision, I am here today … one of the next generation … standing my ground and fighting and doing it in a tactically sound way.

    • There is one problem with this strategy at the state-level. Let’s say thousands of freedom loving gun owners move to states like Arizona, bolstering the already pro-freedom stance of that state. Not only do states like CA end up with even more of a majority of anti-freedom gun haters, but the representatives they send to the house at the national level end up even more staunchly anti-gun without any resistance.

      A retreat from these larger states with higher populations could lead to things being changed at the national level more easily, which is also a threat to states like Arizona. At that point, the only defense would be for those states to go against the Federal government (which could happen, like Kansas).

      Moving may be a decent strategy at the state level, but we might be giving up too much influence at the national level in doing so.

      • Pro-freedom people moving to free states increases the population of those states, thereby increasing the number of electoral college votes and the number of representatives that state sends to congress and weakens the blue state.

      • Misnomer,

        “… the representatives they [states like California] send to the house at the national level end up even more staunchly anti-gun without any resistance.”

        No way. Boxer and Feinstein are perhaps the most staunchly anti-gun politicians to ever hold office. And even if someone replaces Feinstein who is somehow more anti-gun, how is that going to hurt anything?

        “A retreat from these larger states with higher populations could lead to things being changed at the national level more easily …”

        Again, no way. Hawaii, California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and northeastern Illinois are going to keep sending the same number of anti-gun politicians to office no matter what we do. We need to shore up “purple” states like Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and others who have pretty good gun laws at the state level but have a tendency to send anti-gun senators to Washington D.C. A majority of pro-gun senators guarantees no more anti-gun laws. And a majority of pro-gun senators means the President must appoint pro-gun supreme court justices.

  26. There are historical parallels that give us reason for hope. If you lived in America during the 1920’s, a time of National Prohibition’s more stringent enforcement, you would have found yourself facing very similar social conditions. The only real difference was that, instead of gun-control, the issue was about “demon rum”. If you look at the history, you’ll find the same kinds of self-serving politicians, morally superior activists (the Temperance Union ladies made Shannon and the Moms look like rank amateurs), judges issuing harsh politicized judgments, and a generally pissed-off population. Although it took a lot of years, Prohibition finally collapsed under its own weight: the administrative costs of administering a wildly unpopular law simply became unsustainable during the Great Depression when the country decided the lost profits from whiskey sales were more important than the moral objections of Prohibitionists. Same thing happened decades later with the 55 mph speed limit. So, there’s reason for hope. This, too, will pass. Well, probably, it will pass.

  28. I think this illustrates pretty clearly some things that Tyler has brought up previously, namely that when you are carrying, especially openly, you need to be calm and polite. I suspect the guy in this case was neither. Having been on the receiving end of such BS contracts (they were using a collection agency as their billing department) I can understand how incredibly infuriating it can be. These people do everything in their power to make your life miserable if you want to cancel. Because of that, this was a case where he probably should have thought his actions through a bit more. The sentencing was certainly excessive, and the permanent loss of his rights even more so, but at least some probation probably was warranted. This is why I like my three rules of carrying:

    1. If you need to carry, carry concealed.
    2. If you have to carry openly, don’t be an a$$hole.
    3. If you have to be an a$$hole, don’t carry.

    • “Having been on the receiving end of such BS contracts”

      Now that’s funny, right there.

      Here’s a clue: If you think the contract is BS, don’t sign it. As Ann Landers used to say, no one can take advantage of you without your permission.

  29. RF,

    I think you have some basic factoids wrong in your writeup:

    It appears that this incident occured in West Goshen, PENNSYLVANIA, which is near West Chester, PENNSYLVANIA.

    So, unless my google-fu is broken, this is not strictly speaking an issue with CT’s draconian gun laws.
    Which in my mind, leaves some elements uncertain.
    1. There is not enough info in the articles to know how he actually acted. Going to the place of business and standing there staring at them while clearly showing his legal and holstered pistol is pretty close to harassment, if thats what occured. If instead he just was going there to attempt to negotiate some reduced price to leave, was just going there to talk, and just happened to be open carrying, that’s a different.
    2. If the guy acted this menacingly in any other 2A-abiding state, who’s to say he wouldn’t have recieved a similar sentence?

  30. I would have expect that soon after a mass shooting that there would be more incentive to carry.

    one of my issues with the article and case is that it is implied his behavior would have been acceptable of he had not had a firearm. Maybe the judges opinion address.

  31. I’m neutral on this one. I wouldn’t defend this guy from the information presented. But I do agree about living in a crappy state(Illinois). That being said it’s not economically feasible to move a mile away to Indiana. And I get being pi##ed at health clubs. I wouldn’t wear a gun to a dispute(or do I “misunderstand”)?

  32. basically, when the government puts you in jail for acting in an entirely legal manner, they have crossed the boundaries of tyranny.

  33. CT does not have a “Concealed Carry Permit” – it has a “Handgun Permit” which is necessary to purchase, own, carry concealed and carry openly a handgun. Though open carry is legally permitted (and lately judges have had to bench-slap cops who don’t know that), it is generally frowned upon in urban areas. My instructor advised against it.

    All of which is sort of irrelevant in the state of Pennsylvania where this apparently occurred.

    • Ed not to you but to whoever stuck this video here??
      I don’t know what follow up was done in regards to the FTF in your 380.
      In my Sig P238. 200 rounds no FTF or light strikes at all.
      Now failure to feed in my Non ramped 1911 9mm was another story,
      Due to the shape of the rounds bullet it can and does occasionally hang up if the flats of the cross shape for lack of another word.
      Aren’t lined up in the mag during loading. Or using a mag that doesn’t present the bullet at a fairly high profile to the barrels throat can lead to a hang up on the barrels hood.
      That said its better in a ramped gun then a non ramped barrel. It doesn’t have a 100% round nose profile.
      Its 50 50 as to how the round is slammed into its given barrel. A flat edge can and is just a no go into battery sometimes.

      • Jay, you were shooting the Lehigh Defense Xtreme Penetrator (LDXP)? I need to take my wife’s P238 down and give that a test run. I WANT this ammo to work. I can shoot everything else with no problems.

        Anyway, it truly was a happy coincidence that I happened to move to a very pro-2A state 🙂

        • Ed, thanks for the input, I have bought some but haven’t fired any yet. The test here didn’t mention failure to fire, but I bought .380 and .38 Spl, will test both. Not 200 rounds worth, though, it’s too damn expensive!

  35. This is a clear violation of the 8th amendment.

    The judge admitted that he was well within his legal authority to carry the handgun into the gym that day, and acknowledged that he never made any threats or put anyone in danger, but still punished him for an act that was legal, but made people fear for their safety. There is a constitutional right to arm one’s self, there is absolutely no law that I know of that makes it a crime for someone to scare you. If so, I’m scared of priuses. They don’t make enough noise and put me in danger when I walk due to my hearing loss. Also, athiests scare me because they are teaching our children that there is no God and that places their souls in danger. Can they go to jail for that?

    (no. they can’t. Because it’s not illegal to scare people, and I’m not a painsy who calls the cops when someone does something that’s scary.)

    • Actually, to a large extent, it IS illegal to “scare people”, in pretty much every state in the Union, at least under some circumstances.

  36. Easy to say move. Some of us have jobs that could never be duplicated in places like Az., Fl. or other pro-gun states. I’ll stay and fight in NJ. Somday I’ll leave, but not today.

  37. I’m moving, and I’m only considering the most pro-gun states of the most pro-gun country in the first world, the USA. Like Charles Heller of the Arizona Citizens Defense League, I’ll be able to call myself a political refugee. Arizona is a great state with lots of land for shooting and no state has better weapons laws, but I don’t know if it’s the best place for me due to economic considerations, as I’m currently seeking training to become an smallholding organic farmer on a homestead. I need to consider climate, soil, availability of land, and especially what the market is like as I’d likely want an upper middle class urban market to purchase my relatively expensive premium foodstuffs. I have been very happy living in extremely remote places, but I’d have a higher quality of life if there were a lot of yuppies nearby I could drive to who would happily pay $30 for a chicken that I’d raised kindly and with respect. In most small towns I’d be lucky if what I could sell a chicken for was equal to the cost of raising one.

  40. The interesting thing is, with the rise of telecommuting and remote work, it’s going to become easier to move to a pro-2A state, if your career allows you to do so.

    That being said, not everyone is “turned off” or aware of the firearms scene in a state when they move there. Florida is a great example. People move to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach for the weather and the beaches, and later on realize that Florida is a strong pro-2A state. For the most part, they deal with it and get on with their lives (or even go through the process of getting a CWFL and firearm) so it’s kind of a win-win in that regard. However, on occasion, sometimes we get some carpetbaggers down here, who try to bring their ideas of law and order to our fair shores. We must be cautious. People have a habit of changing their environment to suit them, not adapting to an existing environment.

    • Thankfully so far for an area being overrun by North Easterners. Palm Beach and Broward County Im speaking for.
      Dade is lost to the 3rd world sorry.
      Most sit back, shut up and enjoy their golf game.
      They don’t see or feel much in the way of a gun life down here.
      We don’t hide it.
      We just don’t flaunt it. Since we have no open carry, till someone tries some crap.
      We put them in their place and it goes away.
      The State backs us up here.
      Now that Preemption got its claws back.
      The State was gone for awhile but are back in full force here.

      • There is a firearms and gun scene in Dade County. I know plenty of enthusiasts and professionals who promote the hell out of their vocation and hobbies. Sure, you aren’t going to find a pro-2A person on South Beach, but once you cross the bridges into the Real Miami, there’s pro-2A people and businesses by the bucketload.

        And First World, Second World, or Third World, if they want to learn how to responsibly use and enjoy a gun, I’m all for it. I think one of the best things we can do is encourage people from all walks of life to learn about, use, and own a firearm. The minute a gay or lesbian person defends themselves successfully with a firearm, I’ll gladly contribute to the media blitz, just to watch (with glee) as the antis all collectively faint, and scramble to figure out how to bash the gun owner without stepping on a political-correctness landmine.

        “But-but-but gun owners are all old fat racists!”

        “Well, yesterday, a black lesbian around the corner from me shot a home invader attempting to rape her…”

        OK, I went off on a tangent there for a minute.

        Anyways, I wouldn’t write Dade off as a lost cause for pro-2A. Off the Beaches and Downtown, it goes fairly pro-2A really fast. And when you are down south, you wouldn’t even know you were in Dade.

        The one nice thing about a lot of the antis around here though is that they can’t be bothered to vote. They piss and moan on Facebook and that’s about the extent of it.

    • He was right about the US being the last place on earth, but he missed the memo the game was over for the US in 1912.

  42. Left my home state of NY 10 years ago for NC. Bought my first ever gun….a rifle, soon after. I now have quite the collection and love it. Proud to be an American.

  43. This article is dishonest and inaccurate on several levels. Running from problems(ie moving) is not an option for most people, and rarely if ever solves anything. Where will people run to when there is there nowhere left to run? Also, using terms like “slave” states is almost offensive. We are all slaves to the system for another matter, who’s kidding who? Articles like this with all the T&A articles make this site difficult to take seriously sometimes. Not to be a dick, but it makes me question the motives and credibility of the site itself.

    • “Not to be a dick, but …”

      Typically, when people say that, that’s precisely their intent, like, “I like the 2nd Amendment, but…”

      If you don’t like the site, nobody’s holding you here at gunpoint and it doesn’t cost you anything to find another and you don’t have kids in school here or a house you’d need to find a buyer for or anything, so let the door hit you in the ass or not as it suits your fancy.

      • Perfect response, very typical of any criticism here, the leave if you don’t like it. This site is clearly a Trojan horse, pretending to defend 2a rights all the while helping chip away at the perception of it as being a right, and pushing the perception that it is a privilege. You will likely disagree but I couldn’t care less, I frequent the articles here to see first hand how well the social engineering and propaganda is working with the alleged gun crowd.

  44. Unfortunately, some states that are very pro-2nd amendment tend to be anti-freedom in other areas.

  45. I may be misinformed, but feel that the economy drives a lot of this stuff. If MDA was worried about getting food for their kids, guns become a moot point. So I boycott ALL, that I know of, companies in the gun grabbing States.

    The latest one was Consumer Affairs, based in NY. I also call and tell them why I, and my friends and acquaintances are boycotting. As you see it isn’t just the gun manufacturers based in those States.

    Wish NRA would create a form letter to send to every one of those national companies and lawmakers of their States. Hurt them in the wallet!

    Keep the faith!

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