All Americans should be able to walk into a store, buy a gun, buy some bullets, insert the bullets into the gun, place the firearm on their person and walk out. Just like that. Of course, I would NEVER suggest that criminals or mentally challenged people should be able to buy a gun. Protecting the weakest members of our society from the strong is what separates us from despotic governments and/or total chaos. Or so I’m told. Anyway, a concealed weapon a bit like Furry Fandom: if you don’t understand, it it’s not for you. I repeat: a hidden gun is not for everyone (although God knows we have enough of them to go ’round). Here are three reasons why you shouldn’t carry a gun . . .

1. Your Threat Level is Low

Guns are dangerous. As you mother would say, you can put your brains out with one of those things. That said, if guns weren’t dangerous, they wouldn’t be much use. There’s only one good reason to take the risk and carry a gun: the danger of not carrying a gun is greater than the danger of carrying a gun.

Good luck making that calculation.

To complete a personal threat assessment you have to crunch more variables than Apollo 13’s flight planners. (And we all know how that turned out.) You have to consider your income level, neighborhood, the monetary value of your possessions, your known and unknown associates (i.e. your associates’ associates), your travel habits, recreational drug use and on and on.

And then what? Determining when your risk level justifies a concealed weapon is about as easy as determining when it’s time to give up blue jeans or blond hair dye. Have a look around. Plenty of middle-aged people missed that moment by decades.

Some people come at the “to carry or not to carry that is the question” question from the lightning bolt perspective. They understand that encountering a threat necessitating a firearm is less likely than getting hit by a bolt of lightning. But they want to be prepared for the worst. Especially when it comes to their family.

As is their right. Who am I (or you or the government) to ban concealed carry because the risk of a spree killer taking out someone’s progeny is a thousand times less than the chances that their child will be killed or seriously injured in a car accident? As far as I know, not one of the framers of the U.S. Constitution was a statistician.

Then there’s the other side of the equation: the danger posed by having a gun on your person and, thus, around your house, hotel room, car, etc. Gun control folks have this one right: you can’t have a negligent discharge from a non-existent gun. Common sense says concealed carry increases a firearm’s inherent danger by upping palm time with your weapon (so to speak).

Your gun storage and handling skills, or lack thereof, are key to our calculations. Will you put your gun away in a locked safe EVERY TIME? Will you ALWAYS check the chamber EVERY TIME you handle the weapon? Will you KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER AND THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION 24/7?

Again, you may not be the best person to make that call. Show me someone who says “I’m unsafe around guns.” Someone? Anyone? Bueller?

As I said at the start, I’m not in favor of deferring this “shall I carry concealed?” decision to the police or a duly elected or appointed member of our federal, state or local government. But if your threat level and/or firearms experience are both minimal, give serious thought to not carrying a concealed weapon.

2. You’re Not Prepared to Train

If you’re beginning to get the idea that concealed carry is PITA that requires significant commitment, true dat. Not shooting someone you shouldn’t shoot in the normal process of storing and handling your weapon is just the half of it. The other half is not shooting the wrong person if you DO use your gun.

Or shooting the right person in the wrong place. Or not shooting the right person soon enough. Or too soon. Or not being able to shoot anyone because you forgot to take the safety off. There are dozens of ways to screw up a gun fight. And lose.

Training is the only way to minimize your potential F Ups. I’m not talking about standing still and firing a gun at a paper target. For example . . .

In a gunfight, the first best hit wins. Logic says you’ve got to actually get your gun out from your holster, in your hand and aimed in the right direction. So why aren’t all these concealed carry folks practicing their draw? I have yet to see a civilian practicing drawing their carry gun from a concealed holster at the American Firearms School.

Bottom line: if you’re not going to train the how, what, when, where and why of concealed carry, maybe you shouldn’t do it.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m all about the right to bear arms. Hundreds of thousands of poorly trained people do it every day. I’m entirely open to the possibility that it may be better to have a gun than not—even if you’re clueless on the gunfighting front.

But it may not. People tend to get pissed off when you shoot them. Cops aren’t the only ones who get shot with their own gun. You could shoot yourself.

Anything worth doing is worth doing well. If you’re not prepared to do the concealed carry thing well, given the risks, maybe you shouldn’t.

3. You’re pro gun control

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has not one but several armed bodyguards. As does New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Both staunch advocates of gun control have helped their supporters get otherwise unobtainable concealed carry permits. That ain’t right.

Nor is it right for someone who believes in gun control to carry a concealed weapon. It’s the worst sort of hypocrisy—the sort that has life-threatening consequences for other people.

You gotta walk the talk. Otherwise, your whole belief system is a complete and utter sham. You have no credibility whatsoever, on anything, ever. Just like a politician. You wouldn’t want that would you?

As for those who espouse gun control lite—favoring only those gun control laws that don’t exclude them from concealed carry—try again. Before you strap on a deadly weapon, use your experience to gain a better understanding of the purpose of the Second Amendment, and the motivations of those less financially or intellectually gifted than yourself who seek to exercise their right to bear arms.

At the end of the proverbial English day, a concealed carry gun is an enormous responsibility. In many places in these here United States, you have the freedom of choice. Carry or don’t carry? Don’t discount either possibility.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

85 COMMENTS

  1. OK, at least one of your reasons makes sense. Although why anyone would actually be pro-gun control is something I just never figured out.

    Your reason #1 holds no water, unless you can get everybody who might present some sort of threat of death or serious bodily injury to schedule an appointment with you. It's not that the overall threat level is low – it ought to be if society is operating properly. It's that on the one unscheduled occassion you run into you will need it right then, right there, not some time in the future. It's like wearing your seatbelt, or the spare tire in youur trunk or the fire extinguisher in your kitchen. You do wear your seatbelt even when you are not planning to crash you car, don't you?

    stay safe.

    • I’m not arguing with anyone, I only read this because my girlfriend is determined to get a ccw and reason #1 is exactly why I think it’s a bad idea. Its the risk vs reward equation, just like the article is talking about. Playing the odds is what I live by and unless I plan on walking around in the woods or camping in northern Michigan where I live, the odds of ever needing a gun is so minimal that it’s almost embarrassing to be carrying one. The odds of forgetting to put it away and our kids getting ahold of it or an accidental discharge is extremely unlikely, but still much more likely than any scenario that people daydream about being in, people seem paranoid and full of shit, unless they live in a terrible neighborhood, only then would I think that it’s a valid choice.

      • It’s easy to see who has the balls in this relationship.

        Tell us, do you wear your seat-belt every time you go for a drive?

        After all, your chances of being in a serious auto crash are vanishingly small. Even in the days when few cars had as much as a lap-belt, the vast majority of drivers were never killed, maimed or even seriously hurt.

        Do you have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen? Why? Only a small fraction of houses will ever burn down.

        No need for a smoke detector, either.

        And I really hope you didn’t waste your time with CPR or a first aid class. What are you, some sort of pretend paramedic, hoping you’ll have the chance to tie someone up in tourniquets and bandages like a sick Japanese porno?

        • Those are all deeply flawed analogies. Neither seat belts, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, or practicing CPR has anywhere near the intrinsic danger of a firearm. I don’t think anyone here is advocating against preparing for emergencies. However, at some point you at least need to look at the possibility that the risk involved in the preparation is worse than what you’re trying to prevent. That’s not about balls, that’s just about being smart.

        • “Neither seat belts, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, or practicing CPR has anywhere near the intrinsic danger of a firearm.”

          And what intrinsic danger is that?

          The analogy holds because these are all tools used for risk mitigation. Your assumption that a firearm is intrinsically dangerous is flawed; misuse of the firearm is dangerous, just as misuse of a seat belt, fire extinguisher or CPR would be.

          In other words, it is not the tool that is intrinsically dangerous. It requires misuse by the person handling it for a firearm to become dangerous.

        • awesome (Sarc) on that one.

          of course we prepare for all we can, not because we live in fear but to be prepared.

          1. i got trained far beyond EMT levels just short of performing surgery. can do that for most bullet wounds if needed.
          2. keep in car change of clothes, emergency bag including IV and surgical supplies…. have had to use them 5 times to help people sense 1991. 2 times if i had not had those supplies 2 people would have died before EMTs arrived.
          3. i Conceal Carry(outside nj) UnChambered(chambered only in high crime or if carring a money bag to bank from office) but practice at minimum weekly to draw, rack, shoot in under 1sec at 3″ targets at 10yrds. never miss. also will never have an ND Ever.
          4. yes we have Solar power with generator, and battery backup. live in mountains, you need it.

          we should all be as prepared as we can tolerate/afford. and as skilled as your brains will allow, no skill is ever stupid.

          oh 1st aid tip, small pouch with a few clotting agents and 1 large gauze bandage can save lives. never remove shrapnel or a knife if your not trained to know if its safe to remove. clotting agent and pressure can give the victim presious time till EMTs arrive. when you call 911 ask what to do, most will connect you with an EMT on staff to walk you through what is needed based on what you have on hand. if you dont ask and give only needed details, you will not get the best assistance. the more they know, the more prepared and less time it takes to save a life, it could be you.

          one of those 5 lives was my own. without my kit, i would have died 15 years ago at the bottom of a rockface.

        • Your chances of getting into a serious auto accident are actually quite high.
          Being in a car is highly dangerous.

          Carrying a gun is also highly dangerous.
          Almost all scenarios where it would save you are pure fantasy (probably from watching too much tv and movies).
          I recently had a guy try to rob me at gunpoint. I was unarmed and simply chased him away. He threw away the gun as I chased him and the cops got him.
          Had I had a gun, the whole situation could have been quite different with one or both of is possibly being shot.
          If someone pulls a gun on you, what do you do? It is too late to use yours. Either pull yours out and get shot or, if the attacker is unarmed, you pull one out and cause a murder. Either way, the situation becomes out of control.

      • Dude, it’s like carrying a condom, better too have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. Have faith in your girl, my dad carry’s and he’s never hurt himself. Hell, I have 2 guns in my room and I’ve yet to shoot myself. Common sense is key. Guns are nothing to be scared of, trust me. Besides, it’s not your decision, it’s her’s. So let her carry if she wants, she’ll be fine.

        • Thanks to our pro-Islamic terrorist, pro-illegal alien criminals, pro-black criminals, and anti-Christian conservative President who has lowered the bar for getting a gun by exponentially raising the threat level, I think it’s time to rethink some of those risk factors that were not there back when this article was written.

          With epidemics in mob violence, aka black-on-white attacks; e.g., “The Knockout Game,” “Polar Bear Hunting”, and “Kill Whitey Night”, white people – especially the elderly – are at a greater risk of beig a victim today than at any time in the past.

          I would prefer not to carry and have a gun only for home defense and inm SHTF scenarios. But, maybe getting a CWP and investing in doing 30 minutes of training every day as part of a personal workout routine might be the answer.

          But, it raises the question of “How many guns will you need to cover all possible scenarios?”

          Carrying concealed means getting a small sized gun accurate enough at defensive distances that you can wear comfortably in all types of weather and in all places.

          However, it may not be big enough for a home defender given the little room for a tac light if you also have a laser on it. Home break-ins are on the rise and the number of perps involved has increased as well. Three-person home invasions are getting to be more common, which means you may need to consider a full-size handgun with greater mag capacity and accuracy, a shotgun, and/or a rifle.

          If cost is a major issue, an inexpensive CCW in 9mm or .40sw along with an inexpensive 12 gauge at home might be the most you’ll ever need.

          Then again, there are other self-defense weapons that are not handguns and do not carry the load of liabilities associatd with them – things like knives, pens, batons, stun guns, pepper spray, and others.

          But, situatrion awareness and incident avoidance are the two most important things everyone must learn and practice irrespective of whether they have an SD weapon with them, can improvise one, or be totally empty-handed.

          One CCW holder can stop a lot of crime from happening without ever needing to pull the trigger. The sight of a gun has deterrent value. On the other hand, if there is a terrorist attack, an active shooter, or any scenario where the only thing that will save lives is a good guy with a gun, you can either pray that one will be on the scene if you happen to be there, too, or be that guy if worse comes to worse.

          I think it’s a dangerous thing to imagine yourself as a gun-carrying hero who “saves the day” because it may never happen except as a self-fulfilling prophesy. On the other hand, if there is a clear and present danger where you intend to be, eikther stay away or come prepared.

          Given there are differewnt levels of threat ansd different threat scenarios, the advice yhou often hear said to CCW’s is be prepared to carry it every day and wherever you go. This seems counterintuitive unless you live in the inner city and stepping outside your house or car is risky. So, no, I disagree about the need to have an EDC unless you know it’s worse to not have an EDC.

          Unfortunately, the SHTF scenarios are becoming too much of a reality given how many i ndicators are pointing towards an economic collapse, a race war, a terrorist attasck at a mall or other soft target – so many things that were unthinkable even in the wake of 9/11.

          I hope that the future does not lead to a point where everyone will have a need to be packing. If that day comes, and I hope to God it doesn’t, itr won’t matter if your printing, if your gun is the size of a duty pistol that has to be carried on a belt holster. It won’t matter because what will matter is having something – anything – that will stop a threat or multiple threats at a distance that you cannot run away from.

          Your legs and not your gun hand, may be the first thing that goes into action. Again, incident avoidance is Job #1 after situational awareness detects a threat.

          My motyto is: “Whatever you decide to do, learn to do it right all of the time.”

        • This is an old post but still the same content for anyone learning safety.I am a former trained Marine.Range Instructor.I have had my license as long as it has been legal to obtain.Conceal carry is fine takes more confidence and knowledge of firearms and practice to use all of them, every gun you own..That is mandatory for safe use.One point I would like to make .My son and I have had many discussions about this.Conceal carry as opposed to Open Carry.Most of the time no one really knows that you are carrying a concealed weapon. It,As you have said takes twice the amount of practice to actually not shoot yourself taking it out of its holster.It hangs up in the holster, most of the time and you have to deal with that problem in a matter of seconds to be effective.Open carry. I would think I am the first target to be eliminated if some idiot decides to go on a rampage.Knowing that, also takes knowledge of handling your weapon.Practice is always in demand.That does not mean everything will work as you suppose it will It probably wont..You must prepare for these problems.One is your clothing.But, out of respect it takes total concentration, to do, and react to the actions properly.PRACTICE always ,but expect for things to go wrong and adapt and overcome the problem.Thanks for the information I love to read everything I can to be to better prepare myself against the incompetence we will meet on a day to day basis.Semper-Fi USMC….How do you feel about CC or open C?

      • Patented: I would encourage her to get her CCW and to purchase a firearm if she feels that she needs it. However, I would also encourage her to study up on the legal aspects of shooting someone and make sure the gun is in a safe place as far as your kids are concerned. Good chance for you two to talk about all of this and make decisions together. After that you should go to the range with her and watch her shoot. Who knows, you might just end up getting a gun of your own. Your kids, depending on their ages, should also know about firearms, that they are NOT toys and that there are specific methods used to handle them in a safe manner. Most important that they NEVER handle them or have access to them when you are not around.

    • all the reasons given are pure stupidity anyone who buys a gun and gets ccw permit is certainly by all intents going to undergo training, i have a 30 foot range in my basement with a bullet trap target and practice draw and fire regularly and i believe any intelligent gun owner will do likewise in some degree. as for # 1 in todays world the threat level is just as high in downtown major city as on frontlines of afghanistan or iraq every damn thug gang banger on the street is carrying concealed illegally and may draw down on you and yours at any moment in broad daylight and you better be prepared to act in defense or die, they are killing children just for fun to see what it is like to get the rush of taking a life #3 is just plain stupid to the max every pro gun control advocate out there is a lying hypocrit they don’t want us to have guns so they can be in control only they and their hired guns will be allowed to carry people like oprah winfrey, bloomberg, feinstein

      • “…in todays world the threat level is just as high in downtown major city as on frontlines of afghanistan or iraq.”

        – Really? Really? Where the hell do you live? Roadside IEDs, suicide bombers, ‘foreign’ soldiers? All big / daily problems?

        • 4,000 murders a year in Chicago. Compare that number to how many Americans were killed in Kabul since the start of the war. And none of those 4,000 were killed by anything other than a handgun.

          EVERYONE SHOULD GET A CCW FOR THE LEGAL PROTECTION IT PROVIDES. IT GUARANTEES YOUR LEGAL RIGHT TO OWN A GUN EVEN IF YOU ONLY OWN A KEEP A GUN AT HOME FOR HOME DEFENSE AND NEVER TAKE IT WITH YOU.

          We all have the unalienable right to carry a gun, but we still require legal ammunition to preserve that right and ourselves from the zealous anti-gun freaks

      • So if someone draws on you, what do you do? Pull out your gun, then you get shot. Can you shoot a bullet out of the air?
        It is pure macho fantasy.

    • Guns are dangerous- every year trained police are killed with their own guns. Even they can have a gun taken away from them. A civilian who is absent minded, who misplaces his keys once a week, or maybe has kids running in and out of his house every 5 minutes probably shouldn’t carry.

      I carried for about 3 years when I worked in a bad neighborhood in Philly. How bad? The city bought the building I worked in and made it into a police sub-station to clean up the hood. Before that happened I carried various guns- usually a .380- later a 5 shot .357. When OJ’s verdict was announced I had a Taurus PT92 and several magazines in case a riot broke out (doesn’t seem so crazy now with Baltimore on fire)

      I got a new job in the burbs – didn’t carry. Got another job in Jersey- didn’t carry (NJ only allows criminals to carry)

      Now- I have a new job in a rough section of Philadelphia- have a carry form ready to go–

      • Cars are dangerous. Over 33,000 people are killed by cars every year. So, by your logic, nobody shuold drive. BTW, far more people are murdered every year by “unarmed teens” than by AR-15’s or AK-47’s.

        Hands are dangerous weapons, too.

        • More people die from hammers and knives than guns every year. Gun shots, in neighborhoods that aren’t like mine, probably are rare. Most criminals who are going to kill you just use a gun on someone to force them to be helpless. And they do what they want with his girl, friend, kids, whatever and strangle him or whatever.

          I agree with one thing that this guy said… about how people don’t train to be the fastest gun in the west. When a gun is in a holster, and a bad guy sees it(especially how Texas just passed the open carry law), you’re giving up your hand. If someone doesn’t know you have a gun, you have the edge. It’s like a knife. Bad guys usually have weapons if they confront you unless it’s when it’s a four or five on one situation… a knock out game perhaps. Or anything like that… flash mobs. The media are not quick to cover these and how they should be hate crimes but a trouble teen who’s big for his size and fights all the time gets shot by a white cop or whatever… RIOT! I still refuse to carry a gun with me… I have two beasts of dogs, and since I don’t want them to be protection(they’re my boys)I have knife that’s freaking too dangerous. Used to have a butterfly knife just to scare or distract anyone or any pack of dogs so they wouldn’t get eaten by my pit and rott.

          People should start carrying guns though; if these wannabe gangsters who can’t fight one on one, attack without being provoked, and you find yourself in a situation where you are very outnumbered(like that one guy who was beaten into a coma with half the crowd laughing while a few decent people tried to help and yelled for someone to call 911), you might as well put as many in the ground as you can before you are taken out. But if you carry you’re gun cause you’re scared, and it’s just one on one… pulling a gun makes you worse than the other dude. John Kreese at the Cobra Kai dojo could have taught you a thing or two.

        • If your a complainer dont carry a gun. If your relatively smart you will carry one.By the way a toothpick can kill you too.All are ineffective it is the Idiot behind the tool.

  2. Part #2 of my comment – Reason #2 is just so much hot air. If you think that cops train a lot, you are very sadly mistaken. They may fire for qualification as much as twice a year, but train? Not likely, beyond their academy days. It has been determined by various surveys (see John Lott and Mas Ayoob among others) that those who own firearms train more often than police go through firearms requalification. And even if they never trained, how does that enter into the dynamic? Cops have a "hit ratio" of less than 15% and are always being held as the exemplars of those who know how to shoot. As for your comment that you have never seen anyone at the American Firearms School draw from a concealed holster – have you inquired to see if there is a policy prohibitting it? Many ranges do not allow "draw and shoot" because of perceived liability issues. Those who are serious about their firearms training find ways and places to train exactly as you suggest they should.

    In closing – kudos for noting that it is as important to know where and when you should not shoot as it is to know how to shoot.

    stay safe.

  3. I own a pistol, I have a ccw, and I carry. just last week I put 200 rounds though my pistol practicing my draw.

  4. I’m not even going to touch the first two, because I’d be here for an hour or more picking your invalidities apart word for word, sentence by sentence. But on the topic of the 3rd repugnant argument you offer the more sensible majority of the world a peer into the lesser side. GUN CONTROL is not whatever any one person feels it is. That’s like saying they know what’s best for everybody. The method of pleasing the majority is finding an order that works effectively for more people with different situations. Not just yours. What do you consider gun control? Not carrying, only certain people carrying, not owning, only carrying with proper training, evaluations, or just abolishing the 2nd amendment? I can’t wait to find out how this fits in to your scheme of life, I always like hearing what anti-CCW folks have to say, but especially love hearing from those with strong feelings and weak thinking capabilities. Let me strap in and hear what you have to say, this is going to be great!

    PS. – I like how you address your readers with your points as if you knew them personally, but neither of your 3 arguments apply to the likes of myself. You don’t know who is willing to train, who is knowledgeable with firearms, who is stable to own or carry one, and you also don’t know how I feel about guns in general. Maybe you’re pro gun control, but everyone’s views as I’ve stated before differ on the topic of gun control.

  5. Plain and Simple, a well trained and well armed citizen is a criminal’s worst nightmare. It’s time America to stand up and protect yourself.

    I work as a corrections officer and I never my house without my sidearm. I conceal carry my weapon as not to frighten anyone.

    1 Your threat level is low? Guess that depends on what you do for living and where you live.

    2 Training? I have to qualify to carry my weapon at work. Guess I don’t really have to say much more. Carrying a gun means continual training and practice!

    2 Pro gun control? Gun control is hitting what you aim at!!!

    Just remember folks. People kill people, not guns.

  6. i dont beleive that people should have the right to conceal their weapons, like you said ” a hidden gun is not for everyone”. i dont belive that anyone has the right to hide their weapon. its dangerous, its wrong, and anyone/everyone is at risk and has the right to know if you have a gun on you or not. if you have a gun, it
    should be either on your belt or strapped to your thigh and in plain sight.

    • An open gun is safer than a concealed one?! How do you get to that conclusion?

      If you carry openly you might be the first guy the lunatic shoots. Every scumbag with eyes sees you have a gun- and might be tempted to take it -say maybe while you are getting on a crowded subway.

      Carrying concealed doesn’t alert criminals, and doesn’t upset the nice granny who sits next to you on the bus.

  7. Cody! Next time please use common sense before you make such an uneducated comment using on your own fear-based opinion. If concealing weapons was outlawed, the only people concealing weapons would be the criminals… and they would all know who to avoid. Use your brain!

    • Your input is so plain, simple and understanding. If they banned firearms. The only people that would have one would be the criminals they are who they are because thay don’t obey the law to begin with. you will be a walking target cause they would know your unarmed. I truly.truly,truly belive in gun knowledge! Safety first of course. But KNOW your gun inside and out.
      Practice often. Know you background. Just for practice unload your gun (check chamber) practice in your home on situations you may face. Know your trigger pull, so you won’t have accidental discharge. Know your saftey location. Clean and oil you’re gun, but don’t over oil especially the barrel. Protect yourself people!

  8. first off, I work for the federal government in a law enforcement position and can honestly say that the only individuals that train enough to shoot in any situation may be the army or marines. Navy, airforce, and most law enforcement agencies only have to shoot and qualify semi-annually. In such case, many ccw holders train far more often than law enforcement and probably more safe to carry than many law enforcement officers. In addition, most people do not want or cannot handle people carrying their firearm in the open. For example, the state of Colorado has open carry which many individuals choose not to open carry because of panic or the fact that many Americans are basically sheep. In all honestly most people do not really want to know the truth.

  9. I am 69 years old and was a Sniper in Viet Nam for 25 months and I have had CCW for well over 45 years I shoot on a regular schedule as I do all my own reloading and I have been trained here in the states also which I feel is important not to carry or to carry is a personal choice for me will carry period and if you who do not don’t call me when your life is in danger you are responsible for it not me……

    • Sad, idiotic and racist comments here. I am amused that the author thinks that anyone who is pro gun control should not be allowed to carry. We need even minor psychological evaluations before the purchase of guns, this is fact. If you are against this then you should not be allowed to own guns. And yes I own firearms myself.

  10. Hi – Belief in gun control is not a binary switch … Yes or no. I use guns all the time. I hunt with semi-auto shotgun and bolt action rifle. I plink with a .22 and occasionally carry a 9mm for self-defense when I feel I need to. At the same time, I don’t believe we need 100 round clips. I don’t believe we need fully auto machine guns. Most likely you don’t believe in everyone owning hellfire missles? If so, you believe in gun control too. As a nation, we should calmly argue and find the limits of gun control.

    • Jeff, you sound just like someone who watches too much TV, but not so much like a POTG…

    • The second amendment was intended to keep all arms under the control of the people, as well as individual right to self defense.Federal government is to large, and completely out of control of the people! Self defense, and concealed carry are individual choices, as they should be!

  11. Your first argument doesn’t even make sense for the police. There are many police officers that go their entire career without ever firing their gun on the job. So maybe we should just do like England and have most police men go unarmed…..you know just to play the odds safe

    • good example of police training and using their weapons 11 new york finest fired 43 rounds at one suspected criminal 8 bystanders were wounded 2 killed and suspect was hit once shows how much training the countries claimed finest police actually are equiped to deal with the stress of firing in self defense or offense

  12. Threat ratio? Let’s see…
    2 daughters – double check
    Granddaughter – great big bold font check
    Non-gated neighborhood – check
    Not agoraphobic (look it up!) – check

    Criminals don’t just rob in low income neighborhoods, middle-class and upper-class are just as likely to be robbed. Nor are hookers or drunk college girls the only women to be raped. And I might as well add that it’s not only women that are raped. You wanna talk about doing the math? Try looking up the statistics. Where you live has nothing to do with it, nor does where you travel. Sharon Tate lived in a nice house in a nice area, she was an actress and her husband was a director, Manson and his women still killed her and her friends (who traveled to her house). David Berkowitz killed in middle-class areas. Bundy killed at random but mostly college students. Gacy… Sure, have a clown come to your sons bday party and Gacy comes back and kills him. Let’s see, Pedro Lopez is most likely mowing someone’s lawn in the US, hope you don’t have any daughters.
    Basically, what I’m saying is there is always a threat, it doesn’t matter what color you are, what class you are, or where you travel. You can’t say do the math and not actually do the math. John Douglas, a former chief of the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit did the math and he said, “A very conservative estimate is that there are between 35 and 50 active serial killers in the United States” at any given time. That’s 1 for every state… Your state, my state, his state and her state.
    You do your math and choose not to carry.
    I’ll do my math and I choose to carry.
    One of us will change our minds before we die, and I’m telling you, I’m being buried with mine on my hip.

    • 2.
      My carry class was taught by a former military man and a current police detective who was a former competition shooter. He practices his draw in the mirror daily and urged us to do the same and I do! I practice standing up, sitting on my couch, laying in bed and sitting in my truck. When I’m shooting by myself, I also practice my draw from multiple positions laying down on the ground. I’m right handed but carry cross-draw due to a shoulder injury (that and doc holiday was my favorite western character when I was a kid so cross draw actually feels more natural since that was how I played with my cap gun as a kid). So when I practice drawing with my left hand (bad should gets real bad easily so I practice as if my shoulder is injured) and it seems easier since the gun is already on my left side. I generally go thru several hundred rounds each time I go. I have several hand guns so ammo recently hasn’t been as much of a pita to get enough of, I start with my carry and end with my carry using my other guns in between. The desire to shoot is part if owning a gun but it increases when you carry. Follow it and you get plenty of practice.

  13. I do agree with 3. Politicians who are anti 2nd ammendment should not have armed security.
    I am pro get the government away from my guns. I agree with the limitation of mentally ill people, alcoholics, drug addicts, rapists, child molestors and stalkers being able to own firearms. But to limit law abiding citizens from owning a certain type of gun or a certain capacity magazine is rediculous!

    • So please, tell me, what makes you a real man? What have you done for your country, your society, even your neighbors or your family? I’ve spent the past 9 years in the Marine Corps, with 5 combat deployments during my 6 years in special operations. With 2 deployments as a SOF sniper…. And the past decade, all I needed was to use my brain instead?
      Man…. Guess I have a lot of dead friends who should have used their brains instead of guns huh….

      I carry concealed in the U.S. as well, and my wife and daughter are happy that I do, because it saved their lives when a bad situation found us here as well.

      So I guess I’m not a real man then huh?

      • I don’t question Your manhood, good sir-just that Illegal Alien, Marxist White House Squatter who deploys you and your friends to places whwe have no business being. I’d much rather have you home stateside, guardiereng our far too porous borders. I just hope that you’re ready to protect the peonies from all enemies of our Constitutional Republic from the Tyrannical regime of Corporate “government that is the greatest threat to us all.

    • hey asshole realman i was air force special ops in nam,presently member of patriot guard ride a harley in all weather not just sunny days and i got 8
      ‘ peins so i dont figure i qualify as the coward u speak of nor of small penis hang ups but i carry every where i go because todays sick society is full of thugs who will kill just for laughs or because ur white or on the wrong street

    • Wow, that is about the dumbest statement I have read in a while. You do have some mental health issues for your irrational fear of weapons. The military carries guns into combat areas. Are you saying ALL of our servicemen have small penises? Police carry guns while on duty and off duty. Are you saying that male police officers have different sized penises, depending on whether or not they are on duty? The real question is, how would you know? Do you cruise public restrooms in an attempt to see what other men have in the pants? Dude that is quite illegal. Many men will punch your lights out for doing that.

      Harassment in an attempt to prove your point, is an old Leftist ploy. But I do suggest you seek help for your condition. The mental condition you have is called hoplophobia. It is a morbid fear of weapons. I have a friend who is a conservative, a gun owner and a homosexual. He can help you with your hoplophobia. He may also help you with your homophobia. He told me that many who suffer from the latter condition, strike out at others in an attempt to hide their true sexuality. The good news for you, is that Obama has made being gay an acceptable thing in this country, so brother, you’re free at last, free at last.

      Come on out of that closet and tell the world you are terrified of guns and you are gay. The chances are, you’ll probably have the crap kicked out of you by other closeted homophobes like yourself, then you’ll be robbed. No guns means no protection. An even greater fear than hoplophobia will grab hold of you. That is agoraphobia, the fear of open places. You’ll lock yourself indoors. Everyone will know you’re gay,and they’ll all be looking at you. Everyone will know you’re hoplophobic, so everyone will be looking at you, just waiting to rob you, because they know you are an easy target. Man, your life could really go downhill from there. My advice to you, is get a penile implant, so yours will be as big as those cowards with guns. You’ll still be hiding in your locked apartment, but at least you’ll have more to play with, to keep you occupied during those long lonely days. No need to thank me, I was glad to help.

      • Daniel,Your I would guess a homosexual.Gees, saying just that makes me feel dirty.I do not care for Gay people.They always freak out worse than a woman does.If I had a gun situation I would have to shut the gay guy up just to make a shot.Squeal like a child.If you are scared of guns dont go outside .If you are scared of guns dont go anywhere.Especially now all the killings.They would be a target no matter what because People hate and sometimes for no reason.You need to get over being scared.Go get a gun and free your self.Stop making yourself a target by the way you act.If you go out and walk like a sissy well someone will take advantage of you.If that is how you carry your self.All in All I would not run around with a rainbow Fag flag.If your man enough to out yourself well man up and do what you have to.The world has changed and you have to also.Stop crying about guns.Hell plenty of fags have them?

      • Sounds like your ready to help in more ways than one.POLICE with big penises? Service men Big Penises?Man you got PENIS on your mind.You must like BIG guns?

    • I guess I should have whipped out my penis when four of Obama sons tried to rob me in Birmingham Alabama. But somehow I don’t think it would have had the same deterrence value as my Browning Hi-Power.

  15. Its just pure logic. You carry a gun because it can make the difference between being a victim and being alive. You carry a gun because the mere fact that you could possibly have a gun reduces crime overall. You carry a gun because you have seen alot of movies where you think “Man, if they only had a gun they would be fine”. You carry a gun because you have something to protect. Did you know you are 6.5 times more likely to be accidentally shot by a police officer than a concealed carry holder? Did you know that when a mass shooting occurs, the average kill count is 14. When a concealed carry holder is present, that average drops to 2.5. Did you notice that mass shootings occur almost exclusively in places where concealed carry is not allowed? Civilians with concealed guns are a stabilizing force and anyone who disagrees, please just do a little research on places where they have taken away civilian weapons. Crime rates skyrocket as a result.

  16. I have been a firearms instructor since 1959, shot copetition since 1973(L.E. disciplines), I have been teaching CC classes in Missouri since its inception. I have come to the conclusion(my opinion) that many of the people who carry should not be carrying at all. This includes “some” LE people as well. I get a mix of of all kinds, ages, and mentalities. Unfortunately some do not have enough common sense to come in out of the rain and want to carry a gun. In my class the prerequisite is some firearms, handgun experience at least. Do people lie, boy do they! As soon as they hit the range to qualify, and our state qualification is a joke in my opinion. Some due to age or physical impairment cant handle or shoot a handgun(both revolver and semi in our requirements). They do not know how to load or unload a gun. They do not shoot, practice and still want to carry a handgun in the general public. If you try to talk them out of carrying they get insulted and angry.I have that right. True, but they have an obligation so they can be safe and not get themselves hurt or killed by someone else or their own hand.One other thing, the law does not require them to take a refresher and requalification once they take the initial course(8hours). Range time and qualifications is 40 rounds each gun. 20 to practice and 20 to qualify(15 hits on a B-27 target(anywhere) out of the 20 rds) to qualify, no time limit. They can borrow a gun if they dont even own one to use.Any calibre. Some come out with guns they own and have never fired, dont even know to load or unload it.Dont know if it has a safety or not(semi-autos). Difficulty in loading magazines, or cant load them at all. Some do not know how to open the cylinder on a revolver to load it, and they want to carry. I offer beginning classes as do many of the gun ranges, for safety, as well as shooting skills. Very few take it before taking the regular CC class.
    Some states-Utah, for one does not even require range time.Go figure. I believe in the 2nd ammend rights and am not by any means anti-gun, but some real changes need to come about for concealed carry guide lines and restrictions. People come in all different shapes and sizes. Age effects us all sooner or later. Being able to carry and use a firearm should be considered the same as driving a motor vehicle(some cases as evidenced in the news about uncalled for deaths and injuries related to age)should be tightly governed.As long as money is involved and politicians have controll on our laws and restrictions and public opinion that may effect their careers things will go on as usual. Carry and stay safe and shoot straight.

    • Well Said.

      I purchased my first motorcycle in 1977. Stopped riding for 15 years, then bought another 3 years ago. Took a “beginners” class with a friend getting his license just to keep him company. I learned more in two days than I’d learning “just riding” in all the years I’d been on a motorcycle. Took two more advanced courses and learned more. You have to practice and keep practicing skills that you don’t normally use (like panic stops). Eventually age will take over my ability to safely ride.

      Not much different from owning and handling a firearm.

    • ^^ Preach. When I decided to own and carry firearms (later in life, around 38), I was actually surprised at how little it took to acquire both the firearm and a ccdw permit. In our state (Kentucky), it’s really more about tithing to the state government than anything else, provided you can put 11/20 on a silhouette at 7 yards and stay awake through 4 hours of some state government underling reading statutes off of cue cards (which my instructor was more than casually dismissive of). I personally underwent 20 hours of private one-on-one instruction where I learned the tenets of situation awareness, a well-practiced draw and the ins-and-outs of firearm maintenance. I practice my draw with snap caps and put at least a few hundred rounds of range time in a week. Also, as a father, I bought a two safes – one for my (admittedly burgeoning) collection and a second for my “go-gun” if something went bump in the night. I’m proud to honor the rights I’ve been given as a citizen – and part of that pride is not abusing them and keeping in mind that, at the end of the day, it’s still a push-button life-ender. I meet all walks of people who are considerably softer on many of these points and I hope that they don’t ever learn the hard way that safety, training and just general don’t-be-a-friggin-dumbass-ness are part of the code

    • No state or Govt .has the right to make you take any class to carry a gun,,,,no permit can ever be a right.Who are you to tell anyone they can not carry a gun..Everyone should train. No Govt. has the right to be involved with this. All Govt. should do is issue every American citizen a full auto battle rifle and get out of our lives.This is the right relationship of a Citizen and his Government'”.It is the birth right of every American to own every terrible instrument of war that the soldier has” Tench Coxe signer of the Declaration and Constitution.

  17. In response to “Real Man”

    First of all, if you need to identify yourself as a “real man” I get the feeling you and possibly others have some doubt as to your gender identity as, I assume, a man. That must be very disconcerting. Help is available to aide you in getting over this problem.

    It seems you are suggesting with your comment that “guns are for cowards” that police officers and armed service personnel, to name a few, are cowardly. That’s not a nice thing to say to people who are putting their lives on the line for you. How ungrateful can you get. Often, people with a psychological problem known as Hoplophobia (an irrational fear of guns) deny this fear by mentally thinking of those with guns as cowards. Mental health people can help you get over this problem.

    So you think that to legally obtain a gun you must prove to the authorities that you have an extremely small penis? Really?? Are you that poorly informed? To enlighten you, in order to purchase a handgun, one would be well advised to not show the seller one’s genitals, whether man or women, since that would likely result in one’s arrest for indecent exposure and eventually being labeled a “sexual offender”. Instead, one fills out a form that is sent to the Federal authorities that they use to make sure that you aren’t a felon, deranged, a sexual offender (see above) etc. If you aren’t disqualified by this process then you may legally make the purchase. Also this statement again seems to indicate that you believe police officers and armed forces personnel ALL have tiny penises since they have guns. Even women in these professions? Really?? You seem to be indicating that being a “real man” totally depends on the size of the penis. This might be something you might want to get some guidance on, say from a doctor?

    Finally, you say that real men “use their brains”. For what? Putting down others? Labeling others who you don’t agree with with disgusting terms? This is your idea of using your brains? If you mean defending yourself in an actual confrontation with armed criminals intent on doing you or your loved ones great physical harm or death using your brain, just how does this work? Are you planning on shielding yourself and loved ones with your head (the place where your brain is located), or do you mean you’ll think to run (warning: bad guy bullets are really fast), or hide (are you thinking that you’ll get lucky and be assaulted by blind bad guys?), or maybe decide that cowering and begging for your life will do the trick? There’s a reason cops and solders use projectile weapons PLUS their brains to defend us and themselves…because the only thing that’ll stop a bad guy with a weapon is a good guy with a weapon.

    You see, laws, regulatory signs, rules, and all the other things that make up a lawful, civil society only work with and are obeyed by law abiding people. This is why gun control laws don’t work: the only people who obey them are the law abiding folks. Criminals disregard them and prey on these good people and only they then have the guns. Hence the need for criminal stoppers….weapons. In the hands of law abiding people. Sad but true.

    Just out of curiosity, if we were discussing the huge problem of drunk driving, would you suggest taking the licenses of sober drivers to get rid of the drunk drivers? Sure you would!

  18. Hmmmm, the times I’ve been in dicey situations, didn’t have that penciled in on my calender. Hell, I live in a very nice mid-upper level neighborhood, with a next door neighbor’s adult son living with them, whom can best be described as “spooky” ! have lived long enough to pay attention to my gut instincts. Have an LCR in my pocket when I go out to street to get the mail., pocket carry every, all day, practice draw from pocket & shoot. I go to a gun range at least twice a month, 100 rounds twice a month + 5 rounds w/SD weapon. Will I ever have to use a gun in SF, I sure hope not, but I refuse to be a sheep in a wolf’s world.

  20. Guns are not the danger. Criminals are. There will ALWAYS be evil people in the world who do not think rational. Carry a gun.Or do not. Its your life.

  21. I’m sure that cobbler Smith never thought that there would be a revolutionary war… And just like that, red coats are raping his wife and daughters – before killing them.

    But farmer Jones had a few guns, and so did all of his associates. So when a few Hessians came a-knockin’, Farmer and Friends let them have it – with their GUNS.

    Lighting may, indeed, be more likely to strike you than encountering someone who necessitates the use of a firearm – if you are as blind as a bat, Robert Farago. The direction of this country is obvious. I/m sure that you’ll be cursing yourself when the Death Squads/Police come a-knocking on your door.

    • That is right make no excuses or reasons why you need or don’t need to own, have or carry but because of the efforts of a few and even gun advocates we are ever being faced with the loss of our RIGHT! I am sick of people who think what do you need a machine gun for and why do you need to be so rich to own one and the answer is because a republican president who was shot felt sorry for hi liberal press secretary and signed a unconstitutional law into effect and was suffering from dementia when he did it! TY Keith for making this known to the ignorant ones…whom I was once growing up in california!

  23. I used to carry when I was much younger. I handled fairly large sums of money sometimes at night in some spooky areas. I never pulled it on anyone but my mind set as I would do so if necessary and once that barrier was crossed I knew I would pull the trigger and empty it aiming at center mass until the threat was neutralized. Carrying those large sums of money made me feel like a target whether or not anyone actually knew. My life changed over the years and my need for protection changed with it. When I had a family I still had a firearm In my house but did not carry anymore. I also locked the pistol and bullets in separate locations which pretty much defeated the whole purpose of family protection unless we were under siege. Statistically I know my family members were in much greater danger of being injured or killed by the family “gun”. I still have lots of guns….I love them even if I don’t shoot much any more….but I keep them locked in a gun safe. I have been under the gun twice in my life. First time I was a teenager walking through a creek bed and I heard firecrackers….nope….some kid was shooting a piece of junk .22 in my direction. I froze and all worked out ok. Just a meat head kid who found his dads Saturday Night Special….hence…guns laying around the house with no locks is just stupid. The second time was in 1988 I was a victim of a home invasion. Unless I had the gun in my hand, cocked loaded and aiming at both armed intruders…AND got several on the money shots off very quickly… any firearm I had access to would have been worthless. It happened way too quick. It was not my house….wrong place wrong time. I remember having a S&W Stainless .45 about one inch from my nose….no fear or panic…..not enough time. I was calculating whether to jump out the window if the shooting started or at least try to blind the SOB in one or both eyes and try to disarm the one closest to me. Fortunately no shooting…I don’t feel my personal risk factors for personal violence warrant me carrying a concealed fire-arm. The very best that would come out of it would be nothing and worst scenario…tragedy for myself….someone else or both of us AND our families. You cannot un-pull that trigger and the only thing at the other end is sorrow.

  24. Hey Ron, I can see why you turned off reply comments to your post, wuss. >> Ron says:
    January 30, 2015 at 22:25 <<
    Fyi, the POTUS you accuse of being pro-terrorist has already authorized and eliminated 2 high value targets.

    • I didn’t turn off any reply comments. I turned off email notifications about follow-up comments as well as new posts. This should NOT turn off anyone’s ability to leave comments. If it does, then the system is screwed up.

      As for eliminating 2 high value targets, #1 he did NOT kill Usama Bin Laden. He gave the stand down order four times. On the fourth time, he whiffed again, but he turned over the decision-making responsibility to Leon Panetta, who gave the Seals the green light. Seal Team Six took out USL and Obama took out Seal Team Six in the Extortion 17 shoot-down.

      The “2nd high value target” Al-Alakwi was a US citizen when he was killed along with his 16 year old son and 12 innocent civilians by a Hellcat-armed drone. He didn’t fly the drone to the location. All he did was push the button. Wow! What a soldier!

      Now, he’s totally created chaos in the Middle East by assassinating Qadaffi, deposing the leader in Yemen, Deposed Mubarak, our ally, armed Al Qaeda in Iraq aka, Syrian rebels, who became ISIS, who he continues to arm to get rid of Assad just like he got rid of the other secular regimes in the ME. Gave Iran the green light to build nukes and ICBM’s. Giving them $150 Billion to continue worldwide terrorism.

      Set off refugee crisis in Europe by continuing to arm enemies of Assad who are the Islamists.

      Let’s not forget the 165,000 convicted felons South of the Border that he relocated all over the country. 600, 000 citizens have been crime victims of illegal immigrants and 3,000 have been murdered by illegals.

      Now, he wants to import 80,000 more Syrian refugees with no way to screen out the ISIS members.

      He brought in 2 million more illegals into the country since 2012 including gang members of MS-13 and drug cartel smugglers.

      Still think your brave President has made the US a safer place?

  25. Are we in a time warp or something? I thought the reference to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley was a bit odd, until I noticed the 2010 byline on this piece.

    If you only carry when and where you think you might need a handgun for protection I think it raises the question of why you chose to go where you did when you did, if, God forbid, you actually have to use it to shoot someone.

    If, on the other hand, you “never leave the house without it”, then, when and if trouble presents itself, you are merely carrying your everyday accouterments with you, just like you always do.

  26. I get so sick of the left using this, “guns are complicated” stuff, and I think I even hate it more when gun owners do it. I always tend to think it comes from fat, middle-aged guys who think they are Navy Seals, or Dirty Harry, and hate it that the blonde neighbor lady with the pink jogging suit has just as much of a right to own and shoot the same gun they do. Kind of rough on the old ego.

    And let’s be clear about this: if we’re going to say someone shouldn’t carry, then we pretty much have to say they shouldn’t own a gun at all.

    I’m not buying that.

    It’s a simple, simple tool. Point and click. Pretty much the same as your TV remote.

    Yeah, it can kill you. It can kill others if you don’t use it with care. So can a car. It’s always amazed me how we let teenagers hurtle down the freeway at 70 mph, coordinating hand and foot movements, mere inches from other teenagers hurtling down the freeway at 70mph, but then we act as if putting a gun in their hands would almost assuredly end with them shooting themselves or killing another person by accident. Please.

    We’ve all passed people on the road and said, “That person is going to kill someone.” But is there anyone out there suggesting that a large segment of the population should never drive? That a lot of people just don’t have the temperament or discipline to drive and shouldn’t even try?

    No. Why? Because we consider driving a RIGHT, something that would drastically lessen the quality of life if we relegated it to a certain class of people who we arbitrarily deemed perfectly competent.

    And that’s what bothers me when I hear opinions like this one. We don’t need to look for excuses to exclude people from carrying. We need to find a way to encourage everyone to carry. When it becomes more commonplace, more familiar, people will naturally be safer and more comfortable with it.

    If your first driving lesson was the first time you had seen a car, you would have had no idea what to do with it. Same goes for guns. If you grow up around guns, like I did, you learn to respect and use them and you never, ever forget that.

    I know this is long, but one more point here. I’ve known 20-year military guys, cops, lifetime hunters, even instructors who did something stupid and nearly killed themselves or someone else. I have a special forces buddy who put a bullet in his bookcase checking his gun one night. But then we read about a housewife accidentally shooting a lamp in her living room and people automatically say, “She should never have had a gun!” Everyone jumps on it.

  28. I keep hearing risk va reward. There is no reward except your or some innocent person. As a retired LEO I never had a run with a properly licensed gun owner. The people in the streets, bad guys, gangbang assholes have fully automatic weapons! So an honest citizen carrying a pistol to defend themselves is not an issue. While we’re at it, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the 2nd Amendment gives the average the right to carry a firearm. Some mayors don’t understand this like NYC, Chicago, and New Orleans who have NO concealed carry allowed and they are the top three in murders buy guns every year so explain that away should you choose!

  29. I’ll defer to my brother on this one. He’s spent 20 years with our Sheriffs Department, and he’s been in some really bad situations. Back when I was in the deciding phase of concealed carry ( 1997) I asked for his opinion. He summed it up with this, I’ll paraphrase ” There are no crime free parts of town, that’s a common belief that has no basis in reality. Sure , there are plenty of local thugs that operate close to where they live. But most criminals prefer to make more than a few bucks in a robbery, and that means hunting in places where people have money, shopping malls, ATM’s, grocery stores, bars, high end restaurants, and hotels/motels that cater to tourists. I’ve investigated robberies and assaults in all those places, and most of them were in supposedly safe places. I’m not telling you to carry a concealed weapon. That’s a decision you’ll have to make on your own. What I am telling you is that most robberies involve assault , sometimes murder. It can happen anywhere, anytime, and in any number of ways”.

  30. Reading this article and comments make me worried that the majority of people who carry concealed are delusional idiots who should not be carrying.

    Anyone should be able to walk in buy a gun and carry. But you don’t want criminals and crazies to carry, so how does that work? It’s called gun control and background checks. But according to the author if you are in favor of gun control but carry you are a hypocrite?

    I’m a gun owner but I believe I gun control to keep them out of the wrong hands.

    I’m also not so delusional to think that more guns makes us safer. If I carry in a dangerous situation in safer. But as whole we have jackasses carrying who shoot someone else far more often than someone preventing a crime.

    I feel sorry for the cowards who carry day in and day out. Who will likely never need it. And if they did need it what are the chances they’d be in a situation where they could draw?

  33. It is everyone’s right and responsibility to protect themselves and their family. Crime can happen anywhere in the country, from the big city to small towns. The police are not required to protect you and you’re family. Carrying a gun is one of the biggest responsibilities anybody will ever undertake and it does require 100% vigilance when carrying. It is true that some people aren’t suitable for ccw and shouldn’t carry for several reasons. If good law abiding citizens are carrying it does deter crime and can possibly save innocent lives. I have one question for pro gun control people. Why do cities that are gun free zones have high crime rates that almost always involve firearms??

  34. Here’s another reason you might want to not get Conceaked carry permit, even if you’re going to carry.
    Have a friend in LA …as you probably know a very difficult city to get a permit.
    He had a in with LAPD..good friend high in LAPD got him a permit.
    He still carries concealed but He turned jn hjs permit based on this advice from frim the same cop and two lawyers that had defended several folks who had used handguns in self defense:
    They said if you ever have to use that firearm on a person , or even accidental discharge, not unlikely you’ll at least have to convince a DA you did nothing wrong, and may have to face a jury on criminal or at keast civics charges.
    And if you have Permit you are likely by some to be viewed as a “gun nut”…trigger happy….and find the system biased Against you. That the risk of being caught and charged with illegal concealed carry …and the penalties if you have a clean record are small….compared to the risk of being charged with murder by a jury biased by the “gun nut” image.

  35. As to argument 1: makes a cautionary point worth considering but then makes an inferential conclusion that the instant case implies same true for aggregation. Cites to irrelevant, less worthy points, to abstract straw man cartoonish view of negating position. Is logical error per se. Threat level calculation is not derived for any specific person directly inferred by aggregate statistical math, widely applied, and based upon samples of variables not carefully collected, very geographically and otherwise generalized. Bad statics hygiene. Cannot use the sample statistic generalized for 300 million or more population, and unknown sample size in sample statistic or by what means collected, or why and which functional confidence interval is used, and also mathematically, probability is a unit of area, an individualist al point on a line, or a line intersecting any individual point, by definition, has area =0. So the lesson is, don’t cite statistical generality and ten expect it to controllingly apply upon an instant case, or individual, each reader in your audience, mathematically, is an independ not event. So you ruined a thoughtful comment by citing to nonsense and garbage.

    Argument 2: Multiple fallacies. 1. You have no knowledge of any specific reader in your audience nor his or her ability to, likelihood of, etc., practice useful and adequate firearm tactics and safety hygiene. Assertions made without evidence fail. 2. Your subjective observation, or lack of, a set of population not to your awareness practicing those skills, is not any form of persuasive reason nor proof that they do not, or that others do not, it is facially a non sequitor and advances no useful idea. Does damage writer’s credibility, but otherwise adds nothing. To suggest a choice to carry should as policy or value imply a choice of reasonable care, upkeep’s, education,tactics, safety, is a perfectly good point. It is not however manifestly anything near persuasive or logical inference, a reason not to carry, as presented.

    Argument 3: This is the worst one offered. Would you then to be consistent forbid people addicted to drugs, or gambling, from advising others avoid the the quicksand they now are in, before it becomes a much harder thing to resist? They are by your standard manifest hypocrites, no?

    Consider also obvious rebuttal. A sane person in fear of reality reasonably believed that dangerous and unqualified people are everywhere with guns, hence the strong policy opposition to unregulated firearms, this person is not breaching his logical suppositions by being cautiously armed himself in a world where he perceives a need for political action to solve a problem of too many guns too easily had by parties too unsafe, this person can with no hypocrisy, have the view that he too must be armed because of this danger perceived, and will happily surrender his weapon when controls he wishes exist and relieve his perception of danger, only then would he be hypocritical by continuing to keep is gun, when he no longer perceived a danger.

    Your flawed notions of math and logic notwithstanding, I will at least say you likely brought your arguments in good faith. But without any opinion needed, just logic, your arguments fail as presented.

  37. This makes no sense. Being trained and armed does not mean you can’t be against our out of control gun culture. If guns weren’t so damn common because of your beloved NRA (which is working very hard to allow every American to buy guns anywhere with no ‘interference’)…there’d be no need for ‘hypocrites’ to oppose guns but carry them themselves.

    We are a violent loving society which makes no effort to curb our collective addiction to violence. Our gun culture and people who glorify it or demand their ‘need’ for self-agrandizing protection are the real hypocrites. Playing super hero or secret agent…when they’re really just a run of the mill retiree looking for power. The sooner the 2nd Amendment get’s a rollback to some semblance of sanity, the better.

  38. Thanks for your submission. I also think that laptop computers have become more and more popular nowadays, and now are sometimes the only type of computer used in a household. It is because at the same time they are becoming more and more very affordable, their computing power keeps growing to the point where they can be as potent as pc’s from just a few years back.

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