I was wondering how other people felt, I am licensed to carry a concealed handgun.

I absolutely agree with the right to keep and bear arms.

I also believe in gun safety education. Before owning a firearm you should be required to take and pass a gun safety class. I have several firearms in my house for hunting, they are all locked in a gun safe and the ammunition is in a separate room in a fire safe lock box. We have always taught our kids to handle all guns as if they are loaded, never point a gun at anything you don't intend to shoot, be sure of your target and what is beyond it, etc.

1000 percent agreed KML. Of course, it completely depends on what country you live in; but seeing I'm in the USA, I'll stick with the 2nd Amendment.

- Steve

So what is the other supposed to be?

Originally Posted by CWebguy

So what is the other supposed to be?

The right to arm bears.

I was wondering that myself. Maybe we should all be answering "other". I believe in the right to bear shotguns and rifles, etc, but not the right to bear machine-guns or grenade launchers or flamethrowers, which are, after all, arms. So I guess I'm "other", even though I voted "yes"...

In order to keep a well armed militia, the right of the people to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. The purpose of a firearm is not hunting (although, it is a splended advantage) but to defend yourself and your family. Remember, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away. And it is also the right of the people to overthrow the government should they no longer be happy with it.

I am from Texas. So...you all know how we feel about our guns . I can not justify telling someone that they can not have a certain type of gun because it could cause a lot of death, is scary looking, etc. There are few exceptions that I agree with. Mentally ill and convicted felons. As well as age restrictions (such as they are now). These are common sense. A kid should not be able to carry and purchase a firearm and ammo as they lack the maturity to do so safely (for the most part). However, at the same time, I'm all for teaching your 5-8 year old how to shoot. When introduced to guns children generally won't view them as taboo, which effectively takes away the "sexyness" appeal to them. It allows for education at a young age.

Felons, well, they can't vote, why should they have a gun? And mentally ill, well, that is obvious.

I carry a concealed weapon everywhere the State of Texas allows me. I carry into establishments. Even ones with signs posted. You won't know, my weapon is always properly concealed.

At home, I store all my weapons and ammo in a locked safe (fingerprint, combination, and key). The ammo is stored in a second smaller safe inside the large one (same set up). Handguns also have their own safe. One handgun is kept loaded at night. One shotgun and rifle during the day. But only when I'm in the house. I have a procedure I go through when leaving and returning home. I have the traditional shotgun/rifle mount near the door.

I have actually had to defend my cattle with my weapon. No shots were fired. But, a weapon was drawn down on the person. Guy tried hurting my cows .

Texas has whats known as the Castle Doctine. That means as long as I am legally somewhere (such as a public sidewalk) and a person, or private property (either me or a third party) is in danger of damage, death, injury, etc. I do not have a requirement to retreat, but, the ability to use the amount of force I deem necessary, including deadly force, to protect said person or property. And I am protected from civil liability. There are several states with such doctrine. I'm glad I'm part of one of them

You are my kind of guy, Randy! Lived in Montana for a few years, the law is or was still on the books, if you catch a person clipping your fence wires you had the right to shoot and kill the perpetrator, I bet it's still on the books. We lived amongst the Rattlers and a neighborhood Cougar in Montana, so always wore a holstered 357 Colt. My husband made me special bullets so when fired it sprayed little buckshot, that way I could hit the snake if need to be. To this day I have not drawn my gun, hopefully that stays the same way.

I grew up with loaded guns, the kids grew up with loaded guns and learned at a early age how to shoot, plus the dangers of firearms, right now everything is loaded. In this day and age with children in the home, I feel it would be very wise to have the guns locked up. There has been quite a few licensed concealed weapons people who have shot and killed somebody here already in Spokane which was considered a legal shooting.

Speaking of arming bears, now I had a much heavier load for the 357 Colt just for the Grizzlies when living on Montana, if need be. Now I carry for the human species, if need be. And no I don't carry the 357, I have a peanut gun, but powerful, fits very nicely in my purse or pocket.

I can cross into Idaho with my license for a concealed weapon which is legal, unfortunately the Idaho people don't have the same privilege, apparently Idaho state didn't meet the Washington state requirement gun laws.

As far as Rocket Launchers, Uzi's or any type of warfare weapons, that needs to stay with the military or law enforcement.

Oh give me a break fellas, I should have put Not Sure instead of Other.

@Giselle--There is a kind of shot manufactured for the 357 called "rat shot" that is similar to what you're describing. It's a plastic-tipped bullet, and the plastic tip is filled with shot a bit smaller than a BB.

Still haven't gotten the concealed carry permit, but I did take the class to get the required certificate to get it. Used a friend's Glock 50 for the range part. Beautiful weapon, perfectly balanced, virtually no kickback for such a high caliber.

@Randy--I know the law you're talking about, but I'm pretty sure the name Castle Law primarily applies to the home, hence the name. Like, if someone's breaking in, you can shoot, but once they're in, you have to be in imminent danger. So you shoot and drag 'em to the door.

Personally, I don't get a restriction on weapon type. The ones with the heavy artillery are not getting them by legal means anyway, and I doubt most people would go for the RPG even it was more widely available. Those determined enough to get such things will.

Of course, with the right to bear arms comes the responsibility for doing so, and our public responsibility for educating people about same.

tim

Originally Posted by Giselle

Oh give me a break fellas, I should have put Not Sure instead of Other.

I fixed that

Originally Posted by HostLonestar

When introduced to guns children generally won't view them as taboo, which effectively takes away the "sexyness" appeal to them. It allows for education at a young age.

I agree completely

Originally Posted by HostLonestar

I have actually had to defend my cattle with my weapon. No shots were fired. But, a weapon was drawn down on the person. Guy tried hurting my cows .

Can't say that I have cattle (I live in the city) but I also wouldn't be opposed to defending my family if it came down to it.[/quote]

Originally Posted by serandfae

The ones with the heavy artillery are not getting them by legal means anyway, and I doubt most people would go for the RPG even it was more widely available. Those determined enough to get such things will.

Exactly, it isn't the people that go through legal channels to own guns that are out doing damage with guns.

Originally Posted by serandfae

Of course, with the right to bear arms comes the responsibility for doing so, and our public responsibility for educating people about same.

tim

Yup, what he said

At the risk of sounding like the most right wing guy at the gun show, you guys are forgetting about something when you start talking about it being "OK" that the Uzis and what not be outlawed. One of the principal reasons we have the second amendment is to defend ourselves from our own government, and others. I'm not saying we should have Howitzers and RPGs roaming the streets of America, but where the line gets drawn is constantly moving against us citizens.

I just picked up some magazines in California for a friend's Glock model 17, and noticed the mag only took 10 rounds instead of the factory specified 17, thank you State of California. It looks like the Obama admin is going to try and re-instate the assault weapons ban, not that having an outdated assault weapon with a five round clip is going to do you much good when the government comes for your land and your business. That all may sound like paranoia in our lawful nation, but buying insurance is best done before the house catches fire. With our brand new several trillion dollar deficiet, and new laws being proposed for the government to seize businesses they deem a "threat" to our economy, you'd be amazed at how fast "change" becomes something you believe in.

I don't think anyone was saying that any weapons should be outlawed. Several people have expressed an opinion that certain grades of weapons be restricted to military and/or law enforcement but have also acknowledged that the people who are dangerous with such weapons don't go through legal channels to obtain them.

Originally Posted by Giselle

As far as Rocket Launchers, Uzi's or any type of warfare weapons, that needs to stay with the military or law enforcement.

I suppose this is the comment I was responding to. While I may agree with Rocket Launchers, I'm not sure I agree with Uzi's, MP5s, Steyrs, AR15s, or pretty much any other type of assault weapon. I definitely don't understand why magazines that hold more than 10 rounds should stay with military and/or law enforcement.

A big thank you Kandi for fixing the wording! Poor choice of wording on my part, some people really aren't sure how they feel, some people are just terrified of guns, which I deeply respect everyone's feelings no matter how they feel. So double whammy fellas >

I missed the gun classes Tim, probably because I was licensed in the early 80's, which I kept up with the renewals but then I dropped it after a few years. Stupid! So a year ago, husband and I went down again and had to reapply, with the application and fingerprinting. This was a bit funny, might mention the staff members were all pretty nice and had a sense of humor. They have a much nicer way of fingerprinting now, you lay both hands on the screen and just that quick the FBI comes back with a positive reply. Husband went first everything was quick, now my turn, the FBI rejected me, great, now what? The reply back was I didn't have any fingerprints. The lady looked at my fingers and they were pretty well worn down, perhaps too much typing on the computer?? So I had to go through the old fashioned way with the ink and this is time consuming but we all had a lot of fun and laughs. Especially when my husband whose humor never ceases to exist, said, "Gee honey maybe we should find you a job as a Hit Lady."

The Glock is a very nice gun Tim, although I have never fired one, some of the guns have a tremendous kickback, we had a 45 with a long barrel, husband shortened the barrel, wow!

I am going to stand on my statement as for Uzi's, etc. stay with the military and law enforcement. However, over the years I have given this much thought, the right to keep and bear arms is infringing on the 2nd amendment with restrictions on some of the weaponry. Tim mentions black marketing, exactly, the perpetrator has plenty of money to purchase whatever or whenever they want. On this issue I have no answers, but have thought about this a lot over the years. Would you call this a catch-22?

That's the problem, Cbwm, each state has their own set of laws in place. Perhaps Colorado "make my day law" is a good thing. I know there has been small towns where it was required each citizen owned a gun. The crime rate went down or completely ceased. Actually if one thinks about that one, that's a reversed psychology ploy. Where in Washington D.C. no one could have a gun and the crime rate was off the chart.

Originally Posted by Giselle

A big thank you Kandi for fixing the wording!

No problem...it's what I'm here for

Originally Posted by Giselle

I missed the gun classes Tim, probably because I was licensed in the early 80's, which I kept up with the renewals but then I dropped it after a few years. Stupid! So a year ago, husband and I went down again and had to reapply, with the application and fingerprinting. This was a bit funny, might mention the staff members were all pretty nice and had a sense of humor. They have a much nicer way of fingerprinting now, you lay both hands on the screen and just that quick the FBI comes back with a positive reply. Husband went first everything was quick, now my turn, the FBI rejected me, great, now what? The reply back was I didn't have any fingerprints. The lady looked at my fingers and they were pretty well worn down, perhaps too much typing on the computer?? So I had to go through the old fashioned way with the ink and this is time consuming but we all had a lot of fun and laughs. Especially when my husband whose humor never ceases to exist, said, "Gee honey maybe we should find you a job as a Hit Lady."

I did fingerprinting for child care workers for almost 2 years, you are not alone! There are a lot of people out their with very faint fingerprints.

Originally Posted by Giselle

I am going to stand on my statement as for Uzi's, etc. stay with the military and law enforcement. However, over the years I have given this much thought, the right to keep and bear arms is infringing on the 2nd amendment with restrictions on some of the weaponry. Tim mentions black marketing, exactly, the perpetrator has plenty of money to purchase whatever or whenever they want. On this issue I have no answers, but have thought about this a lot over the years. Would you call this a catch-22?

That's the problem, Cbwm, each state has their own set of laws in place. Perhaps Colorado "make my day law" is a good thing. I know there has been small towns where it was required each citizen owned a gun. The crime rate went down or completely ceased. Actually if one thinks about that one, that's a reversed psychology ploy. Where in Washington D.C. no one could have a gun and the crime rate was off the chart.

I agree. A friend of ours won a semi-auto at a gun show last. He couldn't wait to "play" with it. Don't ask me specifically what it was because I can't remember . Anyway, they took it out to the property where we hunt and blew dirt clods out of the side of a hill. They had a target set up but not one of the 6 guys came close to the target. These are all men that have won competitions for marksmanship, some have been in the military, all of them hunt and harvest their limit every year, every season imaginable. It it was not easy to control. After watching them with this gun I am completely supportive of some weapons not being widely available. Maybe there are people outside of law enforcement and the military that can safely and accurately use them, but they are going to be few and far between.

The idea of protecting ones self from their government seems to be becoming an increasingly unpopular idea these days. Most of us fall into the mindset that the government would never do us harm, and its better to entrust them with all the power, even if it means us surrendering that very same power. I can't help but think that mindset is exactly what will lead to our eventual demise.

This thread got started on the idea of the right to keep and bear arms being an individual right, which some in this country keep trying to deny. Aside from that argument, there is no question the second amendment makes reference to the right arms for military purposes.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed

Lets not forget that the infantry weapon of the day during the American Revolution was a musket. The firearms those crazy revolutionary Americans wanted us to have a right to possess at home.... a musket.

I'll give you it is difficult to find much practical daily use for some of these weapons, many of which get used as "spray and pray" weapons for gangsters. In the mean time, our military is moving on to things like the HK G-11 wth caseless ammunition:

• Ammunition half the weight and cost
• twice the power
• vastly improved accuracy
• dramatically reduced recoil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6JWCEmCgD8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdErfyYeJeU

Now that is something you could definitely go deer or bear hunting with. I can picture Sarah Palin leaning out of the window of a Cessna with one, helping to control the population of certain species of wildlife(Wearing a Bikini?). Its also worthy of note that almost anything not sold in the U.S. is easily acquired in many other nations, most noteworthy being Russia (I think you can get a Mig jet for the right amount of money), so those weapons are still going to be on our city streets. I think Ben Franklin put it best when he said, "He who would trade liberty for some temporary security, deserves neither".

If you got two hours to kill, and can stomach a some BS mixed in with some very interesting factual data, this movie is definitely worth a watch:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...83847743189197

Left and Right wing dogma find some very curious intersections.

This is our right, according the Second Amendment to the Constitution. It's all about self-defense. If I live in a dangerous area and want to protect myself in my own home or my property.

I have a six shooter like the old west and a holster, and I wear them when I'm riding snake protection. he he he and I do have a permit,,in Alabama it cost 20 dollars and a clean record.

An interesting read, this thread. From an outsider who is happy he lives in a country where firearms are illegal, it's fascinating to see how different attitudes are on the other side of the Atlantic.

@edgray, we were given a republic to begin with and a constitution to follow(this is including the right to bear arms). Try giving a toddler his mom's milk and take it away from him. It's not a pleasant experience and just like the toddler, people get real pissed when it is threatened to be taken away or altered for 2% milk. Hope that analogy makes sense, it's the best I can do at the moment.