I know you and I think very differently about guns, but I thought I'd offer up some perspectives from someone who *is* familiar with and an advocate of concealed-carry rights. I agree with you on the above, to an extent. I plan to get my permit (Kentucky has offered it for some time), but I don't think I will actually carry a gun very often. Like you said, it is a BIG responsibility. When you're carrying one, you always have to know if, when, and how you would or wouldn't use it. Sometimes having one can be more complicated than *not* having one, when you think about the decisions you might have to make. I don't *always* want to have to think about that - but there are times that I will. In my own home, I would have *zero* trouble using a gun, I can tell you that right now. I've given it quite a bit of thought. Out in the community is another matter.
My dad always owned guns and was an adamant NRA member, and my husband also collects them and enjoys shooting, as does his family...so it's something I've always been comfortable around. I got a .22 semiautomatic for my 18th birthday. I'm used to both my dad and my husband carrying guns in their everyday lives...to the store, in their cars, whatever. I also trust them both implicitly with regard to gun safety, or I wouldn't allow them near me while carrying - I'm freakishly careful about that. My dad has more of a reason to carry than my husband does - he manages some properties in downtown areas and has to visit them late at night when there are disturbances. My husband doesn't have so much of an actual need to use one, but he carries because he can. We have a family friend who used to be a tall, healthy, athletic basketball coach and teacher. Now he's in a wheelchair and can't move anything below his neck, because he was carjacked and shot at a McDonald's in Columbus a few years ago. Would he be able to walk now if he'd been able to protect himself more? Maybe. The guy who shot him didn't think twice about carrying a gun - so it would have been nice if David had had a fair chance to defend himself too.
"They had a piece on the news a few nights ago about all the new training emergency medical personnel are having to take when dealing with a patient with a concealed weapon. That never occured to me either."
Frankly, it's not the people with legal concealed carry permits you have to worry about. People who go to the trouble of following the law and registering for their permits are way less dangerous than most people who commit crimes without any regard for gun laws. Criminals don't care about the law - that's why they're criminals. Know what I mean? I've known since I was a teenager what to do if I was stopped with a gun in the car - place my hands on the steering wheel and calmly tell the officer that he/she should know there's a gun in the glove compartment or wherever. Trust me, following the rules, my family and I aren't dangerous. We might even be able to help you. The main reason I see for allowing concealed carry is what I said above - criminals don't care at all about obeying the law and the rights of others. If they're not going to disarm, why should we?
(comment continued below - it got too long for LJ to accept - that's a first for me!)
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2004-04-06 03:44 pm (UTC)I know you and I think very differently about guns, but I thought I'd offer up some perspectives from someone who *is* familiar with and an advocate of concealed-carry rights. I agree with you on the above, to an extent. I plan to get my permit (Kentucky has offered it for some time), but I don't think I will actually carry a gun very often. Like you said, it is a BIG responsibility. When you're carrying one, you always have to know if, when, and how you would or wouldn't use it. Sometimes having one can be more complicated than *not* having one, when you think about the decisions you might have to make. I don't *always* want to have to think about that - but there are times that I will. In my own home, I would have *zero* trouble using a gun, I can tell you that right now. I've given it quite a bit of thought. Out in the community is another matter.
My dad always owned guns and was an adamant NRA member, and my husband also collects them and enjoys shooting, as does his family...so it's something I've always been comfortable around. I got a .22 semiautomatic for my 18th birthday. I'm used to both my dad and my husband carrying guns in their everyday lives...to the store, in their cars, whatever. I also trust them both implicitly with regard to gun safety, or I wouldn't allow them near me while carrying - I'm freakishly careful about that. My dad has more of a reason to carry than my husband does - he manages some properties in downtown areas and has to visit them late at night when there are disturbances. My husband doesn't have so much of an actual need to use one, but he carries because he can. We have a family friend who used to be a tall, healthy, athletic basketball coach and teacher. Now he's in a wheelchair and can't move anything below his neck, because he was carjacked and shot at a McDonald's in Columbus a few years ago. Would he be able to walk now if he'd been able to protect himself more? Maybe. The guy who shot him didn't think twice about carrying a gun - so it would have been nice if David had had a fair chance to defend himself too.
"They had a piece on the news a few nights ago about all the new training emergency medical personnel are having to take when dealing with a patient with a concealed weapon. That never occured to me either."
Frankly, it's not the people with legal concealed carry permits you have to worry about. People who go to the trouble of following the law and registering for their permits are way less dangerous than most people who commit crimes without any regard for gun laws. Criminals don't care about the law - that's why they're criminals. Know what I mean? I've known since I was a teenager what to do if I was stopped with a gun in the car - place my hands on the steering wheel and calmly tell the officer that he/she should know there's a gun in the glove compartment or wherever. Trust me, following the rules, my family and I aren't dangerous. We might even be able to help you. The main reason I see for allowing concealed carry is what I said above - criminals don't care at all about obeying the law and the rights of others. If they're not going to disarm, why should we?
(comment continued below - it got too long for LJ to accept - that's a first for me!)