Do you conceal carry?

[SpeedsterX 652]

Speed,

 

In Iowa, we have a newer law on the books that is much less stringent than it has been, that allows concealed carry to those who qualify. I personally have a Walther PPK .380 for CC and a Sig P226 .40 for home protection. I am looking at a P229 (smaller version of the P226 for those who don't know) but the Sig's can be pricey. Both of my kids are able to handle the PPK, field strip it and use it proficiently. I am in favor of the newer CC laws and hope that in the long run that it will decrease some of the more heinous crimes committed against defenseless people.

 

As a former law enforcement officer, there were many times that I wish a trained civilian was around to have my back. Situations can escalate in the blink of an eye but back-up usually happens in minutes, not seconds like the crimes that are committed do.

 

My question to you, as I have not read up on this much, is portability. More to the point, taking a CC weapon across state lines. I know that there is some reciprocity among states. I have heard Illinois is one of the states that will not allow it. Do you know of any sites or links that detail the CC reciprocity information?

 

Here's a decent link with some good info: http://www.handgunlaw.us/

 

Like someone said, HR218 allows any certified Police Officer current or retired to conceal carry in any city or state legally, even Chicago, which is notorious for their stand on "no carry" which also happens to be one of the highest rates for armed robbery. Hmmm,,,, Go figure.

[Tenacious_ND 0]

Odds are not likely that an unarmed kid carrying Skittles would get gunned down either but guess what?

 

Shit happens.

 

 

Since you posted a rare news article of when an armed citizen used his right to carry in a tragic way, I could argue my point about the reasons you SHOULD carry by linking news articles about defenseless people getting robbed, raped and killed but this website does not have the bandwidth to list all of them.

 

You have obviously never been a victim,,,, Yet.

 

do you drive a car? if so, why? your odds of dying in a car crash are more than triple than by a violent crime. like i said before i can understand having a gun in a high crime area. I live in raleigh and the crime rate is relatively low, i see no reason to carry in this city but i have friends that do, 2nd amendment nuts.. i dont get that? i havent been a victim, i hope i avoid that but i dont think toting a gun would be a guarantee that things would turn out ok if it did happen.

[SpeedsterX 652]

do you drive a car? if so, why? your odds of dying in a car crash are more than triple than by a violent crime. I also wear a seat belt, drive a highly rated safe vehicle and drive a safe as possible to minimize the likelihood of dying in a car crash. like i said before i can understand having a gun in a high crime area. I live in raleigh and the crime rate is relatively low, i see no reason to carry in this city but i have friends that do, 2nd amendment nuts.. This Country was formed and is now protected by those "2nd Amendment nuts". We live in a fairly safe part of the world, why have an Army? Those crazy Constitutionalists! i dont get that? i havent been a victim, i hope i avoid that but i dont think toting a gun would be a guarantee that things would turn out ok if it did happen. But it IS a guarantee that you will be helpless and victim to the whims of the possible murderer if you were!

 

But this great Country that is defended by guns and weapons of destruction have made it possible for you to have the freedom to be a victim if you so choose. Ironic, huh? I really hope it never happens to you and that you live a safe and happy life. Just alot of my opinions.

[chirodomer 47]

The thing to remember is that "Luck" only shines on the prepared. The best thing that I learned is that 1. Avoidance of a problem is the first choice. 2. When you can't avoid it then make sure you're loaded for bear and fight like hell.

[The Four Horsemen 6]

If you are a retired police officer you may want to check out H.R.218: The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004. If you left law enforcement for another job then it won't apply.

 

I left law enforcement back in about 1995. I loved the job but hated the politics. Getting married, having a child and lack of pay drove me to find a more financially rewarding career choice. Still very involved with the community and crime watch groups in our area but I did not "retire" from the job. Thanks for the info though.

[The Four Horsemen 6]

Violent crimes can and will occur anywhere at anytime as evidenced by Columbine, Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois, and the numerous other incidents where active shooters picked a target of opportunity that was considered a "safe" area(s). I know the ones I mentioned were all school shootings and there is the ongoing debate about allowing faculty to carry in the school's, which I'd support. I just remembered the attack on Rep. Gifford in Arizona at a public speaking event. Fort Hood also may have been prevented/minimized if soldiers or officers on base were allowed to carry a sidearm, which would make sense IMO since they train a lot on how to use them in combat.

 

In active shooter situations, it has been found that the most effective way to stop these maniacs is confrontation, usually in the form of force on force. Most active shooters are cowards and intentionally pick weak targets where they believe they will be able to cause the most damage and casualties and receive the least resistance(fight) from their victim's. Once confronted by like force, the active shooter is extremely likely to flee and take their own life. Its not an exact science, but these are the lessons that we in law enforcement are taught should an active shooter situation arise. Unfortunately I know my department's average response time for a call, which generally is counted as a couple minutes. Really bad things happen in seconds. An armed citizen who happens to be on scene of an event like this as its happening, can help to save countless lives by engaging the shooter quickly, either ending the threat or causing the POS to run like the coward they are.

 

Another example involves terrorists. Terrorists also choose soft targets, as evidenced by the 9-11 hi-jackings. They took over four planes using box-cutters and the threat of a bomb on board, knowing that they would not encounter armed individuals in that situation who could stop them and their goal. The Beslan school massacre in Russia and the attacks at the hotel in Mumbai, India also are examples of terrorist picking soft targets to engage to further their political agendas. These types of events could easily occur in the United States by any number of motivated terrorists groups. One factor that many experts believe may may help alleviate that is the presence of armed citizens. States that are perceived as "pro gun" states may cause a terrorist to reconsider plans those areas.

 

Its a personal choice and a big responsibility to carry, and frankly its not for everyone. I am thankful for those that do and I know that someday my bacon my be in the fryer and they may be the ones bailing me out or help to protect someone I love before the police can get on scene.

 

Most of the people that commit these acts of violence are relatively untrained as well. They usually have some basic knowledge, but when faced by adversity, they s#*t their pants. Force, used appropriately and correctly, will be a huge deterrent to these types of crimes. The same can be said of home invasions. Two houses, one is barred and has a security sign in the yard, the other has an open door, where do you think the thief is going?

 

Some people may not agree with me, I am after all flawed in many ways, but most of us who choose to carry do it with full knowledge that it is a huge responsiblity. I have a great family and plenty to lose if I don't take it seriously. I however, have seen the dark side of enough people, that I made a conscious decision to carry and be one of the people who take that risk. I fully agree that it is not for everybody, some people are simply not prepared to make the decisions it takes to have that kind of responsibility.

[AlabamaDuck 0]

I moved to Alabama 27 years ago and when I went to get my concealed weapons permit I was asked for the serial number of my pistol. I told them that I had more than one and was informed that the serial numbers were not required even though it was on the application. Five minutes later I walked out with my permit.

I did ask the deputy that if someone was breaking into my home, do I have to wait till he gets inside before I can shoot. It took a few seconds but he finnaly said " only if you are stupid".

I don`t have the stats but the Majority of men and women carry.

[Tenacious_ND 0]

But this great Country that is defended by guns and weapons of destruction have made it possible for you to have the freedom to be a victim if you so choose. Ironic, huh? I really hope it never happens to you and that you live a safe and happy life. Just alot of my opinions.

 

so basically you are saying i deserve to be a victim because i dont carry a weapon. I would never want to live in an area where I felt I needed to be carrying a gun on me. I dont know how much better off i would be with a gun, i know i would be very panicked if someone shoved a gun in my face.

 

let me ask you this, if someone came up behind you and shoved a gun in your back and said give me your wallet and you wont get hurt. what would you do?? you have your gun but it seems it would be very tricky to be able to turn around and fire without him firing first.

[GunSlinger 28]

so basically you are saying i deserve to be a victim because i dont carry a weapon. I would never want to live in an area where I felt I needed to be carrying a gun on me. I dont know how much better off i would be with a gun, i know i would be very panicked if someone shoved a gun in my face.

 

let me ask you this, if someone came up behind you and shoved a gun in your back and said give me your wallet and you wont get hurt. what would you do?? you have your gun but it seems it would be very tricky to be able to turn around and fire without him firing first.

 

I don't think he means you deserve to be a victim. Violence can happen any where no matter where you live. My opinion is that if you don't want to carry a weapon that is fine. Alot of people don't and some that do shouldn't. As far as your last question, I give the guy my wallet.

 

Here is a good read,

 

http://www.killology.com/sheep_dog.htm

[The Four Horsemen 6]

so basically you are saying i deserve to be a victim because i dont carry a weapon. I would never want to live in an area where I felt I needed to be carrying a gun on me. I dont know how much better off i would be with a gun, i know i would be very panicked if someone shoved a gun in my face.

 

let me ask you this, if someone came up behind you and shoved a gun in your back and said give me your wallet and you wont get hurt. what would you do?? you have your gun but it seems it would be very tricky to be able to turn around and fire without him firing first.

 

In this instance, you give the guy your wallet and keep living. Try to focus on your assailant and get a good look at him so that you can give the police a good description of who they are looking for. Most victims or witnesses, get key details wrong when asked about what the perp looked like when questioned.

 

Even if you have a gun, there are many decisions that have to be made in a split second to determine if it is best to show or use force. Sometimes discretion is a much better decision, come back to fight another day. If you are not prepared to make these decisions, you should not be carrying a gun. It is those who are poorly trained or not prepared that will usually end up getting hurt, even when they have a weapon.

[2lakes 1]

so basically you are saying i deserve to be a victim because i dont carry a weapon. I would never want to live in an area where I felt I needed to be carrying a gun on me. I dont know how much better off i would be with a gun, i know i would be very panicked if someone shoved a gun in my face.

 

let me ask you this, if someone came up behind you and shoved a gun in your back and said give me your wallet and you wont get hurt. what would you do?? you have your gun but it seems it would be very tricky to be able to turn around and fire without him firing first.

 

Not if you're Raylan Givens, Earl Swagger, or Jack Reacher.

[SpeedsterX 652]

so basically you are saying i deserve to be a victim because i dont carry a weapon. I would never want to live in an area where I felt I needed to be carrying a gun on me. I dont know how much better off i would be with a gun, i know i would be very panicked if someone shoved a gun in my face.

 

let me ask you this, if someone came up behind you and shoved a gun in your back and said give me your wallet and you wont get hurt. what would you do?? you have your gun but it seems it would be very tricky to be able to turn around and fire without him firing first.

 

Please show me where I said you "deserve" anything.

 

What I said is if you don't arm yourself, you WILL be a victim IF it ever happens to you. And if that criminal decides to kill you and not just take your wallet, it's HIS decision. You have no say in the outcome of the situation. That's what I am saying. As for your other points, others have addressed them very well.

[Tenacious_ND 0]

Please show me where I said you "deserve" anything.

 

What I said is if you don't arm yourself, you WILL be a victim IF it ever happens to you. And if that criminal decides to kill you and not just take your wallet, it's HIS decision. You have no say in the outcome of the situation. That's what I am saying. As for your other points, others have addressed them very well.

 

even with a gun you might not have a say? so whats your point?

 

my only point was its stupid to carry a gun around just because you can.

[SpeedsterX 652]

even with a gun you might not have a say? so whats your point?

 

my only point was its stupid to carry a gun around just because you can.

 

Well, I'll leave it at this.

 

You might as well say, you could still die in an accident even if you wear your seatbelt so it's stupid to wear one. It's ridiculous. *smh

[Tenacious_ND 0]

Well, I'll leave it at this.

 

You might as well say, you could still die in an accident even if you wear your seatbelt so it's stupid to wear one. It's ridiculous. *smh

 

apples to oranges again! :facepalm:

[stdntDrvr 12]

even with a gun you might not have a say? so whats your point?

 

my only point was its stupid to carry a gun around just because you can.

 

I believe you are missing the point. Most people don't carry 'just because they can.' They carry in order to be prepared in case something happens. No one wants anything to happen, but if something does...they at least have an option to fight back.

[DREWGOOSE 1]

are there classes to teach people what to do in certain situations? for example, if i am carrying and i go to the gas station and while inside someone uses a gun to try and rob the place. what would one do in that situation?

[The Four Horsemen 6]

are there classes to teach people what to do in certain situations? for example, if i am carrying and i go to the gas station and while inside someone uses a gun to try and rob the place. what would one do in that situation?

 

I would Google self defense / firearms training in your area. I would highly recommend going above and beyond what is required. You can never over prepare for a situation where you may have to fire your weapon. Make sure you know your gun inside and out, take it out regularly and shoot with it.

 

In regards to the robbery situation, there could be any number of ways to handle it based on how it develops. Maybe he has an accomplice in the store already watching his back? Are there other bystanders that could get in the line of fire? Can you get in a good defensive position, should he choose to turn and shoot at you first. Too many variables to answer. All good stuff to learn in a class.

[Tenacious_ND 0]

I believe you are missing the point. Most people don't carry 'just because they can.' They carry in order to be prepared in case something happens. No one wants anything to happen, but if something does...they at least have an option to fight back.

 

what point am I missing?? Ive already stated I have no problem with people who carry for protection provided they are responsible and know their gun inside and out. Its obvious the guy that shot that 17 year old wasnt responsible enough to be toting a gun and was probably a racist. I have friends who carry just because they can and I dont understand it.

[jessemoore97 1,295]

are there classes to teach people what to do in certain situations? for example, if i am carrying and i go to the gas station and while inside someone uses a gun to try and rob the place. what would one do in that situation?

 

I concur with The Four Horsemen in his response. Ultimately each situation is different and people will have a million different responses to how to handle each. There is no guaranteed answer because of that. It all depends on the individual. Some courses can set you in live simulated environments etc, which allows you some limited scenarios to go through. Remember no matter what, that if you do deploy your firearm you will have to articulate why you did so to the police, criminal court(possible), civil court(almost guaranteed), etc.

 

Train yourself to become aware of your environment. Like 4H said, there may be others around in the vicinity such as an accomplice who may jump you if you ignore/unaware of them, or other civilians who could be in the line of fire.