Man, i saw something disturbing out there today. I’m working in a local bike shop for the summer, and a customer came in today to buy a bike. This is totally normal (it happens every day! ) but… he had a gun on his hip. While i’m all for people having guns to hunt with, it scares the shit out of me that any average joe can own an assault rifle or can visibly carry a weapon in public. Granted, this guy may have been a sherrif/whatever, but he had no badge/markings, and had the gun in plain view!!! sorry for this, but just had to rant
ps… for those that remember a previous post, i decided to not go with the dog. dont think i’m quite ready yet, so i decided to upgrade to a dual suspension MTB w/ disc brakes!! it rocks!!
Where do you live?
I believe AZ has an open carry law. But I may be incorrect.
Most states with a concealed carry law require that the firearm actually be concealed. Failure to do so is a crime, or at least grounds for losing the license. If he was an LEO then he was very remiss in not wearing a badge or other visible ID.
In general, hunting rifles (for deer, for example) are considerably more powerful than assault rifles. In WWII and beyond, it was discovered that medium-powered cartridges and small bullets were just as effective at the relatively short ranges that firefights occurred. The smaller, lighter bullets allowed more rounds to be carried.
Man, i saw something disturbing out there today. I’m working in a local bike shop for the summer, and a customer came in today to buy a bike. This is totally normal (it happens every day! ) but… he had a gun on his hip. While i’m all for people having guns to hunt with, it scares the shit out of me that any average joe can own an assault rifle or can visibly carry a weapon in public. Granted, this guy may have been a sherrif/whatever, but he had no badge/markings, and had the gun in plain view!!! sorry for this, but just had to rant
ps… for those that remember a previous post, i decided to not go with the dog. dont think i’m quite ready yet, so i decided to upgrade to a dual suspension MTB w/ disc brakes!! it rocks!!
Our CCW law went into effect in Ohio in April. Most busineses (such as a bike shop) can and do prohibit weapons on their premises. They are allowed by the law to post signs stating this. Not sure I know the point, as if the weapon is concealed, how would anyone know? Not sure how it would work in a state with an open carry law.
Well, I wouldn’t worry about the guy in the bike shop. He was just protecting himself from being attacked and assaulted, which, of course, is happening all over our streets.
When CCW permits are openly available, crime rates drop. Know it, embrace it. Thugs are far more reticent if there’s a possibility that the victim may be a trained marksmen.
While I do embrace the notion of law abiding citizens having the right to own and carry weapons, the statistics do not show that CCW states have lower crime rates, some do, some don’t.
I know firsthand that gun deaths have not decreased in Detroit despite the deluge of CCW applications.
My friend and two police officers were gunned down in the same week this year. They all were packing and the shooter knew it; didn’t help them much.
If anything guns provide peace of mind and a feeling of power to it’s owner, unfortunately that doesn’t solve the gun violence problem in the U.S.
It’s been said over and over, but in my opinion enforcing the damned gun laws in the first place would go a long ways towards reducing senseless gun violence. I don’t think turning cities into the OK corral is the final solution. I think that more or less it just reduces citizen anxiety.
“If anything guns provide peace of mind and a feeling of power to it’s owner, unfortunately that doesn’t solve the gun violence problem in the U.S.”
If anything, it amplifies it. You give a lot of people guns and they think they’re invincible. You see all the gang violence we’ve had in this country? How badass would these punks be if they didn’t have a Gatt strapped on? Would you step to someone twice your size if you were carrying and they weren’t? You’d be a lot more likely to.
The concept behind open carry laws(at least to me) is that if everyone is strapped, and everyone else knows it, people will be a lot more civil, because they know that chances are if they start acting stupid with their gun, somebody will take them down. On the other hand, if I think that I’m the only guy around with a gun, I’m much more likely to use it to my advantage.
A bunch of my neighbors are cops. When I first moved in I thought one was a drug dealer because he always had a different car and he dressed like a dirt bag. It turned out he ran the county narcotics task force and was under cover. Than I saw another neighbor with a gun in a holster, but a first I didn’t see the badge on the other side. He was a detective in another city. I asked them about carrying a weapon while off duty. They said that after 20 years of putting people in jail in the same area, you never know when you will find yourself standing next to a guy in line at a store (or bike store) who spent the last 10 years locked up because of you. Now if I see a gun, I assume they are a cop first. It’s all in how you look at it.
After I left the military I had a concealed weapons permit for a while and frequently carried my custom Glock 17 which had become a trusted sidekick. Going out without it felt like going out without my pants on.
Of course, it was stupid. I mean, what am I going to use the thing for? It is an enormous responsibility and risk carrying a gun. What heppens when a police officer pulls you over for a traffic stop? What happens when yo go to the men’s room to use the urinal and you have to undoo you belt (your pants fall around your ankles and the guy behind you can grab your gun easily).
The whole thing was dumb. I pulled the lside off it, locked thatin the safe at work and locked the lower reciever in the safe at home. I went shooting a couple times and amazed frinds will me shooting tricks then gave it a friend who is gun collector.
It’s a peaceful world in my little neighborhood. I treaure that. I don’t it, other people don’t need them.
I’m not saying that everyone who carries a gun acts like a nimrod. But I think that for many who carry guns, it’s a similar psychology to that of large SUV’s. Ever see that ad where the tiny little lady smiles from behind the wheel of the big truck and says, “It makes me feel powerful, in control.”
I guess that my thinking is that in general, when you give a person a tool that offers them a disproportionate advantage over their fellow human animals, they will tend towards abusing it.
This is just my opinion, based on my experience and what I have read on the subjects of gang violence and human psychology.
<<What heppens when a police officer pulls you over for a traffic stop?>>
Two choices: “(If he) Don’t ask, (You) Don’t tell” Or, keep hand at ten and two o’clock on the steering wheel, advise said police officer that you are licensed and carrying, “how should I procede?”
<< What happens when yo go to the men’s room to use the urinal and you have to undoo you belt (your pants fall around your ankles and the guy behind you can grab your gun easily). >>
Zippered fly pants, leave the belt buckled. Carry IWB (Inside the Waist Band).
Tom, you are correct, firearms are a huge responsibility, but so are automobiles, children and dogs. I say we should ban automoiles, based on their cost to society in terms of accidents and fatalities. Not to mention the enormous amounts of enviromental damage they cause. I can go buy a 400bhp Mustang and a gallon Black Velvet with no waiting period…
The only problem with that argument is that people cross lines.
People with no criminal record commit heinous acts e.g. two incidents with Oakland County firefighters; one who used his concealed weapon to blast a homeless guy outside a Lions game and another who went and shot up a building.
In these two cases “good guys” made bad decisions, the bad decisions became lethal with the use of a firearm.
Say what you will but I believe that the victims had a better chance of dodging a car or sharpened stick than a bullet.
Gun ownership is a right and a HUGE responsibility. Sometimes even “good” people aren’t up to the task.
First of all, comparing Detroit with civilized cities isn’t really going to work. The gang-bangers will be armed, regardless. Having armed LAW-ABIDING citizens will help, it’s just hard to notice. Those who are LAW-ABIDING, get permits and don’t commit crimes.
Let’s look at some stats.
Wash DC, strictest gun laws in the country, highest rate of gun crimes and homicide of any city in the country.
England, incredibly stupid restrictions on guns and self-defense, and their crime rates have been rising for years.
Australia, trying to ban all guns, anywhere for any reason, and gun related crimes have increased by over 100%.
LAW-ABIDING gun owners, by definition, are never part of the problem.
Very nicely planted troll… it’s been a while we’ve had a gun control thread, and PC vs Rotorcranks or “I’m a intolerant christian” threads were losing ratings big time.
) but… he had a gun on his hip. While i’m all for people having guns to hunt with, it scares the shit out of me that any average joe can own an assault rifle or can visibly carry a weapon in public. Granted, this guy may have been a sherrif/whatever, but he had no badge/markings, and had the gun in plain view!!! sorry for this, but just had to rant