CARRYING A GUN SHOULD BE LEGAL IN ALL STATES

I think the fear is that people would use them irresponsibly. Although it's possible that someone would use a gun in a petty argument that would simply have resulted in a fist fight, it's also possible to use a car to run over somebody at whom you're pissed, but that doesn't happen much it seems, so it might not end up being that big of a problem.

True, but how many times do you hear on the local news that Mr. Jones stabbed Mr. Smith when an argument they were having got out of hand? as opposed to Mr. Smith got in his car and ran over Mr. Jones when an argument they were having got out of hand?

Proximity is part of the problem.

IG

I've carreid a firearm both for personal defence and on duty for years (I have a concealed carry permit). I have never once had to unholster my weapon - but there have been times when I've undone the thumbreak and had my hand on the butt. I agree that firearms are a great deterrent to crimes against a person...but I don't think that everyone is responsible enough to own and carry a gun.

dharmagrl........I agree that not everyone should be allowed to own or carry. I am talking about the majority who have no felony convictions, no mental problems shown, no drug ussage, etc. That would be peobably over half the population. I'm sure of that half that only a percent or two would want to carry or have any reason to carry.

But wouldn't the desire to carry a gun imply a willingness or at least a predilection to use it?

Owning a handgun and carrying a handgun are very different situations with different mental processes involved.

IG

Someone shuld only carry a gun if they are in a potentially dangerous situation.

Someone shuld only carry a gun if they are in a potentially dangerous situation.

But how can you predict when that situation will occur? I've been in circumstances that I didn't think were 'dangerous' (off duty) and one of those situations was when when I unsnapped the thumb-break and hand my hand on my gun. You simply cannot predict things like that, Marvin.

Owning a handgun and carrying a handgun are very different situations with different mental processes involved.

Yes, that's true. Just because you own one doesn't automatically mean that you know how/when to use one. Ordinary citizens on the street packing heat.....not neccessarily a good thing. Marvin, what would you do if you had a gun on you and someone got a little close to you at the ATM? Would you pull your gun? Would you point it at them and tell them to back off? If you answered "yes", you just made my(and infogeek's, I do believe) point. You NEVER, NEVER use your gun as a threat to someone else. You NEVER, NEVER, unholster that weapon unless you are absolutely prepared to shoot it, and you only ever do that if you are being directly threatened and are in fear of your life.

I hope that what I said made sense..and IG, I hope I didn't presume too much.

I used to be very much a proponent of gun control. I changed my mind on this issue after reading the book "Snow Falling on Cedars". This book is set against a back drop of the Japanese interment during WWII. The first thing they did before they put them in the camps was to take away their weapons. A weaponless people are a powerless people. I do believe the gun owners should be responsible. It makes me so sad when I read about a kid shooting another kid when they were "playing" with guns. I have never held or shot a gun but I would think that they could make it harder to pull the trigger where a child wouldn't be able to accidentally shoot a gun.

I think if it were legal to carry a gun anywhere, that there definitely should be rigorous training that ensures that only the most responsible and least emotional are allowed to carry guns.

would think that they could make it harder to pull the trigger where a child wouldn't be able to accidentally shoot a gun.

Yeah, it's called 'Gun Safety 101'. Glock, for example, supplies a trigger lock with all its firearms now. You can also keep your guns under lock and key when you're not using them, or if you're not comfortable doing that at least keep your firearm unloaded and your ammo in a separate place. You can even teach your kids firearm safety...all of mine have guns, and they know they're not something to be played with or goofed off with.

think if it were legal to carry a gun anywhere, that there definitely should be rigorous training that ensures that only the most responsible and least emotional are allowed to carry guns.

I'm all for that, but unfortunately that's not gonna happen. People have it in their heads that it's their Constitutional right to have a gun (and it is) and by God, they're going to have a gun. But, as IG pointed out, there's a huge difference between owning and carrying...and an ever bigger difference between carrying and using.

In a way, the right to carry is a little more restrictive. Just because you have the right to own, doesnt mean you can pack heat wherever you go: most states require you to have a Concealed Carry Permit for that, and getting one of those requires the local Law Enforcement to run a background check on you - see if you've been arrested/charged with a violent crime or have been sectioned under a Mental Health Act.

I grew up around guns all my life. Grew up in an area where people respected the power of using a firearm. People who treat every firearm as if it is loaded whether it is or not. I was delighted at how serious people were about gun safety when I palyed paintball.

I just heard a news report of a babysitter that accidentally killed her 1yr old charge with a shotgun. She put the baby to sleep in her crib then discovered the shotgun under the couch. She then pulled the trigger to see if it was loaded. It was. I think the owners of the gun and the sitter should be punished to the extent the law allows. There is absolutely no excuse for leaving a loaded weapon unlocked. There is absolutely no excuse for someone who is old enough to be in charge of a 1yr old, to be toying with a gun. There needs to be no tolerance shown for that sort of thing.

I believe in one's right to own firearms. I also believe in one's responsibility to store, maintain and own them responsibly.

And that's all I have to say about that.

I think the owners of the gun and the sitter should be punished to the extent the law allows. There is absolutely no excuse for leaving a loaded weapon unlocked. There is absolutely no excuse for someone who is old enough to be in charge of a 1yr old, to be toying with a gun. There

You're absolutely right, there isn't. The problem is though, that people who own guns and are using them for 'home defense' want to have their firearms accessible in case they need them. That's when you get people leaving loaded shotguns under the couch and loaded handguns in their nightstands...leading to the situation you just described.

dharma, if they are using them as "home defense" then they should only keep them out when "they are home" (as I am sure you agree). If you have a loaded weapon in an unlocked location, you are responsible for being all over that weapon at all times. Seems like common sense but apparently it isn't. Makes me want to be able to search a home before I let my kids spend any time there. I am a compassionate person, but I would show no mercy to anyone who shot a family member or friend of mine, intentionally or otherwise.

Regulating is a sticky situation due to such a problem. Responsible adults should have the right to protect themselves. But how do you keep the irresponsible ones from killing people. If they were their only vicitms, we could chalk it up to natural selection. Unfortunately, it is like the situation with drunk drivers, the ones that are at fault are rarely the ones who suffer. Although in the case with the 1yr old, I am sure all involved will suffer forever no matter how it is handled.

Sorry, I'm late.

Dharmagrl: You basically have my opinion correct.

My idea would be to take the system of getting a drivers license and apply it to getting a firearm.

First would be the written test. Does the person know the basic workings of the standard guns (auto and non-auto).
Then a class. How to operate, clean and store your firearm. Teach the person how to do these things; how to store a gun if children are in the house. Remember, “up high” is never high enough to a determined 3-5 year old.
And finally the test. Load, use and unload the weapon in front of a licensed instructor. And a background check at some point to make sure the person is who he says he is.

Is it cumbersome, yes. But it would make sure that those who legally carry guns can use them. A little radical, possibly, but we are talking about a devise that could kill or wound several people in the matter of a minute.

No, this will not stop the criminal elements from getting guns, but we could make the punishments harsher for unlicensed carriers.

IG

IG...that's awesome. That's how it should be...

..and I think the day is coming when that's how it WILL be.

The question is, how do we sneak it past the NRA. Who will bell the cat?

IG

Super Baby............. Constitutional Rights are not given on the grounds that someone may or may not be overly emotional.

And that's the problem, Marvin. People have it in their heads because the NRA has pounded it in there that they have the Constitutional right to bear arms. They do have that right. Problem is, not everyone is emotionally stable enough or responsible enough to bear arms.

Sorry, busy at the home this weekend.

One thing. Constitutional rights are not absolute. The government can put restrictions on them. We have freedom of speech, but you cannot legally say anything w/o legal consequences. We have freedom of assembly, but you cannot just assemble anywhere, also with the press.
The government, backed by the courts, has limited, is certain situations, the rights given by the Constitution.

Also, maybe the writers got it wrong and it was the right to arm bears. Maybe hunting was not challenging enough.

Davy…. Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier.

IG

You are correct in almost every area, Jilluser.