Yet another ridiculous comment on rape by a politician - say it ain't so!

[lunamoth]

Can anyone tell me why people are allowed (encouraged?) to have 'concealed' weapons?

I don't like the idea of people carrying guns around where I shop, work, play with my kids, etc., but wouldn't it be better is people carrying weapons were required to display them, and not allowed to keep them hidden?

2c

 

[Father Heathen]

Can anyone tell me why people are allowed (encouraged?) to have 'concealed' weapons?

Having the ability to defend oneself can be pretty nifty.

 

[lunamoth]

Having the ability to defend oneself can be pretty nifty.

Right, but why not make it a law that your weapons need to be carried in plain sight?

 

[Revoltingest]

Right, but why not make it a law that your weapons need to be carried in plain sight?

In MI, that is the case for hunting pistols when the hunter lacks a CCW license.

 

[Alceste]

Do Americans love in constant fear of being attacked? It's an honest question. I can't remember ever being anywhere I felt I would need to carry a weapon to protect myself. There were dangerous parts of Morocco and Guatemala, but I simply chose not to go to those places alone. I'd be more worried about shooting myself or someone else accidentally than not being able to defend myself. I also think it would be extremely unpleasant to feel like you need to be constantly vigilant and ready to kill somebody every time you leave the house.

 

[LegionOnomaMoi]

Do Americans love in constant fear of being attacked? It's an honest question. I can't remember ever being anywhere I felt I would need to carry a weapon to protect myself. There were dangerous parts of Morocco and Guatemala, but I simply chose not to go to those places alone. I'd be more worried about shooting myself or someone else accidentally than not being able to defend myself. I also think it would be extremely unpleasant to feel like you need to be constantly vigilant and ready to kill somebody every time you leave the house.

I was jumped at a train station (for those who know boston, Forest Hills) by three individuals, one of whom had a knife and a desire to embed it in my neck. Thanks to a fair amount of luck and some training, I ended up alive with a stab wound in the arm, a sliced up finger, and a bleading head (I stopped concentrating on groundfighting after that; it's all well and good to go to the ground in a ring with one opponent, but being kicked in the head while you are in the guard trying to stop someone from stabbing you is less than pleasant). If I had been carrying a pistol, the whole incident would likely have been avoided, and neither me nor my assailants would have wound up with the injuries we did. I was on a cell phone at the time, talking to a friend. To this day I still don't know why it happened. But I have carried a knife ever since then. I hope I never have to use it. But if I have to, I hope that the years I've spent training to use it (and combatives) save my life again. If it were easy to get a concealed carry license in MA (or now, DC), I'd do that. I see it as more preventative than anything else. An edged weapon is a terrific equalizer in combat, but it doesn't have the same preventative effect a firearm does.

 

[Apex]

Do Americans love in constant fear of being attacked? It's an honest question. I can't remember ever being anywhere I felt I would need to carry a weapon to protect myself. There were dangerous parts of Morocco and Guatemala, but I simply chose not to go to those places alone. I'd be more worried about shooting myself or someone else accidentally than not being able to defend myself. I also think it would be extremely unpleasant to feel like you need to be constantly vigilant and ready to kill somebody every time you leave the house.

Do you own a fire extinguisher? First aid kit? Do you have smoke alarms in your house? Being prepared for a situation, even an extremely rare one like your house catching fire or a home invader, does not mean you are living in constant fear of it.

The ability to legally carry a firearm in public does not equate to living in constant fear. I am honestly amazed at how many foreigners can't seem to get that line of faulty reasoning out of their heads.

 

[Father Heathen]

Do Americans love in constant fear of being attacked?

Do people who wear seat belts live in constant fear of automobile accidents?

It's an honest question.

I doubt it, but if it was it wasn't very well thought out.

I'd be more worried about shooting myself or someone else accidentally than not being able to defend myself.

That's what training is for.

 

[Father Heathen]

Do you own a fire extinguisher? First aid kit? Do you have smoke alarms in your house? Being prepared for a situation, even an extremely rare one like your house catching fire or a home invader, does not mean you are living in constant fear of it.

The ability to legally carry a firearm in public does not equate to living in constant fear. I am honestly amazed at how many foreigners can't seem to get that line of faulty reasoning out of their heads.

What he said.

 

[JustWondering2]

Do you own a fire extinguisher? First aid kit? Do you have smoke alarms in your house? Being prepared for a situation, even an extremely rare one like your house catching fire or a home invader, does not mean you are living in constant fear of it.

The ability to legally carry a firearm in public does not equate to living in constant fear. I am honestly amazed at how many foreigners can't seem to get that line of faulty reasoning out of their heads.

Yeah I agree! What he said!

 

[Me Myself]

I 'll say the same I said with the fox news stuff about paganism:

Trying to point out how wrong that is is like trying to destroy ashes.

 

[Alceste]

Do you own a fire extinguisher? First aid kit? Do you have smoke alarms in your house? Being prepared for a situation, even an extremely rare one like your house catching fire or a home invader, does not mean you are living in constant fear of it.

The ability to legally carry a firearm in public does not equate to living in constant fear. I am honestly amazed at how many foreigners can't seem to get that line of faulty reasoning out of their heads.

I own a fire extinguisher but I don't feel the need to pack it around with me everywhere I go.

 

[Apex]

I own a fire extinguisher but I don't feel the need to pack it around with me everywhere I go.

Of course you don't. They are generally readily available in most public places thanks to safety regulations.

 

[tytlyf]

You know, if more people had concealed carry permits, it might stimulate people to be more polite to one another, and if people were more polite to one another, then maybe perhaps society might produce fewer frustrated nut cases? But heck, if you are worried about predators, the only logical thing to do would be to disarm the prey! Yeah, that's the ticket!

I'm sorry, but that mentality is just wrong for humanity. You want more guns everywhere and all the time, fine. How would police like that when pulling over someone? Sounds like you're encouraging a fearful and paranoid society where everyone needs to be on the defensive. As if there is some threat that has been introduced the last 4 years.
I'd suggest fact checking your information sources.

 

[Revoltingest]

I'm sorry, but that mentality is just wrong for humanity. You want more guns everywhere and all the time, fine. How would police like that when pulling over someone?

Yes, we should live our lives based upon how a traffic cop feels when giving us a ticket.
(Any liberty is worth sacrificing for that greater good.)
But I suspect they already consider that the car's occupants might be armed.

Sounds like you're encouraging a fearful and paranoid society where everyone needs to be on the defensive. As if there is some threat that has been introduced the last 4 years.

Sounds like you're encouraging a contented & ovine society where everyone is dependent & docile.
The last 4 years have been good for your side.

I'd suggest fact checking your information sources.

I'm curious what sources lead you to trust government so much.
MSNBC? Alternet? NPR? Homeland Security brochures?

 

[esmith]

Can anyone tell me why people are allowed (encouraged?) to have 'concealed' weapons?

I don't like the idea of people carrying guns around where I shop, work, play with my kids, etc., but wouldn't it be better is people carrying weapons were required to display them, and not allowed to keep them hidden?

2c

I guess my first question to you is "what". You say you don't like the idea of people carrying concealed weapons but have no problem with open carry. Is this correct?

There are some states that have "open carry laws". Idaho is one; here if you want to carry a weapon that is not concealed you may do so without having any permit. We recently (2/23/2013) had a rally inside the State Capitol in support of the 2nd Amendment. You will note that this is open carry and there are numerous photographs that show this.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/02/23/2463982/second-amendment-rally-2232013.html

 

[esmith]

I own a fire extinguisher but I don't feel the need to pack it around with me everywhere I go.

Then you do not have a fire extinguisher in your car? One would think that that everyone is intelligent enough to at least carry emergency items in your vehicle. Not saying you are unintelligent, just not thinking.

 

[esmith]

I'm sorry, but that mentality is just wrong for humanity. You want more guns everywhere and all the time, fine. How would police like that when pulling over someone? Sounds like you're encouraging a fearful and paranoid society where everyone needs to be on the defensive. As if there is some threat that has been introduced the last 4 years.
I'd suggest fact checking your information sources.

Hate to break your bubble, but any street wise police officer always assumes that the occupant or occupants of a vehicle that they stop are armed and dangerous.

 

[crossfire]

I'm sorry, but that mentality is just wrong for humanity. You want more guns everywhere and all the time, fine. How would police like that when pulling over someone? Sounds like you're encouraging a fearful and paranoid society where everyone needs to be on the defensive. As if there is some threat that has been introduced the last 4 years.
I'd suggest fact checking your information sources.

NYU > Student Health Center > Health Promotion & Wellness Services > Health Topics > National Statistics about Sexual Violence on College Campuses

excerpts:

• One in 4 college-aged women report experiences that meet the legal definitions of rape or attempted rape.
• One in 5 college women are raped during their college years.
• Most survivors of sexual assaults are full-time students. Approximately one-third of them are first year students between 17-19 years old.
• <...>
• In a recent study by the National Institute of Justice, survivors of rape knew their attackers as:
  • Fellow classmates (35.5%)
  • Friends (34.2%)
  • Boyfriends or ex-boyfriends (23.7%)
  • Acquaintances (2.6%)
• One in 12 college men admitted to committing acts that met the legal definition of rape.
• More than one in 5 men report "becoming so sexually aroused that they could not stop themselves from having sex," even though the woman did not consent.
• 35% of men report some likelihood that they would rape if they could be assured they wouldn't be caught or punished.
• 81% of on-campus and 84% of off-campus sexual assaults are not reported to the police.

Let's see, would you call a woman paranoid for wanting to carry a concealed weapon when the statistics say that 1 in 5 women are raped on campus during their college years? How about when 35% of the men say they would rape if they could get away with it? And you call me paranoid when faced with these stats? Unbelievable!

 

[Alceste]

Then you do not have a fire extinguisher in your car? One would think that that everyone is intelligent enough to at least carry emergency items in your vehicle. Not saying you are unintelligent, just not thinking.

Nobody has a fire extinguisher in their car around here, nor do our cars catch fire all of a sudden. I do carry a socket wrench set, a first aid kit, spare tire, and few few other items that might make sense to a rational person.

The way some folks in this thread equate shooting and probably killing another human being with putting out an accidental fire is kind of disturbing, frankly. Also, there is a massive gap between the likelihood of fire and the likelihood of being in a position where you need to shoot somebody.

I don't buy the argument it's "just in case". One of the most lethal dangers you might face in the world is cardiac arrest, but nobody is packing a defibrillator. I suspect people who want to pack guns around perhaps get some kind of personal pleasure from telling themselves they might need to shoot somebody. Nobody is walking around prepared for EVERY possible danger. I bet some of those folks with guns in their purses don't even have nail clippers in there.