With the news of the Heller case, I started thinking about citizens legally carrying firearms. As I am not a gun enthusiast, I really have not given it much thought. I don't give gun laws much thought at all, because I have different interests. However, I do understand that there are enthusiasts and have no desire to see their rights infringed and I like to see the Constitution upheld.

Thus, as a non-enthusiast, I would like to know some general opinions on carrying firearms. Do most of you favor the legality of carrying a handgun? If so, do you favor conceal carrying or open carrying?

For now, I am leaning toward any carrying of handguns in plain sight. While there are those who are quite diligent in studying and practicing responsible carrying of a handgun, little training (IMO) in this area is required to do so. With evidence of road rage and a lot of folks having little control of their temper lately, I would much rather know who is packing heat in a situation I might find myself while going about my life.

I would like to know others' opinions on this as it is pretty new to me.

I am already on record, no I am not for issuing ccps on a profligate basis. I think ther should be cause shown as example as to the right to carry in public etc. A demonstration of need is all I am saying. A man or woman who have been victims of abuse with a high likely hood for it to ocurr again sure, as an example.

And there’s the use factor as in education and practice of handling firearms. I think there should be classes for those acquiring handguns especially.

Persons, who handle larger tha normal cash, as I said in another thread, tow truck operators contracted to tow public vehicles, even if you pushed it, meter maids etc. folks who deal in wand with possibly confrontational jobs etc.

As a citizen if a guy goes out for a pack of smokes or drives to their job, I just don’t see the need for them to pack, just because they can.

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"The captain has turned off the `No Dubbing' sign. You are free to speak any language you choose."

Ah, I didn't think of the "need" factor. Good point.

An armed society is a polite society.

How often is a convenience store held up? How many times are the patrons in those stores threatened or harmed? Well, those patrons are people who "just ran out for a pack of smokes".

I support both open and concealed carry...

An armed citizenry is probably more polite. But I do know that no matter how polite one is to strangers on the street or road, their perceptions are not always on the mark. If they have a nasty temper or persecution complex behind those perceptions, I want to know if they are packing heat, so that I can remove myself as safely as possible from the situation. Not all the population is rational in their perceptions of everday life experiences.

People get killed over $8 bucks. Is their life worth less because they don't drive a tow truck or carry large amounts of cash?

Matt

The reason I don't care for open carry is that it exposes the weapon to being grabbed, and makes the bearer a target. You don't know how much cash is in someone's wallet, but you know the handgun they are carrying openly is worth some serious coin. It also helps the bad guys select an unarmed target.

With concealed carry, the predator can never be certain if their prospective victim (or a bystander) is armed.

I was in a local bookstore the other day with my laptop, doing some work and sipping a drink. At the table next to me, a couple people were discussing Heller, and commenting on how they can't believe anyone carries a gun, and how they would know they if someone nearby was carrying a gun, etc.

I was sitting ~5 feet away, in plain view of both of them, carrying a full-sized pistol on one side (the side closest to them) and a spare mag on the other side, under a t-shirt.

Matt

See - another point I did not consider - the target angle. If I were one carrying a handgun in plain sight, it would be hard to relax in public knowing I or my gun is a target.

...yes, because its a scared society.

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January the 20th 2009. The day I started to respect America!

You’re really stretching the analogy here matt. Whoever holds up a guy on the street for an unknown gain is going to do so, regardless, he’s that desperate. One can make a case that he won’t mess with someone who has a large amount of cash because he, may know that they have a larger propensity to have a gun and if the city had ccps widely available that would stop him short as well. I get it. In the end for the same reason it’s all risk reward, some don’t parse it and to them it won’t matter.

I just cannot fathom having let’s say 5000 25 years olds in say Detroit carrying concealed firearms. It may apply in areas like yours, rural in nature or a history of handling and respecting firearms etc. but that is not transferable I feel to the public at large everywhere.
Ipso if you restrict Detroit then we are back to selective restriction, which I don’t believe in.

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"The captain has turned off the `No Dubbing' sign. You are free to speak any language you choose."

if you know that the object of your disaffection may be armed, you'll think twice about demonstrating your feelings.

Open carry also makes false complaints of brandishing or threats easier to make.

I former professional acquaintance of mine was once accused of pointing a gun at someone. When the police arrived, the "victim" was asked to make a statement in which he described the firearm involved as a black revolver. The acquaintance was carrying a silver semi-auto. The "victim" admitted that he made the story up after seeing the NRA sticker on the acquaintance's car and being told by a mutual friend that he had a carry permit.

Had he been openly carrying, the person making the false complaint would have been able to describe the weapon and my acquaintance would have been in serious trouble.

Note that the converse works as well - if someone with a concealed weapon pulls it, witnesses would be able to describe it accurately which would tend to indicate that they actually saw it.

Matt

I like it when the facts of a situation prove a liar.

OK, there are good points being made for conceal-carry. I am still finding it hard to get beyond dealing with some irrational lunatic who has anger issues and pulls a gun on me because they didn't liuke the way I changed a lane or was standing in line to get a Coke.

If concealed carrying is permitted, I would like to see some intense training on responsible use being a requirement for it.

If criminals only targeted people they knew were carrying a large amount of cash, I'd agree with you.

But the news is filled with senseless crimes of violence over paltry amounts of cash, and cases where the predators shot their victims after the victims complied with their demands.

I do not believe there should be a financial threshold before one should be able to defend themselves.

It's happening right now. Of course, 4,900 of them are probably doing so unlawfully. Those are the people to be concerned about.

Statistically, those who are licensed to carry are involved in very few crimes.

Even in states where shall-issue is the law of the land (the majority of the US, by the way), only a small number of citizens obtain permits, and even fewer carry every day.

Speaking for myself, I've had extensive training beyond the state minimum, and beyond that I shoot competitively. I do not see that any reasonable case can be made that my having a concealed firearm license makes anyone any less safe (apart, perhaps, from a potential violent felon).

Matt

I didn't vote btw because a choice was present for me si.....

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"The captain has turned off the `No Dubbing' sign. You are free to speak any language you choose."