Any tPF civilians "packing?"

#31
This is just my personal opinion, so don't shoot me for it... :P

The reason why I seriously consider living abroad once having a family is the reason that there is handguns vastly available and around in the US. As a European, the amount of shootings you heard about on a daily basis are just mind-blowing to me and the thought of a random stranger on the street carrying a concealed weapon while passing me on the street/mall/wherever just freaks me out.

bravorodrig mentioned that she'd shoot to kill if she felt like her life was in danger. To me, it partially makes sense but then again that feeling is quite subjective.

Example: I wouldn't appreciate the situation if I had a bad day and randomly *****ed at a lady for her bad driving in a mall parking lot because she had almost hit my car... and ended up having my face blown off because she felt that I had threatened her and her kids' safety by *****ing at her.

Feeling safe is a very, very relative state of mind, and with daily life generating as much stress as it does these days, I really think that notion can be very much skewed.

Again, I grew up in a country where guns are very hard to come by and the thought of having them as a daily utility is something I have yet to get used to in 8 years of living in the US.
 
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#32
I'll keep my answer really short :yes:

No, not packing and don't plan to ever. I know Vlad is writing a long response right now, and he and I share many of the same opinions.

Anyhow, to make a really long story short... when I was really young, my dad was shot in the head in a drive by shooting. He was in the ICU for over a month. The bullet entered right by his ear, and stopped millimeters away from his brain. The Dr's could not remove the bullet, because it was so close to his brain that they feared it would cause brain damage. He still has that bullet in his head to this day. He is fine now, but I think the ease of obtaining a gun in the US is terrifying. The situation did not make my parents or any of us feel the need to carry a gun... and to this day I want nothing to do with them.
 
#33
I can understand that many have entirely different attitudes on guns when having grown up around them as kids.

You hear of so many people snapping under stress these days, random school/mall/public place shootings with legally obtained guns and dozens dead. I find the idea of having to protect myself against that madness by having to carry a sidearm myself somewhat counter-productive.

I am not trying to start a piss fight with the pro-gunnies on tPF, I am just explaining why the whole idea of bearing guns publicly freak me the f**k out.
 
#34
^^ I agree with both Megs and Vlad and I am glad I don't live in the U.S. because I would be scared out of my mind everyday.

If I knew a kid at my school or college or wherever had a gun I would have nightmares about being on the front page news the next day.
 
#35
I carry pepper spray, but would never carry a gun. Maybe If I owned a home and/or business I would get one, but too many things can go wrong when people carry guns on them. Plus, there's also the chance that an unarmed attacker overpowers you and uses your own gun against you.
 
#37
I do not carry a gun, but my SO has a license and I plan on getting one also. My SO does own a gun, but that is for his(and my) protection while dealing with the crazy people we have renting from us, and he only carries it when "visiting" renters.

I do have to agree with Vlad though. Everyone's perceptions are different, and whos to say if you bump into someone while walking down the sidewalk, that person wont "fear for his/her life" and blow your damn head off, just for bumping into them.
It is a pretty scary thought, and it does make me stop and think about things before I "go off" on somebody!
 
#38
Vlad said:
This is just my personal opinion, so don't shoot me for it... :P

The reason why I seriously consider living abroad once having a family is the reason that there is handguns vastly available and around in the US. As a European, the amount of shootings you heard about on a daily basis are just mind-blowing to me and the thought of a random stranger on the street carrying a concealed weapon while passing me on the street/mall/wherever just freaks me out.

bravorodrig mentioned that she'd shoot to kill if she felt like her life was in danger. To me, it partially makes sense but then again that feeling is quite subjective.

Example: I wouldn't appreciate the situation if I had a bad day and randomly *****ed at a lady for her ****ty driving in a mall parking lot because she had almost hit my car... and ended up having my face blown off because she felt that I had threatened her and her kids' safety by *****ing at her.

Feeling safe is a very, very relative state of mind, and with daily life generating as much stress as it does these days, I really think that notion can be very much skewed.

Again, I grew up in a country where guns are very hard to come by and the thought of having them as a daily utility is something I have yet to get used to in 8 years of living in the US.
Click to expand...

I was just trying to put this exact sentiment into words. While I'm sure most people are responsible (for example, I own a kitchen knife, but it doesn't mean I'd stab someone) and know how and when to use their guns, the proliferation of and access to arms really scares me. Feeling safe and self control are completely subjective... it worries me that if a completely responsible person can get a gun, then so can someone who is not so responsible. ITA that increasing stress skews this as well. For example, if someone stepped on my foot at the mall, I would not say anything, but I have seen many people go ballistic in a similar situation; a lot of people think this is fine and "just speaking up for yourself." Where do you draw the line when it somes to shooting someone?

Some of the posts in this thread say that measures are taken to ensure that only x and y have access to their guns and that they also take safety measures to make sure the ownership is completely safe. What kind of measures do the gun owners take to ensure this?
 
#39
I agree with Megs and Vlad. I'm terrified of guns. I think that I'm not emotionally prepared to have one, because if there was an intruder in my house, I can't honestly say I'd be prepared to shoot and kill. Maybe it's because I've never even held a real gun, or maybe it's because I'm young. Who knows. I just don't feel ready.

Are you allowed to shoot someone (lethally) if they break into your home? Is that considered self-defense? Or are you only allowed to shoot someone to "stop" them (like in the arm or leg). If you kill them, is there any way you could get in trouble for that?
 
#40
I don't own one, i'm a bit scared to at this moment in time. But my boyfriend and I have gone to a shooting range a couple of times. I'm an aspiring cop so the experience is good.
 
#41
You are not allowed to shoot someone to stop them. According to NC law-
Deadly force is justified if the following conditions are met(my understanding all must be met simutaneously):
Necessary to prevent imminent threat of death, great harm, sexual assault.
Another person in the same situation would have acted the same way.
The person using deadly force was not the instigator.
Force used was not excessive. 1 bullet vs. 6. A leg shot vs. a chest shot.

You can only shoot someone in your home if one of the four conditions above are present. If only property is threatened, deadly force cannot be used. You also have the duty to "retreat" even before using deadly force. If property and life are threatened (armed robbery) then you can use deadly force, if the four conditions are met.

If the four conditions are met, you can use deadly force to stop someone prior to entering your home. If the intruder is in your home, the four conditions must be met before you can use deadly force against them. You must ask them to leave, you can push them out, but if the four conditions are not present, and you shoot them, you are opening yourself up for trouble especially if they live.

A man(who had been through CC training) in my community shot a home intruder, four conditions met. Did not kill intruder. Intruder then sued the homeowner --paraded character witnesses that said this boy was only a thief, would not hurt anyone(yet still conveyed threat to life of homeowner). The homeowner won, however he did have to foot the legal bills for his defense.
 
#42
So may I first say that we are on page 3 of my post and not one person has answered me about hosters/carry devices. :smile:

Okay, to answer Vlad's question about "in danger" I can say this: if someone breaks into my home I believe myself and my family to be "in danger" and I would shoot to kill. Not to wound -- to kill. I have been the victim of a violent crime and I can assure you that my retaliation is the reason I am here today and was not found in a ditch dead eighteen years ago. My state has the "Make My Day" law, so if someone breaks into my home I can do what I will to them and suffer no consequences under criminal law. As for public carry, that is more tenuous. But if I happen to see a defendant that I helped get criminal charges against (or someone who had his door kicked in by the cops after kidnapping a kid) out and about in my vicinity with a weapon, I am going to consider myself in danger, since they have no valid reason to be near me.

Pepper spray is all well and good IF 1) the perp is substantially close to you; 2) he hasn't already shot you before he gets close enough for you to use the spray; and 3) the spray actually stops him rather than just pissing him off.

I'm not a die-hard Second Amendment freak living in a bunker with an AK-47 at the ready, but I'm going with the guns nevertheless.
 
#44
We'll have you in Canada Vlad and Megs:yes:
The thought of carrying a gun seems foreign to me. Thats why I asked in the first place. I have lived in a large city, and even then I was never afraid enough to even think about having anything to defend myself. The lengths most people in these parts go to is a baseball bat under the bed....But then in my city we have not had a homicide with a firearm involved in maybe 30 years???
 
#45
ETenebris said:
So may I first say that we are on page 3 of my post and not one person has answered me about hosters/carry devices. :smile:

Okay, to answer Vlad's question about "in danger" I can say this: if someone breaks into my home I believe myself and my family to be "in danger" and I would shoot to kill. Not to wound -- to kill. I have been the victim of a violent crime and I can assure you that my retaliation is the reason I am here today and was not found in a ditch dead eighteen years ago. My state has the "Make My Day" law, so if someone breaks into my home I can do what I will to them and suffer no consequences under criminal law. As for public carry, that is more tenuous. But if I happen to see a defendant that I helped get criminal charges against (or someone who had his door kicked in by the cops after kidnapping a kid) out and about in my vicinity with a weapon, I am going to consider myself in danger, since they have no valid reason to be near me.

Pepper spray is all well and good IF 1) the perp is substantially close to you; 2) he hasn't already shot you before he gets close enough for you to use the spray; and 3) the spray actually stops him rather than just pissing him off.

I'm not a die-hard Second Amendment freak living in a bunker with an AK-47 at the ready, but I'm going with the guns nevertheless.
Click to expand...


Ok, I have a shoulder holster, an Alessi, I like it.
THAT SAID..honestly I don't carry much at all. I would not carry when I go to the mall, or out with friends.no no no. But if I have to go to the ATM at 10:00PM, yep. And just for the record, I agree with Vlad. I really do not like to feel the need to have lethal protection, I think it is downright sad. I don't feel powerful, happy or anything else carrying the weapon. I wish I lived somewhere where I could feel safe all the time, but southern CA is not it.
 
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