Open Carry Of Firearms: Yea Or Nay?

:( It just popped into my head is all. This is more what I was thinking: Edit: better take out for profanity, etc. Youtube, Coolio, When The Revolution Comes.

Just memories from bein a teenager.

On the other hand... I am kinda flattered that someone had an old opinion in the first place :D

/blush

i'm for guns and neither of my parents ever owned one.

That's a good point, for sure. A lot of reasonable and intelligent people are just plain scared of them because they've never been introduced to them. It makes sense - they understand that a gun can kill someone, and they have no idea how to handle/treat one - that's intimidating.

A little education goes a long way, even if their opinion on guns doesn't change, at least it's a little more of an informed opinion.

I stand corrected.


EAK! I don't know if I would feel comfortable with guns if that were the case either.

In a day and age with so much pressure floating around resulting in serious mental illness, the thought of guns laying around in homes frightens me.

Yep! I can't help but notice some of the flags by the names, so chances are some of these people have never even shot a BB gun.

/shrug

I do own BB guns, and we have multiple hunting rifles at my parents house.
I know I would'nt feel very safe knowing everybody could carry a gun around in town.. >_>
Too many morons that would just point it at someone they're pissed at.

I believe that people should have the right to own a gun. I believe in order to cement that right you should be trained to use that gun. I think it should be mandatory that you receive a certain amount of training before you are able to purchase one. Training first on situations you may face and appropriate times to draw your weapon as well as appropriate places. I also think you should have to have so many hours behind a range with an approved instructor (ideally) or someone that has been trained and is able to train someone. I mean if you think about it, it is not an unreasonable request as we require everyone to take classes and put in so many hours of suprvised driving before we allow them to obtain a drivers license. I know it may seem easy to use a weapon you know point and shoot and such but there is more to it than that to be efficient in its use and it is a responsibility.

In response to I think the original post about "would it have helped to stop something like columbine?" I think thats a hard question to answer. Personally I'd rather live in a society where we didn't have to arm our children to go to school. If we did maybe they would have stopped maybe they wouldn't of because they seemed like they didn't care about living much anymore. I also see a situation where the children and teachers start to panick and everyone is shooting all around and there are even more casualties.... I mean can you imagine a bunch of HS kids in that situation?

In conclusion, I believe we have the right to bear arms but I also believe that we have the responsibility to do so with the knowledge and respect that we are in possession of something that could end a persons life and treat it as such. I dislike the idea though that we feel that arming ourselves will make us safer, not saying its untrue, but I disliek that we are a nation that doesn't always feel safe anymore even in our own homes. I hope that comes to an end sometime soon.

My point exactly. Honest people will be giving up their self defence, allowing for criminals to knowingly have free reign in households that can't protect themselves.

Don't give me any of that BS rhetoric about police either. They'll show up to a dead father, mother and children 30min later after the next door neighbour calls 911 stating they heard gunfire.

Cars are infinitely more dangerous and accessible, yet millions of people get behind the wheel undeserving everyday.


Knowing that everyone else in the room has one as well keeps people honest.

That's exactly what I was getting at, Daemun. Probably, a lot of people with cars shouldn't be driving. And a lot of people with guns shouldn't have them. But I don't think we should take away everyone's gun, same as we shouldn't take away everyone's car.

I do think that if someone does something stupid, though, either/both privilege should be revoked.

This made me think of something, too: (Just personal experience, though, not really a "point.")

I have never unintentionally hurt someone with my guns.
I have unintentionally hurt someone with my car.

As long as some people have access to guns everyone should have access. (within reason).

As for in public, people do it all the time, legally and people don't get shot.

Gun deaths usually are in one of two ways:

Some criminal shoots somebody, because they are a criminal. They'd commit the crime regardless of the weapon they used.

Some idiot has an accident (natural selection at work).

(We're just going to ignore wars here as this isn't a debate about military using weapons).

Limiting law-abiding citizens access to ways to defend themselves only increases the first, and the second is what people actually get worked up about for some reason. But really how far would a kid get in life anyway if they were dumb enough to play with a gun (inb4 innocent youth).

I think should be illegal to carry a gun period. The statistics don't lie.

Gun deaths per 100,000 population:

Homicide | Suicide | Other(inc Accident)

USA 3.98 | 5.92 | 0.36
England/Wales 0.15 | 0.2 | 0.03


Keep in mind, these statistics are per 100k, which means 10.26 x 100k deaths total for the USA that are gun related every year. In the US where it's legal for almost anyone to walk around with a gun, and every police officer has one.

England only 19k a year. Where it's illegal for anyone to carry a gun except federal agents. Even police officers do not carry any weapons.

Like I said statistics don't lie. Less guns, less deaths from guns.

Just means ppl have to find a diffrent way to kill idiots like you'

Your attitude is helping his case xD

Make it illegal to carry a gun, the criminals, drug dealers, and gang members do it anyway.

I know 9 of my sisters friends(She hangs out with the wrong crowd..), all formerly convicted felons(Charged of dealing, breaking and entering, and assault) carry handguns(illegally).

I got my carry permit to protect myself from people like them, and to protect others if needed.

Take my permit and the right to carry away, I'll carry anyway. I'd rather end up in jail then dead because lowlife decided to hold up the gas station and I was at the wrong place at the wrong time and got shot.

Ah, the proverbial name calling out of ignorance. This never gets old. Instead of making a good counter arguement, you just call me an idiot like you win by default. How about putting some effort into your disagreements. Also, for the record. I never said deaths would drop off completely, but it's not like if people didn't have access to guns so easily that they would just strangle you just the same. Guns are easy to access, and easy to execute someone with. Killing someone the old fashioned way takes effort. If no one had guns, those statistics wouldn't translate into other deaths, not all of them. Sure some would turn into other types of deaths instead, but only a small percentage.

If they are doing this, it is not legal. At least not in the USA, assuming that's where your from. I was convicted of breaking and entering 10years ago, and i still haven't gotten my rights back. The only way they can carry a gun legally is after they are off papers if they petition thier rights to be reinstated, same as reinstating the right to vote after you become a felon.

That made me smile, oooh the good times lol

Hey no countries perfect, id rather have a hand to hand fight with someone than a one way gun fight anyday :P, but as the OP's post is what i was responding to lol

yeah, they know it's not legal, which is the point I was trying to get across. They don't care and carry anyway. They are usually only out for a few months at a time before being sent back to jail for doing the same crimes too.

Ah ok, i thought you were saying they were legally caring a permit. Must of misread, my apologies.

I'm not anti-gun, i'm just against how guns are so easily accessable by anyone now adays, much like your sister's friends, i'm against that. That accounts for a high high percentage of all the statistics i gave.

Not gonna lie, I was pretty scared when I shot my first gun(s) in Vegas.
While it was pretty ****ing cool, and I'd like to do it again, I wouldn't be comfortable having them all around me.


I can admit that I'm biased. My parents were strongly against guns, even nerf guns and crap like that, but can't you even consider for a second that you Americans are doing it wrong? I mean, I've read that there's no statistical correlation, but c'mon.

The only people gun laws are restricting are those who do follow the law, criminals are going to carry guns anyway.

There would obviously be regulations that prevent people from owning guns if they've committed non-traffic related crimes, or aren't a US citizen.

To be fair though, not everyone needs a gun to defend themselves/others.

You're right, I suppose it's not the laws, but rather the attitudes towards guns.

Pulling the gun related incidents only is unfair, check crime rates per capita. When a criminal in the UK knows for a fact their victim is unarmed, they don't shoot out of fear or get shot themselves; they order the victim around and get what they want. If someone comes in my house waving a gun and endangering my wife and children, you can bet they will leave my house in a bag