Interesting article. Thank you for posting it pare.
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Questions and answers on concealed carry
Written by Isaiah Kellogg
I carry a gun. I suppose it’s probably no surprise to those who have read my other articles, but even then a lot of people don’t think about it. I get a lot of questions about concealed carry, from people who do and people who do not know that I carry. I’ll respond to some of the more common questions and comments that I’ve gotten in the past three years.
Is that legal? Yes. I wouldn’t do it if it was illegal. Currently, two states have no restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun, 46 states have some sort of permit system by which citizens can carry a concealed weapon with a permit, and two states outlaw it completely. Missouri’s law allowing citizens to carry a concealed weapon (CCW) went into effect three years ago, and yes, I do have permits which are recognized by Missouri. I have permits which allow me to carry in 30 states. In order to remain legal, I have to memorize Missouri’s law on the subject. I have to know the places where a gun is prohibited – including campus, bars, government buildings, etc. Also, I have to know when I would be legally justified to shoot someone – when they have the ability, the opportunity, and the intent to cause me severe personal injury or death. I also have to memorize the laws of every state I visit – for instance, New Mexico forbids carry in any location which sells alcohol (which includes most grocery stores). The smallest infraction could land me in prison.
Why carry a gun? Because if I ever need it, I will need it RIGHT NOW. I’ve said before that the police are good hard working professionals, but they can’t be everywhere at once. I’d much rather have the police shoot someone who is threatening violence – that’s one of the things they’re paid for, and they get professional immunity from most lawsuits as well as counseling to deal with the emotional aftermath.
Carrying a gun is for the last resort, if everything else has failed. My mind is my only weapon – a gun is just a tool, and the very last tool in the bottom of my tool box. If I avoid dangerous places, stay aware of my surroundings, don’t look like an attractive target, and try to run away first… if all those things fail, I have one tool left to protect my life. Like a seat belt. I don’t want to get in a car wreck and I make it habit to avoid wrecks, but if one happens, the seat belt may be the only thing that could save my life.
You just want to shoot somebody, don’t you? No. I understand that there is a huge emotional trauma that is attached to any lethal incident. Not to mention the likely criminal charges, and even if I’m acquitted the tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Far better is to run away and call the police. Shooting a person comes right above dying on my “to do” list.
Is it some sort of macho thing? No. When I’m carrying a gun, I have to work to defuse any potentially violent situation. If I participate in any way in an event which escalates to a shooting, I would be hung out to dry. I can’t be macho, I can’t be proud, and I have to walk away. Carrying a gun forces me to be as un-macho as possible.
Won’t a bad guy just take away your gun and use it against you? If it’s that easy to take it away, I’ll just take it right back! Seriously though, that’s very rare. Most of those cases are police, and that’s only because the officer and the gun are both highly visible. For the rest of us, the gun is concealed. By the time the criminal sees my gun, I’ll be pulling the trigger before he can get his hands on it. There are techniques that keep the gun close to your body when shooting at someone close enough to grab your gun. But even with concealment and the best techniques, if I’m not willing to use the gun, it could be taken away from me. And that leads to the next question:
Would/could you shoot someone? I don’t know. I never have. I hope I never find out. One time when I was working at a grocery store, two guys said they’d come kill me when I got off work. The police came when I called, but there would have been plenty of time for violence before they arrived, and they were gone well before I got off work. And one time at home, someone broke in at night but left when I told the 911 operator I had a gun. Again, the police showed up after the violence would have been over. In both instances, I’m glad that nobody got shot, but I think that if things had been slightly different (guys at the grocery store actually did come back, or whoever broke into my house hadn’t run off) I could have shot that person. Again, not the best option, but better than my own death.
Are you living out some Rambo fantasy? This one always makes me laugh. I don’t imagine myself in the middle of a well-planned terrorist attack, acting out scenes from a video game. While I understand that a multiple-shooter orchestrated attack is unlikely, I also realize it’s possible. If I am caught in that type of situation, I’m not a SWAT team. I’m not going to take on a passel of well-armed terrorists with a snub nosed .38 special, but God help any terrorist who gets between my family and the nearest exit. A single whacko shooting up a mall, same story – I’m grabbing my family and heading for the nearest exit, but if my family is threatened before we can get to safety, I’ll do what I have to do. That’s how the February 12th shooting at Trolley Mall in Salt Lake City was stopped – the shooter got between an armed man with his pregnant wife and the exit.
I follow the law. I avoid dangerous locations. I try to see trouble in time to avoid it. I’ll run away rather than fight. I believe in nonviolence, and I expect the same from others. If every nonviolent solution has failed, I will react to end violence. I carry a gun.
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Very interesting personal view on CCW.
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Conceal carry is between the Lord, the law, and you."
Range Courtesy: Watch your brass SUCKA!
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04-06-2007, 08:03 AM
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