That? That is my Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator!

Agreed.

I will say that I am a Glock fan. I bought my first one several years ago. Since then, I'd say I've put 3 or 4 thousand rounds through Glock pistols, and I've never seen one fail.

 

I work with guns, and so I own a few guns. I have a semi clone of my work gun (albeit with an LWRC upper, so it's a lot nicer), an AK-47, a shotgun, a few pistols, and a long gun (Savage in 22-250, for those that are interested).

I keep a pocket pistol on me most of the time because it is easy to carry and if I really need it, it is there. If I go somewhere I think the probability I might need something bigger is high, I'll carry something bigger and badder (in the US this has happened zero times; in other countries, a few). Most people have these huge collections of offensive handguns and rifles, which I think is dumb. Plinking is super fun, yes, but just like with super high performance cars, there are very few places you can truly test the limits of, say, a $10K Accuracy International long-range setup in .338 Lapua. Or a .50 BMG Barrett. Furthermore, ammo for exotic guns is ridiculously expensive.

I did not grow up around many guns; my grandfather had a large collection and was a hunter, but both of my parents were city folk and had no need or want for them. My dad had a few pellet guns for shooting squirrels, but that was it. I "got into" guns after I got into the military, but I haven't bought a gun in a long time. I have more than enough to do whatever hunting I might want to do, and the main reason I have a copy of my work gun (and the AK) is so I can show my kids one day.

The only thing I'd really like to get is a suppressed Marlin .22 for shooting ground hogs off my back porch, but there are other things I need to spend my money on right now (like getting married).

 

Just to chime in, although other people have also covered it.

I know this term is somewhat cliche, but I think the best reason for carrying a gun is civic duty. If you don't have a gun, then you are a sheep. Not in the "wooly animal that baaas and is half-retarded" sense, but in the sense that you are dependent on other people to protect you. If you own a gun, are familiar with its usage, and are prepared to use it, then you are a sheepdog, able to protect your friends and family from harm. The best thing is that in this sense, the sheep look identical to the sheepdogs. If there are enough sheepdogs, criminals will think long and hard before they decide to break the law. What odds are you willing to gamble your life on? 1/100? 1/10? 1/5? Chances are, if you live in the People's Republic of Massachusetts, the chances of mugging a gun-owner (and getting your ass perforated) are pretty low. If you take the half-hour drive up to New Hampshire and try mugging some people there, your odds go up pretty fast.

This might sound a bit paranoid, but it's pretty good logic to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. 99.9% of concealed carry holders will never have to draw their guns in anger. But those .1% are going to be damn glad that they went through the hassle.

Now, this doesn't apply to everyone. There are people who are terrible with firearms and shouldn't have them, and telling them to go carry a gun out of civic duty is just flat-out irresponsible. But if you have the ability to do so and you're a clear-thinking adult, the question shouldn't be "Why should I carry a firearm," it should be "Why shouldn't I?"

It's the same thing as taking self-defense classes. Your chances of getting into a fight are really small... but if you get in that situation, you're going to be glad you know what to do.

 

I like assault style weapons that have no sporting purpose, they look cool and I like to shoot them from time to time. The ATF is not so sure they like one of my guns so I have to tell them where I store it.
If I carry a gun it is a glock 19 that is easy to conceal and I have a license to do so.

The reason I carry a gun if and when I do is because I want to, it is legal and it offers some instant personal protection that is not always readily available from law enforcement. I will probably never have to shoot anybody but if put in that position I could, same reason you have life insurance, you probably will never have to use it but if you ever need it you are sure glad you have it.

Favorite gun to shoot is the AR-15, you just put the crosshairs on what you are trying to hit and apply even pressure and the it gets hit.

 

I don't think it's necessary to go into detail about my guns... that's what the G&A thread (and my blog, ya know) is for. Like anything you make with your own two hands, they are worth much much more to me than the price tag.

I grew up in a household opposite of Dcc... my dad doesn't have an arsenal in the basement but I definitely knew he had guns and I knew to respect them. My parents grew up in rural Illinois and were raised around many more guns and often the best way for my mother's father to put food on the table was to go get it from the woods. This means they had no qualms when I wanted to have some of my own and use them often too, provided they knew I was going to be safe and responsible with them.

I believe the general public is sorely lacking in basic gun safety education too. They're nothing more than tools made of steel, wood, and plastic and when respected are perfectly safe. When they fall into the hands of dipshits or criminals they become unsafe. By the numbers, swimming pools are many many times more dangerous than guns. I think anyone who fears them would do themselves a great favor by attending a few easy classes and popping a few rounds off at a range. That alone is a lot of fun. I'll gladly take someone who is unfamiliar with guns out shooting so they can witness firsthand how they aren't so scary.

I do own a pistol- but it's a single shot air pistol that fires a little .20 cal pellet and it's for shooting tin cans and squirrels, not people. I'd like to own a couple of nice pistols when I have the money for them (like a well-made 1911 with a .22 conversion kit and a Super Blackhawk) and will eventually get my conceal & carry license. I doubt I'll carry a gun 24/7, but I do think it is an option that will disappear if it's not exercised so I'll be a good 2nd Amendment loving citizen and take the classes. I live in a pretty safe neighborhood, but some houses within a block have been broken into while I've lived here so my shotgun stays in a concealed yet accessible place so I really hope nobody forces me to use it.

 

For the record: I don't trust 99% of the public to carry a gun. I will fiercely defend their right to do so, but I don't trust them with firearms, by and large. I don't think they'll use them in a malicious way, mind you, it's just that using a gun properly (ESPECIALLY a handgun) under stressful circumstances (i.e. when you'd actually need one) requires a LOT of training and upkeep on that training that very few people have access to. Hell, I don't trust very many COPS with their weapons. Not enough training money for most departments, sadly. On top of that, of the people that DO shoot regularly, very few actually TRAIN to use their weapons in the manner they carry them for. Most would fumble with their guns and shoot wildly because they aren't used to not being in a perfect Weaver/A-Frame/whatever bullshit stance they are used to.

To quote a SOF guy I know, "It's not that we're good, it's just that everyone else is so damned BAD."

 

I love to shoot and am a supporter of the right to carry, BUT. Brian makes an excellent point. Cops hit the person they are shooting at 17% of the time in a gunfight (I did not pull that figure out of my ass.) Where does that put Joe "Mall Ninja" Schmoe at on hit percentage? I've seen videos of cops shooting the hoods of their squad cars, while being behind them for cover in a gunfight due to jerking the trigger so hard. Most gunfights occur within a 5 foot range. Most bullets still miss.

 

Very solid point, my wife for example is not the quickest on the draw with her gun, but in a situation where her life was in danger I would rather her have a tool at her disposal that could save her life than nothing at all even if she is less than proficient at using it.

17% hit ratio may be about right for handguns for law enforcement but I am sure when a long gun is involved that number goes up very dramatically.

 

I don't have guns, and I would never touch one. I can see why people like them, shooting is probably tonnes of fun. Yes, I don't like them. I won't criticize anybody who owns one, because that's you and not me. However, I have one question for you gun owners:

If you feel the need to actually carry a hundgun around in public, don't you think that is kind of a subtle hint that where you live probably sucks? I've never even known anybody aside from cops to even dare take a gun out in public, except for the guy who killed my friend a few years ago. It's different up here, I guess.

 

Being quick and being good are very different things. Most people that have shot less than 1000 rounds in their life would be better off with a starter pistol filled with blanks. The sound is what saves most people's lives anyways.

Cops don't use long guns very much, and civilians even less in defensive scenarios. Here's an example of a cop using a long gun (note the orientation of the magazine in her weapon):

 

Show me a place that doesn't have ANY rapes, assaults, robbery, and murder and I'll pack up my things and move there within the month.

No offense dude as you're normally a good poster, but this is probably the stupidest comment in here. I drive and interact with people on a daily basis with regards to almost every interaction I have. It's naive at best to trust other people and to expect at least a few of them do not have bad intentions. I don't live in some ghetto ass place or some super rich nice place, I live in an average place. With that said, if someone ever busted in my door or held me up in public who is going to protect me, the police? Yeah right. Its already been ruled the police have no constitutional duty to protect me. When precious seconds count and the life of my family or myself are on the line, I'm not depending on ANYONE but myself.

For the record, although it may seem I'm some paranoid crazy person who doesn't trust anyone, I believe people as a whole are good natured and just want to live their lives in peace and raise a good family. It's the other douchebags I'm trying to prepare for.

 

Latin, I don't know why you would think that is a stupid question considering how different our environments are. I don't know if you've been up here, but I have been to Texas. It is no secret you live in a state where a good chunk of the population is bloodthirsty and dim.

I know people on this board are Texans and I like most of you, but I havre never been to a place in the USA where people behave more recklessly. Most were nice, but the amount of armed people there plus the stunning amount of drunk drivers actually intimidated me.

You see my question as stupid, but if you carry a gun in public where I am from and you are not police or military, you are branded a coward or nutbag. Like I said, different environments.

 

There's shitty people everywhere. The trick to the whole carrying a gun in public thing is keeping it concealed.

 

That is not fair, that is a woman, everyone knows cops are men.

In my area there is a some pretty extensive training that goes on for law enforcement on the long gun, and in any kind of police situation you will see a number of them. This is according to the instructor of the program who is an acquaintance of mine.
With the more compact style M-4 type rifles that offer a platform for flashlights, lasers, optics and the works and the huge availability of them it is more common than you think for home defense.

 

I have no problem with guns ... for sane concerned individuals. It's the people that are mentally unstable, even in the slightest, that cause me to worry about guns. And there are way more unstable people in society than I even want to think about.

You can start out buying a gun for safety, just as a back up in case you are ever threatened. But what happens when you are at a bar on the way home from work with your concealed weapon, a little drunk, and you and some asshole get into a fight over some stupid shit (bar fights happen over the most insignificant things)? Before, you may have exchanged a few blows then gotten separated and left the bar. Now, you pull your gun.

Maybe you are headed to a buddies place in a bad neighborhood. You bring you handgun just in case. You get off the bus, start walking and somebody taps your shoulder. You, being jumpy, already start pulling your gun. Instead it's just some dude who saw you left your wallet on the bus.

Accidents happen, right?

I realize these situations may sound ridiculous...but they do happen. All I know is I'd be more concerned about myself with a gun, moreso than I would be without one. Too many people with guns go out looking for trouble, rather than just have that gun as an insurance policy.

I have been skeet shooting, and it is a grand ole time. I can understand shooting for fun. I've shot a Glock at a buddies place and it felt fantastic. But bringing guns into public just worries me.

 

I want some examples of your ridiculous assumptions.

In many states that allow concealed guns, it's illegal to carry with a BAC over .01 and if you're caught- you're screwed. I can't speak for the others, but the laws are very restrictive. Also, you're trained to use the gun as a last resort, not the first response. It's fucking stupid to assume that just because a person is carrying a gun, they are "jumpy" and will shoot at any possible threat.

Criminals with guns go out looking for trouble, not law-abiding citizens. You should go look up the statistics for gun violence before and after a state starts allowing concealed weapons... you might just learn something.

 

Not sure about anywhere else, but there are a number of places in the US that you are not allowed to carry a concealed firearm as a civilian. I believe that bars are either included by default, or the bar would have to post signage disallowing concealed carry, depending on the state you are in.

It's called the Opt Out statute: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concealed_carry_in_the_United_States

I tend to think concealed carry permits are a good thing, because at least in my state, you have to go through a background check and a safety course. You also have to demonstrate that you can hit what you aim at.

I know a bunch of people that have a CHL. I got mine simply because I don't have to fill out FFL paperwork to buy a gun, but as many others have mentioned, it's an insurance policy. I like to know I have the ability if needed.