Quote:
Originally Posted by floridaorange
Do most member posting in this thread think the massive increase in concealed carry licenses is a positive thing for American life?
(I'm not referring to criminals who are packing vs criminals receiving training on proper technique.)
I grew up around guns and hunting.
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I would say more concealed carry licenses are a good thing. People thinking about taking care of themselves is a good thing.
I am a little less comfortable with 'constitutional carry' which is no license necessary in some states. I think people need some education before bringing a gun into a populated area.
Anyone who chooses to carry a gun needs to get themselves some training, and listen to the advice of experts. We all need to understand how lives can change forever just by pulling the trigger in self defense, think about some scenarios before you are in them. What is your threshold for action.
I have a carry permit in CA, depending on your county you need to complete 8 to 16 hours of classroom time and qualifying on a live range with the gun(s) you intend to carry (the qualifying and listing every gun rule may be changing in some counties). It is changing in some places in CA now, but you used to have to write a letter to the Sheriff stating you 'good cause' to get a permit, and then be interviewed by the sheriff (or someone in their office) etc.
I think the classroom time and qualifying on the range are good things for people planning on carrying in populated areas. An argument against it is that it costs time and money and therefore is unfair to poorer people.
I have had to renew my license a number of times now, so I have been on the range with a bunch of people qualifying, most are pretty good at shooting, some are absolutely terrible and the idea of them carrying a gun is frightening. I have also been on the range with plenty of cops who are preparing for their own qualification, some that I can recall were barely on the paper at 7 yards with a full sized 9mm, its pathetic.
When you first get a carry permit, it is very likely that you have never drawn a loaded gun from a holster, I can't think of a single range where that is allowed (unless you are in a class), you don't know how to carry, what gear is good, etc.
Here is a (perhaps half baked) idea:
1. Carrying in unpopulated/minimally populated areas should be legal. This is a very big country and you can easily be very far away from help. You can unload and safely store your gun before you go back into town.
2. I think a permit for carrying in populated areas is a good thing. It proves/forces you to have some education (not enough, but there is never enough) and have passed a background check. I can tell you from multiple experiences that handing a cop a carry permit first confuses them (most cops in CA have never seen one), then it puts them at ease, they know you are not going to harm them.
3. I don't think possession of a gun should be a criminal offense (unless you are a criminal), but maybe you can be issued a ticket requiring you to get some training, because you did something stupid/dangerous.
4. I don't like open carry, but I don't think it should be illegal, I also don't think anyone should do it in populated areas.
5. If you are not a criminal, and a judge gives you a restraining order against someone, you should be given the option to have temporary carry permit at the same time (if you want to keep it, go do what everyone else has to do).
The bottom line is, criminals are going to be criminals, non-criminals are going to follow the rules. We shouldn't make the rules so bad/confusing/limiting that we turn the good people into criminals.