Post a picture of yourself!

[Mosh_Mosh_Revolution]

Yeah, you did. Now you're a skinny-ass HO.

Reference for the rest of you, here's a picture of Joey from last summer around this time...:



Actually, that's a bit later still, I believe.

[lgolem]

^_^ GUNS...I like them, I will never have one of my own though.

[Arka]

^_^ GUNS...I like them, I will never have one of my own though.

Out of curiosity, why not (if you like them)?

[lgolem]

^_^ GUNS...I like them, I will never have one of my own though.

Out of curiosity, why not (if you like them)?

I like them and all, but I just don't think I want something that could cause harm to my children (when and if I have any)....and kids will find out where they are and where the bullets are....so that is why I will never get one...for the future safety of my future kids.

[Arka]

Ah. I do think it's possible to train even very young children not to play with guns, but I can understand your not wanting to take the risk. "They're probably safe!" is rarely reassuring when it's your children in question!

I keep thinking about purchasing a gun but I never get around to doing so - I wouldn't be able to carry it on my person, and I'm far more concerned about that than home break-ins, curiously enough.

[hascoolnickname]

[Original Sin]

I like them and all, but I just don't think I want something that could cause harm to my children (when and if I have any)....and kids will find out where they are and where the bullets are....so that is why I will never get one...for the future safety of my future kids.

2 solutions come to mind immediately. The easiest, for your average american, is to buy a safe or lock box for said gun. There are 10 zillion different kinds, ranging anywhere from a single handgun case to a vault.
Get one of these, and you can store the gun, and the ammo, in the same place, without the worry of you children accessing it. Some of these safes even have electronic locks. Some remote, some keypad, all depends on what you want.

However, you want the best solution? Don't hide it. Teach your children how to use it. Take them shooting, and show them everything about the gun, and most importantly, show them exactly what the gun does when you pull the trigger. Watermelons work well for this demonstration. Knowledge is the best deterent for gun related accidents. Then, even if they know where it is, they know it's not a toy, and even if they are curious enough to handle it, they can at least tell if it's loaded or not.

I keep thinking about purchasing a gun but I never get around to doing so - I wouldn't be able to carry it on my person, and I'm far more concerned about that than home break-ins, curiously enough.

Any legal citizen can acquire a carry liscence, provided you haven't been deemed mentally retarded or have a record of violent crimes. Each state has their own variations of the law, but in Indiana, all you have to do is apply for it at the police station. Takes a month or so to get the permit back.
I carry almost every day, and I'd highly recomend it. It will give you a bad reputation with some individuals, but ultimately, I've decided I want nothing to do with such closeminded people who assume I'm the one wanting to shoot people. I have no intention of shooting anyone...I carry to prevent myself or my loved ones from being shot. I don't want to, but I'd shoot someone without hesitation if they pulled a gun on someone I cared about.

Apparently refusing to become a victim makes you a bad person?

[hascoolnickname]

okay this is one of the dumbest things ive ever heard. if someone pulls a gun on you the most foolproof way to get yourself shot is to pull a gun on them.

[Arka]

okay this is one of the dumbest things ive ever heard. if someone pulls a gun on you the most foolproof way to get yourself shot is to pull a gun on them.

And if someone pulls any other kind of weapon on you, the most foolproof way to stay safe is to pull a gun. Even if your attacker has a firearm, there are situations in which it can be useful, i.e., if you see them first. Every time I go outside at night to investigate a disturbance, I find myself thinking, "And I don't have a gun why?"

Until recently I would have preferred to rely on my own physical strength and training for anyone who wasn't toting a gun - it's easy enough to disarm 99% of knife-wielders if you know what you're doing and are stronger than they. But given that my balance has now been impaired for the past ~6 months, I think my strength will do me no good in my present condition.

That said,

Any legal citizen can acquire a carry liscence, provided you haven't been deemed mentally retarded or have a record of violent crimes. Each state has their own variations of the law, but in Indiana, all you have to do is apply for it at the police station. Takes a month or so to get the permit back.

Either way, that's not the reason I originally said I wouldn't be able to carry one. Neither of the places where I spend 90% of my non-home time allow firearms anywhere on the premises (including in cars on their parking lots), and their security enforces that. However, I could still keep a weapon in my home, which might be useful for the aforementioned disturbance investigating. (OTOH, I'm not sure I want to give some poor schmuck the fright of his life by walking around with a gun out if he just set off a few car alarms by walking harmlessly through the parking lot.)

Now that I think about it, the permit may be another obstacle, though - I don't think the police here like me very much. I made the mistake of complaining when they failed to dispatch an officer to check out an apparent crime in progress. Do we have a "must-issue" law in this state?

[hascoolnickname]

well if you're going to talk about disarming opponents with knives, its just as easy to disarm them as to turn their weapon against them. Templates like the three of nine make knives much more effective than bullets. and you can carry knives in indiana without haveing to go through police to get a permit, etc.

[Arka]

Uh, yes, that would be my choice IF I still trusted my capacity to disarm knife-wielding assailants. Sadly, I don't, because I no longer weigh 200 lbs nor lift and throw 200-300 lbs with relative efficiency.

The big thing is the balance impairment that I mentioned in my previous post. I'm not going to try any crazy stuff when it requires conscious thought for me to just stand upright. I'm still hoping that will rectify itself as the illness that caused it recedes into history, but for now...

BTW, you're wrong about the relative legal ease of concealed carry handguns vs. knives. Most states have the same permit requirement for concealed knives as for concealed handguns.

[Original Sin]

okay this is one of the dumbest things ive ever heard. if someone pulls a gun on you the most foolproof way to get yourself shot is to pull a gun on them.

It's circumstancial. And when you carry a firearm, your draw is just as important as your shot. If you can't draw quickly and acquire/shoot your target, then you probably WILL get yourself shot. You can lessen the risk by moving to cover as you draw, or just moving in general. If you're within arms reach of your attacker, you may be able to disarm them, depending on their level of skill. (if they're holding the gun at arm's length, chances are good you're dealing with a moron.)
Also keep in mind that many gun toting thugs on the streets have little knowledge of their own firearms. You can judge the knowledge/skill of your attacker by watching how they hold the gun, their stance, and in general, how they carry themselves.

Ultimately, it's a matter of knowing your surroundings. If you find yourself in a potentially hazardous situation, pay attention. You may be able to draw before your attacker manages to finish theirs.

Your choice of firearm is important, too. Preferably, have one you can bring into play and have ready to fire with one hand, in one motion. If you carry a magazine fed autoloader, this means you'll have to carry with a round chambered, and in some cases, the hammer cocked. On most guns, all that's left to do when you draw is flip the safety to fire, and pull the trigger.
Typically speaking, you can draw and fire a revolver faster than an auto. Most of them have no safeties to mess with, and most are double action. Just pull the trigger. The downside, of course, is reloading a revolver. It's a tad tricky under pressure.

If you wanted a handgun for strictly defensive, concealed carry purposes, I'd recomend a .357 snub nose revolver. Easy to carry, easy to draw, and more than sufficient power to drop and attacker. The recoil is heavy but easy to manage, and most models have speed loaders available.

Now that I think about it, the permit may be another obstacle, though - I don't think the police here like me very much. I made the mistake of complaining when they failed to dispatch an officer to check out an apparent crime in progress. Do we have a "must-issue" law in this state?

The state police department issues the permit, local law enforcement doesn't do anything but send out the paperwork after you fill it out.

[Riot]

stfu about guns.

[Fluffyumpkins]

stfu about guns.

[sam]

stfu about guns.