Any of you guys carry?

[WiSDoM]

Thanks for the input guys. Where I live there have been a few home invasion. One of my families friends happen to be one of the victims, he was stabbed a couple of times and had all his front teeth kicked in. Not real sure if a gun would have helped out in his case, because the man broke in knowing our friend was home. He awoke to being stabbed and then the struggle ensued.
I have rifles for hunting and studied jujitsu for 3 years when I was in my twenties, but now with my back problems not so sure about my physical stability when it comes to hand to hand. I think it is important to explore all your options when it comes to protecting yourself and your family.
And for you English guys, I have a couple of English friends and they have more guns than anyone know. My friend Ned(English)told me the first thing he bought when he moved to the state was 44Mag like dirty Harry. Why I asked and he reply "Bescause I could.". Which at the time struck me really funny because my boy Ned was not right in the head and anyone lookin at Ned for the first time would see i. So to mess with Ned you would have to be alittle touched.

Thanks again for the input . I have much thinking to do. I will be taking a concealed weapons training class, but they recommend you use your own weapon. Here in Maine you need to have had weapons training to get a conceal permit.

[nfpgasmask]

Now that I leave in Reno, I was thinking of getting my concealed permit, but I don't really feel the need to carry around town on a daily basis. I generally stay away from 'bad areas' and here in Reno they really aren't any, compared to when I lived in Chicago.

I open carry when I am out in the foot hills or camping way out in the middle of nowhere. I have run across some VERY STRANGE people out there, and believe me, the last thing I want is to get into a fire-fight in the middle of nowhere, but I also don't want to be forced to 'squeal like a pig'. I know, I know, I'm paranoid, watch to many movies, whatever.

The bottom line is that guns are made to kill, period. The argument for or against them is going to be here forever, no matter which side wins. Personally, I believe in my right to bear arms for multiple reasons. First of all, I enjoy shooting. Second, if this country ever 'implodes' (again, call me paranoid, but it is possible), I don't wanna be caught with my pants down. And third, there are way too many wack-jobs out there, and if someone ever enters my home and threatens my family, I am not going to let them violate my space without a fight. Also, I think guns are a survival tool. I don't hunt, nor do I believe in shooting defenseless animals, but if I was ever stranded and needed to eat, having a .22 to take rabbits with is not a bad idea. Aside from the recreational enjoyment I get from shooting, using a gun in a lethal manner is an ABSOLUTE LAST RESORT that I hope I NEVER come to in my lifetime.

Jo, you are correct. The stats are 100% there. But remember, in England (correct me if I am wrong) the regular police do not pack heat either, as far as I know, so the playing field is level. I honestly think that if our government disarms us, then we will be defenseless against further tyranny, and I simply do not have enough trust at this point. Furthermore, the problem in this country is that even if the guns were outlawed, there are already so many in circulation, legally and illegally, we will be stuck with another Prohibition type scenario. Illegal trafficking and gun crimes would sky rocket. Our jails are already overcrowded.

I also think the laws should be 100% jurisdictional and not managed federally. Look at LA, Chicago, NY. There are WAY too many people packed into WAY to little space. Throw guns in the mix and its a recipe for disaster. There definitely needs to be regulations for big municipalities. But in rural areas and small towns, I simply do not see the need for strict gun control.

As I have said before, I would rather live in a slightly dangerous FREE country, than a completely safe and sterile country that is absolutely no fun. And I am not saying that guns are the only fun you can have, but when they take one freedom (and that freedom has everything to do with fighting back) they will take more of our freedoms, and sooner or later, you ain't gonna be wheeling NO WHERE. The most fun you will have will be eating McDonalds and watching American Idol. Trust me, our government has changed into something unrecognizable to most. They would much rather we all sit fat and happy paying for our $400,000 homes and filling up our SUVs and keeping our little mouths shut. Slavery is only a few laws away. Hell, we are practically there now. How many of you out there are already slaves to your debt?? Sure, it was your choice, but the system is setup that way...

OK, I will shut the hell up with all that. To stay on topic, I have always heard that .40 is the smallest caliber one should carry considering stopping power. IMO, if you carry a gun, you should absolutely NEVER take it out unless you intend to pull the trigger. Again, this goes back to that ABSOLUTE LAST RESORT thing. I think anyone with half a brain cell understands that if you pull that trigger, your life (if you still have it) will never be the same afterwards, regardless if you are right or wrong in doing so.

Bart

[nfpgasmask]

You forgot to add a descriptor in there... it should be: "from it's empty, JAMMED, and still-smoking frame..."

Yeah, I know what I just started. But I don't think much of Glocks. Whether it's at the range or in the news (like the guy who just shot the priest at the church) when I hear of a pistol jamming, it's almost always a Glock. Notice how most po-po depts don't use them anymore?

I'm a Heckler & Koch man, myself. I have an H&K USP .40 compact. A good carry pistol, but I don't carry. Buy quality if you're going to rely on a pistol for your safety.

Riff Raff's advice seems very solid to me, but his needs are different than most people's...

Funny, I have never had any problems with Glock. I don't personally own one, but I have a friend who has a very old G17, and man, he has probably put 3000 rounds of 9mm through it flawlessly. The thing I do not like about Glock is the look and feel. IMO, they are ugly as far as guns go, and I really don't care for the grip of a Glock. That said, I once had a H&K USP .45 and it was like holding a 2x4 in your hand. Just an absolutely terrible grip. I have a FN P9 and it is one nice piece. FN makes a quality gun as well as Walther. The Walther P9 and P22 have REALLY nice grips, like holding a stick of warm butter in your hand.

Bart

[VehiGAZ]

That said, I once had a H&K USP .45 and it was like holding a 2x4 in your hand. Just an absolutely terrible grip.

Beauty is in the hand of the gun-holder... I tried Glocks, Rugers, S&W's, Berettas, etc. and never found one that seemed to properly fit my hand. When I first picked up an HK USP .40 at a gun show in MO, I knew that was the one. The tang fit my hand like no other ever had. It took a couple of years, but I ended up getting one.

As for Glocks - YMMV! I know a lot of people swear by them, and there are plenty of cases of flawless operation for thousands of rounds, but I've also seen too many of them jam (and really, ONE is too many!). At my cousin's bachelor party, two guys brought their Glocks (a 9 mm and a .40) to the firing range where we started the day (and oh, waht a day that was!), and BOTH of them jammed up. WTF?!?! I find that completely unacceptable - if I owned a gun that jammed even once, I'd sell it.

[VehiGAZ]

WTF do you need to carry a hand gun around?? Are things really that bad over there? Or is it the whole nuclear weapon thing, if everyone has one they won't get used?? Or do you just shoot the **** out of each other?

Oh, settle down there across the pond! Ya'll know what kind of rednecks we are here in the US! This should not be news...

Between the cash and the drunks, anyone who owns a bar (like Riff Raff) needs to protect themselves as a matter of course. Ditto for a LOT of other professions - so yes, in some ways, things CAN BE that bad, depending one one's circumstances.

But most people that carry guns in the US don't need to - they do it just because they want to or because they can't very well distinguish between what they hear on the news and what happens in their life. I tried concealed carrying a couple of times when I lived in a more firearm-friendly state, and I did not care for how it felt - it was like I was deceiving everyone around me, including my good friends.

[nfpgasmask]

Oh, settle down there across the pond! Ya'll know what kind of rednecks we are here in the US! This should not be news...

Hey now, speak for yourself! We're not all rednecks over here!! I really hate the stigma that comes with gun ownership. Yes, I have guns. But that doesn't mean I am some uneducated goober. It doesn't mean I hunt and kill defenseless animals. It doesn't mean I am a "gun nut". I'm sure I am a little "off" compared to most people, but....

Bart

[newthings]

Only when I go to Portland.
I feel less safe but more aware.
S&W 5 shot 357 AirLite, hammerless, Crimson Trace, Glazer Safety Slugs in 38 sp.

The gun /self defense mentality is a product of our national permissiveness toward bad guys. We are left to defend ourselves. Secondly, we import a lot of trouble that has not benefited from the good things growing up in America teaches. (Hay, it used to count for something) Look to the four points of the compass to see sources of threat (Viet Nam gangs, Mexican gangs, Russian gangs, and even the drugs and bombs coming in from Canada.) American can’t decide if drugs are not to be tolerated or taxed. The people like Three Strikes and You Get Life, but we cannot afford to keep bad people in jail. I personally like Three Strikes and Your Dead – Today, on TV, pay per view, but free to prisons for the inmates viewing pleasure.

The pendulum continues to swing.

Keep your head on a swivel.
Roy

[VehiGAZ]

Hey now, speak for yourself! We're not all rednecks over here!! I really hate the stigma that comes with gun ownership. Yes, I have guns. But that doesn't mean I am some uneducated goober. It doesn't mean I hunt and kill defenseless animals. It doesn't mean I am a "gun nut". I'm sure I am a little "off" compared to most people, but....

Bart

I assumed that our British brothers would not make these subtle distinctions and figure any gun-owning American for a redneck. I cannot say for certain that they'd be wrong to do so, either...

[pbkid]

Thanks for the input guys. Where I live there have been a few home invasion. One of my families friends happen to be one of the victims, he was stabbed a couple of times and had all his front teeth kicked in. Not real sure if a gun would have helped out in his case, because the man broke in knowing our friend was home. He awoke to being stabbed and then the struggle ensued.
I have rifles for hunting and studied jujitsu for 3 years when I was in my twenties, but now with my back problems not so sure about my physical stability when it comes to hand to hand. I think it is important to explore all your options when it comes to protecting yourself and your family.
And for you English guys, I have a couple of English friends and they have more guns than anyone know. My friend Ned(English)told me the first thing he bought when he moved to the state was 44Mag like dirty Harry. Why I asked and he reply "Bescause I could.". Which at the time struck me really funny because my boy Ned was not right in the head and anyone lookin at Ned for the first time would see i. So to mess with Ned you would have to be alittle touched.

Thanks again for the input . I have much thinking to do. I will be taking a concealed weapons training class, but they recommend you use your own weapon. Here in Maine you need to have had weapons training to get a conceal permit.

two things-
1- i think you are looking at a concealed weapons permit wrongly...you DO NOT need a concealed permit to keep a weapon in your own home! if your truely worried about home invasion buy some guns and keep em hidden around your home (no need to have a permit)

2- a gun is NOT going to help you at 'teeth kicking in' range....if they are that close to you, there is no way that you are going to be able to get your gun and get it all ready to go...buy a TASER, click a button, drop someone really quick (refer to riff raff, he explained how well they work at close range)

if you guys wanna discuss what type of guns everyone likes, there was a thread about 3 or 4 months ago about guns in general...as pertaining to the concealed permit, it sounds like you dont need one for your purposes..

[Todd Adams]

Ya know it is all about freedom. I have the freedom to own firearms and have extended that freedom through training and an FBI background check to be able to carry a loaded weapon. It is plain and simple besides the fact that I grew up with guns. My dad bought me my first .22 at age 7 and I practiced on a firing range in our church basement with my fellow cub scouts. Guns have always been part of my life and my kids as well. Guns have to be respected but are safe in trained hands. We have one town here in Utah that it is illegal not to be armed in. Guess what, they don’t have a crime problem.

With that said I refer to the first post and question. Sigs are great guns, one of the most accurate hand guns I have ever shot, very tight grouping. My favorite is my 9MM Baby Eagle made in Israel, again very accurate. My wife has a Tarsus Millennium 9MM which weighs in at 9 ounces without the magazine. We both carry the very small North American Arms .22 mag revolvers made here in Utah. Someone asked me what all trpohies were when I posted a picture of my home theater. Half were for the Jeep the others were for shooting.
Todd

[kodiak]

“Ooh, guns, guns, guns! Come on, Sal! The Tigers are playing...tonight! I never miss a game.”

I’ve been a lot of places and I’ve always felt safer in pro gun citys. All you need to do is check the mugging statistic. There’s not one place in Salt Lake City I’d feel unsafe waking in. But you go to a place like Baltimore in cretin parts of the city you start to feel like the stop signs are optional. Don’t get me wrong, I love Baltimore. I’ve had a gun for as long as I can remember and I’ve always felt more free because of it.
If you declaw a community and make them rely solely on the government to protect them all you get are more crime scenes to be investigated because the only ones that will be armed are the perps.

P.S. I love my "Sig GSR 1911" and my "Browning Hi Power". You can keep your Tupperware guns.

[psychos2]

As far as the glocks jamming mine never did.And I have not heard of any jamming from my brother in law that is a nys trooper and they all carry 9mm glocks. I believe it is more the ammo than the gun. It says something in the owners manual about using the correct ammo. Cheap out on the ammo and what do you expect. And I believe It says not to use reloads also . I shot many rounds through the Glock I had and never had a problem. Another reason for guns jamming is not keeping them clean. A Glock would still be my first choice. And I did a search for the AMT Back-Up in .380 caliber And the forums talk about how much the jam. shawn

[circmand]

will have guns.

Look at a list of US cities and their laws regarding guns. You have D.C. our capital that until recently even cops could not keep guns in their homes and it was one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Ditto NY City Baltimore, Chicago etc. Look at cities that allow gun ownership like Houston and Dallas while by no means are you safe walking through downtown in the hood at midnight flashing a wad of cash but the fact that you may have a gun is a deterent.

[nfpgasmask]

I believe it is more the ammo than the gun.

I would have to agree here. Some guns are more sensitive to crappy ammo, some are not. Cheap-o Federal brand 9mm did jam once or twice in the G17 I mentioned above now that I think of it. But then, the cheap Russian Wolf 9mm works flawlessly in it. So go figure.

Personally, I like firearms that cycle anything you stick in there.

Bart

[psychos2]

1- i think you are looking at a concealed weapons permit wrongly...you DO NOT need a concealed permit to keep a weapon in your own home! if your truely worried about home invasion buy some guns and keep em hidden around your home (no need to have a permit)

It depends on the state. NY state in order to OWN a pistol you must have a concealed weapon permit. In Fl you can own one without a CWP (3 day waiting period ) .If you want to carry concealed you need a permit. In NY I believe tasers are illegal. shawn