[Drizzt]

New gun bill could make it tough to tell when it's safe



Published Feb. 22, 2003 KLCP22

A new "right to carry" bill that would ease restrictions on concealed handguns in Minnesota causes me to think about how my life could change.

For example, I wonder if restaurants will soon offer a choice of seating in packing or nonpacking sections.

I imagine myself dining next to a table where an angry young woman is carrying on a heated argument with someone on her cell phone.

As she ends the call and shoves the phone into her purse, I notice the Glock 9 pistol she is carrying.

Do I stay and finish my pasta, hoping that no one bumps into her or spills anything on her, or do I unobtrusively slip a $20 bill under my plate and nonchalantly head for the exit, hoping that I make it to the street before she erupts?

Or I imagine myself in a theater as the movie is just starting. Then I notice four young men talking excitedly. I can't tell what they are saying because they keep their voices low and they have thick accents. One of them pulls a pistol out of his pocket and shows it to his friends.

Do I stay and enjoy the movie, or do I slip down out of my seat onto the floor and start crawling for the nearest exit? If I make it to the exit, should I stop in the lobby to call 911, or should I run for the parking lot?

Danger at the pumps

Or, I imagine myself going into a convenience store to pay for filling my gas tank. A man in the aisle leans over to look at a bag of pretzels, and as his jacket slips open I notice a pistol shoved into his waistband.

Should I shrug it off, assuming that it is perfectly legal and that the only reason he is carrying a gun is that he is uncomfortable going anywhere without protection?

Should I consider that it might be something more sinister, march up to the cashier and caution him to get his gun ready -- hoping all the while that the man in the aisle with the gun doesn't realize that I've seen it?

Or, do I turn on my heel and head out the door, thinking that I can come back and pay for the gas on another day if the cashier is still there?

These are just imaginary scenarios, but let me tell you one that was real.

When I was a young assistant professor at North Carolina State University, I was in the departmental reading room eating lunch with some colleagues. At the same time, a graduate student was coming down the hall with a concealed pistol shoved into the top of his jeans.

He went into the laboratory across the hall from the reading room and shot a laboratory technician. As she screamed and ran for the door, he continued pumping bullets into her back before he turned the gun on himself.

She managed to make it through the door and into the hall, where she collapsed and died in front of us.

Do you wonder how I feel knowing that everywhere I go in Minnesota I will be coming into contact with seemingly normal people carrying handguns, able to shoot dead any person who they think at that particular moment deserves it?

-- Kurt J. Leonard, Shoreview. Retired.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/3667172.html

:confused: I'm afraid this fellow has spent WAY too much time on college campuses, and not enough time in the real world.

Although, packing and non-packing sections in restaurants..... hmmm..... you KNOW the people in the packing sections would be getting the best seats.

[Airwolf]

This guy better check himself into the nearest padded room, quick. You know, to be safe from the world.

You know there are SCARY things in the world, like knives and cars and bathtubs and choking on your dinner and, and, and, and.....

What a moron. Talk about having no life. "Let's just see how many outlandish things I can make up in my pea-sized brain to get people worked up over nothing".

A few hours research on the Net would have shown this guy that the much touted "Dodge City" syndrome just DOES NOT HAPPEN like all the bed-wetters want to so badly to see take place so they can say "I told you so!"

:cuss: :cuss: :cuss: :barf:

[DadOfThree]

For example, I wonder if restaurants will soon offer a choice of seating in packing or nonpacking sections
I think ths is a great idea! They could call it the "Victims" and "Non-victims" sections. or maybe "sheep" and "wolves" section :D Seriously though, it would be fun to eat in a restaurants where you could talk guns at the same time.
Do you wonder how I feel knowing that everywhere I go in Minnesota I will be coming into contact with seemingly normal people carrying handguns, able to shoot dead any person who they think at that particular moment deserves it?
Those carrying would be normal not jsut "seemingly" so. It must be terrible to live in that much fear. I couldn't imagine it.

[UnknownSailor]

I don't see what this blissninny has to worry about.
If the CCW holder is carrying correctly, nobody will ever know, including this moronic ex-professor.
Maybe this "gentleman" needs to be quietly told to kindly STFU, and stick his head back in the sand, lest his head suddenly develope an ache where his brain used to be.

[Airwolf]

Ah, but to the liberal it's FAR more important how you FEEL about things rather than deal with pesky, trivial things... like reality.

The REALITY is that he could have 10 people in the same room with him and not know they were packing. The FACT that they pose no threat is irrelevant. That he FEELS uncomfortable is enough to require that the rest of the flipping world change for HIM!

Common decency and forum rules prohibit me from saying what I REALLY like to say to this “gentleman” if I had the opportunity.

[Dennis]

The lady with the Glock and the cell phone is MUCH more likely to kill him with her car (while she's on that cell phone) than with her Glock. ;)


(Unfortunately, no bounties on such professors... ;) )


Natural Rights. The Constitution. The Bill of Rights.
Either you believe in them, or you don't.
RKBA.

[El Tejon]

So did the alleged murderer in the Land of Stars and Bars have a valid permit for his purported murder weapon?:rolleyes:

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

I would like to know how Mr. Leonard currently tells when someone is illegally carrying a gun with bad intent.

- pdmoderator

[QKRTHNU]

At the same time, a graduate student was coming down the hall with a concealed pistol shoved into the top of his jeans.

He went into the laboratory across the hall from the reading room and shot a laboratory technician. As she screamed and ran for the door, he continued pumping bullets into her back before he turned the gun on himself.
And I suppose this guy couldn't have possibly carried out this dastardly deed without permission to CCW?

:rolleyes:

[ChristopherG]

It's illegal to carry on any educational property in NC
cg

[Chris Rhines]

Statists. They're afraid of everything!

They'd be funny (in a pathetic sort of way) if they weren't so dangerous.

- Chris

[geekWithA.45]

...seemingly normal people carrying handguns, able to shoot dead any person who they think at that particular moment deserves it?


There are so many things that indicate the keys to their fear:

*) They fear that they won't be able to tell who the bad guys are, because, well, anyone with a gun is bad.

*) They have a persistent belief that people don't have any control over themselves, and will use deadly force at the first sign of anger.

*) They are enthralled and fascinated with the idea that people with firearms have the ability to deal out death at will.


I have a friend who is a reasonable guy, with anti leanings. I'm still working with him, but the big barrier for him is guns = death.

He once believed my pistol permit was a "license to kill". He started to turn the corner when I told him that, "Well, actually, no. It is NOT a license to kill. The fact is, I have exactly the same rights of self defense as you do. The ONLY difference between you an me is that I have the effective means to carry out that defense, and you don't."

He went quiet for a long time, and I could hear some (but not all) of the pins and tumblers falling into place. Someday, I'll get him out on the range.

[GSB]

Wow, what a pathetic man Kurt appears to be. Does he wet himself like that over everything that scares him?

[Monkeyleg]

Everytime I hear one of these bed-wetters talk about how they might feel if people around them are carrying, I have to wonder if they ever leave their own states. Sure, MN has 11,000 permit holders. But does this writer ever go to the Dakotas, where there's even more? Or Wyoming? How about Michigan?

With only six no-carry states, the places for these folks to "feel" safe is pretty limited.

And I don't give a whit how they feel. I don't "feel" comfortable around liberals. Does that mean they should be banned.

Well, on second thought...

[P95Carry]

Unknown Sailor sez .....
If the CCW holder is carrying correctly, nobody will ever know, including this moronic ex-professor. Correct Sir ..... and it is that very fact, (here in fact it is not wise to show accidentally) which makes for the safer society. The slimes have virtually no way of knowing who has, and who hasn't.

I believe that, at some 6% plus of state population, we have here the highest carry ratio of anywhere. That pleases me greatly.

An armed society - is a polite society.

What I wonder is the most efficacious treatment for paranoia?? Zolofts or Prozacs maybe?!:p

[El Tejon]

P95, wow, 6% for Penn's woods! That's great!

Why so "high" I wonder?

[P95Carry]

P95, wow, 6% for Penn's woods! That's great!

Why so "high" I wonder? Can't say for sure El Tejon ... except that, it is a ''shall issue'' ... and if my area is anything to go by, then there is I think a broad ''awareness'' of the option. Plus - again broadly - a fairly widespread ownership and interest. Interestingly too - there is very little evidence of irresponsible CCW useage I could find.

I tried some time ago to see what figures were available from several sources - all states - and came up with very limited info but .. I did establish from local county sheriff's office that for months of (I think) Oct and Nov last year, there were approx 100 issues each month. That sorta translated into maybe 1,000 plus per year.

Then I got a figure from another poster, which I think was substantiated via a web site (but how accurate was not known for sure), which gave an overall figure statewide of around or approaching 600,000 .... taking then a ball park population figure of 9 million .. have me a result of just over 6%. Even being pessimistic and making allowances for any revoked etc . let's say even 5% would still be good .... and thus far I have no figures relative to other states that seem to come close, tho I believe TX is pretty high overall.

Mind you ..... VT could top it all if truth known!:p

[Standing Wolf]

Leftists believe their irrational hoplophobia trumps the nation's civil rights. In this, as in so much else, they're rock-solid wrong.

[El Tejon]

P95, now you've got me curious.:scrutiny:

[Diesle]

The MPPA (minnesota personal protection act) is about 2 months from going into law and this is the best 'they' can do....?

What I like best is that this has all been said before. These comments are not special or unique. And, thankfully, we have what appears to be a majority in our MN legislature that choose to ignore this sorry sack of ideas. We're almost there...!

I hope this guy does worry. Worry enough to arm himself legally and have the courage to protect himelf and his.

Question..., how do I identify sorry sacks that tried to take my rights away from me when they call for 'my' help?

Not cool,

Diesle

[P95Carry]

Know what El Tejon ...... my memory not being what it perhaps should be ...... I got to thinkin .. and maybe I am out by one order of magnitude here!! if figure was 60,000 CCW's then that'd give us ..... 0.6% ....... which seems more realistic don't it!!

I do know tho it came out higher than anywhere else I was lookin into ....... I think I got this ''6'' figure kinda stuck in my head!! Mind you ... thinkin about the figures in my county ... could be that is something like 2% and more ...... maybe 3% ...... oh I dunno ... we gotta good uptake anyways!:p

[Monkeyleg]

Over a year ago, I'd contacted many issuing states to find out how many permits they had outstanding. A couple of states (IN, PA and another) gave me percentages that seemed extremely high compared to other states. TX, for example, has about 1% of the population holding valid permits. FL's about the same.

I think the numbers I got from IN, PA and the other "high" states may have included permits that had expired. Tossing out those high numbered states, I came up with an average of just under 2% of the total states' populations.

[MrKandiyohi]

The MPPA (minnesota personal protection act) is about 2 months from going into law and this is the best 'they' can do....?

I think we were 2 months from the MPPA going into law last year. Didn't happen then. I'm not confident that it will pass this year. I'm working towards it, but it's in no way certain.

Just because Senate Majority leader Moe is gone doesn't mean it will pass. Just because the House and Governor are for it doesn't mean anything unless the Senate passes the bill, too.