[pale horse]

I am amazed how dumb some people are. Last night I was hanging out with some of my friends and the subject of guns came up. Well they opened a can of worms making wise a$$ coments like be careful he will shoot you, or the gun may go off, you carry it with a round chambered? And the usual idiot responces. Well most of these guys have no clue about how a REAL firearm actually works. One of them asked me if he could see it and I told him that I would have to go inside the house and let him handle it there with some safety instruction well he said ok. Well a few minutes later he retracted his desire to hold it and said he would like to see it. So I unloaded and showed clear. While in the process one of the guys asked do you keep a round chambered and I before I could say anything else another guy says no as I eject the round from the chamber. He was shocked and then they started with the why do you need a gun who is going to come and hurt you and the usual crap .

Well about 30 minutes later we were at applebees and one of the ignot wretches starts saying he'll shoot you and the sort of crap you would smack someone in the mouth for. So I lean over the table and tell him to shut up and that he did not need to be talking about it. So he and the others kept up. I ignored them, but the part that chaps my butt is they have no clue about carrying or how to keep their mouth shut. I am done ranting now. But I learned that if they dont carry they will never know what burdon comes with it. SO now I will not talk to them or with them about it again.

Lessons learned and they dont come cheap.

[JDSlack]

I used to have a couple of friends like that (please note the past tense). Same kind of speedbumps who have a few beers at a bar, get into an argument with the biggest guy in the place and then say,"watch it, or my friend (pointing to you) will kick your ???."

Life is too short to spend it with morons, drink cheap whisky, or smoke cheap cigars.

[ZekeLuvs1911]

You call these guys your "friends"? You should reconsider the company you keep. If you are carrying and they keep carrying on, I think you need educate them before someone gets in trouble.

[themic]

there are categories:

there are those who know when i'm carrying
there are those who know that i sometimes carry
there are those who know that i could carry
there are those who know that i own/shoot firearms
and then there's everyone else

there's only one person in the top two categories.

most friends and definitely all "friends" in the bottom two

i generally won't tell them about concealed carry (Even that it's allowed in this state) until i get a chance to introduce them to firearms by teaching them and taking them shooting.

[280PLUS]

you get caught in a bad situation and your "friend" blurts out something like, "quick get your gun out" or "my friend has a gun so you better watch out" for all the BG's to hear

:what:

[M2 Carbine]

They would be my ex friends.

Come to think of it I don't have any anti gun friends.
I don't have friends that are dumber than dirt.

[CZ-75]

Why bother about "printing" when you have "friends" who will announce it to all within earshot. Time to hang with some grown-ups for a change.

[Drjones]

As always, the first reply nailed it, and much more excellent advice has been given.

You *REALLY* do not need "friends" like that.

[P-35/53]

These people are not your friends they want to make you uncomfortable and possibly cause problems for you . Friends are supportive not childishly destructive.

[pale horse]

Most of us have two kinds of friends.

a. those who carry
b. those who dont

The ones in b are the ones that are mere aquaintences and those you would not call if you needed help. These are those kind of friend.

Those in a are the kind you can rely on under any circumstances. These are the sort you can trust with certian secrets like you are carrying and have no fear of them blurting it out to every tom dick and harry. I have 2 maybe 3 friends that fit into this category.

[toro]

Unless you have friends with the same mind set as you, there may be trouble. You never want others to know you are carrying. Surprise is the first principle of offensive combat. You can't surprise anybody if everybody you are with knows you have a gun. Besides some people are totally freaked out if they know someone has a gun.

Like the others have said, get some friends who act like men not boys out of high school. If these friends are people you have known for some time, then I suggest some time at the range teaching gun safty to the friends you really feel are good guys:)

Molly


------------------------------------------------------
1 Samuel 18: 8,9
And Saul was very wroth and the saying displeased him; and he said, they have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they has ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

[Drjones]

This is a perfect example of why nobody at all needs to know you carry.

[Skunkabilly]

While I'm not terminating my friendships with anyone who doesn't carry, there's only so much I can tell them.

I have some pretty stupid associates. I don't say 'ignorant' because depending on their level of common sense, you can fix ignorance.

In general people that are stupid make bad friends anyhow. Guns are a good litmus test and a catalyst to speed up your decision process.

I've had associates freak out when they see my 7 pound fire extinguisher in the car.

[pale horse]

Skunk you have several good points.
Common sence is something you can educate. Ignorance is better left where it is.

Hey real quick skunk does your car have carbon fiber on it? And why do you have a 7 lb fire extinguisher in it.

[WonderNine]

I am amazed how dumb some people are. Last night I was hanging out with some of my friends and the subject of guns came up. Well they opened a can of worms making wise a$$ coments like be careful he will shoot you, or the gun may go off, you carry it with a round chambered? And the usual idiot responces. Well most of these guys have no clue about how a REAL firearm actually works. One of them asked me if he could see it and I told him that I would have to go inside the house and let him handle it there with some safety instruction well he said ok. Well a few minutes later he retracted his desire to hold it and said he would like to see it. So I unloaded and showed clear. While in the process one of the guys asked do you keep a round chambered and I before I could say anything else another guy says no as I eject the round from the chamber. He was shocked and then they started with the why do you need a gun who is going to come and hurt you and the usual crap .

Well about 30 minutes later we were at applebees and one of the ignot wretches starts saying he'll shoot you and the sort of crap you would smack someone in the mouth for. So I lean over the table and tell him to shut up and that he did not need to be talking about it. So he and the others kept up. I ignored them, but the part that chaps my butt is they have no clue about carrying or how to keep their mouth shut. I am done ranting now. But I learned that if they dont carry they will never know what burdon comes with it. SO now I will not talk to them or with them about it again.

Lessons learned and they dont come cheap.

OMG DORKS!!! Get new friends plz.

[CZ-100]

I would have got up and left if they kept running their mouths. :fire:

[CZ-75]

my 7 pound fire extinguisher in the car.

Hopefully you didn't strap it to the A-pillar.

Nothing like having an accident and having a fire extinguisher hit your passenger in the face. ;)

[Skunkabilly]

Skunk you have several good points.
Common sence is something you can educate. Ignorance is better left where it is.

I think you mis read or I misspoke ;) What I meant was ignorance you can educate, and stupidity is best leaving alone....

I have a friend, she's a real sweetie, kind of mousey. She's afraid of guns but has an interest on at least learning (out of curiosity and the experience, not because she wants/needs a gun) but is also scared of it bigtime. On the other hand, she knows I compete often and that shooting is a big part of who I am, and is curious about watching an IPSC or one of my steel matches.

IMO she's a friend worth hanging onto, because while she may be afraid of guns (ignorance) she's willing to deal with it in trying to get to know me better. While I'm not going to toss her a gun in an emergency, the good part is she TRUSTS me.

At first I was surprised, then disappointed, by how many 'friends' didn't trust me once I had a gun. Like I was going to hurt them all of the sudden.

OTOH I have friends, that trust me whether I have a gun or not, even if they aren't into guns, wouldn't think about carrying let alone own one. The bottom line is that we trust each other.

Hey real quick skunk does your car have carbon fiber on it? And why do you have a 7 lb fire extinguisher in it.

No carbon fiber on the car, but it is two-tone. I don't like cars that stand out and bait the popo...it's untactical. ;)

Car extinguisher is for fires...it only has about 4 or 5 pounds of stuff in it, but I figure the whole thing weighs 7 lbs. It's attached to my seatbelt, behind my seat, with the rear folding seat holding it in place so it doesn't become a missile if I hit something.

[pale horse]

Skunk I was tracking with you. I guess my translation was goobered up.

"At first I was surprised, then disappointed, by how many 'friends' didn't trust me once I had a gun. Like I was going to hurt them all of the sudden."

I get this all the time. That is how these guys are. I spent 3000.00 on training/shooting/competion/ammo/ last year and they think that I just strap it on for the "I am cool, now worship me or I will kill you." factor.

[SRYnidan]

"partners will get you into stuff you would never get into alone"
Need to change the running crew. You also need to resist the idea of showing off your sidearm.

[Standing Wolf]

I hope and trust you'll find a higher class of friends.

[Legionnaire]

All my friends know I shoot. If they didn't know that, they'd only be acquaintances. Most of my friends know I can and do carry. But nobody (except my wife, and then we have a code phrase) knows when I am carrying. And IMHO, that's the way it should be. There's a reason they call it "concealed carry."

[Jokerman]

I don't think this is so much about those who are "friends" and those who aren't. It's more about how ignorant and brainwashed most people are when it comes to guns. I will share my interest in guns with those frineds who I think are open to the idea of guns for self-defense or competition, and I won't share it with those who I feel aren't. That doesn't mean the latter aren't my friends or aren't good friends. They just don't know the subject. I'm ignorant about a lot of their interests. No reason we can't be friends.

If I do tell a friend and he or she starts treating me differently, I say, "And you know why I carry a gun?"
"Why?"
"So I can shoot anyone I get into any kind of disagreement with."

And then I smile at them and say, "That's what you kinda think, isn't it? That's how you see it. That's because you see no other reason but bad ones to carry a gun. And that's the result of our liberal wimp society." This allows me to share my point-of-view on the subject and they often come away with a much better understanding of the whole thing. Sometimes what I tell them is like a revelation to them. "I had no idea it made so much sense."

[El Rojo]

My wife is a drama major at a Cal State University. They all went on some big road trip for this drama think to Utah. Well they got into some deep discussions and she mentioned I carry. This one guy didn't think it was a good idea. He used the ole, "What if he gets really angry and shoots you" rationale. Kelly explained to him that is not how I operate.

Anyway, so she tells me this story and I am thinking, great now everyone at her school knows I pack. They have never said a word. Everytime I go to the theatre at school, I am armed. None of them have said a word. I went to one of their cast parties, no one said a word. Not everyone in the world is stupid. Maybe they don't want to bring it up because they don't want me to shoot them! :D

[Moparmike]

As a college student 13 months away from being old enough to apply for CCW, these are things I enjoy reading about before I do so. Thanks for showing one side of the CCW story I had not considered. Unfortunately, most everything I do revolves around campus.

Anyone know if having a gun IN the car is illegal? Like under lock and key? (glove box, locked car with alarm. I know if they go through all that its still my fault if they get the gun. But handy to know in anycase.)

Thanks,

[CZ-75]

Many states won't allow the glovebox to be utilized as a storage compartment.

Safest to keep it in the trunk, unloaded, in a locking container to be kosher for Federal transport laws.

Colorado and several other states allow guns to be stored in the glove compartment, though, w/o a CCW permit. AR might be one. Packing.org should have more info.

[illuminatus99]

for the most part my wife is the only one who knows when I'm carrying. about half of my friends also carry so they're no problem, and the other half of my friends have been thoroughly educated on what it means to carry and they know better than to asy something stupid in public.

[bjengs]

Sometimes we don't give our friends enough credit. I moved out to Los Angeles and slowly established this firearm addiction :D very quietly, unbeknownst to my friends. I slowly let my inner circle in on it, one by one. At first all I had was a handgun (SIG 229 thank you very much), which isn't a huge shock to anyone. To my pleasant surprise, each of my friends acknowledged my hobby with approval, noting we're living in "Riot Central."

Recently, however, I bought an M1A. That's a whole different story to a lot of people: battle rifles aren't your typical "self-defense" gun, especially in the city. But, at a recent gathering, I decided to invite my three best friends back to the room where I keep it stashed. "Check out the new addition," I said, presenting my baby for all to see.

I couldn't read the reactions at first. My one friend, who hails from D.C., I was particularly wary of. After a pause, he picks it up, points it safely into the corner and, holding it properly (!), squints down those marvelous iron sights.

"30 caliber, right?" he asks. Talk about relief! Everyone reverted to "boys and their toys" mode, and I realized that I really hadn't given these guys a chance.

Will they go out shooting with me? Only one of my friends is interested, and only from a historical fascination perspective. But what we forget sometimes, especially us city kids, is that most folks aren't from the city, and even though they may not have been raised in a household with guns, they maybe had an uncle who took 'em out plinking when they were kids.

I am convinced that most folks don't really give a crap one way or the other, and simply look to their peers in these matters. That's why I focus very little on petitions and causes and Supreme Court cases and NRA/GOA/COA/JPFO campaigns, and instead just spend my time acting as a role model for my friends, and working on my skills as a rifleman.

[timbo]

Thought I might mention though, for those of us in California. It is considered a felony to carry any knife or gun on any public school campus unless it's part of my job. This includes elementary and high schools and extends to community colleges, Universities of California, and California State Universities. I'm a student of CSU Los Angeles, and a police officer buddy of mine commented that the knife I was carrying was illegal.

Anyway, yeah, I have some idiot friends of my own also. One didn't like that I told him never to point another's Glock at me again, while playing with it, using the sideways "ganster" grip. He had to ask me why I had to be so serious about it, after all, "it isn't loaded." Well, like dad always said, "You only get to be wrong once." Then again, he's afraid of my auto-loader since all he's ever owned are revolvers.

I don't carry, but I really enjoy shooting. I might have carried had I not lived in Los Angeles. But now I have my friends split in two: those who respect the gun and those who don't. Those who respect guns are relieved when I show how anal I am about safety.