Is There Anyone Here Who DOESN'T carry?

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@RPCVYemen,

John Lott being one of the most respected names in gun use research, I don't think that there is any merit to my continuing to discuss this.

If the data available at his website is not adequate for you then get his books out from your own library and check out his professional publications from the nearest college library with a good research collection.

http://www.johnlott.org/
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John Lott being one of the most respected names in gun use research, I don't think that there is any merit to my continuing to discuss this.
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You are aware that there has been some controversy about John Lott's use of data, aren't you? Don't know enough about it to judge the merits, but there is controversy.

And he was caught pretending to be someone else in order to give one of his books a good review on the internet :)

I read one of his books in which he asserts that there have been no mass shooting in states with shall-issue CCW, based on a review of press, IIRC. Since I know there have been mass shootings in shall-issue CCW states, color me skeptical. Maybe all the mass shootings in shall issue CCW states have been since the publication of the book-but that made me very skeptical.

The basic research on millions of self defense use of firearms come from an earlier researcher named Gary Kleck, BTW, a Florida based professor. I have his book as well, and those figures seem to be based on polling data, and are broadly defined, they include merely saying you have a firearm, for example.
 
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And to answer the original question, I usually carry, but lately have been carrying less, mostly because it is inconvenient. I no longer carry while walking for exercise, for example.

I understand I may need the gun for self defense, but also feel that the odds of my needing it are low enough that they don't outweigh the inconvenience of carrying it.

Incidentally, I only belatedly bought fire extuinguishers, long after I began carried a gun, after reading all the arguments comparing carrying to having fire extinguishers :)
 
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I could OC here in Louisiana, but since I'm active duty, most days I couldn't. Even on my days off, I go to the BX and commissary sometimes, so I would have to go home, drop off my pistol, then go back to the base - not really worth the effort.

Having said that, not sure I'd carry even if I didn't have this problem. It just doesn't seem necessary to me - I'm 40 years old and not once had an occasion where I'd say now "Wish I'd had a gun then." Naive? Maybe.

The only person I've seen carrying was the bug guy who came to my apartment. He makes a little more sense to me because he can't control what neighborhoods he has to go into.
 
technically you can get a permit for a personal protection weapon in the UK quite a few people in ulster have but getting one on the mainland would be like finding rocking horse poo:D salmon Rushdie might have got one :confused:
rather not be in the situation where the man says there is a well armed and credible threat towards you heres a new sig :eek:

so don't carry not being a teenager fairly safe from random street violence
 
And you probably won't see the need until you or someone you care about gets hurt. Of course it might not happen to you. But the reatlity is it does happen and it COULD happen to you. You don't want to be caught empty handed when and if it does happen to you.
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Despite the could being in caps, "cold happen" is not a very compelling argument. I put on a fireproof jump suit and a Bell helmet every time I get in a car, and I am far more likely to get in car accident than get mugged.

The argument you make would justify both of those - if you need a flame proof suit, and you need one, you will really need one. Same for a Bell helmet.

But I don't put on a fireproof jump suit and a Bell helmet every time I get in a car.

Do you? Why not?

I suspect that you don't for the same reason that I don't - I think (maybe incorrectly) that the hassle isn't worth the protection. I do always buckle up when I am in a car and I have never needed a seatbelt (yet). Why? Hassle versus perceived risk.

Mike
 
John Lott being one of the most respected names in gun use research, I don't think that there is any merit to my continuing to discuss this.
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OK. Your choice. Note that nothing that I said was disrespectful towards John Lott. I generally reject ad hominem attacks the for the same reason I don't accept much in the way of a personal imprimatur.

I simply made the point that I would not accept his stats without reading the studies behind them - which is precisely the same attitude I would take toward most researchers, especially those who are also activists.

Are you going to answer my question about the methodology behind the "2.5 times as likely" stat, or is that off the table, too?

Mike
 
"The Constitution of most of our states (and of the United States)
assert that [it is the people's] right and duty to be at all times armed..."
-- Thomas Jefferson
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Armed and Bitter, what's the source for that? I would like to check it out. Thanks
 
I don't carry. The biggest reason why is that right now getting a carry permit would involve jumping through a lot of hoops, without a guarantee of success. I also don't have the appropriate hardware yet (no pistol, just own rifles and shotguns).
 
I'm 36 and have only carried for the past month. Never really felt the need for it before. And I really only got my permit to ease firearms purchases. However, since I've been carrying, I can't imagine why I didn't do it sooner. :cool:
 
When I was a LEO in the late eighties, we were required to carry off-duty within our jurisdiction, and permitted to outside it (within state, which is Florida.) When I got out, I got lazy and never got around to obtaining my civilian CCF permit. Now, it's in the works. Once it arrives, I will likely carry "most" of the time, but probably not every minute. It will depend on weather/attire, ease of concealibility, and where I am. I'd like to all the time, but I can already see that my style of dress, appropriate for weather at hand, is not always going to permit carrying any of my "better" guns (one of two .380s, my .38, or my .357) but, I might still, as a last ditch, drop my J-22 in my pocket from time to time...
Even now, though, one gun joins me in my truck any time I go out, and that will continue..

Also, I believe in God as well, and trust that his "protection" includes providing me with the means to take action. It's like my full-time job in EMS; if everyone who believed in God's divine interference in a medical crisis held off on calling us because of that expectation, we'd close up shop. No, I believe those of us helping others (or ourselves) are part of His plan, not something that exists in spite of it.
 
I can't carry, No CCW in the state of Maryland. I'd love to know what it is like to be able to carry a firearm for self defence.
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I can't understand why anyone would live in a state that will not allow CCW. IMO doing so makes you a 2nd class citizen.
 
nope. live in CA too. too many places in between places where you cant carry. if it could get more common and we can change more laws for sure i would. i would love to carry my 16" Walker with some 45 Long Colt. Hmmm that be interesting.
 
I have my NC CCW license but rarely carry, because 95% of the places I go in a given day are legally-mandated gun-free zones. :(
 
Are you going to answer my question about the methodology behind the "2.5 times as likely" stat, or is that off the table, too?
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I told you where to find his research data. Argue with the expert himself if you care to.
 
I told you where to find his research data. Argue with the expert himself if you care to.
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I was actually just curious about the methodology - I wasn't intending to argue with anyone.

I think that I asked questions that anyone who was curious about the "2.4 times" stat would ask. Was it in some way unreasonable for me to ask those questions?

I am getting the impression that you wanted me to kneel down in front of the shrine of John Lott without any rational thought - like an anti quoting Brady Campaign stats. I don't think it makes any more sense for us to quote stats we don't understand than it does for anti's to quote stats they don't understand.

It's hard to tell from a forum, but it seems like I somehow offended you with a simple set of questions asked out of curiosity.

... the numbers prove that for that subset of humanity who are attack victims, resistance with a gun produces the highest survival rate ...
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I assumed that you knew the numbers, and wanted to talk about them. I was wrong about one of those. That's OK.

I'm done - unless someone else knows how the "2.5 times" stat was generated. I am intrigued about how it could be measured.

Mike
 
know I'll probably get flamed for saying it, but I have faith in God to watch over me and keep me from harm.
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This reminds me of a joke.

There's a huge flood, and a very pious man ends up stranded on the roof of his house. He prays to God for deliverance. Pretty soon, a man in a boat comes rowing by and offers the man a way out.
"No," says the man, "God will deliver me from this watery grave, I have every confidence." So the boatman rowed on his way.
After a lot more prayer, the man notices a helicopter lowering a rescue diver towards him. He waves them off, and says:
"No, God will deliver me, I have no worries."
"Suit yourself," says the rescue diver, and gives the thumbs up, and away the helicopter flies.
After a time, the water begins to rise, it's certain that if God doesn't save him, the man will drown. Soon, a seaplane lands nearby and the pilot motions for him to hop on the plane.
"No, no. God will save me. I have the utmost faith!" And waves the plane back into the sky.
The floodwaters keep rising, and the man drowns, unable to believe that God didn't lift him up and save him.
He gets to heaven, and finds himself at the throne of God.
"My lord, I have been a pious man, devoted to your service, why oh why lord, did you not save me from the flood?"
"Well," says God, "I sent a boat, a helicopter, and a plane. What more do you want?"

The moral of the story, is: God gave you intellect and free will. Use the tools available to you to help yourself.
 
Being a non-criminal 32yo in Washington State, I could probably get a CHL pretty easily... but I haven't.

My wife is still very uneasy around firearms. I'm happy she's gotten used to the idea of having some in the house, but they stay under multiple locks and unloaded at pretty much all times; we have an active, curious, and not completely rational three year old, and my wife has occasional problems with depression, so between the two of those I need to make darn sure no firearms are readily accessible to them. I do have a couple holsters for my Steyr M40, including an IWB tuckable, but don't currently have any intention of using those holsters for anything but IDPA or SHTF.

Pick your battles.

Besides, having had an accidental discharge in my car trunk... of a fire extinguisher... probably shouldn't push my luck with daily carry of a gun. Also work in a University where they're banned.

Never did get all that yellow powder out of the back of my trunk...:D
 
Permited in a friendly state...but I don't carry

I got a permit so that if Barney Fife ever pulls me over with a bag full of guns in the car on a trip to the range/competition/farm; there won't be any questions.

I commute to DC, so workday carrying is out anyway. I live in a relatively low crime area (I have a long commute), so I feel walking around my little town unarmed is a reasonable risk. This is partially true because of folks like you who are carrying and making the bad guys think twice about who is armed and who is not. I guess that makes me a "free rider."
 
Oh, ok. One thing I agree with you on is carrying in church. It shows a lack of faith, in my opinion.
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I have faith in God but I'm not going to play games with him by pointing a loaded gun at myself, and pulling the trigger, counting on Him to cause it to fail to fire.
 
This reminds me of a joke.
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That's one of my favorite jokes. "...I sent you two boats and a helicopter, what more did you want?"

Christ directed followers to buy swords (not go overboard about it, but have the mundane tools handy).

Perhaps saving lives in the future relies on you preparing now - and the fact that you're on a gun advocacy board discussing whether to carry could very well be your message from above to start packing!
 
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