Wildalaska
member
If I wander into WW Guns (which I have done on many occasions), and ask you about Marlin Rifles, you (I hope) are going to ask me what my intentions are - is the rifle for use as a bear back-up while fishing, for hunting, for silhouette shooting? Depending on what the rifle is for, you'd offer different options or even suggest a different rifle altogether. And I would value your opinions on the matter because your shop has a reputation in that area.
I do that every day...but look at my signature of course...
When somebody comes into this forum and asks about handguns or general carry information, he's going to get a variety of advice from a variety of people. And yeah, some of it is going to be overkill - snag-free sights, yeah - good idea. Backup guns... maybe that's overkill.
Exactly my point again....sometimes we have overkill here do we not...
The whole thing is to be reasonable about it..like you say:
I just don't equate such advice with a "Rambo" mentality. A guy who has to carry receipts from his liquor store in Detroit out the door every night at 1am better have all the firepower and skills he can handle. That same guy might think my Guide Gun (with the WWG upgrades) is silly. He doesn't run across 1200 pound bears on a regular basis, and I don't have to carry cash through the mean streets of Detroit.
There it is...maybe you have expressed my concept better than me...
The right to self defense, which is a fundamental right of all people above and beyond the 2nd amendment, is not a right to be excersized only the by the "trained" (assuming we can even define what "training" is)..its a right for everyone.
Some people choose to excersize that right by carrying a firearm. Thats OK. As another poster has said, the excersize of that rightis an awesome responsibility and entails "training" with that firearm (whatever training is)...
Some people view "training as going through the courses at Gunsite and thats fine. Others view it as practice, or private sessions, or military service, or police background, etc. What is sufficient training is beyond the scope of this thread...
What is important to the awesome resonsibility of carrying a gun is MINDSET. All the physical and technical training training and hardware in the world does not change that. The use of a weapon by a civilian is a last ditch defense to save life. Any use of the firearm to do that that ends a life is gonna be as highly scrutinized as any other HOMICIDE (becasue thats what it is under the law). As one old cop told me, if you shoot someone and want to guarantee you will be cleared "you better have a hole in your vest and the gun that made it in his dead hand." Now I am sure all of us would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6, but the fact remains you will be judged...by not only circumastances as YOU saw them but with the Monday Morning quarterback mentality so common in law enforcement. And woe to you if you live someplace where it is "anti gun" or where someone is looking to make a name for himself.
The point is, I think, that we all have to be real careful...if a guy has a question "Whats the best carry gun and technique" the answer should not be..."Custom 1911 with sights you can use to clear malfunction and no guide rod because you cant press load one handed loaded with Black Talons, 4 spare mags in Kramer IWB with J frame back up on ankle loaded with depleted uranium rounds" but rather..
OK where do you live..high crime area or low crime...?
How much "training" are you gonna have..how much shooting do you do...are you uncomfortable with certain calibers. etc...?
Hell guys I live in Anchorage...we dont walk anywhere except in the parks (.45 usually for those, moose!)...strteet crime as long as you are sober and a non criminal is virtually non existent....what do I need more than my NAA for?
And Keith, what do you carry in the ciity limits of Kodiak?