Wash-Post Article on Gun Purchasing Proccess

[RP88]

It seems a shame that the writer feels compelled to act in such a cringing, obsequious, and deferential manner to his spouse.

Arguing with a spouse is never a good thing, usually. You're either gonna be right, or you're gonna be happy, but never at the same time.

I think it was a good article with a nice ending. It does highlight how different life perspectives (i.e. never shooting a gun, being married with a kid in the house, living in a place that restricts ownership, thus making it hard to get introduced into firearms, etc.) affect one's view on firearms.

 

[jfh]

Meesh, see KarenTOC--about three posts down.

KarenTOC has started to figure out her way around THR--I hope you will, too. You might stumble into some brisk repartee, even some sexism, but it's a wholly-healthy community of gunnies here.

Meesh, keep going on the education, and once you get squared away with your firearm(s), practice, practice, practice.

FWIW, I don't keep my Life NRA card next to my MPR card--but I am a sustaining member of MPR, and I basically listen to MPR (Minnesota) 18/7.

Jim H.

 

[sharkman]

I learned something from that article. Namely, that a .38 special will make someones head "explode!" I'm trading all of my .45's and .40's now for for some of those awesome .38's!

 

[Fryerpower]

Maryland seller to DC buyer: $35 for the seller to transfer it to the DC FFL. $125 for the DC FFL to issue it to the buyer.

Huntsville, Alabama to a Fayetteville, Tennessee buyer: $0 for the seller to drive a load of sold guns up to Fayetteville every Thursday to the FFL. $10 for the FFL, his main business is a hardware store, to issue it to the buyer.

Man I love this state!

-Jim

 

[eatont9999]

I love the head-exploding thimble comment. That is really cute. I hope he does not need to use that gun in a hurry since it is locked in a box in a drawer. Don't lose the key!

 

[xsquidgator]

Perhaps someone in the DC area could contact the writer and invite him to attend a range session and perhaps an IDPA match? This guy seems genuinely interested and is a thoughtful and apparently honest reporter (ya why is he working for the Post then?).

Were I closer I'd contact him myself, any takers?

I think that's an excellent idea. Does anyone have a link to his email address for this purpose? I could not find it on the Post's website. If he happens to travel down to Florida sometime, I'd be glad to host him for a range day/IDPA shooting experience that would be fun and informative.

 

[Fryerpower]

Virginia listing:
http://www.idpa.com/clublist.asp?state=VA

Chantilly, VA listing:
http://www.blueridgearsenal.com/

Blue Ridge Arsenal
Chantilly, VA
USA
2nd Wed. of the month
Malcolm Blundell

Maryland listing:
http://www.idpa.com/clublist.asp?state=MD

-Jim

 

[jfh]

I could not find his e-mail address, either.

However, this link takes you to a page where you may submit a comment to him. Note that it does NOT go by one's personal e-mail client--so you might want to make a copy in WordPad / whatever, and save it for inclusion in a possible return e-mail from him.

FWIW, I sent him props yesterday after I read the article and saw the video.

Jim H.

 

[MAKster]

There is also a video on the web site of the author shooting. Pretty good for a beginner. Although the guy who teaches him the safety class is interesting. He is wearing a tactical outfit with a badge on his hip and "Security" on the back of his shirt.

 

[mrokern]

There is also a video on the web site of the author shooting. Pretty good for a beginner. Although the guy who teaches him the safety class is interesting. He is wearing a tactical outfit with a badge on his hip and "Security" on the back of his shirt.

The article says that the instructor is actually a LEO.

It's actually a much more fair article than I was expecting. Like others here, I found his description of shooting a .38 amusing, but if you stop to think about it, if his only other experience had been .22 rifles years ago, that .38 is going to seem like a .500mag to him.

The other mention in there I had to smile about was his wife's reaction. I grew up in a seriously anti-gun household, where my mother was terrified at the thought of even seeing a gun.

When we got married, my wife originally told me that she would prefer if my guns were stored unloaded in the basement. She wasn't anti, but had grown up in a guns-are-for-hunting household. I then took her shooting, and walked her through books like "More Guns, Less Crime". She now knows how to get to and operate every gun we own (note the "we"), and would not hesitate to defend herself.

 

[SWDoc]

Excellent article and video. Thoughtful and provided a starting point for discussion.

Steve

 

[mm1ut1]

When the story was first released it was prominately displayed, top of the page on the website. After a few positive comments it was pretty much hidden.

 

[jakemccoy]

I watched the video. It's quite good! I'll add it to my Youtube channel if I can figure out how to download it.

Not everybody grew up with guns in their house. The guy in the video who's going through the process of buying a gun is representative of a large number of people in America. It's the group of people who are gun-ignorant, but not anti-gun.

 

[jakemccoy]

According to Warren VS DC, "police do not have a legal responsibility to provide personal protection to individuals, and absolved the police and the city of any liability."

With a ruling like this from DC's court of appeals, shouldn't there be more citizens with guns in DC?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._District_of_Columbia

A Supreme Court decision (Castle Rock v. Gonzalez) says basically the same thing. I like to cite the Supreme Court when I can. Plus, the Castle Rock case is from 2005 (a.o.t. the 1981 Warren case).

http://www.allsafedefense.com/news/CopsDontProtect.htm
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,162325,00.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Rock_v._Gonzales

 

[SuperNaut]

As a licensed firearms dealer, he could, theoretically, sell guns. But he chooses not to because "I don't want to have to carry an inventory," he says. "Too much liability." Instead, he's the middleman, the only licensed dealer willing to help D.C. residents acquire handguns, a nice little side business for which he charges $125.

So I head out of the city to Maryland Small Arms in Upper Marlboro. After shopping around a bit, I settle on a used Taurus Model 85 .38-caliber revolver. I like it because it's just like the one I used during my instruction, though smaller. And at $275, it was a relatively cheap beginner's gun, even though the dealer tacks on a $35 fee for transferring it to Sykes.

Wow, they are robbing the citizens blind with those fees!

Not to mention all the pointless driving, paperwork and wasted time. My sympathies go out to anyone who has to suffer these obstructions to exercise an inherent right.

 

[ming]

He says he's going back to the range and has a new hobby. Won't be long till he's a Member. Could you go to the range more than once and not want your own handgun? Not likely!

 

[happygeek]

Someone needs to send him a link to/info on some good gun safes. If he's so worried about having a gun in his home, but wants to shoot them at the range why not just get a good safe and keep that sucker locked up tight instead of paying to rent a gun at the range?

For that matter, he could always buy his ammo at the range and shoot it all,thereby not having any ammo at home; just a 38 locked up in a safe.