Do you carry a firearm for protection?

There's a web site dedicated to stories of civilians protecting themselves and their businesses using firearms. The site has not been updated in some time but used to be updated almost on a daily basis. I post the link here to enlighten some and for others who are otherwise interested in those stories...

The Armed Citizen

EDIT - I see now they've moved to a Facebook page - The Armed Citizen on Facebook

I feel very sorry for people who only get peace of mind whilst carrying a gun. What a horrible feeling it must be to always be so nervous and fearful of your surroundings. I'm glad I live somewhere where I can relax in my day to day business and don't have to worry whether the person next to me is "packing" and whether they might suddenly go Columbine on me (yes it *is* possible here too, but it is sooo unlikely that I don't need to think about it).

Owain Glyndwr wrote in post #15132740
I feel very sorry for people who only get peace of mind whilst carrying a gun. What a horrible feeling it must be to always be so nervous and fearful of your surroundings. I'm glad I live somewhere where I can relax in my day to day business and don't have to worry whether the person next to me is "packing" and whether they might suddenly go Columbine on me (yes it *is* possible here too, but it is sooo unlikely that I don't need to think about it).

I would hope the folks who carry don't do so because they are nervous or fearful because that state of mind leads to poor decisions. I suspect the vast majority who carry just have a sense of personal responsibility to the protection of their own and get a certain sense of satisfaction from having the means to have some degree of control over a bad situation.

I think this is partly due to the fact that in many parts of the country, our upbringing is more individualistic than in other parts of the world and having the ability to be self sufficient is deeply engrained in many of us. We aren't raised to think that someone else will always be there to take care of us, we take care of ourselves. I know this doesn't apply to the entire country, but it is particularly applicable to a large part of it.

And, despite your crude and potentially offensive reference to the guy sitting next to you "going Columbine", I would take comfort in having armed citizens who knew how to handle themselves around me during a tragedy like that. The people who commit such acts will find a means to their ends whether or not they have access to guns.

It's illegal to carry a gun where I come from - Australia. Unless of course you have a valid reason but just for self defence it's not allowed. I'm happy to live in a part of the world where guns are hardly seen. But I do shoot with my camera.

highway0691 wrote in post #15133367
It's illegal to carry a gun where I come from - Australia. Unless of course you have a valid reason but just for self defence it's not allowed. I'm happy to live in a part of the world where guns are hardly seen. But I do shoot with my camera.

Same here in the Bahamas. Guns are for hunting and you just don't see them unless it's the rare guy out beating the bush with his dogs to bag a feral pig. It's quite refreshing to not have to think about it. I'm not anti-gun (I owned a handgun which I gave to my brother-in-law when we moved down here), but the level of paranoia in the US is really crazy any more. From the way some people talk and think, you'd get the impression that Americans are dodging bullets on a daily basis. Despite the fact that my wife and I lived less than a quarter mile from Columbine and could see the school across the park, I never so much as heard a gunshot in my life anywhere in the city - not from crooks or cops or vigilantes. But then I didn't go to questionable areas at the wrong times of day, so I used good sense to minimize risk - real or imaginary.

Preeb wrote in post #15133593
Same here in the Bahamas. Guns are for hunting and you just don't see them unless it's the rare guy out beating the bush with his dogs to bag a feral pig. It's quite refreshing to not have to think about it. I'm not anti-gun (I owned a handgun which I gave to my brother-in-law when we moved down here), but the level of paranoia in the US is really crazy any more. From the way some people talk and think, you'd get the impression that Americans are dodging bullets on a daily basis. Despite the fact that my wife and I lived less than a quarter mile from Columbine and could see the school across the park, I never so much as heard a gunshot in my life anywhere in the city - not from crooks or cops or vigilantes. But then I didn't go to questionable areas at the wrong times of day, so I used good sense to minimize risk - real or imaginary.

This is the truth of it.

Let's not forget the "Internet lens effect" that goes into operation when anyone opens a "gun" thread in a forum. It's going to attract the attention of people who are specifically interested more than being anything like a "random samnple."

The vast majority of people in the US are not carrying weapons or even considering it. To a certain extent, people broadly support the right to do so as a symbolic philosophy of politics gesture, and I could argue the necesssity of that gesture from such a viewpoint.

But in reality, it's nowhere near as much a daily mental concern for Americans as it would appear from respondents to a gun thread.

Owain Glyndwr wrote in post #15132740
I feel very sorry for people who only get peace of mind whilst carrying a gun. What a horrible feeling it must be to always be so nervous and fearful of your surroundings. I'm glad I live somewhere where I can relax in my day to day business and don't have to worry whether the person next to me is "packing" and whether they might suddenly go Columbine on me (yes it *is* possible here too, but it is sooo unlikely that I don't need to think about it).

I'm not a member of the NRA nor do I own a gun. But you don't need a gun to "go Columbine." And yes, you're very fortunate to live in a location with very low crime where you aren't constantly afraid of your surroundings.

You seem, thought, to have an inordinate amount of fear of someone "going Columbine," The likelihood of that happening anywhere is extremely slim. The likelihood of gun crimes (where the gun was procured by illegal means) is much higher and much more likely. Gun control won't stop this in most situations.

Personally coming from a very unsafe country I am much more aware of my surroundings than most people I know and I am quite a bit more paranoid. I'm am though quite at peace at the same time.

Some people need to have a low crime rate to feel at peace, some need more, they need a visible police force. These are all mitigators of risk. For you, in your situation, it's not a means to protect yourself or others when a crime occurs that leads to the death of another person. Even though a civilian brandishing a gun might create a situation where there would have been no violence in the first place. You still choose how you mitigate fear, others make different choices.

I also should add that the reason for the 2nd amendment is to protect the population from a totalitarian government. That is a very possible risk and thus that right is very valuable IMO.

klimraamkosie wrote in post #15134370
I'm not a member of the NRA nor do I own a gun. But you don't need a gun to "go Columbine." And yes, you're very fortunate to live in a location with very low crime where you aren't constantly afraid of your surroundings.

You seem, thought, to have an inordinate amount of fear of someone "going Columbine," The likelihood of that happening anywhere is extremely slim. The likelihood of gun crimes (where the gun was procured by illegal means) is much higher and much more likely. Gun control won't stop this in most situations.

Personally coming from a very unsafe country I am much more aware of my surroundings than most people I know and I am quite a bit more paranoid. I'm am though quite at peace at the same time.

Some people need to have a low crime rate to feel at peace, some need more, they need a visible police force. These are all mitigators of risk. For you, in your situation, it's not a means to protect yourself or others when a crime occurs that leads to the death of another person. Even though a civilian brandishing a gun might create a situation where there would have been no violence in the first place. You still choose how you mitigate fear, others make different choices.

quite the opposite, which was entirely my point. Others have stated they need guns to protect themselves from threats like these. I don't. I think hand guns are absolutely unnecessary for private citizens.

Owain Glyndwr wrote in post #15134380
quite the opposite, which was entirely my point. Others have stated they need guns to protect themselves from threats like these. I don't. I think hand guns are absolutely unnecessary for private citizens.

Like I said, the large proportion of gun related crimes aren't Columbine style. There is still a lot of violent crime that doesn't fall into the "psychotic" category. Those happen every single day and those are the biggest threats for those who are pro-carry.

And if indeed something like that (Columbine) happens, it would be good to stop the guy in his tracks.

Owain Glyndwr wrote in post #15134380
I think hand guns are absolutely unnecessary for private citizens.

So are you then pro police carrying guns? What about ex-police (i.e. hopefully very well trained in handling firearms). They are private citizens.

It doesn't seem that you are completely anti-gun. What is your stance? Who should have guns and why?

Owain Glyndwr wrote in post #15132740
I feel very sorry for people who only get peace of mind whilst carrying a gun. What a horrible feeling it must be to always be so nervous and fearful of your surroundings. I'm glad I live somewhere where I can relax in my day to day business and don't have to worry whether the person next to me is "packing" and whether they might suddenly go Columbine on me (yes it *is* possible here too, but it is sooo unlikely that I don't need to think about it).

Dont feel sorry for us Americans, many do not carry firearms and most of us live in peace BUT unlike in other countries, at least here, for those who elect to carry they can, and as I mentioned before, because I can, I carry.

To answer your original question..YES...I do conceal carry when I am out and about..First off for my own safety AND secondly to protect my gear, with nearly $4000 stored in my little back pack, I feel better knowing I have a bit of protection.

A lot of people do not realize how much money can be tied up in a few lens's and a camera but some do..and it only takes one..

wiffmajig wrote in post #15135093
To answer your original question..YES...I do conceal carry when I am out and about..First off for my own safety AND secondly to protect my gear, with nearly $4000 stored in my little back pack, I feel better knowing I have a bit of protection.

A lot of people do not realize how much money can be tied up in a few lens's and a camera but some do..and it only takes one..

Money is not everything and adequate insurance can be purchased for a small amount.
Being prepared to take a life (or losing yours) over $4000 is the issue you need to address.

sdblade wrote in post #15135299
Money is not everything and adequate insurance can be purchased for a small amount.
Being prepared to take a life (or losing yours) over $4000 is the issue you need to address.

SD, (again, a non-carrying non-NRA guy here) just because the person chooses to carry a firearm doesn't mean they're going to kill someone that tries to steal their camera. That's the worst case scenario. Firearms do more than just kill people. If someone is threatening you with a knife or another type of weapon then the mere presence of your own weapon helps to prevent the theft/attack in the first place.

I agree with the idea behind your comment, we shouldn't just go around killing people that step on our toes by accident in the grocery store. Or in this case, steal our stupid replaceable and insured camera. I agree with that completely. But there's a lot of flex room in between.

So your problem, "someone being prepared to take a life", may not be a problem at all. This really depends heavily on the individual. Those who are prepared to take a life for whatever is worth less than a life need to reassess their moral values.