Wow!  Super comments, everyone, on my last entry.  

More of what I think on the subject:  Many point out that they don’t feel safe with guns anywhere, period.  In a perfect world, I would agree we would all be better off it there were no guns at all….none.  And while we’re at it, no knives, no TNT, no C-4, no nukes, no…you get my drift.  But the reality is all those things are here now, and they aren’t going away.  Criminals have guns, none registered you can be sure.  Most cities have something like 1 cop for every 400-1000 citizens.  The cops can’t be everywhere.  You have to take a certain amount of responsibility for yourself.  Hence, CCL’s for responsible citizens (my opinion).

Could a CCL holder react fast enough against a well armed, well rehearsed intruder?  Often times, no.  But at other times, like on the Virgina Tech campus several years ago when that nut killed 30-something people over a period of time….very possibly yes.  Maybe the carnage could have been reduced to 10 or 15 fatalities if a trained, competent gun owner had stepped up and acted.  We’ll never know.

Would I shoot someone who was after my TV, or my watch, or my wallet?  No way.  (That very thing is harped on in  our classroom instructions.)  No possession I have is worth another’s life.  But would I shoot someone if it appeared they were about to harm a loved one?  Absolutely.  

The one thing I firmly believe, however, is that if honest citizens were prohibited from possessing firearms, the criminals would have a field day.  And there wouldn’t be anywhere near enough cops to protect us all.  Look at before/after gun-ban crime stats for Canada, the UK, and Australia for examples.  Sad way to live, huh?

Your turn, please.

S

Not long ago I was down in Lakewood where I stopped in to Whole Earth Provisioning, or as I call it, “The Hippie Store”.  They have a big sign on their door that says firearms, EVEN THOSE CARRIED BY CONCEALED CARRY LICENSE HOLDERS, are prohibited inside their business.  They are perfectly within their rights to say that.  But inside I began looking around and saw only a few little (in stature) ladies at the cash registers and a medium-sized guy who looked like he might have run with Jerry Garcia back in the 70’s.

So if they are going to prohibit citizens from protecting themselves by making them leave their firearms outside, which one of them is then going to be the one to step up and protect their patrons if needed?  Make no mistake, they would be legally responsible.

I have a CCL, but physically carry it only when I’m forced to go into an area I’m uncomfortable with.  Usually my gun is in my car.  Of course I complied with the wishes of The Hippie Store owners.  But do they, or do you, realize that to even get a CCL license you have to submit to a photograph, fingerprinting, and a thorough 6-week long background check by local, state, and federal officials, plus lots of (boring) classroom instruction, as well as a shoot to prove your competency?  

If you’ve ever been convicted of a felony, or a misdemeanor within the past 10 years, or been declared nutty, or have any type of restraining order on you, or are wanted for anything, or are even behind on your taxes, etc, you are denied a license.  In other words, the armed CCL holder standing next to you has been scrutinized by law enforcement and been declared no risk to society.  

Those other people standing around you…what do you know about them????

Does knowing this make you any more or less comfortable about firearms?

Do I wish nobody except law enforcement had guns?  Absolutely, but “the toothpaste isn’t going back in the tube.”  If every bad guy in town has a gun (without a license), should law abiding citizens be allowed to carry?

Your thoughts, please.

S

PS…despite what the title says, I carry a .40.

Like a cat toying with a trapped mouse, I had fun yesterday screwing with Citibank.  I have an American Airlines Visa card (or was it MasterCard?) issued through Citibank.  I got it before I went to England a couple of years ago, thinking I could build up lots of frequent flyer miles and then take another trip across the pond, but the airlines have since tweaked their rules so that now I’ll NEVER get enough miles built up to go anywhere past Tulsa.

I recently received a bill from Citibank charging me $85 for the yearly renewal and a $29 late fee.  That was a bunch of BS…we pay by electronic bill pay and I have the confirmation, and it wasn’t late.  Anyway, I called to cancel the card and was transferred to the guy who tries to salvage customers who are saying adios.  (I know cancelling a card hurts your FICO score a little, but I don’t care.  Mine is high enough it’s inconsequential.)

“Oh, but Mr. Park, you’re such a great customer, we don’t want to see you leave.  How about if we give you a $50 gift card to stay?”

“No.”

“Oh, Mr. Park, because of your long tenure with us and excellent payment history I see you’re eligible for a 3.99% interest rate for the next 18 months.”

“If I was eligible why didn’t you just give it to me before?”

“Did I say 3.99%?  I meant 1.99% for the next 12 months.”

“You can’t grovel enough.”

He went on to offer just about everything but a seat on their Board of Directors (which would be like being named First Officer on the Titanic).  I guess they were out of toasters.

I finally told him, NO!!!!  I have destroyed the card, my balance is ZERO, and I want you to wipe out all those renewal fees and late charges and let me outta here.  NOW!!!

He did.  I know my leaving will make exactly ZERO difference to Big Bad Bank, but I still love screwing with ‘em.

S