Any rabid anti gunners in your life?

Based on the chosen picture, is the problem hoplophobia or fat phobia?

I guess something is wrong with WV crackheads. Shoot, not even the street walkers speak to me! Me trimming the hedge, right next to the sidewalk, my big cowboy hat on and .45...walk by and don't even look at me! That hurts! I mean, my money is just as good as anyone else's!

(That's a joke I often tell people I meet when the subject of prostitution comes up, which the city is full of. Based on a true story though, they walk right by and not even a "hi honey.")

 

I respect people's views and choices as their own, as long as they don't try to spill their own ideology on me, and that goes for everything from guns, to politics, and religion etc.

I live in a state that has some of the loosest gun laws in the country, and is home to one of the bigger gun manufacturers, and we are the second safest state in America! We can even conceal carry without a permit, providing you are not a felon or involved in domestic violence. While everyone wants more gun laws that will solve nothing, no one wants to solve the actual problem, most of which is guns getting into the hands of mentally unstable folks. I have worked in EMS for 27 years and have had a loaded gun pointed at me while trying to obtain a refusal, this was a mentally unstable patient who we went to repeatedly and who had access to an arsenal, but LE could do nothing about it because there is no ability to take away firearms for people who should not have access to them, except in certain limited circumstances. I do whole heartily believe, even as a gun owner, there should be more oversight as far as who is allowed to own and purchase firearms, with accountability for those with significant mental illness that puts them at risk for causing harm to themselves and others should they be allowed to own and purchase firearms, and red flag laws that would allow law enforcement to remove firearms from people who are risk for causing harm to themselves and others with said firearms, with the ability to refuse a sale of people with such illnesses. The one or two things that all mass shootings have in common is that almost all of them had signs of mental illness PRIOR to committing the crime, and most if not all were on psychiatric medications, thus the warnings were there, but there was no ability for anyone to prevent them from purchasing the firearm that was used in the crime. I am glad they are starting to hold parents accountable, because in my opinion, if your kid is showing signs of mental illness there should be zero firearms in your home!

Anyway, some of my family members, not immediate but cousins aunts/uncles are very against guns and unfriended me on Facebook (when I still used it) because of it. I feel like, as others have said, it is a total lack of knowledge and the assumption, based on media that anyone who owns a gun must be violent and want to harm someone. I had a co worker who was shocked when I told her I owned firearms and target shooting was a hobby, her response was "oh, you seem so nice and peaceful". I said most gun owners ARE nice, peaceful people, however I live alone as a female and feel safer knowing that if some POS breaks into my home while I am there I will have an ability to protect myself, that being said like most gun owners, I don't have the desire to shoot someone.

-T

 

There is an area I frequent for fishing. It has signs saying that it is not a gun free zone. I also know myself and the others I fish with are generally carrying. That being said being vigilant first and trying to stay out of any situation that we could possibly need to use force is key. We never go into a situation as we are tough we have guns. They will always be our last resort.

I do not personally open carry. Like others have said I don’t want to broadcast what’s going on. I have no problem with anyone doing it. That is their right.

 

I get where you're coming from but I couldn't disagree more.

Red Flag laws are a slippery slope and should be avoided to protect the 2A. They will be used and abused "to protect the public".

If your kid is showing signs of mental illness, you should seek treatment. The firearms can't jump out of a locked safe into your kid's hand

 

This is my sentiment on open carry as well. I have here in Colorado before, but in the wrong spaces, it draws the wrong kind of attention. I'll keep to my CCW. On that same note, I am also surprisingly happy with a law Colorado passed just this last cycle regarding CCW's. They now require a minimum 8 hour instructor led course, and renewals require a 2 hour recertification course, both with live fire and written exams. I've always felt that, and I'll say this with a pause to say I don't have personal experience in it, just second hand talk, the ability to receive your CCW by a simple video at a gun show meeting the requirements has always bothered me. I've felt it just doesn't vet and equip your average citizen enough to warrant allowing concealed carry. And I know that'll catch me some flack based on all the constitutional carry talk around the country. In my opinion, I believe we should have a national CCW permit. Meet the requirements, like a set class timeframe and live fire exam, and then your permit will be good across the country, not this "My state doesn't like your state" crap. It's annoying to have to research whether or not my permit is good from state to state as I'm traveling.

 

None - they are All Rabid Gun Lovers.

 

This post was written while I was making my last reply. Just an example of abuse of this that I've heard of multiple times since Colorado enacted their red flag laws a few years back.

In my home county, we had the mother of a man shot and killed by a police officer file under the new law against the officer who killed her son. The shooting was found to be justified as the man had a knife, and charged the officer after multiple commands to drop it, and he had threatened to kill his own brother and sister-in-law. Because the state tied the hands of law enforcement and the courts, they were forced to follow the letter of the law and investigate. Granted, the judgement was reversed as quickly as possible by the courts, but the waste of LEO and courts time following the baseless claim of danger was ridiculous. She claimed that she and the officer shared a child, as the law states that only family members and law enforcement can seek a ERPO (Extreme Risk Protection Order) and that he had been threatening violence against her and her son prior to the shooting. The comedy of it was that the reporter who filed the motion perjured herself, as you are required to sign an affidavit under oath of perjury to begin the process, which turned and burned her into more legal troubles. I do see the benefit of red flag laws, but I also see a massive amount of room for improvement. More mental health action needs to be involved, not just on the side of the person who may or may not have their weapons confiscated, but also the person filing the report.

 

100% on this. Red flag laws WILL be abused. No other right is there an argument made that your right should be suspended and then you be required to prove your innocence to have it restored.

Anyone advocating for red flag laws is, at best, idealistic and naive or, at worst, a complete and utter moron.


The simple truth of the matter is this: Freedom requires personal responsibility. The individual is responsible for not being a danger to society. Because people can have poor judgement, be selfish, or are downright evil, incidents will happen. Freedom is a bit messy and dangerous, but I'll take that over "safe and secure" tyranny.

 

So a crazy person just needs their property taken away? Not like themselves removed from society? I recall when that was a thing. Don't recall as many mass shootings then. Insane asylums were indeed hotbeds for abusive and sexually perverse guards but at least the nutcases weren't running around. Of course a true nut case would never like use another tool (knife, car, gasoline and lighter) or just get another gun. Nah.

*I applaud your service to the community but I don't think red flag laws are the answer.

Red flag laws violate at least the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments to the constitution. The accused are not allowed a trial, representation, nor even to know they have been charged. They are not permitted to even know the name of their accuser much less face those accusations. Firearms are collected, often go "missing" (only the valuable ones), are damaged, (I doubt police place rifles in their cases during collection), and eventually lost altogether as the state charges a "storage fee" the accused often can't afford to pay.

First-hand account: My sister literally threatened to kill me and my wife about two years ago, on the answering machine no less. She was even less friendly when she got hit with a restraining order. Now imagine if all it took to have my property taken away and maybe me killed by the state in the process was an accusation by her. Which, by the way, would leave us rather unprotected for when she decided to make good on the threat. Convenient.

A "permit to carry" is the theft of a right by the state followed by the lease of that right for a fee. "Well you can defend yourself with a tool but you must first pay a fee, and then we'll lease you that right for a set period of time." Fortunately most of the country has woken up to that crime and abolished it.

The ones most at risk of crime are the poor. Poor people live in bad neighborhoods because they lack the money to move to good neighborhoods. Poor people take public transit where crazy people ride for free. Poor people work dangerous jobs in bad areas at bad hours. Requiring classes to exercise a right punish them more because they are least able to pay the fee. Further, classes take time to attend and the poor work every day. It's not really that hard to carry a gun, one doesn't need a class. Would you normally punch everyone you met? Did you need a class to teach you not to do that? SMH. So when do we require licenses for other rights?

 

This 100%. On the other side of the coin to most of this post, I have acquaintances who are dyed in the wool 100% of the "shall not be infringed so where is my belt fed" mentality.

While I do agree with them for the most part, some of the actions and behaviors I've seen paint them in a bad shade and frankly kind of worry me.

 

It was called "draft"

 

I bought a pistol because one can't have a rifle or shotgun legally in the woods unless it's a season. Pistol - yes, no problem.

 

That sounds like a law that needs to be repealed. The 2A isn't seasonal.

 

With moose being the biggest animal in Maine this law makes sense. Unless you're a poach. Coyotes and black bears can be dispatched with pistol if needed.

 

Shall. Not. Be. Infringed. This law makes no sense because the 2A has nothing to do with hunting.

 

The woods are privately owned, you gotta play their rules.

 

Ew. Sounds like Texas.


I'm in Wyoming and the majority of the state is public land, thus my position.

 

No public land in Maine? That sounds horrible

 

98% of the state is privately owned. I still drive 9 hours one way, because Massachusetts is even worse w.r.t. access to wilderness.

https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/docs/maps/lands-regions-contact-info-map.pdf

 

That's crazy.
WA state is ranked #11 in the country for public land (42% public)

 

When we were looking into which States we'd want to move to, a major consideration was public land access. Alaska, Nevada, Utah and Idaho ranked pretty high up there. I couldn't live somewhere that has extremely limited public land access unless I had the money to buy a couple thousand acres myself, no matter how gun friendly they are. For that reason, Texas was scratched off our list.

One of the things I do love about Canada is our seemingly endless availability of public land. BC is 94% public. Alberta is 60%. Saskatchewan is 65%. Yukon Territory is 99%. Northwest Territory is 80%.

Not a gun friendly country at all though. Our government is filled with rabid anti-gun lunatics.

 

Huge thing for me, too. I couldn't live in TX for that reason alone.

 

I have 3 kids, 2 of them with special needs, the youngest one is not diagnosed yet. MA is among the friendliest states for supporting kids like mine. I will not retire in MA, though.

Love Canada. Driving ~450 miles from the nearest town and then another 50 miles by canoe is special. You sit there by the camp fire, sip beer, watch the sunset and think about eternity.



That's around here if you're curious: https://www.google.com/maps/place/5...!3m1!1e3!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d54.788263!4d-68.940419

Your border guys let me in with a shotgun this time. Of course, I was given an anti-gun lecture, but managed to convince them it is cheaper to let me in than scrape me off the bear poop. Used to see 6 bears in one day on Trans-Taiga road, even took one on the front bumper once.

 

Very cool. Northern Quebec is beautiful. Too bad it's in Quebec.

I'm surprised the border pukes let you in with a shotgun. While non-restricted (don't ask) in Canada, they generally don't like people bringing guns into the country. I did a stint at a waterfowl lodge in Alberta and a few of our guests were hassled bringing in their hunting guns.

 

Let me know where you're thinkin...