Are you armed?

[jpriest]

I am pro gun control. I use both hands.

Seriously though, for anyone interested, here is a pretty good link for state ccw gun laws summarized, including RV and car carry laws. Handgunlaw.us

I see a few of the responses are rather opinionated and inflammatory. That's unfortunate. I don't see anything wrong with the questions. But that's just me.

Safe travels ya'll...

[chasfm11]

Originally Posted by gauto5150

You didn't fire it or you didn't show it?
Your situation is your situation. I never said people shouldn't have them. It seems everytime I make a statement about not wanting a gun I get the "what if" or the "you're anti-gun" comment.
I'm not anti-gun, I just don't have a use for one. Sorry if that offends anyone.

I don't think anyone is offended by your personal choice. As several have mentioned, if you are not prepared to use one, you should not have one.

The other side of that coin is what I think Mr. D. was referring to. If you do have one and are prepared to use it, you whole demeanor can be different. It isn't haughtiness or bravado. You don't have to show a gun or even say that you have one. It simply is not wanting to be a victim and using body language to communicate that to someone with bad intentions. Almost all who would do us harm scope us out in advance of confronting us. In many cases, they may talk to us in what is referred to as "the interview." Based on their assessment of our vulnerability, they either strike or move on to a better victim. Those who have been on the streets and responsible for nefarious acts for any length of time have learned to size up their victims. Those who don't do this well are quickly eliminated from "the trade." Early eliminations are often sent to prison where they are taught ways to try to keep themselves from getting caught the next time.

As I said eariler, I was "interviewed" in a MS truck stop in the middle of the morning . I knew it and he knew that I knew it. I quickly extricated myself because I knew that I had to or the situation was going to go downhill fast. Because I had the means to defend myself and had studied and practiced what to do, I was able to quickly recognize the situation for what it was and not have to allow it to play out as my interviewer was intending. Often, the value of being armed is a deterrent more than a solution for those who make the decision. Again, everyone is entitled to make their own decision.

[spat]

Originally Posted by grafxman

Just so everyone knows, I haven't mentioned anything about myself personally and I've noticed that a few people here have been concerned about offending me. I'm a retired Master Chief Petty Officer from the USN. I was a Command Master Chief at my last two commands before I retired in '91. My hide is envied by rhinos. The greatest problem I have had in other forums is offending people myself. I don't usually talk about myself but just so you know, I'm a Patron Member of the National Rifle Association. For several years I participated 2700 matches. That's outdoor pistol competition where 270 rounds are fired from typically 3 different handguns although you can get by with 2 handguns. I'm also a charter member of the Ruger Collectors Club and own well over 100 old model Blackhawks which are stored at my bank. I suppose my greatest curse is being a life member of Mensa which makes me insufferably arrogant.

I think it's important to differentiate between law enforcement and personal defense weapons and situations. Cops are trying to stop desperadoes which is not something the average citizen would normally be involved in. It's important to note that predators are terrified of being disabled. This is true in the animal world as well as the human world. While a robber or kidnapper fleeing from the police is high on adrenalin, thus resistant to normal pain, a cold calculating mugger is very different. Often they are going to attack the weak or those they perceive to be weak. If their prey isn't weak then they will likely flee. The NRA's monthly magazine, the American Rifleman, has a column in every issue called the Armed Citizen. They take news reports from all over about how the mere presence of a firearm prevents crimes from happening.

I've already mentioned here about 2 incidents in my neighborhood where simply placing my hand in my pocket and continuing to walk directly at the possible miscreants prevented an incident. I've only had to display a pistol once in my life. It happened many years ago in Norfolk VA. I was there for a year while the USS Saratoga was in the shipyards. I was living in a rented mobile home in a trailer park. Next door was this NYC thug. His favorite activity was using his wife/girl friend for a punching bag. He strutted around like a rooster in the hen house. He also had a sidekick/henchman that accompanied him. Anyway, whenever he would start punching out his woman I would call the cops on him. I guess the first few times they didn't do much but then one night I saw a few cop cars over there and I guess they started getting serious with him. Of course it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who was making the calls on him. I was the only occupied mobile home close enough to his to hear what was happening.

At the time I had a Charter Arms Bulldog .44 special revolver as my house gun. Of course the inevitable confrontation had to occur. One afternoon I heard this tremendous boom, boom, boom on my front door. I looked out the window. It was the thug and his henchman. He had that "I'm gonna kick the crap out of somebody" look on his face. I grabbed the .44, stuck it down in my belt with the butt sticking out. I flung the door open and yelled at the maggot "what the hell do you want"? He looked me in the eyes, raised his hand towards me as if to grab my shirt when his eyes fell down on the butt of my pistol. Instantly he got all mellow, lowered his arm and said sorry I guess I made a mistake or some such nonsense. That's the only time I ever openly displayed a handgun and if I hadn't those two would have put me in the hospital or worse. I told the park owner about what was going on and he evicted him.

Grafxman:
Was your CVA-60 tour during the yard period at Portsmouth around the 1962 time frame. If so, we could have been shipmates.
Steve

[LeeB]

I guess I do not understand and it could have been answered some where in the 19+ pages before I considered getting a permit. So I will ask. If I apply for a hand gun permit and receive one in California and there are states out there that do not honor California's Permit. Then how do you travel through that state with your weapon?

[Half Dimes]

Go here: Handgunlaw.us and/or buy this: www.gunlawguide.com. References to both can be found in the previous 19 pages, which is where I found them. Anyone owning a gun or considering one should do their own research and not depend on advice that may or may not be accurate.

[RickO]

This is really why moderating gun discussions is so tough and why so many threads inevitably get closed.

Either someone shares the details of how they have had to pull their weapon 27 different times to save their bacon... or one side begins to make assertions about the other...

BTW, I'm using the following quotes as remote examples and do not intend to be chastising the authors in any way.

Originally Posted by gauto5150

Wow, I guess I'll get a gun now since your situation called for it. Sounds like you couldn't wait to use it.

Originally Posted by stepside454

Really ? This is the kind of comments that ruin threads like this. If you don't like guns, don't want guns, I get it. You probably shouldn't have one. Some of us do for various reasons. I try to stay away from "bad" areas or "situation" where I might need one. Bad guys come in all shapes & sizes, & demographics, they aren't all in urban areas. I have a former boss who broke down with car trouble several yrs ago on the way to a family reunion. I won't go into details here, but he & his family wish they had something to protect themselves with afterward. It was horrific. He now carrys & has had extensive training.

Originally Posted by ga traveler

Why is it that those who carry, don't care if you carry or not. But those that don't carry have to get sarcastic and snotty, with those that do?

Originally Posted by LadyFitz...

Hey, be careful with the generalities! I don't carry (or even own anything more powerful than a pellet gun that hasn't been fired in years), nor do I want to, and I feel everyone has the right to carry if they choose as long as they do so responsibly. I have seen posters take people like me to task for not having a gun.

LadyFitz is right. The sarcasm seems to come from both sides. If it's not the anti-gun side implying that gun owners are looking for any reason to shoot first and ask questions later... it's the pro-gun side implying that if one doesn't own and carry then they must not care about their loved ones enough to protect them. And we can't allow those types of personalized attacks on the forum.

Just a little insight from your friendly, neighborhood moderator.

Rick

[stepside454]

Lee, you have several options. Federal law allows you to transport your weapon in any state. Each state has there own requirements that you'll have to research. Illinois for example has some of the most strict laws. In Illinois, while traveling the firearm must be locked up in a hard case, away from the drivers reach, & unloaded . When you get to wherever your staying, say a campground for example the firearm can be unlocked, & loaded, but must stay inside. Illinois requires anyone with a firearm staying in there state to have a FOID (firearm owners I.d.) card. If you have a ccw permit from another state, that serves as a FOID card.any people also get a non resident ccw from FL or UT, this helps cover you in more states that aren't covered in your permit state.
It's your responsibility to research & learn the requirements in the states you go to.

[jzick]

I guess I do not understand and it could have been answered some where in the 19+ pages before I considered getting a permit. So I will ask. If I apply for a hand gun permit and receive one in California and there are states out there that do not honor California's Permit. Then how do you travel through that state with your weapon?

Go here: Handgunlaw.us and/or buy this: Gunlaws for the 50 States. References to both can be found in the previous 19 pages, which is where I found them. Anyone owning a gun or considering one should do their own research and not depend on advice that may or may not be accurate.

Knowing a state's requirements/regulations allows us to plan our routings and stays where we are most comfortable. Unlike commercial transport, our wheeled vehicles allow us the freedom to travel where we want. We do not go to places like IL, NY, CA, or many of the northeast states where we are not comfortable with firearms regulations. But that is just us - your mileage may vary.

[grafxman]

Originally Posted by spat

Grafxman:
Was your CVA-60 tour during the yard period at Portsmouth around the 1962 time frame. If so, we could have been shipmates.
Steve

No, I was in high school in 1962.

[chasfm11]

Originally Posted by LeeB

I guess I do not understand and it could have been answered some where in the 19+ pages before I considered getting a permit. So I will ask. If I apply for a hand gun permit and receive one in California and there are states out there that do not honor California's Permit. Then how do you travel through that state with your weapon?

Here is another link that might help you.

Concealed Carry Permit Reciprocity Maps - USA Carry
Standard disclaimer - you are responsible for your own information but if you check CA, it will show you which States honor a CA concealed carry permit. It appears to be difficult to get a permit in CA so I hope that you are successful. CA also has limitations on the size of magazines and even the types of guns that you can buy.

The Firearm Owners Protection Act (FOPA) from 1986 is how you are supposed to be allowed to transport firearms if you are traveling through States which don't honor your right to have a firearm within their boarders

Firearm Owners Protection Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From that source, here is the information:

One of the law's provisions was that persons traveling from one place to another cannot be incarcerated for a firearms offense in a state that has strict gun control laws if the traveler is just passing through (short stops for food and gas), provided that the firearms and ammunition are not immediately accessible, that the firearms are unloaded and, in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment, the firearms are located in a locked container.[7]
Under this provision, someone driving from Virginia to a competition in Vermont with a locked hard case containing an unloaded handgun and a box of ammunition in the trunk could not be prosecuted in New Jersey or New York City for illegal possession of a handgun provided that the individual did not stop in New Jersey or New York for an extended period of time.

In fact, NJ has arrested people for transporting handguns. The Port Authority police refuse to recognize FOPA and it would take legal action to defend yourself if they discovered and arrested you. Possession of hollowpoint ammo in NJ is illegal for anyone not in law enforcement so you could be arrested for that alone.I suspect that NY might do the same. The odds of an RVer driving through either State and getting stopped is such a way that their possession of a handgun became obvious are pretty slim. In Texas with a concealed license, you are required to tell an officer that you have the license. For FOPA, there is no such requirement so it would take direct questioning to reveal the situation.

Driving through MD on our trips from Texas to PA presents the same problem. Generally, much of the NE is intolerant of out of State people with handguns.

[Gadget63]

Being a retired police officer, I never leave home without my equalizer.

[Chuck 1935]

Originally Posted by LeeB

I guess I do not understand and it could have been answered some where in the 19+ pages before I considered getting a permit. So I will ask. If I apply for a hand gun permit and receive one in California and there are states out there that do not honor California's Permit. Then how do you travel through that state with your weapon?

The way I see it, if you are concerned about any state and their handgun laws, don't keep one with you.
On the other hand, If you are a proponent of T.R.( "Speak softly and carry a big stick.") Then damn the torpedos, full speed ahead. Start packin' and be self sufficient.

Just remember. If you really have to use it, the Lawyers feels will probably bankrupt you. IE: Zimmerman.

[MickBrennan]

NOTE; I am not responsible for typos, poor grammer or misspelled word !
04 Itasca, Meridian 34H, 330 Cat/2003 CR V Toad
1933 Ford 3 Window,as seen in Bye Bye Birdie
Pvt. E1 Retired, Shadow Hills,Ca.


Now that's funny right there!

And yeah, I am armed. I also believe it's every gun toters responsibility to carry a reload.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by gauto5150

You didn't fire it or you didn't show it?
Your situation is your situation. I never said people shouldn't have them. It seems everytime I make a statement about not wanting a gun I get the "what if" or the "you're anti-gun" comment.
I'm not anti-gun, I just don't have a use for one. Sorry if that offends anyone.

Just showed that I was not going to be a victim!