Your views on gun control and the right to bear arms....?

Jeannette - posted on 09/09/2009

Quoting dana:

Ideally it woud be great to get rid of all our guns. It's not practical. Too many criminals have them, you'll never get rid of them. We have guns in our home. They are put away, my husband grew up hunting, I've hunted and we've both taken and passed hunter's safety when we were teenagers. I don't see it as a big deal.

Where I live I don't feel anyone needs to carry a gun but, there are plenty of places in the US that I would want to have one on me if I were there.

Let me also tell you about a time when I had my 2 nephews and my son with me, ages 5,2, and less than a year at the time. We were walking by my house with my son in the stroller. A house on the street next to mine was getting a new driveway put in. There was one man there working on it and my nephews said hi to the guy and he told them they could come over at look at his equipment, you know how boys are. So we do and this guy seriously starts giving me the creeps, I mean seriously and I don't spook easy. So I say it's time to go, we go back home and I go the long way so this guy doesn't see me going towards my house. Except my dumb ass leaves the stroller by the door. Next thing you know this guy is banging on my door, my nephew says it's that guy, I'm going to make a booby trap for him. I had never said a word to him about the guy, I mean he's 5 but, obviously pretty smart for a 5 yr old. After 3-4 minutes the guy leaves and then comes back banging a few minutes later. Luckily he left. There was NO reason for him to come banging on my door. What kind of man does that to a woman with 3 kids. I also live in a neighborhood where most people live here in the summer and on weekends. It was the middle of the week and quiet out here. The only reason I felt safe was because I had a gun. I am no match for a man but to protect my child and my nephews I would have done what I had to do. By that I mean call the cops and tell the A-hole I had a loaded gun in the house and the cops were coming. Give me a perfect world and then you can have my guns.

Sorry for the long post. :)

totally agree...good post

Dana - posted on 09/09/2009

Ideally it woud be great to get rid of all our guns. It's not practical. Too many criminals have them, you'll never get rid of them. We have guns in our home. They are put away, my husband grew up hunting, I've hunted and we've both taken and passed hunter's safety when we were teenagers. I don't see it as a big deal.



Where I live I don't feel anyone needs to carry a gun but, there are plenty of places in the US that I would want to have one on me if I were there.



Let me also tell you about a time when I had my 2 nephews and my son with me, ages 5,2, and less than a year at the time. We were walking by my house with my son in the stroller. A house on the street next to mine was getting a new driveway put in. There was one man there working on it and my nephews said hi to the guy and he told them they could come over at look at his equipment, you know how boys are. So we do and this guy seriously starts giving me the creeps, I mean seriously and I don't spook easy. So I say it's time to go, we go back home and I go the long way so this guy doesn't see me going towards my house. Except my dumb ass leaves the stroller by the door. Next thing you know this guy is banging on my door, my nephew says it's that guy, I'm going to make a booby trap for him. I had never said a word to him about the guy, I mean he's 5 but, obviously pretty smart for a 5 yr old. After 3-4 minutes the guy leaves and then comes back banging a few minutes later. Luckily he left. There was NO reason for him to come banging on my door. What kind of man does that to a woman with 3 kids. I also live in a neighborhood where most people live here in the summer and on weekends. It was the middle of the week and quiet out here. The only reason I felt safe was because I had a gun. I am no match for a man but to protect my child and my nephews I would have done what I had to do. By that I mean call the cops and tell the A-hole I had a loaded gun in the house and the cops were coming. Give me a perfect world and then you can have my guns.



Sorry for the long post. :)

Brenda - posted on 09/09/2009

Quoting Anna:

I can't believe it is even legal to carry around a loaded handgun. Where I live (New Zealand) that would be considered insane and totally dangerous. Even the police don't carry guns here. I'm pretty sure if you look at the statistics, if you have a gun in your house it is much more likely to shoot someone in your family rather than an intruder.

So do they use like batons or sticks or something? I can't even imagine having a police force with no weapons.

Yes, statistically, you are more likely to kill a family member or have your weapon taken and used on you. It is scary.

Anna - posted on 09/09/2009

I can't believe it is even legal to carry around a loaded handgun. Where I live (New Zealand) that would be considered insane and totally dangerous. Even the police don't carry guns here. I'm pretty sure if you look at the statistics, if you have a gun in your house it is much more likely to shoot someone in your family rather than an intruder.

Jodi - posted on 09/08/2009

Jeanette, 65% of all homicides in the US are gun related crimes. 53% of all suicides involve a gun. I'd feel safe with gun education too.... it's evidently working. A much better option is getting rid of as many as you possibly can! Very few people actually truly NEED a gun. They just convince themselves they need one. Yes, illegal guns will still exist (they still do in Australia too), but there are fewer opportunities to obtain an illegal weapon, and only the truly hard core criminals will bother going to the effort. The overall homicide rate in the US is 3 or 4 times that of Australia, most of that difference is in the firearm homicide category.



Personally, I could not imagine living in a country where 40% of households have guns. I wouldn't feel safe at all!!

Jeannette - posted on 09/08/2009

I support required gun education for each and every firearm you currently own and future purchases. Just my opinion.

Jodi - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Jeannette:

Also, making guns illegal would not end violent crimes. That is so annoying when people assume criminals who break the laws for a living/hobby, would all of a sudden start obeying them and not hurt people anymore.

I don't think anyone is assuming it ends violent crime at all!  But gun crime results in more deaths than other violent crimes.  That is, you are more likely to survive a violent situation if the gun is not involved.

Jeannette - posted on 09/08/2009

I think he has the right to do whatever he wants with his weapons in his home. Provided, he is not hurting others. I would personally high five him because he is still free and living like a free man. If he had kids and was leaving hand guns around, that would be a different story. But it would be a story between him and the kid's mother.
Also, making guns illegal would not end violent crimes. That is so annoying when people assume criminals who break the laws for a living/hobby, would all of a sudden start obeying them and not hurt people anymore.

Sharon - posted on 09/08/2009

People should never take me seriously! : p

Brenda - posted on 09/08/2009

Sharon, its hard to take you seriously with that damn cat picture. I giggle like an idiot whenever I see it. LOL

Sharon - posted on 09/08/2009

I forgot to mention I don't think you did wrong. Bringing up the point that he was over reacting was fine. I would have.

Brenda - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Sharon:

Well its his home. If he wears it into your home then you have the right to be upset.

You have the right to not visit him in his home with the loaded weapon. He's paranoid because of his circumstances. Maybe that will go away when he transfers to a safer place.

We hunt and fish and use what we kill. I have a small 22 pistol for pests in the yard or property. I've never had to use it. I've always been able to handle the snakes with a shovel & stick and a bucket. But its there, and I can use it if I have to.

It has a trigger lock on it. The only key is in my purse but the kids think the little diary key in my nightstand is the key. The ammunition is kept seperately and it is NOT loaded.

My husbands shotguns and rifles are kept in a gun safe. Our oldest has attended a gun safety class and hunts with his father every season. He outshoots him too.

I don't understand people who go "armed" every step of their lives. but you really didn't have the right to tell him what to do in his home. But if he comes to visit you, you get to insist he leaves the gun in the car, locked up in the trunk and preferably at his home.

I wanted to clarify. Sharon is correct, I can not tell him what to do in his home and I wasn't trying to control what he does in his home, but is the reality that he carries a weapon 24/7, even when he IS AT HOME,  a little frightening and (IMO) a little paranoid? Yes. I think he is overreacting and paranoid. I was just saying that I personally would not choose to do this, regardless of where I lived.

Isobel - posted on 09/08/2009

You guys are really lucky to be living in Australia...no open borders for guns to travel across. Here in Canada we have fairly strict gun laws but because we're right next to the US it's almost impossible to stop them from pouring in.

Sharon - posted on 09/08/2009

Well its his home. If he wears it into your home then you have the right to be upset.



You have the right to not visit him in his home with the loaded weapon. He's paranoid because of his circumstances. Maybe that will go away when he transfers to a safer place.



We hunt and fish and use what we kill. I have a small 22 pistol for pests in the yard or property. I've never had to use it. I've always been able to handle the snakes with a shovel & stick and a bucket. But its there, and I can use it if I have to.



It has a trigger lock on it. The only key is in my purse but the kids think the little diary key in my nightstand is the key. The ammunition is kept seperately and it is NOT loaded.



My husbands shotguns and rifles are kept in a gun safe. Our oldest has attended a gun safety class and hunts with his father every season. He outshoots him too.



I don't understand people who go "armed" every step of their lives. but you really didn't have the right to tell him what to do in his home. But if he comes to visit you, you get to insist he leaves the gun in the car, locked up in the trunk and preferably at his home.

Jodi - posted on 09/08/2009

I agree Cassie, it is far too entrenched in the American society. It could take another generation to do something about it. Constitutional law is also a tough one to crack, and while the original consititution of the US did not INTEND the modern interpretation, it has unfortunately been upheld in common law, so you can't change that overnight :( Maybe, if enough people can educate the next generation of children accordingly, it is a possibility. Australia never got rid of guns overnight, and we still have permissable reasons to have them, and I am ok with that (should that horse in the paddock suffer because it broke its hip, or should the farmer have a gun to be allowed to deal with it? - I had a horse in that situation once). But to give the right to almost everyone is unnecessary.



It would scare the crap out of me in the US if my hubby was a police officer too. It would scare me here, but it would scare me more there. Hugs and prayers for both of you !

Cassie - posted on 09/08/2009

Very true Jodi. I'm not saying that it is a perfect idea, it's just a step in the right direction. I would love for our laws to change. It scares me every night when my husband leaves for work. I don't know who is out there with what weapon who would just jump on the chance to kill a police officer. Guns scare the living daylights out of me and I hate that we even have them in our home let alone those crazies out there who carry them with them everywhere they go.

I just don't see Americans stepping away from "their right to bear arms." Hopefully, my children will see that come to pass but I don't foresee it anywhere in the near future.

Jodi - posted on 09/08/2009

Cassie, we had less strict gun control in Australia 20 years ago too. They changed the laws and declared an amnesty. You actually got to hand your guns in and get money back for them!!! This was a country-wide government initiative so that the change in law didn't disadvantage. And basically, if you didn't hand them in, and didn't have a permit, you were breaking the law. Okay, I am sure there are some that didn't hand them in, and I am sure there are illegal guns out there (well, I know there are). But our gun violence crimes are 1/5 what they are in the US.



I love the initiative you have described, I think it is fantastic. But unless it is entrenched in the law, what is to stop these people giving over their guns, getting the vouchers, and then goining off and buying another gun?

Cassie - posted on 09/08/2009

I agree that in a perfect world, if we in the US had stricter gun laws, there would be less crime. But criminals will get guns no matter what the law states. It is just a fact of life for citizens in the US. It is a sad fact none the less. My husband is a police officer in our city. Just last night, a drunk driver was pulled over and shot the two officers point blank, one in the face and one in the chest. Both are alive but our city is in mourning for the unfortunate shooting of two of our officers. I wish that our gun laws were stricter and maybe this never would have happened had they been. I'm just not sure if changing our gun laws would make a difference though. The criminals already have their weapons and it would be very difficult to find them all and take them away.

We can't go back and change the fact that our laws have allowed so many to get the weapons in the first place so I would rather look at ways to change the situation we are already in. Locally, we offered people to come and bring any weapons they had and turn them in to police in exchange for gift certificates to Target. The dollar amount of the gift certificate was determined by the weapon that was turned in. There was such an enormous turnout of people turning weapons in that we ran out of gift certificates and had to give out vouchers so that they could get the gift certificates later. It was amazing to see all of the guns (there were hundreds) piled up in the hands of trained officers and out of the hands of people who may not know how to use them. I think programs like this could really benefit our country!

Sarah - posted on 09/08/2009

No guns = no gun crime!
There, i've solved it! :)

Erin - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Jodi:

I believe I posted my basic views in another thread :) I am so against guns its not funny. I personally believe the laws you have in the US are WAAAYYYY to relaxed. I think the laws we have in Australia are too relaxed, and believe me, ours are far superior to yours (I guess if you support your gun laws, you could say ours are inferior, but I prefer to see them as superior so I'll stick with that).

Unless you NEED a gun for any reason (self protection does not count, because you wouldn't need it for self protection if others didn't have them), WHY???

Personally, I believe the US has taken the term "the right to bear arms" from the constitution and turned it into what they want it to mean. Historically, it was a term to give the citizens the military right (and bear arms was a military term), but it has been, over the years, interpreted to mean the right for civilians to carry guns, and therefore, upheld by the courts as a constitutional right within US common law.

Statistically, the US has the HIGHEST gun violence in the world. Why? I'm sure it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. There is also a statistically significant relationship between gun ownership and suicide. Why? Because suicide is often (although not always) a spur of the moment act and if the gun was not immediately available in that instance, it would not happen. Seriously, anyone who thinks the gun laws in the US are a good thing, do the research. And don't give me that "but I need one to protect myself". You wouldn't if no-one else had one, think about it. I do perfectly okay without one (like the majority of Australians), never want one, never had one, and I feel perfectly safe.

Anyway, on the specific subject of your friend, there was a girl a year younger than me at my school (and in fact, her step-father was a friend of my dad's) who was shot dead by a parent who irresponsibly left a loaded gun on a fireplace mantle. He thought he could because there were no "little kids" in his house. His sons were 12 and 14 or something. This girl's boyfriend was the 14 year old. He didn't realise the gun was loaded, held it up to her and told her "hands up", just joking. Then he shot her and kiled her. A loaded gun in anyone's hands is dangerous. I don't care what argument anyone gives me, it is not okay with me to have a loaded weapon all the time unless you carry it for your job!!! I wouldn't ever have a gun in my house, loaded or unloaded, safe or no safe, but then, I have a very strong view on this issue (just in case you hadn't noticed, LOL).

Okay, off my soapbox now. But I could seriously carry on with this one until I was blue in the face.

Jodi I agree with every single thing you've just said. I think our strong anti-gun stance is definitely because we're Australian. We don't have the gun culture and thus don't have the gun problem.

Kylie - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Loureen:

Quoting Erin:

I'm Australian and about as anti-gun as you can get. We have much stricter gun laws here, and it is in fact illegal to carry ANY concealed weapon (guns or knives).
I've had this conversation several times already on COM and I will never understand why someone would want guns in their home and/or around their children.
So I don't think you are out of line, and I would have had the exact same opinion.

LOL , exactly what i was going to say .

DITTO!

Jodi - posted on 09/08/2009

That's terrible Loureen!! I am also so glad our gun laws are so strict.



I actually read something recently that apparently the US has RELAXED gun laws further in the last 10 years (wouldn't be the result of a Texan in office would it?) and the number of states allowing permits to carry a concealed weapon have actually increased from something like 34 to 48. The fact that gun laws are relaxing over there is scary. Gun lobby influence maybe?

Iris - posted on 09/08/2009

No, I don't think you were out of line. I would have reacted the same way. I do not want guns in my house so to me, dating a guy who carried a gun 24/7 and kept it loaded around the house, would have been absolutely out of the question. That said, I've never been to Texas and the frame of mind there might be different.

Charlie - posted on 09/08/2009

Sorry let me clarify what i meant by "throw a gun into the situation " , i actually meant add ANOTHER gun to the situation .
Obviously there already was a gun present .

Charlie - posted on 09/08/2009

LOL Jodi .
But seriously i have been in a home invasion situation , long before our gun laws were tightened .
I woke up to a man dragging my mother around with a gun to her head he then pointed the gun at my baby sister and myself , it was the most terrifying experience i have ever been in , i wet myself four times before he left the house .
Even my mother who is a third dan black belt , martial arts instructor , whos hands and feet are legally registered weapons didnt throw a chuck norris and go badass ,super hero and try and fight him or we would have all ended up dead , throw a gun into the situation and what would have happened SOMEONE would have definitly died that day either us or him .
Either way we would been in Mourning for one of our family or my mother would be in jail , No good could have come from it .
I despise Guns they are tools of destruction i am so glad Australia's laws are so strict , the whole " right to bare arms " really frightens me .

Brenda - posted on 09/08/2009

Oooh, I heart Wonder Woman!! I only wished I looked that good in a halter and knee high boots. LMAO

GAWD, I need to get my butt to bed. I am sitting here giggling, hoping I don't wake my kids.

Jodi - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Loureen:

Watching loads of action movies doesnt make me a superhero .

True, true.  When I was younger and seriously in need of filling out my training bra because all my friends did, watching Wonderwoman didn't help at all!!

Jodi - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Loureen:

Watching loads of action movies doesnt make me a superhero .

True, true.  When I was younger and seriously in need of filling out my training bra because all my friends did, watching Wonderwoman didn't help at all!!

Brenda - posted on 09/08/2009

LMAO Loureen!! I may quote you!

Charlie - posted on 09/08/2009

Watching loads of action movies doesnt make me a superhero .

?? - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Maleasha:

Quoting Jo:

I'm sorry but I have to ask... how does a gun - that you may or may not, carry around with you, and/or conceal - work itself into 'recreation'?

Curious minds inquire...

Have you heard of shooting ranges? Clay pigeons? That's recreational. We go do those things as hobbies. My husband carries a concealed weapon, but only when he is working security. All other times, his guns are in plain sight,  there for anyone to see.

The people I know that go to shooting ranges (in Canada and in the US), they don't just wander around with their gun, and then randomly decide "Oh, I think I want to go and fire off a few rounds, that'll pass the time before dinner." So I don't see why anyone would need to carry a gun around for that kind of 'recreation.' And for clay pigeons, again, the people I know who partake in that hobby do not carry their guns around.

Recreational activities that include guns are generally not activities that anyone needs to be carrying their gun around - concealed or out in the open - in order to participate in them. 

As for leaving your gun out "in plain sight, there for anyone to see" ... There for anyone to see, break in, steal and to kill a family with. I hope that nothing bad ever comes from his guns being out in plain sight, there for anyone to see. That is asking for trouble though. I would be cautious, tempting fate like that - it seems irresponsible and dangerous.

All the gun safety classes in the world (which in all reality should teach you to never leave your guns in plain sight unless they are in use) can not and will not eliminate the infinite amount of possibilities of something bad happening from having a gun open and readily available 'in plain sight' for anyone to use - with or without your permission and/or knowledge.

Brenda - posted on 09/08/2009

This is true, Loureen and I find it absolutely shocking how people who carry a gun think they are going to suddenly "go hero", whip out their fire arm and save the day. Let me tell you, when you are in a dangerous situation, you are doing good not to pee yourself, let alone fumble around with a weapon.

Charlie - posted on 09/08/2009

statistically people who carry guns have a far greater risk of dying by gun related death AND are more likely to die by their own weapon .

Just owning a gun reduces a persons life expectancy by 103.6 days according to www.wharto.universia.net

Brenda - posted on 09/08/2009

Very good point Jodi!! That would be HORRIBLE if my weapon was used to injure or kill someone else!!

Jodi - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Brenda:


So is it better for me to comply with the robbers demands and hope to God he will take the cash and bolt (which he DID) or do I try to play hero by risking my life and the life of my friend in the hopes I can shoot the bad guy and keep my $50?

Actually Brenda, he may also take your gun that you didn't get a chance to use, and then what do you know?  There is yet another illegal gun out there in the hands of the wrong person.

Amie - posted on 09/08/2009

Maleasha, we are not talking about people who use them in the line of duty. That has no bearing on this debate and all of us are fully aware of why they carry them and I'm pretty sure most will concede that they should carry them. They are properly trained in their use after all and can be beneficial.

No civilian need to carry a weapon, concealed or not, any weapon. If you think you do.. then you need to move.

Brenda - posted on 09/08/2009

Yes, I know a lot of people who enjoy using guns for sport & recreation. I personally don't mind going to the shooting range and shooting up a paper target, but I don't think I would buy a gun for this purpose.
The way I explained it to my friend was like this... lets say that I DID want to carry a concealed weapon. Like I mentioned before, I was held up at gun point when I was 19 and I was robbed. I was with my friend Christy at the time. Lets say I DID have a gun on me when this robbery went down....
First of all, the guy robbing us had the upper hand because he obviously had his weapon out first.
Lets say that regardless of this fact, I was still stupid enough to try and go for my gun to "protect" myself. What are the chances that I am going to be able to get away with this when he is standing 3 feet in front of me? Not too likely. But, hey, play along... So I go for my gun and he sees me right? Well, there's a good chance that me or my friend is going to be shot before I have a chance to draw my weapon, take my weapon off safety, aim and fire... am I right?
So is it better for me to comply with the robbers demands and hope to God he will take the cash and bolt (which he DID) or do I try to play hero by risking my life and the life of my friend in the hopes I can shoot the bad guy and keep my $50?
Gee, its a tough call, you tell me.
At this point, I was hung up on and he didn't talk to me for several days. Damn me for being reasonable.

Charlie - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Erin:

I'm Australian and about as anti-gun as you can get. We have much stricter gun laws here, and it is in fact illegal to carry ANY concealed weapon (guns or knives).
I've had this conversation several times already on COM and I will never understand why someone would want guns in their home and/or around their children.
So I don't think you are out of line, and I would have had the exact same opinion.

LOL , exactly what i was going to say .

Jodi - posted on 09/08/2009

I believe I posted my basic views in another thread :) I am so against guns its not funny. I personally believe the laws you have in the US are WAAAYYYY to relaxed. I think the laws we have in Australia are too relaxed, and believe me, ours are far superior to yours (I guess if you support your gun laws, you could say ours are inferior, but I prefer to see them as superior so I'll stick with that).



Unless you NEED a gun for any reason (self protection does not count, because you wouldn't need it for self protection if others didn't have them), WHY???



Personally, I believe the US has taken the term "the right to bear arms" from the constitution and turned it into what they want it to mean. Historically, it was a term to give the citizens the military right (and bear arms was a military term), but it has been, over the years, interpreted to mean the right for civilians to carry guns, and therefore, upheld by the courts as a constitutional right within US common law.



Statistically, the US has the HIGHEST gun violence in the world. Why? I'm sure it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. There is also a statistically significant relationship between gun ownership and suicide. Why? Because suicide is often (although not always) a spur of the moment act and if the gun was not immediately available in that instance, it would not happen. Seriously, anyone who thinks the gun laws in the US are a good thing, do the research. And don't give me that "but I need one to protect myself". You wouldn't if no-one else had one, think about it. I do perfectly okay without one (like the majority of Australians), never want one, never had one, and I feel perfectly safe.



Anyway, on the specific subject of your friend, there was a girl a year younger than me at my school (and in fact, her step-father was a friend of my dad's) who was shot dead by a parent who irresponsibly left a loaded gun on a fireplace mantle. He thought he could because there were no "little kids" in his house. His sons were 12 and 14 or something. This girl's boyfriend was the 14 year old. He didn't realise the gun was loaded, held it up to her and told her "hands up", just joking. Then he shot her and kiled her. A loaded gun in anyone's hands is dangerous. I don't care what argument anyone gives me, it is not okay with me to have a loaded weapon all the time unless you carry it for your job!!! I wouldn't ever have a gun in my house, loaded or unloaded, safe or no safe, but then, I have a very strong view on this issue (just in case you hadn't noticed, LOL).



Okay, off my soapbox now. But I could seriously carry on with this one until I was blue in the face.

Maleasha - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Jo:

I'm sorry but I have to ask... how does a gun - that you may or may not, carry around with you, and/or conceal - work itself into 'recreation'?

Curious minds inquire...

Have you heard of shooting ranges? Clay pigeons? That's recreational. We go do those things as hobbies. My husband carries a concealed weapon, but only when he is working security. All other times, his guns are in plain sight,  there for anyone to see.

Maleasha - posted on 09/08/2009

Some people have to carry concealed weapons for their jobs. My husband works armed security and is required to carry a concealed weapon. I do think that there are people who have no need to carry a concealed weapon, but still do anyways.

?? - posted on 09/08/2009

I'm sorry but I have to ask... how does a gun - that you may or may not, carry around with you, and/or conceal - work itself into 'recreation'?



Curious minds inquire...

Amie - posted on 09/08/2009

I have no issues with guns either. So long as they are used properly.



By that I mean the hunting rifles we have are only used for hunting. They are kept in a safe, ammo stored in another location in a lock box. We are responsible with our weapons. Even our hunting bow and arrow and collection of knives.



We are this way though because of the laws here and it's just the way it is. We grew up with this respect and I truly can not fathom how some in the states can equate their 2nd amendment right as a free for all, let's go get as many guns as we can.



And that concealed weapon license.... bull shit. No one needs to carry a concealed weapon.

Maleasha - posted on 09/08/2009

My husband carried a loaded weapon around alot of the time while we were dating, as did all of my former boyfriends. I personally have no problems with guns and carrying them around with you, as long as you have a permit to carry one. I come from a community where it is extremely rare to not have a gun in your car or in your house, but our guns aren't used for protection, they're used for recreation and hunting. Now that we have children, we keep our guns locked up in a gun safe and when our kids get a little older we will be enrolling them in gun safety classes and teaching them how to properly handle a gun. I think it's extremely important to explain to your kids the dangers of guns if handled inappropriately. I also feel that's it's important to educate our kids on the 10 Amendments. The Second Amendment gives us the right to own and carry a gun. I don't necessarily agree with keeping a loaded weapon in a home where there are children present.

Brenda - posted on 09/08/2009

No, its ok, I am biased too Amie. LOL
I don't feel like I am ignorant about violence and so forth either. I lived in LA as a teenager and I saw the riots firsthand. A man was stabbed at my place of employment during the riots, I was held up at gunpoint and robbed when I was 19... I mean, I really don't feel like I am being naive. I know what can happen. I also know that statistically, people who carry guns are more likely to be shot with their own weapon.
I also want to say that I have NO issues with guns in general. My father and I would go to the shooting range every Sunday and shoot guns (which is actually a lot of fun). I have no fear of them, I just don't see a need for them in my life.

Erin - posted on 09/08/2009

I'm Australian and about as anti-gun as you can get. We have much stricter gun laws here, and it is in fact illegal to carry ANY concealed weapon (guns or knives).

I've had this conversation several times already on COM and I will never understand why someone would want guns in their home and/or around their children.

So I don't think you are out of line, and I would have had the exact same opinion.

Amie - posted on 09/08/2009

NO, good lord, I wouldn't even let someone like that around my kids. Never mind the worries I would have if he had his own children.



I do I live in Canada though and we have strict gun laws so my judgment is biased.