Do you carry a gun, why and what is it?

[Ulfwald]

Skoorb, I used to work as a high risk security officer in some of the worst projects in Atlanta. We were a para police organization registered with the City. We wore body armor, carried 9 mm with 4 additional clips, .38 as back ups with 4 speed loaders, MINIMUM 4 pair of hand cuffs on a daily basis, and at least 10 sets of speed cuffs. ASP expandable baton, and teargas.

I no longer do that, as I got shot through the hand while on shift one night and I can no longer apply as much strength as I need in my left hand.

I am now a network admin, I went back to school to learn a safer line of work. I am also a full time computer nerd.

I am in favor of:

Background checks (keep the guns out of the hands of criminals as much as possible)
Stronger sentencing and swifter punishment for violent offenders
criminal control, not gun control. Hold people responsible for their actions

Against
gun registration all this is, is a way for the gov. to build a database of guns so they can confiscate them
Concealed carry permits (although I have one) Another database for gov. officials. The 2nd admendment is all the permit I need to pack heat.
Early release programs

 

[thebestMAX]

UNdreclocked

Great post

UFWald

Meant the 38 for your wife (to carry) loaded with hydra-shocks of course.

Wish all the antigunners could read your posts. I think you should write a handbook if you already havent. Most of your posts could each have been a chapter.

Take care

 

[StageLeft]

ulfwald I agree with best in that your posts are more enlightening than many I read around here

That sounds like an interesting job you had (and like you said very dangerous). What sort of things would you guys have to guard?! I see the security truck that deal with bank machines have armed guards but I can't think of what else really needs them.

 

[Ulfwald]

Skoob, We did what the police do, we responded to domestics, break ins, etc. Because we were private, and on site, we were usually at any given apartment or house in the projects within 1 minute. We would attempt to control the situation first, and wait for the real police to show up, but every so often we would wind up in a scuffle.

And me being 5'10" and 280 lbs and work out every day (before I took the hit) I was pretty good in a fight. Once again, I only used my firearm as a last resort.

The best weapon I used was my voice. If someone were yelling, I would speak so soft that they would have to shut up to hear me. This technique many time diffused the situation and no one got hurt. But there were other times when they were unreasonable. And I met force with 1 escalation point above the perp. ie he was talking loud, I would get a little louder (a deep commanding voice can be intimidating) if they picked up anything in their hand, the ASP baton came whipping out at 36 inches of stailess steel, it is quite a site. A knife got met with a face ful of pepper spray or mace. If none of that seemed to work, That is when the side arm came out. And even when you draw down on someone, you still try and talk to them.

 

[StageLeft]

Hmm, I didn't know non-police actually dealt with matters like that. Dealing with domestic disputes has got to be the worst thing...

 

[Ulfwald]

While on the Clients property, we had police power, but offsite, we had no more power than John Doe. BTW, that security firm I worked for is no longer in business. They tried to rip off clients.

 

[Moonbeam]

So my question, then, is, "Did Jesus carry a gun, why and what was it?"

 

[ForeverSilky]

Carrying a gun makes me feel like a man.

 

[Ulfwald]

No , I do not believe that Jeasus carried a gun, but then I don't believe that he would expect you to just "sit there and take it"

FS, I do not need a gun to feel like a man, instead, I know I am a man because I provide for my family, communicate with my wife, and go to a good job everyday. Your post is an immature gut response that an irrational emotional uneducated person would make. If you have read my posts in this thread, then you would notice that time and time again I refer to a weapon as a LAST RESORT. A true man uses his intelligence, his brains, and his wits to avoid or diffuse situations before they come down to that last resort of presenting the firearm for sel preservation. If I am being held at gun point over a few dollars, I would give up the wallet and leave the weapon alone, but if I, my family, or some innocent person's life is at high risk, I will not hesitate to pull my sidearm and stop the aggression, and if the perp is fatally wounded in that instance, then it is his fault, not mine. He/she made the choice to put themselves in that situation, not me. I do not hope to ever shoot someone again, but if I do, I do not shhot to kill, I only shoot to preserve life.

 

[eia430]

Skoorb, I agree with you about perhaps needing a gun here in the U.S. If I were in another country, say Canada or Belgium, I don't believe I would feel the need to have a gun at least not a pistol.

Ulfwald, Hmm we have a slight difference in opinion in threat level and appropriate action. I've gotten in a fist fight with my .45 in my horizontal underarm holster, it never came out. But if it does come out it will only do so if my life or another's is in immediate and dire threat. In which case it will come out be cycled and someone will be double tapped. If it came out to begin with then we are already past talking and a life needs to be taken to save others or myself. I just feel that there is no need to take it out for any situation other than that.

 

[glenn1]

Never carried a sidearm in the civilian world, although in my military days, a Beretta or M1911 was always on me during our missions, along with our standard weapons, either M4 or other assigned individual weapons (generally perhaps one assigned M24).

Like i said, never felt the need to carry in the civilian world, but i do love my Sig 229 in .40, racked with 135 gr. Cor Bons. It's also rather convienient, because the police troopers in my state are armed with the same model pistol (albeit in .357 Sig caliber). One less thing to worry about in a courtroom, should it ever come to that (the lawyer can't really argue that i have an exotic or extra dangerous weapon if the State Troopers use the same one, eh?)

My best friend swears by an old 1911 style .38 Super, whatever floats your boat i guess. Personally, i can't stand Glocks... we had a few in our arms room, and i never did like the feel or action of them. Again, it's whatever works best for you.

 

[eia430]

Glenn1 yeah, I second your dislike of Glocks. Some people swear by them but to me it's just too weird. Not having a positive "click" of a safety is unnerving, in IPSC we have a cocked locked and holstered position, how do you do that with no manual safety? Not having a hammer... that's just too weird. Lastly what's the deal with that little trigger in a trigger? looks really flimsy for a safety. Colt took a different approach, there is a positive locking pin that prevents fireing pin movement till the trigger is fully depressed in conjuction with a grip safety (won't allow trigger travel till grip is well, gripped) Along with a manually activated thumb lock. The Glock having no manual safety and only a little flimsy(might break off if caught on thread or something)trigger safety is just too odd to carry that thing in a cocked but holstered mode. But some people swear up and down for the glock... I guess to each their own.

 

[Ulfwald]

eia430, My threat level is about the same as yours, perhaps I miscommunicated myself, Sorry

However, since I have been shot at, and shot before in the civilian world, I believe I may allow myself a quicker response time than you, (a "kneejerk reaction&quot. But, since I have not had to draw down on anyone in 5 years, I can honestly hope that my 9 mm stays holstered forever except that once a month range trip. (Man those paper targets of barney sure do pose a threat )

 

[DABANSHEE]

Heu ulfwald, did you know that if you keep a firearm in the house for self defence that the odds of it killing a relative/friend due to an accident or some compulsive/impulsive act of drunkeness, jealousy etc are many times greater than the odds it will ever be needed by self defence (by a factor of 23 times acording to the American news program I saw, however even if it was really just half that, its still atrocious).

One could could it Darwinism in action.

The simple fact is that the vast majority of people do not need a gun for self defence & just go through their whole lives coping ok without a gun for self defence. Plus even the vast majority (probably more than 99% or something like that) of people who keep a gun for self defence will go through their whole lifes without ever actually needing that firearm for that reason. Now why is that so? Its because the average home intruder is just some junky looking for a VCR or something to flog to get their next hit & the fact is all you'll need to do is turn on your bed side light & they'l be out the door & running down the street. Except for the odd rare circumstance, crazed armed rapists breaking into houses are a invention of Hollywood & are statistically as rare as hens teeth (probably less than 1% of break 'n enters actually involve 'perps' who mean genuine harm).

Really you know what the average VCR stealing junky would do if they came across a gun, they'd sell it to purchase their next hit.

Once I caught someone trying to steal my car one night & he pulled a knife on me. But as anyone in the know, knows, a knife is only an effective weapon in a surprise attack, its not an effective weapon to just threaten people with as its piss easy to knock it out of someones hand, which is precisly what I did. Then me & a mate of mine ran down the street spiting on him as he ran off, & we almost died laughing. There was even a trail of blood as he cut himself on his own knife.

Which is all these types deserves, they are the low of society & useally cowards, one doesnt need a gun to deal with some low life street scum (plus they have such abused bodies they arnt healthy enough to cope with any sort of confrontation anyway), they are not worth the heart ache of going through a coronors inquest, etc.

 

[glenn1]

Dabanshee.... i won't even argue with your statistics. They are really immaterial to the question. Whether or not the need ever arises for a weapon, it is a Constitutionally guaranteed right in America to be able to possess and bear a weapon. Most folks will never "need" a flotation device either, but i'm glad that the they exist, and can be used to save lives, under the right conditions. If you don't feel comfortable with guns, fine, don't own one. If you feel strongly enough about the matter, lobby for the Constitution to be amended to suit your fancy when it comes to the gun issue. But at least be honest about it if you think that citizens should not have the right to bear arms. At least i would be able to respect you for actually being willing to say it straightforwardly, rather than using statistics in an attempt to enforce your wishes in a back door, weasel-like manner. Until and unless you are honest about your intentions, don't expect those of us who do own guns to take you seriously.

 

[StageLeft]

Well those stats may be true Dabanshee (remember when I'm staying this if I had to pick a side I'd be anti-gun), but if you take an intelligent person trained to use their firearm and store it properly the chances of their child mis-using it and killing, say, the family dog, are very little. Those stats are aided by Uncle Buck and Jimmy Jon Jr. playing with their "Pa's shotgunn", if you keep a firearm properly locked up or with a trigger guard an 8-year old won' tbe able to do anything with it.

I remember when i was a kid some guy's brother took out his dad's rifle and pointed it at my friend and I was lucky enough to witness it. Looking back it is not very fun, but thats the point it wasn't locked up because their father was an irresponsible imbecile; I'm sure ulfwald doesn't leave his lying around next to the TV.

Oh, and the knife thing I'm glad you managed to do that with the guy but I think he kinda sucked at knife fighting to get disarmed so easily unless you are a badass

How prevalent are guns in Australia? Where I live I would be surprised to ever see one drawn by a civilian or a policeman, but these low-life scum you talk about unfortunately in the states have guns whereas for us they just have knives!

 

[Ulfwald]

You can prove anything with stats, but, since I don't drink due to an allergy to the bacteria used in the fermantation process, I guess I won't be part of the Drucken stupor stats. Also, Accidental shootings come from irresponsible gun use. If the only reason you pull a gun is to A) shoot at the range, B) unload it and clean it, C) Prevent a threat to life, then there should not be an accidental shooting.

I also believe that it be mandatory that all people who wish to own a weapon go through a training program.

My weapon stays in a special quick access safe that will only open if you hit the right button. My wife does not even know the combonation. But I can have the weapon out and loaded in under 3 secs. Why, because I practice opening the safe blindfolded, and in the dark. When practicing, I also will only use an EMPTY CLIP, and no rounds in the chamber. I go to the range 2 times a month, I practice aquiring targets in full light, low light, No light with a mini mag, quick aquire (not quick draw), double tap the aquire. I go to the range to make sure that I will make a clean shot, and not hit an innocent. Part of the right to keep and bear arms, is also the responsibility to learn to use them properly.

Also, when cleaning a weapon, use a "Safe Room" to me this is a room where you are by yourself, concrete walls on all four sides, and a steel door. This is just in case of accidental discharge. Also, always make sure the "business end" of a weapon is never facing towards anything unless you intend to destroy it.

 

[DABANSHEE]

Actaully I noticed he cut his finger with his knife, & then put it in his other hand & then promptly cut a finger on that hand to. I think he was under the influence of 'who knows what'.

Eventually I got sick of standing there like an idiot while this bloke kept fidgiting about waving this bloody knife & cuting himself.

By that time a mate of mine had walked out of the nightclub we were at & said something to the effect 'Is this another one of your idiot mates', & while he was destracted I wacked the knife out of his hand, it then feel on the footpath & that mate of mine picked it up & through it over a fence. Meanwhile the bloke was demanding his knife back & the other bloke I was with said 'this bloke & idiot, lets spit on him', so we then chased him down the street spitting on him.

None of it would've happened except that my car (an old Austin 1800) had a broken window so I parked half up on the footpath at the entrance to this laneway next to a nightclub we were at. Later I wondered out for some fresh air & to check on the car & this bloke was standing next to it with his head poping through the broken window. I wondered up to him & said something like 'whats going on' & he said 'mind your own business' & I said that's my car your fuking with, & that's when he pulled the knife.

 

[StageLeft]

Dabanshee Haha, I find about as much comedy in that as when ulfwald got that guy arrested for trying to steal his truck!

 

[Ulfwald]

Just remember this, In the southeastern us, there is a greater chance that if you attack someone, you will meet up with a firearm owner. There are more legally owned guns per capita in the southeast US than anywhere else in the US.

 

[3615buck]

northwest is a nice place...

 

[Ulfwald]

Hey everybody, the Buck is back,

Is it deer season already?

 

[Ulfwald]

What happened to this great debate? For the first time I was actually enjoying a mature adult conversation debating the pros and cons of gun control, and guns themselves. Come on folks this was a good discussion.

 

[thebestMAX]

As is the way of all good discussions, once the people with really nothing to contribute enter in, they go to hell. It comes down to personal attacks and stupidity with no basis in life experience or thought. Emotions come in and then......

I see some of our prime targets are back. Please stand over there against the wall.

 

[StageLeft]

Not sure what happened really...I think that I am not as anti-gun as I was before, and then since ulfwald seems to be fine with his gun it kind of takes some steam out of any argument I might have had, so In essence I give up ! hehe