firstcavapache64 wrote:Going back to the original post, I live in Greene county just north of Charlottesville. When we moved here my parents said the same thing as your friend, why do you need to carry a gun when you live in such a quiet, small town? Well, in the first year we moved here a police officer was shot and killed serving a warrant on a drug dealer. Then several years later there was a high speed chase that ended when the criminal ran into the Pic and Pac store and took the family that runs the place hostage. He was gut shot by our kick ass sheriff at the time. There is no such thing as a totally safe place anymore. Being prepared is not the same as being paranoid. I was robbed at gunpoint 5 times when I worked as a manager at Dominos Pizza in Washington DC and Baltimore MD. I will not stare down the barrel of a gun ever again and my family will sleep safe in our home. I wish more people would see the value of taking their safety into their own hands, it would lower the crime rate in our country and make criminals really think twice. Also I remember a couple of summers ago when there were gangs of young kids in jeans and white tee shirts beating and robbing UVA students and people around the corner. The Charlottesville police identified the group as a gang. That's a good enough reason for you.
Thats exactly what I tell everyone who asked me why I carry a gun. Being prepared is completely different from being paranoid. I live in the DC area and fortunately I havent encountered anything in my surrounding neighborhood but I've gone to places out in Woodbridge and come across some simple minded fools who thought they were going to try and run up on me until they saw I had a gun on my hip. Two guys came up to me asking if I knew were any weed was, one of the guys kept trying to stay behind me. While the other thought he was distracting me. The one in front looked down and happen to see the gun on my hip and looked at his partner and kinda shook his head no. The crazy thing about it is I was also walking with my son and these guys didnt even care about that until they saw I had something that would put a nice size whole in their heads. Nowadays you never really know what kind of trouble you may run into. I try not to make it a habit but I've on occasion went out of Va with my gun with me not having a permit elsewhere. My mindset is I'd rather be caught with it then caught without it. I know I need to start working on getting permits in other states because I do a lot of traveling up and down the east coast.
Going back to the age thing...Where I was raised in WI, I got my first hunting license at 14 (after taking a hunter safety course) my kids are both Eagle Scouts and know how to handle a firearm. In fact, we just had a shooting sports campout with .22 rifles and shotguns, and had over 70 kids and 25 adults! I WISH the BSA would let older Scouts learn about handguns at 16. (They have to be members of a special Venture Crew, and not just a Boy Scout Troop)
As far as carrying, it's like asking why a person has a fire extinguisher in their home. Are they expecting a fire? if not, then why?
It's the same thing about a bad guy..except the bad guys are actually out LOOKING for you!
The day they outlaw firearms is the day I become a criminal.
Our kids started to learn about guns at a very early age. Safety first, then gun handling and then marksmanship. My son starting hunting with me by first tagging along at age 11 and he was just there to learn. He practiced his shooting skills and once he was able to show me he could make a clean kill he started hunting with me. The same goes for my daughter. I trust both of my kids around any firearms. I still feel 16 would be to young for CHP because there are some kids that are very peer sensitive and might have accidents showing off or worse use it in a fight. 18 seems reasonable to me though, if you can carry a gun for uncle Sam you should be able to carry one to protect yourself.
Freedom Isn't Free, the price is visible at Veterans Administration(VA) hospitals all across the country! Remember all veterans, especially those of Korea, the "Forgotten War"- God Bless America.
I support our troops- Now bring them home!
firstcavapache64 wrote:Also I remember a couple of summers ago when there were gangs of young kids in jeans and white tee shirts beating and robbing UVA students and people around the corner. The Charlottesville police identified the group as a gang. That's a good enough reason for you.
I had plenty of reasons to avoid the Corner back when I was a student, not wanting to get mugged was just one of them...
Thats exactly what I tell everyone who asked me why I carry a gun. Being prepared is completely different from being paranoid. I live in the DC area and fortunately I havent encountered anything in my surrounding neighborhood but I've gone to places out in Woodbridge and come across some simple minded fools who thought they were going to try and run up on me until they saw I had a gun on my hip. Two guys came up to me asking if I knew were any weed was, one of the guys kept trying to stay behind me. While the other thought he was distracting me. The one in front looked down and happen to see the gun on my hip and looked at his partner and kinda shook his head no. The crazy thing about it is I was also walking with my son and these guys didnt even care about that until they saw I had something that would put a nice size whole in their heads. Nowadays you never really know what kind of trouble you may run into. I try not to make it a habit but I've on occasion went out of Va with my gun with me not having a permit elsewhere. My mindset is I'd rather be caught with it then caught without it. I know I need to start working on getting permits in other states because I do a lot of traveling up and down the east coast.
