Question for those from the US

[RiseofRock]

Being a Canadian I don't really understand something about your laws. When you say that a particular gun is your "carry gun" do you mean you carry it around with you every time you step outside your house? For instance if you make a trip to the grocery store you grab your gun and your car keys and head on over?

[stratman34]

Legally speaking (in Texas anyway), we aren't referring to a gun that is tied to the CCL license. Any legal gun may be consealed and carried. It usually just referrs to the person's favorite weapon based on comfort, size, weight, caliber, etc.

As far as carrying to the grocery store, it depends on which neighborhood the GC is in! Some people carry them anywhere and everywhere (with some locations excepted that are not legal). Others just for occasion, or while making trips. Most of my friends with CCLs only keep one vaulted in their vehicle, but don't remove it when entering somewhere. A few just want the CCL license, but never actually carry anything....

[Luke]

Being a Canadian I don't really understand something about your laws. When you say that a particular gun is your "carry gun" do you mean you carry it around with you every time you step outside your house? For instance if you make a trip to the grocery store you grab your gun and your car keys and head on over?

Essentially yes. A permit to carry means you can bring a gun most places, court houses, the airport and the White House are obvious exclusions.

[Aaron Cheney]

When you say that a particular gun is your "carry gun" do you mean ...

Born and lived in the US for 40 years and have never heard the expression.

Of course, I've never been to Texas...

ac

[Birddog]

Generally, "carry gun" is one that you do, or may carry. In my case, I don't -- and can't carry everywhere. But I do carry when I can and want to.

[Dickie Fredericks]

Yes, its the one Im carrying right now....

[dgood]

Texas isn't the only state with carry permits. Washington and Oregon also issue carry permits. They're not at all difficult to get (if you're clean). I've heard that they are difficult to get in some of the states that issue them. And, yes, there are people with legal, concealed firearms in grocery stores. I've heard that in some places there are people walking around with illegal, concealed weapons. Maybe even in Canada.

[stratman34]

Last count there were 22 states with various forms of a CHL

[frmorales52]

The vast majority of law abiding citizens in the US do not feel the need to carry a gun to the grocery store. Even in Texas.

[BIGGERSTAFF]

It is what it sounds like, but it's not necessarily for a trip to the grocery store. :)
It also differentiates other firearms that you may also own, but would be impractical to carry.

[Doodad]

Yeah, the one that packs comfortably in a pocket or small hip holster (as opposed to the hog leg that stays in the dresser drawer).

Carry most anywhere you like. And I do not like to leave it in the car in a public place just because I know it won't be stolen while on me. Grocery store? Not usually.

[PA Woody]

The vast majority of law abiding citizens in the US do not feel the need to carry a gun to the grocery store. Even in Texas.
I lived next door to a meth house for 5 years. I didn't carry to the grocery store because I felt threatened there. I carried because when I came home, I didn't know if I was going to be met by a tweeker when I opened my front door. I always entered that house with my gun in hand, locked, loaded and safety off.

[jcoloccia]

Being a Canadian I don't really understand something about your laws. When you say that a particular gun is your "carry gun" do you mean you carry it around with you every time you step outside your house? For instance if you make a trip to the grocery store you grab your gun and your car keys and head on over?

it's to distinguish it from the guns we use for other purposes. For example, I have a Ruger Security Six, .357. It's got a long barrel on it and is not really suitable as a carry gun. I just have it for fun at the range. My Bersa .380 and Smith M&P are my "carry guns". It doesn't mean I carry them everywhere, or even that I carry them much at all. All it means is that when I do carry, those are the ones I use.

It's like refering to an instrument as your "go to" guitar. It's just a way of describing the place that instrument has in your life.

And yes, often times on my way out of the house I grab my keys and my gun. It's really not that big of a deal.

[mge80]

I always entered that house with my gun in hand, locked, loaded and safety off.

Honestly, if my life had been reduced to living like this, I would check out.

[Dotneck]

Being a Canadian I don't really understand something about your laws. When you say that a particular gun is your "carry gun" do you mean you carry it around with you every time you step outside your house? For instance if you make a trip to the grocery store you grab your gun and your car keys and head on over?

Don't feel bad...I'm from the US and didn't know what it meant either.

:dunno


I may get one so I can feel like "part of the gang"!

[Rock Johnson]

Being a Canadian I don't really understand something about your laws. When you say that a particular gun is your "carry gun" do you mean you carry it around with you every time you step outside your house? For instance if you make a trip to the grocery store you grab your gun and your car keys and head on over?

More or less, yeah. I carry a firearm because of my job, and my wife refers to my Glock 26 as my "American Express gun" because I don't leave home without it.

The earlier poster was correct, though. To equate it to guitars, you might have a blues machine, a shredder, and an all-around favorite. They serve different purposes. A "carry gun" is one that's easily carried (and concealed, in most cases). A "long gun," aka rifle or shotgun, serves a different purpose and isn't the gun you generally (or occasionally) carry.

Somewhat off topic, it's kinda like having a spare tire or a gas can in your trunk. You'll probably never need it... but if you do need it, you'll REALLY need it.

[Rock Johnson]

My Bersa .380 and Smith M&P are my "carry guns".

Bersa .380s are seriously underrated. Great guns, they'll eat any ammo you feed them, and they're easy to carry. Really great little pistols.

[Kingbeegtrs]

gotta Love AMERICA!

[XKnight]

Grocery stores can be very dangerous. Have you seen some of the MILFs that go there?

[phoenix 7]

I've lived in the USA all my life, including some dicey neighborhoods in NY City and Chicago. I've never once been in a situation where I wished I'd had a gun.

But I can also understand why someone who lives in or frequents dangerous areas might want to carry one. I occasionally think about getting one to keep at home, though it seems extremely unlikely I'd ever need it.

[Kingbeegtrs]

Grocery stores can be very dangerous. Have you seen some of the MILFs that go there?


what's a milf?:Devil:Devil:Devil:Devil

[Kingbeegtrs]

I've lived in the USA all my life, including some dicey neighborhoods in NY City and Chicago. I've never once been in a situation where I wished I'd had a gun.

But I can also understand why someone who lives in or frequents dangerous areas might want to carry one. I occasionally think about getting one to keep at home, though it seems extremely unlikely I'd ever need it.

True.

I was robbed at gunpoint and having a gun wouldn't have helped me...in fact it could have killed me. The problem is that you don't see it coming. Criminals only attack people who aren't paying attention. It's their advantage. THe best defense is to pay attention to your surroundings.

[mge80]

THe best defense is to pay attention to your surroundings.

This is the best advice I have heard on this or any other message board on this or any other subject.

It definitely pays to pay attention. Always. No matter what you are doing.

[XKnight]

what's a milf?:Devil:Devil:Devil:Devil


You'll know when when you see one. They are on fire and very hazardous to my health and well being. Mainly because I'm already married and so are they generally.

[skydog]

I've heard that in some places there are people walking around with illegal, concealed weapons. Maybe even in Canada.

I've heard that too! (_8^(l)

[Aaron Cheney]

I lived next door to a meth house for 5 years. I didn't carry to the grocery store because I felt threatened there. I carried because when I came home, I didn't know if I was going to be met by a tweeker when I opened my front door. I always entered that house with my gun in hand, locked, loaded and safety off.


Ahhh....Home Sweet Home.

ac

[Aaron Cheney]

what's a milf?:Devil:Devil:Devil:Devil

If you really must know....Google it. (But definitely not at work!) :nono

ac

[PA Woody]

Honestly, if my life had been reduced to living like this, I would check out.
It sucked, big time. Unfortunately, I had no choice. I was going through a divorce at the time. I was supporting an exwife and her BFs along with two sleazy divorce attys plus child support. Didn't leave much for me. It was all I could afford. Checking out is not an option. That's the permanent solution to a temporary problem. Never give up. Especially to scumbag tweekers.
Ahhh....Home Sweet Home. ac
more like Home Crap Home
I finally moved after I got everyone paid off. Life is good now. Good neighbors, nice house on a lake. A lot less stress. And lots and lots of guitars and amps.:D

[2 Loud 4 You]

As most have pointed out, it's the gun I carry when I leave the house. Walking around with a Tommy Gun might be frowned upon but a Ruger LCP in my front pocket or Glock 27 on my hip, that no one sees, is nice insurance.

I see someone is trolling in this thread as they did in the other gun thread but I'll let them have their views.

[Kingbeegtrs]

This is the best advice I have heard on this or any other message board on this or any other subject.

It definitely pays to pay attention. Always. No matter what you are doing.
well, it was what the policeman who filed the complaint told me before he left. He said that a lot of people get killed because they try to pull a gun on someone who already has one out. the odds are against you. They have the advantage because they caught you not paying attention.

[mge80]

I see someone is trolling in this thread as they did in the other gun thread but I'll let them have their views.


I'm not trolling, I'm stating my opinion and my point of view. If you do not like it, that's too damn bad. Place me on IGNORE.

Having to live where you feel the need to enter your own home with a gun drawn ready to fire is a very sad state. I would find ANY alternative to that.

[Kingbeegtrs]

I'm not trolling, I'm stating my opinion and my point of view. If you do not like it, that's too damn bad. Place me on IGNORE.

Having to live where you feel the need to enter your own home with a gun drawn ready to fire is a very sad state. I would find ANY alternative to that.

blame it on the fear-mongers in the media and in Washington

[GAT]

Here we go again...:horse

[Peppy]

Actually all states but Illinois and Wisconsin have some sort of CCW laws(s).

[Peppy]

He said that a lot of people get killed because they try to pull a gun on someone who already has one out.

Then again there's the other side: http://tucsoncitizen.com/blog/view/660

[cadduc]

it is a cultural thing here in the states

there are some of us that feel the need to possess and carry firearms

others of us do not

and both can live, work, or play together

i was raised around weapons, bows and firearms

not by my parents, but by two of my uncles and one of my grandfathers
i could take an m1 apart and reassemble it in the field by the time
i was 11 years old, and earned my marksman merit badge

i do not own or have any firearms
i have never had one in my house

but i have come to accept that here in the usa we as a nation and as its citizens are willing to put up with however many accidental and intentional shootings there are here every year, because we can

is it right or wrong, well i dont know, but it is what it is

[TooManyHobbies]

well, it was what the policeman who filed the complaint told me before he left. He said that a lot of people get killed because they try to pull a gun on someone who already has one out. the odds are against you. They have the advantage because they caught you not paying attention.

True.

I was robbed at gunpoint and having a gun wouldn't have helped me...in fact it could have killed me. The problem is that you don't see it coming. Criminals only attack people who aren't paying attention. It's their advantage. THe best defense is to pay attention to your surroundings.

Sorry, but that's what you've been trained to think. Most people with some firearms training would fair very well... ie.. you wouldn't have been robbed. And anecdotal evidence from cops without any backup is tough.

[Zhurh]

No ccw permits in Alaska. Once you buy a pistol, you can pretty much carry it anywheres. Many state laws fly in the face of alot of the fed laws which are not enforced. In rural Ak, practically everybody has a pistol on their belt except in the winter. I don't notice people in anchorage walking into wally world with pistols, but you wouldn't need one there for bear protection. Actually, its common for kids to carry rifles on the school bus with them to school; once at school they are stored in a locker until they go home. People get ate by bears from time to time here; kinda made people disregard past gun laws so one of our governors did away with the entire pistol permit system. Has worked out very well. Really no crime in most areas.

I think you would find it quite the same all over rural Canada too. I've traded guns, guitars, ect with Canadians who live across the border; they don't ever seem worried about gun laws in Canada either. Then you got the Indians who don't even consider either country legitimate, ha ha. They do what they want and both Can & Usa let them be as they don't want to stir the Indians up. You see them Indians 50 years removed from the stoneage, have it figured out. They realize that if people don't respect laws, in reality; govts can enforce them. We should learn a little off the Indians, ha ha.

[Zilmo]

People get ate by bears


Bears repeating.

[PA Woody]

I'm not trolling, I'm stating my opinion and my point of view. If you do not like it, that's too damn bad. Place me on IGNORE.

Having to live where you feel the need to enter your own home with a gun drawn ready to fire is a very sad state. I would find ANY alternative to that.

I didn't think you were trolling at all. And I agree, it was a bad situation. Many of my friends and family told me the same thing.(repeatedly) But, good or bad, it was my home and I refuse to be run off by lowlife white trash tweeker scum. Or anyone else for that matter. And committing suicide to escape that situation is just absurd. If I gotta go, I'll go down fighting. I did what I had to do. In my financial situation, at the time, moving was not an option. So I worked my a$$ off and paid the bloodsuckers that had thier hooks in me. Then I moved to a "nice" neighborhood.

[TooManyHobbies]

No ccw permits in Alaska. Once you buy a pistol, you can pretty much carry it anywheres. Many state laws fly in the face of alot of the fed laws which are not enforced.

What federal law?

[nsureit]

What federal law?

I'm thinkin' the only federal laws related to firearms deal with regulating ownership of fully automatic weapons and the licensing of gun dealers. Other than that, I believe it rests with the states.

[Buddy Boy]

God,guns and guts,boys,made this country great.:band:mob

[camitchell]

Honestly, if my life had been reduced to living like this, I would check out.


Well, you are fortunate to have other options then. I'm sort of in the same situation. I moved into a 'fix it up" neighborhood four years ago and have had to put up with some of the same issues. People have banged on my door to ask for money. I tell them no and they go away. There are some amazingly wonderful older people in my neighborhood and then there are young punk/future criminals one can't be afraid to stand up to. I live in a downtown area, it was affordable, great location-wise, but I knew there were challenges. It's part of life.

Back on topic, yes it is legal to get a permit to carry a concealed gun (and sometimes it's legal to carry them out in the open - although that is generally frowned upon and extremely rare, but it is legal)

You cannot take them into places that mainly serve drinks, like bars, so to some degree a night on the town is not practical with a concealed weapon.

I'd say a large portion of Americans are not aware of exactly what their rights are on a variety of subjects these days and are generally afraid to be outside of what someone has told them "the mainstream" is. Which ironically has made it easier for those rights to be taken away.... can't miss what you never were really sure about....but that is a subject for a different forum.

But yes, a carry gun would be the "go to" gun someone carries. Usually small and unobtrusive since it cannot be seen at all. Even my sister carries a small handgun in her purse. You'd never suspect her in a million years. But if some freak pulls out a gun and starts shooting at a shopping mall at least she can defend herself. Regardless if someone agrees or disagrees. It is an American right.... well in a few states anyway. :)