Here's the misnomer in American and where the problem lies;
99% of the criminals that use guns in crimes DO NOT go into a gun store or police station, fill out the application, pay the fee, get the background check, get it registered etc. They are buying them from HorHay out of the trunk of a Buick in the hood & the guns have the serial numbers scratched out. And those guns were stolen from another state (say such as Georgia) and they're resold in NYC.
Now a law abiding citizen (myself) IS going to the gun shop, filling out the appropriate paperwork, having the background check, has it registered, etc.
I felt safe in Maine, Washington & Oregon (where I concealed carry a handgun) when I went out with my wife and two young daughters. I look at it like car insurance. I will probably NOT need it. However, I'd rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.
If I was in the mall or Nordstrom and all of sudden heard "pop-pop, pop....pop..." I have two options (say I was in the dressing room area with my 7 & 9 year old daughters). Option one, try and hide in dressing room & cross my fingers that the shooter(s) don't come in that area. And if they do, hurdle in fetal position and beg for my kids & my own lives. Or option 2), probably still stay in dressing room area, have my kids sit down in corner of dressing room, but be ready & prepared with my weapon. If I even get a glimmer of a gunman coming into the dressing room area I am targeting them and shooting. Id' AT LEAST like to have a sporting chance in this scenario or ANY scenario while I'm out and about.
Four days after I applied for my concealed carry permit in Oregon, the following happened
Now what MSM (mainstream media) hardly reported at all (in fact, I never saw it when it aired, my boss showed it to me the next day - btw, my boss is a female who conceal carries a handgun). Basically, its a concealed carry permit holder that pulled out his gun, NEVER fired a shot, but yet saved lives;
Now this last part of my quasi-rant baffles me; why would anyone NOT want to AT LEAST HAVE A SPORTING CHANCE to defend yourself & loved ones versus ZERO chance?? Just like your car insurance, wouldn't you rather have it just in case? If your stuck on a deserted island, wouldn't it be comforting that you have SOME CHANCE of being saved versus NO CHANCE? Crossing my fingers and hoping that police come quickly isn't good enough for me or my daughters. If need be, I'm going to protect them.
I can list 100 reasons to have a gun in your home for self defense (and a concealed carry permit) but this is the only reason I need, it trumps all others;
When my first daughter was about 1 month old, she was in bed between me and my wife. Our bedroom was upstairs. We had no landline phone and half the time I would leave my iPhone downstairs when retiring for the night. That night I paused our TV and asked my wife "Seriously, what could we possibly do right now if we heard our downstairs back sliding door shatter and then heard footsteps on the hardwood floors downstairs?" I told her the only thing I would be able to do is tell her to take the baby and hide in the walk in closet, and then I could look for my iPhone, which again stands a good chance it was left downstairs. OR I could tell her do the exact same thing with the baby but I could reach in my nightstand drawer, take out my pistol, get it and myself in the ready position and shout loudly downstairs that "the police are on their way and anybody even tries to come up the stairs they are getting shot and killed."
I AM NOT getting in fetal position with my wife and baby and begging them to not hurt my child or wife. Or begging them not to rape my wife or baby, etc. etc. etc. Not an option. But yet, unless I have a gun in my home, that is the only option.
End of quasi-rant. Thanks for listening
