I caught this post over at democraticunderground.com. In the interests of “fair use,” I’m excerpting it here. Please click over to the site for the full text. My one comment: I’m aware that the pro-concealed carry crowd are locked in a battle with gun control advocates, who see them as inherently dangerous. They are. They have a gun. Guns are dangerous. That makes citizens carrying a concealed firearm dangerous. Reckless? In the main, no. But to suggest that all concealed carry holders are mild-mannered Clark Kents who always observe gun safety, use common sense and exercise restraint is wildly disingenuous. Concealed carry is a trade-off: personal security vs. societal risk. And the societal bonus of having someone armed around if someone else who’s armed goes postal.
1. We don’t carry firearms so that we can ignore other basics of personal safety. We don’t walk down dark alleys. We lock our cars. We don’t get intoxicated in public or hang out around people who do . . . A gun is our last resort, not our first.
2. We don’t think we are cops, spies, or superheros. We aren’t hoping that somebody tries to rob the convenience store while we are there so we can shoot a criminal . . .We don’t believe our guns give us any authority over our fellow citizens. . . . Except for extraordinary circumstances your business is your business, don’t expect us to help you out of situations you could have avoided.
3. We are LESS likely, not more likely, to be involved in fights or “rage” incidents than the general public. We recognize, better than many unarmed citizens, that we are responsible for our actions . . . We know that loss of temper, getting into fights or angrily confronting someone after a traffic incident could easily escalate into a dangerous situation . . . We don’t pull our guns to settle arguments or to attempt to threaten people into doing what we want.
4. We are responsible gun owners. We secure our firearms so that children and other unauthorized people cannot access them.
5. Guns are not unsafe or unpredictable. There is no reason to be afraid of a gun simply lying on a table or in a holster. It is not going to discharge on its own.
6. We do not believe in the concept of “accidental discharges”. There are no accidental discharges only negligent discharges or intentional discharges. We take responsibility for our actions and have learned how to safely handle firearms . . . Our recognition of our responsibility and familiarity with firearms makes us among the safest firearms owners in America.
7. Permit holders do their best to keep our concealed weapons exactly that: concealed. We are very cognizant that concerns about terrorism and crime are in the forefront of the minds of most citizens. We also realize that our society does much to condition our fellow citizens to have sometimes irrational fears about firearms. We would encourage citizens who do happen to spot someone carrying a firearm to use good judgment and clear thinking if they feel to need to take action . . . Comments like “there’s a guy running around in the store with a gun” or even simply “I saw a man with a gun in the store” could possibly cause a misunderstanding as to the true nature of the incident.
8. The fact that we carry a firearm to any given place does not mean that we believe that place to be inherently unsafe. If we believe a place to be unsafe, most of us would avoid that place all together if possible. However, we recognize that trouble could occur at any place and at any time. Criminals do not observe “gun free zones”.
9. Concealed weapon permit holders are an asset to the public in times of trouble. The fact that most permit holders have the good judgment to stay out of situations better handled by a 911 call or by simply being a careful and vigilant witness does not mean that we would fail to act in situations where the use of deadly force is appropriate to save lives. Review of high profile public shooting incidents shows that when killers are confronted by armed resistance they tend to either break off the attack and flee or choose to end their own life. Lives are saved when resistance engages a violent criminal. Lives are lost when the criminal can do as he pleases.
10. The fact that criminals know that some of the population may be armed at any given time helps to deter violence against all citizens. Permit holders don’t believe that every person should necessarily be armed . . . Help by not supporting laws that require citizens to be unarmed victims.
Those are worthy goals, of course.
You made a good point that it’s very important to always prioritize safety most especially when carry any sort of my weapon. I’d like to know more about how to get a permit to carry because I’m interested in focusing more on self-defense. Having my own weapon with me when traveling far would be a good idea.
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