Los Angeles, CA—You are required to “click it” or get a ticket according to the public safety announcements. We all insist that a short drive to church on Sunday or the grocery store poses little or no safety risk. The reality is most fatal vehicle accidents happen close to home. I don’t need a law to encourage me to buckle up because I see the necessity to do this whether there is a law or not.
The gun rights haters make lame remarks that carrying a gun at the shopping mall or to church is somehow silly and even somehow a danger to public safety. The fact is most robberies, carjackings, rapes and murders happen close to home in these so-called, safe places or around nearby parking areas.
Suggesting you only need a gun only in your home is ludicrous. Your home with solid locks, your family members and maybe even a dog is a much safer place than any American street.
Police might be able to respond to your call for help eventually but any physician will tell you that you can actually bleed to death within 30 seconds. Even the most efficient police department can’t arrive in time to save your life from a serious violent attack.
If you think its important to wear a seat belt the very same logic applies to carrying a gun for self-defense purposes. It was of course the powerful and generous insurance industry lobby that swayed lawmakers into passing seatbelt laws everywhere. The insurers don’t have to pay nearly as much in claims if everyone is protected with seatbelts.
With financially strapped state and local governments dangerous career criminals are getting let out of jails and prisons at an alarming rate. Some of these same jurisdictions still have plenty of taxpayer money to waste prosecuting otherwise law-abiding carrying guns for self-defense. The truth is your personal safety trumps all of those unconstitutional laws that ban the bearing of arms.
Gun carrying is certainly no more complicated than driving a car. There is definitely a need for training to make this choice of self-defense safe and effective.
Let me advise every sane, sober and otherwise law-abiding person in our land to carry a deadly weapon for self-defense even if there is some law preventing that.
That gun or in some cases a knife does not make you taller, smarter or braver. It only gives you a fighting chance to escape a violent attack with your life. Common sense to avoid risky behavior and conflicts whether armed or not still applies.
If you choose to carry a weapon get whatever permits or training required. If they refuse to grant you a permit or there is some outright ban on carrying you should use your own judgment, not that of some ignorant lawmaker.
Don’t ever give consent to a physical search of you, your vehicle or belongings by law enforcement. If a law enforcement officer discovers you with a weapon be polite, non-threatening and silent. Don’t ever try and hold court on the street or enter into legal debates with the police.
You and your lawyer will be able to challenge any non-consensual search and the arrest in the proper forum, a courtroom. This is where you may argue that bearing a weapon for self-defense purposes is constitutionally protected activity according to the U.S. Supreme Court opinions issued in the cases of Dick Heller and Otis McDonald.
If the police or government violated you civil rights to keep and bear arms you will be free to sue them accordingly. Making threats to police on the streets to do that is ill advised and counter-productive. There’s no reason to make some cop that arrested you to also hate you. You may ultimately need his or her truthful testimony in order to avoid a wrongful conviction.
Often cops like to see bad laws challenged and struck down in court. Most cops actually support the concept of concealed carry for the law-abiding despite what most big city police chiefs say.
Soon the gun carry bans will either be lifted or struck down by the courts. In the mean time wear your seatbelt while driving and carry a weapon for self-defense. Your family and employer need you alive and well.
Comments
If Illinois wants regulation beyond the FOID system they will have to create a, shall issue permit system like the vast majority of states have.
Stand tall on your principals. An arrest of a person with a clean record for UUW is beyond rare anyway. The law-abiding don’t often get stopped or searched by police.
I don’t believe in seatbelt laws other than requiring adults to protect children with them. I believe in seatbelts because they work. I believe in carrying a gun because that works too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPLdRReUZ8&feature=grec_index
At the very least, ALWAYS use the safety equipment for children. They're not old enough to make the right choices and they should be taught by adults what the right choices are....of course I know that there are some adults who don't understand that simple right from wrong concept.
As for raising the BAC level for DUIs; Not likely to happen and too lengthy to explain to you (Anonymous) that your ability to operate a vehicle is already 'impaired' at one or 2 drinks. But that's not what's at issue....
The issue is the gun control zealots who want to disarm the law abiding citizenry and leave us all sitting ducks in a country full of armed thugs who want nothing more than to rob, beat, rape and often murder just for the fun it. Somehow it's all a game to them and taking a life means nothing. We should be able to protect ourselves from our own home-grown threat. I think these liberal states should really reconsider the death penalty and stop supporting these losers who are in jail for life.
And those states that have the death penalty should speed up the process and stop dragging out these lengthy appeals. Once again we're supporting the dregs of society, whether inside the system or outside. They need to see and feel what they are arbitrarily doing to innocent people.
By the way, I've checked all the states and most all have firearms regulations that prohibit convicted felons from owning or possessing a firearm. Why would we want to let them have a gun? They forfeited that right when they were found guilty of that crime that sent them away. Odds are that whatever put them inside, is that they'll likely commit a crime again on the outside.
I agree though, the state of Illinois has some serious issues when it comes to their gun control laws. They are essentially the last hold out and look at the crime rate. Gun control is NOT working, in fact, it is having the opposite effect. All I can say is thank goodness I live in a red state with a Castle Doctrine.
Having weapons and ammo is a good start,but basic medical help isnt all that difficult.
Why do people feel the need to carry concealed weapons for their personal protection?
The answer is quite simple... for self-preservation.
When law enforcement simply cannot reasonably protect people anymore, folks with any sense are going to take steps to protect themselves.
Is that wrong?
The people who lawfully carry concealed weapons are not the problem.
The increasing violent acts of impunity by armed criminals are the problem. They have no respect for the rule of law.
Denying law-abiding citizens the option of lawfully carrying a concealed firearm only makes criminals of good, honest people who refuse to be further victimized... either by the out-of-control street violence... or the government that condones it.
There is truth to the saying... An armed society is a polite society.
August 15, 2011 6:39 PM
They never could.