pragmatic enough to recognize that the trend in our society has been to coddle the next generation to the point of helplessness until they're in their 20s or 30s.
You left out the part about how we tax them to death to support the failing entitlement system that they'll be lucky to collect anything out of by the time they reach the age of their parents and grandparents.
You think it's a good thing that people operate machinery weighting over a ton, moving at speeds up to 100mph while severely lacking both coordination and judgment?
That's the wrong way to look at it. The proper way to look at it is to question whether or not gutting the 5th amendment (implied consent laws) and forcing civilians to drive through roadblocks (DWI checkpoints) are behaviors compatible with liberty.
Yes. When the Founding Fathers drafted the 1st (2nd) amendment they could never have anticipated the internet (repeating firearms). At the time the most dangerous technology known to society was the printing press (musket). If modern technology had been around they surely would have worded the 1st (2nd) amendment differently.
Maybe when a stranger at the other end of a keyboard tells you that he is a journalist and priest you should check up on his credentials before you admit to him that you committed a felony?
Even many of the blue states have a decent castle doctrine. In New York State you can legally employ deadly force to defend yourself within your dwelling against burglary or arson. The usual "duty to retreat" imposed by our laws does not apply within the dwelling.
NYS doesn't really have a non-resident permit. If you own a business here you can get a premises permit for that location but short of being a retired LEO or active armored truck guard it's next to impossible to get a carry license in NYS as a non-resident.
Our situation is further fucked up by the fact that it's up to the individual County Court Judges to decide whom gets permits in most of the state. The net result of this is that each county has different standards for whom can get pistol licenses and what types they can get. I can get a carry permit in Broome County if I take a class on the legal use of force and safe gun handling. In other counties you can get a carry permit just by applying for one. In some parts of the state you can't get one at all unless you are rich or well connected.
That 38 state map looks interesting but I'm not sure that's the way I would go. I would much rather see a Constitutional Amendment to nullify Reynolds v. Sims. That was a SCOTUS ruling that determined that State legislative districts could no longer be drawn based on geography. That ruling was nothing more than an urban power grab. Why is it acceptable for the US Senate to be based on geographical lines but not for the NYS Senate to do the same?
I'm in the Binghamton area. I've thought about moving but it would be really hard to walk away from my current job -- it has pretty incredible benefits (four weeks of vacation time, five personal days, 12 sick days, full payment of my health insurance premiums, 6% contribution to my 401(k)....) that I would be hard pressed to match. I could move just across the border to PA but then I'd have to give up my NYS pistol license and wouldn't be able to carry here. The nearby county in PA isn't well populated and I'd still be driving across the border for most of my activities, so I wouldn't be gaining much there.
I was also born and raised here and genuinely love the place. I just hate the politics and the taxes. If I ever lose my job I'd probably bail on the place -- I doubt the attraction to the area would be enough to keep me here at that point.
Are those laws actually used against people that are minding their own business? I've never seen anybody arrested for public intoxication who wasn't being an ass to begin with -- and I've been around my share of drunks in the day.
You could have probably done equally well with a taser.
Tasers are well and good unless you miss or get attacked by multiple aggressors....
Depending on where I lived, and the people I lived near, my tolerance of gun rights might vary. For instance, if I lived on a street with a lot of crime or gang violence, I might advocate stricter gun laws.
So you would advocate making it harder for the people who aren't breaking the law to obtain guns because of the people who are? That isn't a logical reaction it's an emotional one.
However, I also think there are better alternatives if you're only using it for defence.
There are better alternatives if it's a self-defense situation that doesn't involve deadly force. The instructor who taught my CCW class recommended that all of his students carry pepper spray in addition to the firearm. The legal barrier for using the pepper spray is much lower than the legal barrier for using deadly force -- if someone is attacking you with their fists and you shoot them you are probably going to jail unless there was a significant disparity of force.
Put another way, if the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer then every problem looks like a nail.....
In some states, they're illegal for non-police to own or carry (though strangely, in some of those states, it's legal to carry a handgun).
My state won't let me legally carry a taser, assisted opening knife, baton or any other "dangerous weapon" yet I was able to obtain a pistol license. Figure that one out.
Actually the purchase is done out of state, you just can't take possession until it's been shipped to an in-state FFL and you go through the 4473 process.
Most free states will also let you purchase long guns out of state without any additional steps. Even the People's Republic of New York allows me to purchase shotguns and rifles out of state without jumping through additional hoops. I've purchased all but one of my long guns out of state.
I'm partial to the 1911 platform myself. I shoot it much more accurately than the other handguns I've tried and I find it easier to conceal because of the flat profile. It was also the first handgun I ever fired so it has a bit of nostalgia for me.
Not in CA, I'm in NYS I'm afraid. CA is actually worse than us -- we don't (yet) have a microstamping law or.50 BMG ban. There's a handful of states that beat us for gun control stupidity -- CA, IL, MA and NJ.
And yeah, I've had more practice than most people. I encourage anybody who is going to buy a gun for protection to seek out some training in how to use it effectively. Too many people seem to think that a firearm is a magical talisman. It's not -- it's just another piece of technology that one needs to learn how to operate effectively.
There's also the mental barrier to consider. If you don't have what it takes to point a firearm at another human being and squeeze the trigger as many times as it takes to stop them then you shouldn't own a firearm for self-defense. All you've done is give your attacker a more effective weapon to use against you.
New York State, though in my experience her insanity isn't unique to blue states.
In NYS you can use deadly force against someone who is about to use deadly force against you or an innocent third party. You can also use deadly force in response to forcible rape, murder, kidnapping or robbery.
We do have a "duty to retreat" law but it only comes into play if you can safely retreat with no increased danger to yourself or others. I don't worry about it too much because my attitude is that I'm not willing to shoot someone if I have the ability to safely escape from the situation. I don't really want to have to live with having ended a human life -- about the only good thing you can say about it is that it's better to live with that than to be dead yourself.
It's easy to draw a gun quickly, and then totally miss a target that's 5 feet in front of you.
A man-sized target? I've done force on force drills and I never managed to miss a man sized target. I have missed the vital zone however....
Even worse, most people lose much of their precision when under duress.
The fine motor skills are the first thing to go when the flight-or-fight response hits. I've never been there (thankfully) but I've talked to people who have. One said that he never even saw his gun or his sights -- yet he still managed to put down the guy that was trying to kill him. Another said that everything appeared to be in slow motion -- he can recollect drawing the gun, getting a sight picture and firing -- said that it seemed to take a minute or more when in reality it was over in five seconds.
If a few ounces from a spare mag make that much of a difference, you're either a really tiny person, or your gun is too big for you
To each their own I suppose. I find that it helps me to walk more naturally. It's not just the spare magazines though -- I carry a full sized 1911 on my right hip and two spare magazines + cell phone + flashlight + leathermen on my left hip. I've carried the gun alone before and it just doesn't feel as natural to me. YMMV of course.
I have a.45 XD (with 13-round magazines)
Ah, lucky you, you live in a free state. I'm not allowed to legally possess magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. *sigh*
So if someone wants to kill you, you're supposed to allow it to happen
I had an argument the other day with a gun control nut who is a self-described feminist. She insisted that it's illegal to shoot someone who is attempting to rape you. When I pointed out the actual law that authorizes the use of deadly force in response to a rape she shifted gears from "it's illegal" to "it's immoral". In her world a raped woman is morally superior to one that defended her body and rights. Figure that one out....
Additionally, it's illegal to buy a handgun in any state other than your state of residence
No it's not. You just have to have the handgun shipped to a FFL (Federal Firearms License, i.e: a gun store) in your state of residence and take possession of the firearm when you return home.
So just no guns for poor people?
Hmm, could we do that with free speech too? or maybe voting?
That's what New York City has done. It costs $400+ to apply for a pistol license in NYC. Said license needs to be renewed every two years. The net result of this is to price handgun ownership out of reach for many people. Interestingly enough this is similar to what the Southern States used to do with poll taxes -- we wouldn't want those black people and poor whites to vote would we? -- but when you point that out to a NYC'er they get all pissed off for some reason.
at less than 21 feet the knife wielder is probably more dangerous
The rule is that the average person can cover 21 feet faster than the average person can draw and fire a handgun. It's not so much that the knife is more dangerous as it is that the knife can be brought into action faster. If the gun is already drawn then the guy with the knife loses (all things being equal of course...)
He has no need to reload and aiming a knife is very easy.
The reload doesn't really enter into it for the overwhelming majority of civilian self-defense encounters. Most are resolved without any rounds being fired. When rounds are fired the average number is between 3 and 5 according to most studies I've seen. By this metric you'd be just fine with a 5 shot.38 special. I would still say that you should carry a spare magazine or two for your semi-auto -- if for no other reason than to keep your gun functioning if the primary magazine breaks for whatever reason. The magazine is the cheapest part of most pistols and the most likely to break. It's also helpful to have a spare magazine or two on the opposite side of your body from the gun to balance out the weight distribution.
My state has lifetime pistol licenses (except in the People's Republic of NYC and a few downstate counties) that are "good until revoked". Felony convictions operate as an automatic revocation. Of course the anti-RKBA crowd is trying to change this and impose expensive renewals on everybody....
Even better is Vermont, Alaska or Arizona. No permit required.
Limits on how many guns a non-dealer may purchase in a given time period. E.g., one gun per month per adult household member.
Why?
Waiting periods on gun purchases. If you buy a gun today, you can't pick it up until a week from now.
That won't accomplish anything. The vast majority of guns used for crime are stolen. Criminals don't walk into a gun store and buy a gun to commit a crime. The only thing it might prevent are crimes of passion, but one could argue that it ceases to be a crime of passion when one has to leave the situation, purchase a weapon and then later return to the situation.
Close the fucking gun show loophole already; make all gun sales require a background check of the buyer.
There is no "gun show loophole". There's a private party sale loophole. Of course that doesn't sound as scary so the anti-RKBA crowd doesn't use it....
And I'd take facing someone with a knife over a gun any day.
Then you are an idiot. At close range I would rather be faced with a firearm than a knife. You can grab onto a firearm and attempt to wrest it away from your aggressor or at least point it away from your body. You can also disable a semi-automatic by pushing the slide out of battery or a revolver by preventing the cylinder from turning. Trying to grab onto a knife probably won't work out as well for you.
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pragmatic enough to recognize that the trend in our society has been to coddle the next generation to the point of helplessness until they're in their 20s or 30s.
You left out the part about how we tax them to death to support the failing entitlement system that they'll be lucky to collect anything out of by the time they reach the age of their parents and grandparents.
You think it's a good thing that people operate machinery weighting over a ton, moving at speeds up to 100mph while severely lacking both coordination and judgment?
That's the wrong way to look at it. The proper way to look at it is to question whether or not gutting the 5th amendment (implied consent laws) and forcing civilians to drive through roadblocks (DWI checkpoints) are behaviors compatible with liberty.
At least as low as the people who have used DWIs/gun-violence/terrorism/boobies/other-boogiemen-of-the-day to infringe on our rights?
That depends. Are you talking about real football or soccer? *duck*
Yes. When the Founding Fathers drafted the 1st (2nd) amendment they could never have anticipated the internet (repeating firearms). At the time the most dangerous technology known to society was the printing press (musket). If modern technology had been around they surely would have worded the 1st (2nd) amendment differently.
Maybe when a stranger at the other end of a keyboard tells you that he is a journalist and priest you should check up on his credentials before you admit to him that you committed a felony?
Even many of the blue states have a decent castle doctrine. In New York State you can legally employ deadly force to defend yourself within your dwelling against burglary or arson. The usual "duty to retreat" imposed by our laws does not apply within the dwelling.
NYS doesn't really have a non-resident permit. If you own a business here you can get a premises permit for that location but short of being a retired LEO or active armored truck guard it's next to impossible to get a carry license in NYS as a non-resident.
Our situation is further fucked up by the fact that it's up to the individual County Court Judges to decide whom gets permits in most of the state. The net result of this is that each county has different standards for whom can get pistol licenses and what types they can get. I can get a carry permit in Broome County if I take a class on the legal use of force and safe gun handling. In other counties you can get a carry permit just by applying for one. In some parts of the state you can't get one at all unless you are rich or well connected.
That 38 state map looks interesting but I'm not sure that's the way I would go. I would much rather see a Constitutional Amendment to nullify Reynolds v. Sims. That was a SCOTUS ruling that determined that State legislative districts could no longer be drawn based on geography. That ruling was nothing more than an urban power grab. Why is it acceptable for the US Senate to be based on geographical lines but not for the NYS Senate to do the same?
I'm in the Binghamton area. I've thought about moving but it would be really hard to walk away from my current job -- it has pretty incredible benefits (four weeks of vacation time, five personal days, 12 sick days, full payment of my health insurance premiums, 6% contribution to my 401(k)....) that I would be hard pressed to match. I could move just across the border to PA but then I'd have to give up my NYS pistol license and wouldn't be able to carry here. The nearby county in PA isn't well populated and I'd still be driving across the border for most of my activities, so I wouldn't be gaining much there.
I was also born and raised here and genuinely love the place. I just hate the politics and the taxes. If I ever lose my job I'd probably bail on the place -- I doubt the attraction to the area would be enough to keep me here at that point.
Are those laws actually used against people that are minding their own business? I've never seen anybody arrested for public intoxication who wasn't being an ass to begin with -- and I've been around my share of drunks in the day.
You could have probably done equally well with a taser.
Tasers are well and good unless you miss or get attacked by multiple aggressors....
Depending on where I lived, and the people I lived near, my tolerance of gun rights might vary. For instance, if I lived on a street with a lot of crime or gang violence, I might advocate stricter gun laws.
So you would advocate making it harder for the people who aren't breaking the law to obtain guns because of the people who are? That isn't a logical reaction it's an emotional one.
However, I also think there are better alternatives if you're only using it for defence.
There are better alternatives if it's a self-defense situation that doesn't involve deadly force. The instructor who taught my CCW class recommended that all of his students carry pepper spray in addition to the firearm. The legal barrier for using the pepper spray is much lower than the legal barrier for using deadly force -- if someone is attacking you with their fists and you shoot them you are probably going to jail unless there was a significant disparity of force.
Put another way, if the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer then every problem looks like a nail.....
In some states, they're illegal for non-police to own or carry (though strangely, in some of those states, it's legal to carry a handgun).
My state won't let me legally carry a taser, assisted opening knife, baton or any other "dangerous weapon" yet I was able to obtain a pistol license. Figure that one out.
Actually the purchase is done out of state, you just can't take possession until it's been shipped to an in-state FFL and you go through the 4473 process.
Most free states will also let you purchase long guns out of state without any additional steps. Even the People's Republic of New York allows me to purchase shotguns and rifles out of state without jumping through additional hoops. I've purchased all but one of my long guns out of state.
I'm partial to the 1911 platform myself. I shoot it much more accurately than the other handguns I've tried and I find it easier to conceal because of the flat profile. It was also the first handgun I ever fired so it has a bit of nostalgia for me.
Not in CA, I'm in NYS I'm afraid. CA is actually worse than us -- we don't (yet) have a microstamping law or .50 BMG ban. There's a handful of states that beat us for gun control stupidity -- CA, IL, MA and NJ.
And yeah, I've had more practice than most people. I encourage anybody who is going to buy a gun for protection to seek out some training in how to use it effectively. Too many people seem to think that a firearm is a magical talisman. It's not -- it's just another piece of technology that one needs to learn how to operate effectively.
There's also the mental barrier to consider. If you don't have what it takes to point a firearm at another human being and squeeze the trigger as many times as it takes to stop them then you shouldn't own a firearm for self-defense. All you've done is give your attacker a more effective weapon to use against you.
New York State, though in my experience her insanity isn't unique to blue states.
In NYS you can use deadly force against someone who is about to use deadly force against you or an innocent third party. You can also use deadly force in response to forcible rape, murder, kidnapping or robbery.
We do have a "duty to retreat" law but it only comes into play if you can safely retreat with no increased danger to yourself or others. I don't worry about it too much because my attitude is that I'm not willing to shoot someone if I have the ability to safely escape from the situation. I don't really want to have to live with having ended a human life -- about the only good thing you can say about it is that it's better to live with that than to be dead yourself.
It's easy to draw a gun quickly, and then totally miss a target that's 5 feet in front of you.
A man-sized target? I've done force on force drills and I never managed to miss a man sized target. I have missed the vital zone however....
Even worse, most people lose much of their precision when under duress.
The fine motor skills are the first thing to go when the flight-or-fight response hits. I've never been there (thankfully) but I've talked to people who have. One said that he never even saw his gun or his sights -- yet he still managed to put down the guy that was trying to kill him. Another said that everything appeared to be in slow motion -- he can recollect drawing the gun, getting a sight picture and firing -- said that it seemed to take a minute or more when in reality it was over in five seconds.
If a few ounces from a spare mag make that much of a difference, you're either a really tiny person, or your gun is too big for you
To each their own I suppose. I find that it helps me to walk more naturally. It's not just the spare magazines though -- I carry a full sized 1911 on my right hip and two spare magazines + cell phone + flashlight + leathermen on my left hip. I've carried the gun alone before and it just doesn't feel as natural to me. YMMV of course.
I have a .45 XD (with 13-round magazines)
Ah, lucky you, you live in a free state. I'm not allowed to legally possess magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. *sigh*
So if someone wants to kill you, you're supposed to allow it to happen
I had an argument the other day with a gun control nut who is a self-described feminist. She insisted that it's illegal to shoot someone who is attempting to rape you. When I pointed out the actual law that authorizes the use of deadly force in response to a rape she shifted gears from "it's illegal" to "it's immoral". In her world a raped woman is morally superior to one that defended her body and rights. Figure that one out....
Additionally, it's illegal to buy a handgun in any state other than your state of residence
No it's not. You just have to have the handgun shipped to a FFL (Federal Firearms License, i.e: a gun store) in your state of residence and take possession of the firearm when you return home.
So just no guns for poor people? Hmm, could we do that with free speech too? or maybe voting?
That's what New York City has done. It costs $400+ to apply for a pistol license in NYC. Said license needs to be renewed every two years. The net result of this is to price handgun ownership out of reach for many people. Interestingly enough this is similar to what the Southern States used to do with poll taxes -- we wouldn't want those black people and poor whites to vote would we? -- but when you point that out to a NYC'er they get all pissed off for some reason.
at less than 21 feet the knife wielder is probably more dangerous
The rule is that the average person can cover 21 feet faster than the average person can draw and fire a handgun. It's not so much that the knife is more dangerous as it is that the knife can be brought into action faster. If the gun is already drawn then the guy with the knife loses (all things being equal of course...)
He has no need to reload and aiming a knife is very easy.
The reload doesn't really enter into it for the overwhelming majority of civilian self-defense encounters. Most are resolved without any rounds being fired. When rounds are fired the average number is between 3 and 5 according to most studies I've seen. By this metric you'd be just fine with a 5 shot .38 special. I would still say that you should carry a spare magazine or two for your semi-auto -- if for no other reason than to keep your gun functioning if the primary magazine breaks for whatever reason. The magazine is the cheapest part of most pistols and the most likely to break. It's also helpful to have a spare magazine or two on the opposite side of your body from the gun to balance out the weight distribution.
My state has lifetime pistol licenses (except in the People's Republic of NYC and a few downstate counties) that are "good until revoked". Felony convictions operate as an automatic revocation. Of course the anti-RKBA crowd is trying to change this and impose expensive renewals on everybody....
Even better is Vermont, Alaska or Arizona. No permit required.
No it's not, unless you are worried about the people who follow the law and register their weapons.....
Limits on how many guns a non-dealer may purchase in a given time period. E.g., one gun per month per adult household member.
Why?
Waiting periods on gun purchases. If you buy a gun today, you can't pick it up until a week from now.
That won't accomplish anything. The vast majority of guns used for crime are stolen. Criminals don't walk into a gun store and buy a gun to commit a crime. The only thing it might prevent are crimes of passion, but one could argue that it ceases to be a crime of passion when one has to leave the situation, purchase a weapon and then later return to the situation.
Close the fucking gun show loophole already; make all gun sales require a background check of the buyer.
There is no "gun show loophole". There's a private party sale loophole. Of course that doesn't sound as scary so the anti-RKBA crowd doesn't use it....
And I'd take facing someone with a knife over a gun any day.
Then you are an idiot. At close range I would rather be faced with a firearm than a knife. You can grab onto a firearm and attempt to wrest it away from your aggressor or at least point it away from your body. You can also disable a semi-automatic by pushing the slide out of battery or a revolver by preventing the cylinder from turning. Trying to grab onto a knife probably won't work out as well for you.