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Why Do Concealed Carriers Carry Concealed?
guns.com ^ | 28 January, 2012 | John Elliott

Posted on 02/01/2012 9:57:31 AM PST by marktwain

Over the last few years, calls for the right to carry firearms concealed have reached a crescendo. In step, politicians from both sides of the aisle have endorsed opinions on the subject and, with very few exceptions, these public servants tend to tailor their stances in line with those of their base of support. For those opposed to concealed carry, this often means pointing to numbers that make the argument gun-related deaths would be vastly diminished if we all were to simply disarm but what these interests tend to avoid are the powerful anecdotal cases where a legally armed citizen defended himself or herself against some robber, rapist or lunatic. The very mention of these occasions generally sends politicians into vapor locks as they vehemently denounce the thought of such self-defense incidents as dangerous (duh?) or bordering on vigilantism.

For example, in 2008 then presidential candidate Barack Obama told the Pittsburgh Tribune, “I’m not in favor of concealed weapons. I think that creates a potential atmosphere where more innocent people could get shot during altercations.” Former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, in an address at the Federal Gun Legislation Press Conference in Washington DC on the evening of November 13, 1998, stated, “If it was up to me, no one but law enforcement officers would own hand guns, but I understand that it's impractical to pass a national ban.”

What these folks fail to realize—and what I would argue most gun owners in this country understand with crystal-clear clarity—is that their instincts on the issue of gun ownership are ultimately pretty meaningless. Gun ownership is a right delineated under the Second Amendment of the Constitution. Period. But beyond that, when an educated gun owner is carrying a concealed firearm they are likely doing it for very specific reasons related to safety—and not just their own safety but the safety of their fellow citizens.

Gun stats. Don’t believe me? Just ask yourself this, why would anybody go through the three-ring circus of getting a permit, forfeit their fingerprints over to Uncle Sam in the process and then spend the rest of their days becoming an armchair attorney just so they can navigate the labyrinthine system of state-to-state carry laws, if they didn’t have a well-thought out reason for concealed carrying? Just to waste time?

It’s my informed opinion that most folks who carry firearms do not do so because they are looking for altercations or because they’re afraid or exasperated by life, as Obama insinuated when he said people “cling to guns… as a way to explain their frustrations” while on the campaign trail in ‘08. They do so simply because they do not feel safe in 2012 America and no amount of data is going to change that. They know that a violent criminal isn’t going to be convinced to abort his felonious mission because of a bunch of statistics that show the crime rate he’s contributing to is actually going down; instead they take every individual story they hear about these horrible acts of violence seriously.

And no wonder—does it hurt any less to get shot during a downswing in crime? Do you think some eloquently delivered rhetoric about fewer robberies will convince your attacker you don’t have to hand over your wallet to him? Does a plummet in statewide gun crime change the fact a man was murdered down your block? Of course not.

Gun safety. The question then becomes, why do guns equate to ‘safety’ for concealed carriers? Well, it’s simple really: it’s pretty damn hard to force an armed citizen to doing anything against their will and to many minds power is safety. By way of anecdote, here’s a story I heard recently from a cop friend of mine that illustrates this very point:

A police officer pulled over a speeding car rural in Georgia. He walked up to the driver’s side window and asked the motorist, an elderly lady, for her license and registration. While retrieving the requested items the woman told the officer that she was carrying a .38 caliber revolver in her handbag and had two other pistols in the car, one in the glove box and the other in the center console.

“What in the world are you afraid of?” inquired the officer.

“Not a damn thing!” she replied.

This elderly lady had guns out of concern for her safety, and why shouldn’t she be? She’s old, most likely frail and an easy target for criminals. A couple of purse pistols however means she suddenly went from powerless to likely even more powerful than her attacker (who may never expect Mrs. Fields to press a snub-nose into his stomach). No, her decision to carry concealed firearms does not mean she was afraid, it means she is aware of the world.

To me, concealed carrying gun owners are making the safe bet that a violent offender will most likely use a weapon of some sort to victimize them (the very same assumption police officers make everyday). This is the safe move because it makes no logical sense for a criminal, hell bent on taking your money, virtue or life, to not use something to harm you. Concealed carry evens that playing field.

Gun education.

And yes, I’ll be the first in line to admit it: every once in a blue moon there is going to be a tragic gun-related incident involving a CCW holder where a poor innocent person loses their life. This could be because of the negligence of the concealed carrier, negligence of the government for allowing a felon or someone otherwise unfit to slip through the cracks of the permit system, or just an accident.

This is not an ‘if’, this is a ‘when’ but the same goes for just about everything in life. I’ll also remind you that there will be tragic car, ice, blender, bathtub, sport, insect, doctor and plane related incidents too and perhaps most importantly to this argument, gun and weapons tragedies not involving CCW holders (likely many times more than incidents involving carriers).

The point is this: the world is a dangerous place, and suppressing rather than understanding the firearm as a tool only serves to make it more dangerous. People carry for their safety and the safety of law-abiding citizens around them, so the drive should not be disarming citizens but rather making concealed carry safer. The governments afraid of innocent people getting shot when a CCW holder pulls their arm in self-defense? Well then, start educating shooters on how to shoot and carry properly.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: banglist; ccw; constitution; crime; democrats; liberalfascism; obama; youwillnotdisarmus
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To: marktwain
CCW protects people. It protects hysterics from getting hysterical and protects thugs from feeling challenged.

Massachusetts law requires CCW and those are there reasons, stating it is possible for an hysterical to charge me with assault.

Maine on the other hand charges extra for concealed carry.

Each state's law varies so widely from others One has to avoid certain states or be charged under their firearms laws, when at home you're perfectly legal

< / RANT >

21 posted on 02/01/2012 10:29:58 AM PST by Lady Jag (Laws are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught)
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To: marktwain

Because I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.


22 posted on 02/01/2012 10:30:01 AM PST by katana (Just my opinions)
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To: marktwain

I carry because a cop is never around when you need one but I carry concealed because open carry tends to draw attention I don’t want or need.


23 posted on 02/01/2012 10:32:40 AM PST by Tucsonican
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To: marktwain
I'm only carrying concealed because most cops, not to mention Democrats, get a bit jumpy when I carry open...

I'd prefer not to get shot by some trigger happy LEO responding to some hyperventilating twits panicked 911 call. At least, not just yet.

24 posted on 02/01/2012 10:33:38 AM PST by Dead Corpse (Steampunk- Yesterday's Tomorrow, Today)
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To: marktwain

Concealed (as opposed to open) is a public service. When the bad guys know they’re out there, but can’t tell where, everyone is safer.


25 posted on 02/01/2012 10:33:57 AM PST by Hunton Peck (See my FR homepage for a list of businesses that support WI Gov. Scott Walker)
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To: Dead Corpse

When someone asks me why I own a gun, I ask them why they own a fire extinguisher. QED.


26 posted on 02/01/2012 10:35:03 AM PST by Oberon (Big Brutha Be Watchin'.)
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To: drbuzzard

When someone asks me why I carry concealed, I ask them if they wear a seat belt. If they reply ‘yes’ I say it’s the same reason.

You don’t wear a seat belt because you expect to get in a car accident. You wear it because it gives you the best odds if an accident happens to occur.

This is about as good of an answer as I have heard!
Hope you don’t have a copyright on this? LOL!


27 posted on 02/01/2012 10:35:24 AM PST by KodakKing (Freedom isn't free. Just ask any soldier. www.anysoldier.com)
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To: marktwain

“If it was up to me, no one but law enforcement officers would own hand guns”

If the citizens are disarmed, why would the cops need to carry guns? ;)


28 posted on 02/01/2012 10:37:09 AM PST by fruser1
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To: Oberon

“Because a cop is to heavy” works too...


29 posted on 02/01/2012 10:45:00 AM PST by Dead Corpse (Steampunk- Yesterday's Tomorrow, Today)
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To: KodakKing

I’ve had people ask to use this before, and I’m always happy to say yes. The better people understand why CCW is useful, the fewer people who are scared of it and vote those fears.


30 posted on 02/01/2012 10:46:42 AM PST by drbuzzard (different league)
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To: drbuzzard
When someone asks me why I carry concealed, I ask them if they wear a seat belt. If they reply ‘yes’ I say it’s the same reason.

There is a flaw in that approach. I have come across goofs who refuse to wear a seat belt because without one they will be thrown clear of the accident rather than trapped in the car.

I would love to play poker with such math challenged individuals.

31 posted on 02/01/2012 10:46:48 AM PST by Jeff Chandler (Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati)
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To: marktwain
...her decision to carry concealed firearms does not mean she was afraid, it means she is aware of the world.

Good enough to repeat. And I agree completely that the additional level of uncertainty in the minds of potential assailants is worth the trouble of concealment.

32 posted on 02/01/2012 10:46:58 AM PST by Billthedrill
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To: marktwain

QUESTION! If I have a CCW permit, and I put a large flap holster on my belt, place the handgun in it, close the flap so the handgun absolutely cannot be seen, can I wear it in public when all they see is the holster?


33 posted on 02/01/2012 10:47:15 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
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To: Jeff Chandler

As in, “I’m throwing away these two queens and going for a straight.”


34 posted on 02/01/2012 10:47:57 AM PST by Jeff Chandler (Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati)
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To: Jeff Chandler

>There is a flaw in that approach. I have come across goofs who refuse to wear a seat belt because without one they will be thrown clear of the accident rather than trapped in the car.

Well I hate to have to adjust my arguments to make allowances for idiots. If they don’t wear a seat belt, that’s fine for them. I’ll give up then and hope they don’t vote.

>I would love to play poker with such math challenged individuals.

Don’t see how they would have any money available for you to fleece.


35 posted on 02/01/2012 10:50:13 AM PST by drbuzzard (different league)
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To: marktwain
"I think that creates a potential atmosphere where more innocent people could get shot during altercations."

When I carry concealed I go out of my way to avoid conflict. I liken it to the responsibility one accrues when driving a semi: tuck drivers must avoid confrontations and potential road rage incidents at all cost because of the great power they control, while the mean-faced, clipped-hair dyke in the Chevy Geo can cut off whomever it likes.

36 posted on 02/01/2012 10:52:03 AM PST by Jeff Chandler (Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati)
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To: marktwain
Why Do Concealed Carriers Carry Concealed?

Because the media told me that a visibly carried firearm will SCARE people.

They also told me that, if a criminal knows I have a gun, HE WILL TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME. Therefore, it only makes sense to keep any would-be criminal ignorant/guessing.

Is the MSM now telling me they were WRONG?

37 posted on 02/01/2012 10:52:12 AM PST by nonsporting
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To: marktwain
Why ?

Because when seconds count, my pistol is a fraction of a second away from being in my hand, out of its holster, and ready to stop a threat.

The cops, splendid folks though they be, don't even know that there's a problem yet.

38 posted on 02/01/2012 10:52:12 AM PST by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: drbuzzard
Don’t see how they would have any money available for you to fleece.

yeah, a man who avoids seat belt use for safety reasons probably spends all his income on lottery tickets.

39 posted on 02/01/2012 10:54:16 AM PST by Jeff Chandler (Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati)
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To: marktwain

I have fire extinguishers, too, but I am not expecting a fire anytime. I also carry vehicle collision insurance but don’t know the next time I’ll ned that, either.

Why do cops carry guns? Do they really believe only they are assualted by armed bad guys? If that is the case, then let’s do away with cops as they seems to incite bad guys to violence: No cops, no violence, right?


40 posted on 02/01/2012 10:56:45 AM PST by CodeToad (NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!!!)
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