Posted on 08/21/2004 10:36:08 AM PDT by Mulder
Who, exactly is a "casual gun owner"? Go to the sherrif's dept. and pay $90 bucks and EARN a CCW. Maybe THEN you may have a clue. I've been carrying since 1968. Lifetime member of the NRA. Member of SASS. Am I a "casual gun owner"? Or should I be a member of Special Forces, FBI, CIA, SS to lable me as a "not a casual owner"?
All of the dozen or so Rangers I've encountered seemed very friendly, and I doubt they've give anyone grief over carrying a gun.
The exception to this might be the Grand Canyon. A couple of the Rangers I saw there appeared to have a JBT mentality as they were stopping vehicles.
I just bought some new backpacking gear, and am eager to try it out.
Having a CCW doesn't automatically eliminate someone from being a complete idiot with a handgun.
We fire maybe twenty rounds when qualifying for our permits.
The only way one becomes proficient with a handgun and mentally stable enough to handle any emotional situation while carrying it, is to pour several hundred rounds through it.
Too many people own guns but don't shoot them enough to become familiar with them.
Those are the ones to be afraid of.
We have have such an amendment already......:o)
reciprocity with WA basically means that if I drive to FL I can leagally take a pistol with my current state laws all the way or are there limitaions? I need to look into this.
Arches is my favorite desert park. For some outstanding mountain backpacking, the Naturalist Basin in the high Uintas is amazing... snow melts by July so you can hike in, absolutely beautiful high country - many lakes around 10,000 ft. It's an awesome place. Do a google. If you don't want to hike in, check out Mirror or Moon lakes, also in the same general area. Oh, and yes, you can pack a rifle or sidearm, it's nat'l forest, not park.
*sigh*
I've already repeated that I don't consider people with a CCW casual gun owners.
I think of casual gun owners as people who buy a gun for their protection, but don't bother learning anything about it. Who do you think are the most likely people to leave a hand gun in their house some place where their kids can get to it? Not someone with a CCW. That person has already demonstrated their respect for the weapon.
Like I've said before, it doesn't apply to you guys, and unless you guys are planning from suffering a major lapse of brain power, it never will.
Makes sense to me... But I still think we need to find some way to guarantee second amendment rights and ensure responsible gun ownership and use.
I would hate to be shot by a fellow camper because they were twitchy on the trigger.
Just how do you propose ensuring responsible gun ownership and use?
That's what I'm saying. But the people who obviously don't need to spend more time at a firing range always jump all over me every time I promote responsible gun ownership...
I want to lower the barriers in place for law abiding citizens to get guns, and foster a gun ownership culture that encourages people to take their gun out to a range frequently enough to be a member of a range or club, hell let areas with large population of gun owners set up public gun ranges on public land where citizens can go fire their weapons without paying a range fee.
My idea for licensing exempted people who are in clubs from the renewal requirement of taking the safety test.
But the only thing anybody seems to hear is that I want to take away their guns, which is not true. I want more Americans to have guns, and I want them to become familiar and comfortable with them, while at the same time respecting them.
Figure out a way to foster a popular gun culture, encourage people to use their weapons at firing ranges, and openly talk about gun ownership pretty much everywhere.
Figure that out without increasing government involvement, and I'll support that method over my idea for a "driver's license" like license.
Reciprocity means that your "permit" will be recognized in the state of interest. The laws of that particular state apply while you are there.
It's done on a state-by-state basis. Right now, there are about a dozen or so states that will recognize a Washington CCW permit (packing.org is a great website that has all the info for each state).
Washington recently passed a bill allowing for reciprocrity with other states with "similar" CCW issue laws to those in WA. Unfortunately, the bureacrats are being strict with their interpretation, so WA-FL reciprocity hasn't happened yet.
If you travel a lot out-of-state, I would recommend getting a non-resident Florida permit. They are easy to get, and with one, you'll be "legal" in almost 30 states. With a Florida non-resident permit, you'll be able to drive all the way from WA to FL and remain armed, so long as you pick the right route.
This "licensing" requirement, and "club membership", and "safety test" sounds WAY too much like how the Aussies and English got their foot in the door for eventual confiscation.
The anti-gunners might have been able to get away with this crap here, before the internet, but they can't now. We know what happened to the English and the Aussies once they "compromised" on licensing, testing, etc.... And gun owners are not going to allow that to happen here.
We are winning the battle at the state level, and don't need to start compromising now.
And my proposal for fostering a gun culture and open discussion of gun ownership directly counteracts the likelihood that government would ever be able to gather support because more people would own guns, and anti-gun legislators would remain in the minority.
I was out there last December. The weather was perfect (sunny and cool). I didn't hike all the way out to the big arch (I was on a tight schedule), but hiked to the point where you can see. I definitely want to make it out there again.
For some outstanding mountain backpacking, the Naturalist Basin in the high Uintas is amazing
Thanks for the info. I can't wait to go out to Utah again for my next vacation.
I don't need to figure that out, because I live in Utah. We have a popular gun culture, firing ranges, and you can usually strike up a conversation with just about anyone on the merits of a .308 vs. a 30.06
So, what method would you propose to use to foster such a culture in Hawaii?
I love this place.
Good luck... this damned state is so liberal I get harassed for supporting Bush pretty much everywhere I open my mouth to try and convert someone.
At this point, I'll defer back to Mulder's post #74, and wish you the best.
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