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notos&w · September 23, 2002, 02:14 PM

there are certain members of this forum who are carrying a handgun w/o a permit to do so. some have legitimate reasons including actual, immediate danger and inability to get a permit and some dont (in my view).

it is MY opinion that carrying a gun brings w/ it great responsibility and part of that responsibility is to abide by the law of your state for several reasons, not limited to a possible jail sentence and real harm to everyone else's RTKBA.
now of course there are situations where the danger is so real, so imminent that any sane person would choose to disobey the law rather than face grave circumstances. in my state those situations constitute defenses written into statute by the legislature and in most others they would be affirmative defenses. the burden may be higher for some states than others and the jury less sympathetic but they are still there.
nevertheless, in certain, albeit limited, circumstances there are defenses.

however, situations where a person should disregard the law are few and far between. someone caught carrying an illegal gun does nothing to help me defend my rights against the likes of sarah brady. a practice of regularly carrying a firearm w/o authorization has dire consequences for everyone.

now my opinion is biased b/c i live in a shall issue state. however, there was a time before i got my permit that i recognized the utility, perhaps need at times, for a self defense weapon but was prevented by law from having one. i respected that law for several reasons (2 listed above) and choose to alter my schedule and lifestyle in accordance w/ the threats presented. i had to give up a few things but my safety is paramount.
i feel it is better to alter your lifestyle and seek lawful alternatives instead of carrying illegally.

i am interested in your thoughts on the matter of whether a person should carry illegally. now i am not talking about situations when there is a very real threat. i am talking about a regular practice of carrying a weapon to almost all locations outside the home.

September 23, 2002, 02:14 PM	#1
notos&w Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2002 Location: oxford ms Posts: 116	carrying w/o permit ... your view there are certain members of this forum who are carrying a handgun w/o a permit to do so. some have legitimate reasons including actual, immediate danger and inability to get a permit and some dont (in my view). it is MY opinion that carrying a gun brings w/ it great responsibility and part of that responsibility is to abide by the law of your state for several reasons, not limited to a possible jail sentence and real harm to everyone else's RTKBA. now of course there are situations where the danger is so real, so imminent that any sane person would choose to disobey the law rather than face grave circumstances. in my state those situations constitute defenses written into statute by the legislature and in most others they would be affirmative defenses. the burden may be higher for some states than others and the jury less sympathetic but they are still there. nevertheless, in certain, albeit limited, circumstances there are defenses. however, situations where a person should disregard the law are few and far between. someone caught carrying an illegal gun does nothing to help me defend my rights against the likes of sarah brady. a practice of regularly carrying a firearm w/o authorization has dire consequences for everyone. now my opinion is biased b/c i live in a shall issue state. however, there was a time before i got my permit that i recognized the utility, perhaps need at times, for a self defense weapon but was prevented by law from having one. i respected that law for several reasons (2 listed above) and choose to alter my schedule and lifestyle in accordance w/ the threats presented. i had to give up a few things but my safety is paramount. i feel it is better to alter your lifestyle and seek lawful alternatives instead of carrying illegally. i am interested in your thoughts on the matter of whether a person should carry illegally. now i am not talking about situations when there is a very real threat. i am talking about a regular practice of carrying a weapon to almost all locations outside the home.