# Americans who Carry Concealed: Would you be reluctant to visit another country where you couldn't? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 3, 2015, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826 "2015-01-03T02:36:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/41 "2015-01-04T21:48:06Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Oops, my bad. :o In luggage. Yeah, that’s a piece of cake. And I’m surprised at how many people balk at it. I’ve done it zillons of times at more than 40 airports throughout the U.S… Only had one real problem and that was in San Francisco. Still only took about 5 minutes more to clear it up. Normally it’s under 60 seconds. Declare, fill out the orange card, put it in the case, put the suit case on the TSA belt. Done. Nothing extra to do at the destination. Just pick up your suitcase like normal. Packing on a plane is wayyyy. Different. Only time I’ve done it was a few times back in the 90’s when I did some prisoner transports. Things have change drastically since then and carrying off duty on a plane requires prior consent from your employer, paperwork, etc… ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/42 "2015-01-05T01:25:16Z")
My eldest is just starting [Federal Flight Deck Officer](http://www.tsa.gov/about-tsa/federal-flight-deck-officers) training. Next time I see him, I’ll ask what the rules are when he enters gun-averse countries. As I understand it he’s officially an air marshall while armed and in the cockpit, but not on the ground (but his gun has to stay with him). I’m curious how this works when he’s traveling from airport to hotel, or dead-heading to catch a flight in places like Canada (or even New Jersey). ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/43 "2015-01-05T02:36:58Z")
Said it elsewhere but nope – no issue. Actually, I enjoyed both England and Germany quite a bit and not all my time was spent in the ultra-safe normal tourist kinds of locations. States here that don’t honor my CCW permit or have some reasonable system for me to acquire one of theirs? That I have issues about. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/44 "2015-01-05T05:01:10Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > My eldest is just starting [Federal Flight Deck Officer](http://www.tsa.gov/about-tsa/federal-flight-deck-officers) training. Next time I see him, I’ll ask what the rules are when he enters gun-averse countries. As I understand it he’s officially an air marshall while armed and in the cockpit, but not on the ground (but his gun has to stay with him). I’m curious how this works when he’s traveling from airport to hotel, or dead-heading to catch a flight in places like Canada (or even New Jersey). I can tell you there is no problem in New Jersey. Federal law enforcement always had jurisdiction to carry even in a restrictive state like NJ. H.R 218 made it federal law that no state could make it illegal for any law enforcement officer to be denied the ability to carry as long as they are legally authorized in their local jurisdiction. I won’t start to guess about foreign countries. I had long conversations with an air Marshall I was deployed with but that was a long time ago and my memory is probably faulty. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/45 "2015-01-05T07:56:21Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > I went without carrying- or owning a gun for that matter- for decades, so it wouldn’t bother me. Same here, I didn’t own any guns for a long time so it wouldn’t really bother me, too. > [@Nava](#): > > What about traveling to countries where you could carry once you do the paperwork (if any)? How willing/interested are you in going through that work? Do you directly assume it’s Not Possible? Yes I’d be willing to file the paperwork. Traveling internationally there are times I wish I could be armed. I’d like to visit the Philippines and travel the southern islands there but safety is a concern. I’d feel better if I was armed. Same thing about a possible road trip through Mexico and down into Central America’ I’d feel better if armed. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/46 "2015-01-05T11:58:22Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Same here, I didn’t own any guns for a long time so it wouldn’t really bother me, too. > > Yes I’d be willing to file the paperwork. > Traveling internationally there are times I wish I could be armed. I’d like to visit the Philippines and travel the southern islands there but safety is a concern. I’d feel better if I was armed. Same thing about a possible road trip through Mexico and down into Central America’ I’d feel better if armed. Any country that is a serious safety concern is not what I would consider a good vacation spot. I’ve had enough of that kind of excitement. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/47 "2015-01-05T12:24:02Z")
I carry when and where I can legally carry. I haven’t tried packing a gun in my checked luggage on a domestic flight yet. On a recent trip to California, because my Ohio permit is not valid there, I left my guns at home. My understanding of the permt situation in California is that there is little chance that I will ever be able to legally carry there, but I will continue to visit. I wouldn’t forgo a visit to a vacation spot because I couldn’t carry a gun. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/48 "2015-01-05T17:37:00Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > I carry when and where I can legally carry. I haven’t tried packing a gun in my checked luggage on a domestic flight yet. On a recent trip to California, because my Ohio permit is not valid there, I left my guns at home. My understanding of the permt situation in California is that there is little chance that I will ever be able to legally carry there, but I will continue to visit. It’s easy as pie to take one in checked luggage. And just because you can’t carry doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one in your hotel room for protection. The people at the airport aren’t authorized to decide whether you’re legal to have it or not when you get there. The only places I’d recommend non-leos not taking a gun to are places like NYC or New Jersey. There it might come up and someone might want to meet you at the airport. Myself I took a pistol to NYC arriving in LaGuardia and had no problems. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/49 "2015-01-05T18:07:40Z")
I guess gun people feel safe carrying guns all the time. But it would have the opposite effect on me. I would be uneasy being around someone who I knew had a gun on them. I certainly wouldn’t want them in my house. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/50 "2015-01-05T19:05:08Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > I guess gun people feel safe carrying guns all the time. But it would have the opposite effect on me. I would be uneasy being around someone who I knew had a gun on them. I certainly wouldn’t want them in my house. If there were someone I felt could punch me in the face without notice I wouldn’t want him in my house either. If there were someone who I thought was irrational and would possibly pull his gun out I wouldn’t want him in my house. No one I know on a personal level falls under either category. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/51 "2015-01-05T19:15:48Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > This. **When I can carry, I carry legally.** When I can not, I do not [mainly outside the US. Inside the US if I am traveling between here and California there are so many damned jurisdictions it is not feasable to go from one coast to the other and not run afoul of some damned law somewhere.] Double this. I carry always, but I do so legally. If it’s illegal to carry somewhere, I don’t carry. I like having a means to protect myself, but I don’t work my life around being able to carry. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/52 "2015-01-06T04:05:46Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If there were someone I felt could punch me in the face without notice I wouldn’t want him in my house either. If there were someone who I thought was irrational and would possibly pull his gun out I wouldn’t want him in my house. No one I know on a personal level falls under either category. Nobody seeks out a license to be armed with fists. It’s not really an option. If I may perhaps offer some explanation beyond “guns are bad” or “guns are good,” I suspect where Living Well is coming from is that to many people in many places, it’s simply bizarre to want to carry a gun all the time. It’s a weird level of preparedness; to me it is analogous to someone who feels they need to wear a beekeeping hat at all times, even if there’s no bees about. Even indoors. I don’t really understand, being who I am and where I am from, why someone would want to carry a gun at all times if they had no professional need to do so (as a former soldier, I have carried firearms when I had a professional need to do so.) So someone saying “I need a gun on me whenever I’m awake” strikes me, on some gut, emotional level, as being indicative of a person being untrustworthy. I am not saying that is always the case, of course. I concede that people live in different places and situations than I do and perhaps in some places it actually IS rational to carry a gun around even when you’re swimming. I would certainly consider carrying a gun if circumstances were very, very different. However, it’s a concept extremely alien to me and hard to understand - as, I am sure, my attitude is to those who feel the need to arm themselves. I think that’s where people are coming from when they express negative reactions to this sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/53 "2015-01-06T04:20:03Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > All I can say is that some of the responses in this thread leave me wondering what the hell is wrong with some people. It kinda makes me wonder if I ever want to travel to the US… The attitudes expressed make it sound as dangerous as the depths of a Civil War ridden country ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/54 "2015-01-06T04:28:38Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Any country that is a serious safety concern is not what I would consider a good vacation spot. I’ve had enough of that kind of excitement. Here’s the thing - I’ve travelled pretty extensively through Malaysia, driven from Singapore up to Phuket. On the way back from that trip we took a detour to an Island Resort - about two hours before reaching the ferry there was a “Execution Style Slaying” (someone was shot through a chaffeur driven van). I would always have thought Malaysia to be more dangerous than mainstream US - but there has NEVER been a situation where I would have felt safer with a gun. Rather, carrying a gun would simply make me feel like a target. The crowds are such that you would never know who was beside or behind you, and one quick whack with a machete would be all that is needed to take the gun from me. Hell - you’d be able to grab my kid from beside me before I could even get the gun out. I must also add, I have never felt nervous of my safety in any of those places. It might be total cultural disconnect - but I simply cannot wrap my head around the way some feel the NEED to carry a gun. to each his own I guess ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/55 "2015-01-06T10:09:43Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > His RV was loaded with quite the home defense collection but he wouldn’t even compromise by having the RCMP lock them up inside his RV when entering Canada and unlocking them when he left the country. Say what. I’m imagining a Canadian cop stepping into your RV, and seeing a wall covered in weapons. “Ah, yes. Let me put a trigger lock on this here squad automatic weapon. Don’t even think of taking it off. Ah, a rocket launcher? Haven’t seen one of them in a while. Trigger lock should fix it up in a jiffy. Even if an enemy tank is coming right for you, you don’t have the right to fire it, sir. Ok, all locked up. Keep these padlocks on til you return” ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/56 "2015-01-06T12:42:21Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > I simply cannot wrap my head around the way some feel the NEED to carry a gun I suspect it’s something that can’t be described or adequately explained. The best comparison I can come up with is this: Last year I needed a ride to work. (True story - my car was broken down.) So a coworker picked me up. After I got in his car, he casually mentioned that the seatbelt on the passenger side did not work. He was correct; it wouldn’t retract at all. I have never been in a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt, and I was _terrified_ during the 30 minute trip. I kept thinking to myself, “Any second now we’re going to get in a wreck, and I’m going to go through the windshield.” It was nerve-wracking. So was I being irrational? Paranoid? I get a similar feeling when I’m unarmed in public. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/57 "2015-01-06T14:19:38Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I suspect it’s something that can’t be described or adequately explained. > > The best comparison I can come up with is this: > > Last year I needed a ride to work. (True story - my car was broken down.) So a coworker picked me up. After I got in his car, he casually mentioned that the seatbelt on the passenger side did not work. He was correct; it wouldn’t retract at all. > > I have never been in a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt, and I was _terrified_ during the 30 minute trip. I kept thinking to myself, “Any second now we’re going to get in a wreck, and I’m going to go through the windshield.” It was nerve-wracking. So was I being irrational? Paranoid? > > I get a similar feeling when I’m unarmed in public. That is a perfect explanation. You are un-realistically paranoid. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/58 "2015-01-06T14:58:20Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > That is a perfect explanation. You are un-realistically paranoid. You unrealistically estimate your qualification to diagnose others. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/59 "2015-01-06T15:00:36Z")
**Loach** : are the threats to law enforcement you’re talking about post-Ferguson/Garner, or do they go back further? Just curious. > [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I have never been in a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt… Are you, like, 19? All the cars you rode in as a kid had seatbelts in the back? :dubious: > [@Chefguy](#): > > All I can say is that some of the responses in this thread leave me wondering what the hell is wrong with some people. I was about to chastise you for threadshitting, but then I saw this: > [@pkbites](#): > > Bradford Beach, Siesta Key, Carolina Beach. Just a few I carried in over the last 6 months. You don’t have to bring an expensive duty weapon. > Just get a [little](http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQutpikydQQ0clD3xX7GkfoMOwj6dOH_PfjLqmKJPEHiCuBbLgH08MYja0) .380 [pistol](http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSpaNo3hcqC6kufkSGNQmNH45VppuETYlz0RB-fn20y82ACfcP8PvhXOODa). It will [fit](http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRvcWvAavB1gBbfpnmg5lCoRyTpCbViUK6AP2MN_7oeSPPfJkBPLN-t4xN2) in the pocket of a mens bathing suit. Water won’t hurt it if you wipe it off later. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826/60 "2015-01-06T15:48:29Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > So was I being irrational? Paranoid? > > I get a similar feeling when I’m unarmed in public. I would feel strange in that situation because I’m used to the feeling of a belt across my chest. And I’d be pissed that my coworker thought it was OK to offer to give me a ride in a car with lopsided safety arrangements, not to mention that Ohio requires front seat passengers to be belted. But terrified? The odds of getting into an accident on any one 30 minute trip are pretty darn small. Even so, assuming you’re a white male in the 35-44 range, you’re [10 times more likely](http://www.cdc.gov/men/lcod/2010/LCOD_WHITEmen2010.pdf) to die in some sort of an accident than in a homicide. That doesn’t take into account socioeconomic status or geography, so in reality that number is probably even smaller. Furthermore, there’s no evidence that carrying a handgun is anywhere near as effective at improving your safety than frickin’ seatbelts, which have mounds of evidence to back up their use. In other words, if you really get a _similar_ feeling of danger walking around unarmed as you do driving around unbelted, that’s irrational. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-who-carry-concealed-would-you-be-reluctant-to-visit-another-country-where-you-couldnt/708826.md?page=4)