# Gun question in GQ **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 13, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173 "2011-09-13T17:37:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/101 "2011-09-15T05:07:46Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > It did just a touch to me, because as a gun owner there is no way that I would ever be able to consider even so much as stopping in NYC with a gun in my trunk without risking arrest, yet he has the right to carry it about casually. I suppose it’s a bit of envy that he’s not necessarily as responsible for knowing the laws as I am as a private citizen or subject to such a patchwork of often absurd laws. Thanks for a touch of common sense. In the GQ post I went a bit over the top, challenged the moderator and got temporally banned which I will accept as being deserved. Mea culpa. Still, I was approaching the matter from a practical, more than a legal sense. That being, you may have all the legal right in the world to bring your handgun into NYC but on a practical level the chances of it turning into a situation that could make your life miserable and expensive are far beyond any protection that the gun would ever provide. Play the odds. Even if you are in the right and some “authority” misinterprets the law it can get very difficult, time consuming and expensive to make your case. Is that how you want to spend you holiday in NYC when there are so many great things to be experienced? If you pull that weapon and, God forbid, fire it, then you can be looking at a long stay in NYC and a mountain of legal bills even if you were justified. The civil suits will pile up like flies on a dung heap. The place is just to congested and too unpredictable to be firing a Glock even if you have the utmost of justification. The chances are far in your favor that the Glock is not needed. Leave it at home. Nobody in NYC wants another Coogin’s Bluff. That movie was always stupid and was never cool. The media made a big deal of the person at the convenience store in Gunnison, Utah who pulled a gun from under the counter and shot the guys that were trying to rob the store. The shooting looked to be totally justified. Yet, the person that did the shooting left town because they wanted to get away from what happened. It wasn’t a satisfying event. There was no satisfaction in killing people and didn’t want the notoriety. Now, this was a ranch town in Utah, not NYC. Gunplay isn’t play. It’s serious business and it’s life and death. Too often, death is for the innocent. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/102 "2011-09-15T05:46:16Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > It did just a touch to me, because as a gun owner there is no way that I would ever be able to consider even so much as stopping in NYC with a gun in my trunk without risking arrest Do your homework on these boards and over on [Opencarry.org](http://Opencarry.org) and you will see I am a huge opponent of this. It’s absurd. Which is why I support congressional bill H.R. 822 to correct this inequality. > [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > If you pull that weapon and, God forbid, fire it, then you can be looking at a long stay in NYC and a mountain of legal bills even if you were justified. The civil suits will pile up like flies on a dung heap. The place is just to congested and too unpredictable to be firing a Glock even if you have the utmost of justification. So, I prevent death or great bodily harm from coming to myself or my wife, in a justified shooting, but I’d be better off dead because of legal problems. You’re an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/103 "2011-09-15T06:35:30Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Do your homework on these boards and over on [Opencarry.org](http://Opencarry.org) and you will see I am a huge opponent of this. It’s absurd. Which is why I support congressional bill H.R. 822 to correct this inequality. I’m not busting your balls over this. As I said, it’s probably a touch of envy on my part. It’s as if you matter-of-factly told me you had Steelers season tickets. Lots of people have them, but I don’t, and you’re a lucky son-of-a-bitch. I bet if you posted this on THR word for word you’d get a lot of “you lucky so-and-so!” posts, too. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2011, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/104 "2011-09-15T06:41:47Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > I bet if you posted this on THR word for word you’d get a lot of “you lucky so-and-so!” posts, too. I did. I also got flak on the open carry website. The major difference is none of them were a bunch of anti-gun loons who don’t know anything at all about guns except they don’t want you or I to have one. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/105 "2011-09-15T07:31:46Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > So, I prevent death or great bodily harm from coming to myself or my wife, in a justified shooting, but I’d be better off dead because of legal problems. > You’re an idiot. Now we understand. As suspected, you were just trolling in the first place. You aren’t coming to NYC with your “Glock” to prevent anything. You just want to flash your gun. Some tourist, coming to NYC and saving themselves by pulling a gun and shooting a bad guy just doesn’t happen. What fictional world do you live in? Turn off the TV for a moment. I’m no idiot. Far from it. You, on the other hand have issues. [http://www.lcav.org/statistics-polling/gun\_violence\_statistics.asp](http://www.lcav.org/statistics-polling/gun_violence_statistics.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/106 "2011-09-15T08:26:02Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > You aren’t coming to NYC with your “Glock” to prevent anything. Why have you put Glock in quotes? Is the type of gun now a matter of dispute? Also, why do you act as if PK’s statement that he carries a gun for potential self defence is either trolling, or proof of a desire to flash his gun? Why else would he carry a gun? I presume he’s not an active hit man, so it’s a pretty safe bet that he’s going to say it’s for self defence. What answer would you have viewed as acceptable? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/107 "2011-09-15T08:37:02Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > Now we understand. As suspected, you were just trolling in the first place. > > **You aren’t coming to NYC with your “Glock” to prevent anything. You just want to flash your gun.** Some tourist, coming to NYC and saving themselves by pulling a gun and shooting a bad guy just doesn’t happen. What fictional world do you live in? Turn off the TV for a moment. > > I’m no idiot. Far from it. You, on the other hand have issues. > > [http://www.lcav.org/statistics-polling/gun\_violence\_statistics.asp](http://www.lcav.org/statistics-polling/gun_violence_statistics.asp) Which proves how ignorant you are. One of the quickest ways to get a carry permit yanked is to “flash your gun around”. ---
**Author:** ![medicated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@medicated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medicated)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/108 "2011-09-15T09:47:46Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > Now we understand. As suspected, you were just trolling in the first place. > > You aren’t coming to NYC with your “Glock” to prevent anything. You just want to flash your gun. Some tourist, coming to NYC and saving themselves by pulling a gun and shooting a bad guy just doesn’t happen. What fictional world do you live in? Turn off the TV for a moment. > > I’m no idiot. Far from it. You, on the other hand have issues. > > [http://www.lcav.org/statistics-polling/gun\_violence\_statistics.asp](http://www.lcav.org/statistics-polling/gun_violence_statistics.asp) Has it ever occurred to you that once you’ve spent 30 years carrying a gun everywhere you go (and learning on the job that it’s something you really don’t want to leave in a drawer somewhere), you might just want to keep doing that after retirement? Speaking as a guy who has never owned a gun, has no intention to, and strongly supports his country’s very restrictive gun laws, these two threads are among the most ridiculous I’ve ever seen on the dope. A cop wants to wear a gun. When the fuck did that become controversial outside of the UK? ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/109 "2011-09-15T10:15:54Z")
> [@medicated](#): > > . A cop wants to wear a gun. When the fuck did that become controversial outside of the UK? A cop outside of his jurisdiction is just a civilian with an out-of-place attitude. Face it bro, if you wanted to be a Federal Agent maybe you should have tried succeeding at their entrance exam, not going for Smallville’s Finest. P.S: besides, who knows, **pkbites** may accidentally meet the Clintons or the Obamas while in NY (or someone looking like them). I’m sure the Glock might be of help in such occasions. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/110 "2011-09-15T11:02:39Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > A cop outside of his jurisdiction is just a civilian with an out-of-place attitude. With, it appears, the legal right to carry a gun if they so choose: > **[Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_Enforcement_Officers_Safety_Act)** > > The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) is a United States federal law, enacted in 2004, that allows two classes of persons—the "qualified law enforcement officer" and the "qualified retired or separated law enforcement officer"—to carry a concealed firearm in any jurisdiction in the United States, regardless of state or local laws, with certain exceptions. > LEOSA is often incorrectly referred to as "H.R. 218". The act was introduced during the 108th Congress as H.R. 218 and enacted as ... So, surely that makes him a civilian who intends to carry a handgun, as allowed by federal law in his circumstances. I’ll admit to being a little curious about the insinuation that he would use a gun to attack the President, First Lady, or people who resemble them. Is there a particular reason behind that claim, or is it just random nonsense? ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/111 "2011-09-15T11:26:15Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > I’ll admit to being a little curious about the insinuation that he would use a gun to attack the President, First Lady, or people who resemble them. Is there a particular reason behind that claim, or is it just random nonsense? No insinuation, just a _pseudo humourous low-level attack from myself_. But I didnt provide the nonsense, \*\*pkbites \*\*did: > [@I'm calling it: Obama is Jimmy Carter, and he is finished!!!!!!!!!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-calling-it-obama-is-jimmy-carter-and-he-is-finished/596022/1): > > Jimmy Carter was/is a good man. I mean that. He truly wanted what was best for The United States. Unlike [IMHO] the Clintons or the Obamas he didn’t hate America. The only thing worse that police officers are retired police officers (_here’s another one_). ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/112 "2011-09-15T12:17:09Z")
Since there’s no ATMB thread, I’ll just post this here in hopes **Colibri** sees it: outstanding moderating in the GQ thread. Ya’ll deserve to hear it when you do well. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/113 "2011-09-15T16:37:36Z")
> [@medicated](#): > > Has it ever occurred to you that once you’ve spent 30 years carrying a gun everywhere you go (and learning on the job that it’s something you really don’t want to leave in a drawer somewhere), you might just want to keep doing that after retirement? In [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=623979) thread **R. P. McMurphy** posted: * * * OK, but it was still good, factual and accurate advice from someone who has a whole lot of inside knowledge of NYC and NYC law enforcement. Over 26 years. \*\*\* Yet seems perplexed that a cop of almost 30 years is very used to carrying his weapon off duty. R.P.'s post insinuates they are in law enforcement, but it doesn’t exactly say that, does it? And R.P. calls me the troll for wanting to exercise a privilege the law has given me, and do so with the least amount of hassle. They want trolling? I’m going to open a thread about all the places I’ve open carried (legally). \*\*R.P. \*\*will probably have a stroke over that. Bwahahaha!:p:D ---
**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:** [September 15, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/114 "2011-09-15T16:40:27Z")
I think he means he’s been arrested a lot, not that he’s been in law enforcement. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/115 "2011-09-15T18:00:06Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I think he means he’s been arrested a lot, not that he’s been in law enforcement. LOL! LMAO!😛 ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/116 "2011-09-15T18:18:31Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > They want trolling? I’m pretty sure no one here actually _wants_ trolling from you. But since you brought it up, with all the time you’ve found to post to this thread, how is it you can’t spare a minute to support your assertions in the Elections thread you started? You know, the one where you claimed that one current and one former President ‘hate America’? There are quite a few people who would be more than happy to discuss that opinion with you, you know. Bit of shame you can’t seem to find the time. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/117 "2011-09-15T19:34:11Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > LOL! LMAO!😛 Well, you asked. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/118 "2011-09-16T02:24:01Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I think he means he’s been arrested a lot, not that he’s been in law enforcement. Very clever response. I laughed too. However, if you are ever in a real pinch in NYC I can put you in touch with a lawyer that has defended some rogue cops that have been arrested. You don’t want to know some of the shit that goes on with these guys. And it’s not just NYC. ---
**Author:** ![medicated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@medicated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medicated)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/119 "2011-09-16T03:31:21Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > In [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=623979) thread **R. P. McMurphy** posted: > > * * * > > OK, but it was still good, factual and accurate advice from someone who has a whole lot of inside knowledge of NYC and NYC law enforcement. Over 26 years. \*\*\* > > Yet seems perplexed that a cop of almost 30 years is very used to carrying his weapon off duty. > > R.P.'s post insinuates they are in law enforcement, but it doesn’t exactly say that, does it? And R.P. calls me the troll for wanting to exercise a privilege the law has given me, and do so with the least amount of hassle. > > They want trolling? I’m going to open a thread about all the places I’ve open carried (legally). \*\*R.P. \*\*will probably have a stroke over that. Bwahahaha!:p:D As I’ve said, I’ve no love of guns, and wouldn’t want to carry one around. Still, I can see why you might want to. What confuses the shit out of me is that cops with guns is somehow controversial in a North American context. Huh? Reading your previous posts, I’m sure we disagree on just about all political issues. Still, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that just because you want to carry a firearm, it doesn’t mean that you aim to intimidate random passers by to demonstrate your awesome power over life and death, or to live out a Walter Mitty moment posing over the corpses of five dead terrorists. I’m willing to accept that a former cop might just feel more comfortable carrying his gun. Call me stupid, and I’m sure that many here will do just that. Blah. ---
**Author:** ![pikey\_pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pikey\_pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pikey_pete)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173/120 "2011-09-17T16:05:57Z")
Ok, as a gun owner (please don’t vilify me, I’m not a Hestonite NRA worshiper, just a guy who likes venison and target shooting,) I really question pk’s fitness for firearm ownership. I firearm is a tool, like a shovel, a pick axe, or a chainsaw. It is a tool though, which requires a great deal of personal responsibility and IMHO personal integrity. If I am transporting my firearm anywhere outside of my home state, you can be damned sure that I have checked all the laws and ordinances pertaining to firearms wherever I happen to be taking my gun(s). I ship my ammunition separately to avoid any problems which may inconvenience myself or others (like getting a flight stopped because a bomb dog smelled my ammo in baggage.) I keep a trigger lock on my firearms at all times, unless I plan to use it. Oh yeah, refer back to that first thing…the knowing all applicable laws and ordinances. This means that I don’t need to go waving my metapenis around in a forum. all [fill-in-the-state.gov](http://fill-in-the-state.gov) websites can provide you with all the information you need. Its people like pk who give gun owners a bad name and image. Too bad there are so many pks who own firearms. Oh yeah, even though I do have a valid TX CCL, i have never carried my gun concealed ever. my guns only leave the house to go to the range or the deer lease, and when they do they are in a locked hard case. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-question-in-gq/596173.md?page=7)