If you saw someone carrying a gun at a party, what would you do?

In My Humble Opinion
81

[QUOTE=Crafter_Man]
Yep. And there’s nothing we should do about it (else we run the risk of infringing upon inalienable rights).

If you wish to live in a free country, you must be willing to accept a certain amount of risk. I don’t care about the crime rate… I would much rather have the crime rate stay right where it is than give up my guns. Freedom is not free.
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Oh, I know. It just irks me, that’s all. I do think, however, that people who abuse those gun rights should be held responsible. Same as with driving.

(And by irk, I mean that I find it frustrating when people are assholes, and there’s nothing we can do-but that’s life)

82

[QUOTE=Crafter_Man]
If you wish to live in a free country, you must be willing to accept a certain amount of risk. I don’t care about the crime rate… I would much rather have the crime rate stay right where it is than give up my guns. Freedom is not free.
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3 times more likely to be murdered in the US than the UK, and 27 times more likely for that murder to be by firearms. We’re pretty damn free here too.

83

[QUOTE=Defective Detective]
I’d like to know how CCW’ers respond to the posts above.
[/QUOTE]
Slight chuckle, a little eye-roll, but mostly pity.

If I saw someone carrying at a non-alcohol laced function, I’d mention to the person that they were showing and if they looked embarrassed/apologetic and covered it up right away, assume they were legal. Belligerent or panicked would concern me.

84

If I felt compelled to say anything at all, I’d say “You’re printing” as an act of courtesy. It’s along the lines of telling somebody her slip is showing or his fly is open.

85

This is sums up how I feel very well. It’s certainly within your rights to carry a concealed weapon if you have a permit. It’s also my right to think that you’re odd for wanting to bring it to a social gathering.

Defective Detective, if you choose to bring your gun to “any social gathering where you’re likely to meet new people,” I’d recommend keeping it very, very well-concealed indeed. Otherwise, as the thread as shown, you’re likely to make a lot of new potential friends/business associates/dates suspect that you’re a) sketchy or b) potentially unbalanced.

86

[QUOTE=Crafter_Man]
If you wish to live in a free country, you must be willing to accept a certain amount of risk.
[/QUOTE]
That’s why I prefer living in Canada than the USA – I prefer that my constitutionally protected freedoms be stringently protected, but here in Canada with respect to handgun deaths, that protection is done communally by general handgun restrictions, rather than individually by general handgun carrying. The results in terms of handgun death rates speak for themselves. The risk that I take, of course, is that although I am statistically safer here, someday I might be killed when a handgun could have saved me.

For myself, the freedom from being shot is worth a lot, whereas the freedom to carry a handgun is worth little. Since the latter tends to impinge on the former, I prefer a communal approach to handgun restrictions.

The best analogy I can come up with is a Hollywood western movie, in which everyone coming into town must turn their guns in to the sheriff until they leave. As long as the sheriff is good at his job, then everyone in the town is free to get along with their lives. If the sheriff is overrun by outlaws, or is just plain bad at his job, then the people of the town lose their freedoms, and instead of going about their lives, they have to take up arms to defend themselves from the outlaws.

87

[QUOTE=jjimm]
3 times more likely to be murdered in the US than the UK, and 27 times
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Cite?

88

I’d freak out and call the police.

89

[QUOTE=Bear_Nenno]
Cite?
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Certainly: apposite thread.

90

Security from what? Do you often encounter social situations whare a firearm comes in handy?

I am always a little leary of people who are a) armed and b) concerned about some nebulous non-specific threat to their security or freedom. Who is it that you feel you would need a gun for protection against?

The problem, as I see it, is that for 99.99% of the conflicts you are about to get into, a gun is completely inappropriate. It also gives you a sense of security and power. Yes, it’s nice to have a firearm if some crazyman comes into the party intent on shooting everything up. It’s a little useless for dealing with some asshole giving you a hard time or bothering your girlfriend. Seems to me simply having a gun on you can help you paint yourself into a corner where you’ll end up either in jail or at least looking like a crazy asshole with a gun.

91

[QUOTE=aruvqan]
Then why not go to a range that offers rentals and lessons? I find a zen like relaxation in target shooting. I like knowing that if I have to use my gun, I will be able to use it safely and competently. Disassembling and cleaning the gun can also be relaxing [if you are of the putter sort of people]

I have a feeling that if more people actually took the firearm safety class and experienced firing one under controlled conditions they might be more comfortable around people with guns.
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Because I don’t care to. I have zero interest in owning or firing a gun. I think it’s great you’ve found something to relax you, but guns do nothing of the sort for me.

As a person on the other side of the barrel, I have no way of knowing how much training or how competent you feel you are with your gun. As far as I know, you are no different from any other yahoo with a gun fetish and are only 2-3 drinks away from showing it off and waving it around carelessly. How your gun makes you feel is unknowable and irrelevant to me. I have no reason to trust your confidence and competence with your gun. As far as I can see, the threat to my safety is you. This is probably the opposite of what you would like, but keep in mind that for many, many people, carrying a gun in most situations is not only not necessary, but completely unwelcome.

[QUOTE=Defective Detective]
Likewise, if you only carry when you are actively expecting a threat, you are going to be far from your weapon when you need it most, I guaran-damn-tee it. So if you see someone with a license carrying in a place where *you *feel secure, don’t judge. Apparently the large majority of dopers would not even pause to consider whether this was a law-abiding citizen with a proper license; instead it’s, “RUN OUTSIDE AND CALL 911 THERE’S A GUN IN THE HOUSE! A GUN!”
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If I see your gun, I have to judge you. Carrying a gun, to me, means you anticipate danger or the potential need for your weapon. That means you have evaluated every situation in which you are armed as a potentially dangerous one. If I’m in the same room as you, that means I have evaluated the situation as being almost completely harmless; otherwise, I wouldn’t be there. This discrepancy in evaluation forces me to decide whether it is me or you who is misjudging the situation. And since the majority of social situations pass with absolutely no need for weaponry whatsoever, I have to conclude it is you whose judgement is out of whack. And since you’re an unfamiliar, armed person whose judgement I question, I’m going to assume I can’t trust you to act responsibly. Like I said, better-safe-than-sorry mode.

How am I to know you are licensed? How am I to know you are a law-abiding citizen, or that you are a responsible gun owner who has extensive training? I have no way of knowing these things, and I can’t just assume them. Can I trust you to act competently and reasonably should need for your gun arise? No, I don’t know you.

If you don’t want me to judge you, don’t carry your gun.

[QUOTE=danceswithcats]
The sad part of this discussion is that many stupid people attend parties where genitalia are being carried concealed, without a permit, and the presence and consumption of alcohol leads to the breeding of more idiots. Are you going to call the PD because you see two feeble-minded cretins in danger of hooking up?
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Of course not. Two stupid people breeding is (regrettably) not illegal, nor does it have the potential to literally kill me. Also, I’d rather most people cover their genitals anyway, since shlongs and hoo-has can be really distracting as I talk about football or what’s new on TV.

[QUOTE=danceswithcats]
OTOH, I’m a law-abiding guy (hint-which is why I have a CCW) so wouldn’t you rather me have the firearm on my person, such that I’m aware and controlling its custody?
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I would rather you left your gun at home, or not attended the gathering.

92

[QUOTE=msmith537]
Security from what? Do you often encounter social situations whare a firearm comes in handy?
[/QUOTE]
Security from other people at the party who are carrying handguns.

Thus my preference for safety to be preserved by a communal restriction on handguns.

93

Maybe I just go to the wrong kind of party. Mine are kinda boring: canapés, booze, occasional recreational drugs, good music, dancing, talking shit staying up late and having a good time.

Perhaps I need to search out the parties where there is imminent danger to life and limb, that requires the protection of armed vigilantes, in order properly to participate in this discussion.

94

[QUOTE=jjimm]
Maybe I just go to the wrong kind of party. Mine are kinda boring: canapés, booze, occasional recreational drugs, good music, dancing, talking shit staying up late and having a good time.

Perhaps I need to search out the parties where there is imminent danger to life and limb, that requires the protection of armed vigilantes, in order properly to participate in this discussion.
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So there I was, at a Satan’s Choice/Hells Angels party, and I don’t even drink.

95

I’m amazed at the number of people who suggest challenging a stranger with a gun. “Do you have a permit for that?” Are you NUTS?

There is no way on earth I would do that. First, and potentially worst, it identifies me as someone who has noticed the weapon, and I would become the #1 threat/target if in fact the person is nuts or a criminal. Second, carrying a gun in normal social circumstances indicates (to me) a level of paranoia that does not respond well to challenges. And I have no interest in debating the right to carry a weapon with someone carrying a weapon.

I would leave, and mention it to the host on the way out, so long as I didn’t have to stray too far from a straight line toward the exit.

However, I wouln’t calll the police unless there was some other factor that convinced me a crime was about to take place. Seeing a gun isn’t enough, for me, to believe that. But it’s certainly enough to inspire my departure.

96

[QUOTE=jjimm]
Maybe I just go to the wrong kind of party. Mine are kinda boring: canapés, booze, occasional recreational drugs, good music, dancing, talking shit staying up late and having a good time.

Perhaps I need to search out the parties where there is imminent danger to life and limb, that requires the protection of armed vigilantes, in order properly to participate in this discussion.
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Dude, you are welcome at my home any time. Weapons are not tolerated on my property at any time unless the holder is also carrying I.D. proving they are in the law enforcement business.

97

Half the threads about guns on the SDMB have people saying stuff to us Euros like “the media distorts the situation: in real life, we don’t really have all that gun stuff around us”, and the other half of the threads have Americans saying they’re scared in social situations unless someone is packing heat. I find it very confusing.

98

I don’t like guns; I’d leave.

99

[QUOTE=jjimm]
Half the threads about guns on the SDMB have people saying stuff to us Euros like “the media distorts the situation: in real life, we don’t really have all that gun stuff around us”, and the other half of the threads have Americans saying they’re scared in social situations unless someone is packing heat. I find it very confusing.
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Believe me, I live here, and I’m confused too. I think it’s a penis thing.

100

[QUOTE=Boyo Jim]
Believe me, I live here, and I’m confused too. I think it’s a penis thing.
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Aw, geez, don’t rile them up. That’s one of their rallying points, you know, “I don’t carry a gun just because of my penis size, that’s just a coincidence.”