# Resolved: Every adult will be required to carry a gun at all times in public **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 25, 2024, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216 "2024-08-25T22:31:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2024, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/63 "2024-08-27T00:06:35Z")
> [@vbob](#): > > You’re probably thinking of ‘The Puppet Masters’. Later in the novel, when the alien parasites learn to conceal themselves beneath their victim’s clothing, everyone was admonished to go nude AND carry a gun. That was not it. A dude from the past came to in a SF world. > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Sounds more like _Beyond This Horizon_ to me. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/64 "2024-08-27T00:07:29Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Sounds more like _Beyond This Horizon_ to me. You may well be right. Neither are high on my ‘re-read frequently’ list. A quick search through the text of Puppet Masters makes it clear that everyone carries, but it is accepted as a simple fact of life. “Where in the deuce did you find that?” I asked-and well I might, for neither one of us had bothered to dress when we came out. The area was very deserted and often it did not seem worthwhile to take the trouble; it was my land. So I was much surprised as I would have sworn that the only gun Mary had with her was the one she had carried in her sweet little hand. “It was high up on my neck, under my hair,” she said demurely. “See?” I looked. I knew a phone could be hidden there but I had not thought of it for a gun-though of course I don’t use a lady-size weapon and I don’t wear my hair in long flame-colored curls. Then I looked again, for she had a third gun shoved against my ribs. “Where did that one come from?” I asked. She giggled. “Sheer misdirection; it’s been in plain sight all the time.” She would not tell me anything further and I never did figure it out. She should have clanked when she walked-but she did not. Oh my, no! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2024, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/65 "2024-08-27T00:09:37Z")
Heinlein’s problem was that he thought the “Good Guys” were pretty much of a like mind (his), and so his societies run pretty much in a way that just wouldn’t work in reality. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2024, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/66 "2024-08-27T01:19:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > That was not it. A dude from the past came to in a SF world. > > > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > > > Sounds more like _Beyond This Horizon_ to me. > > Maybe. Sounds like [For Us, the Living - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Us,_the_Living) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2024, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/67 "2024-08-27T02:48:46Z")
Every felony conviction would be a life sentence, since, once you get out of prison, you could not go anywhere without breaking the law. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2024, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/68 "2024-08-27T04:53:50Z")
Felons were excluded. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2024, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/69 "2024-08-27T05:03:15Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Sounds like [For Us, the Living - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Us,_the_Living) I dont see anything about guns. But I asked in the “Ask me” CS thread. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/71 "2024-08-28T00:57:22Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Nobody remembers The Right Of The People? I read the linked article but it didn’t say anything about the plot. How did everyone owning guns work out in that fictional scenario? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/72 "2024-08-28T02:08:02Z")
Mixed; there were a couple of legitimate self-defense uses but also some irresponsible yahoos. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/73 "2024-08-28T05:58:44Z")
There doesn’t seem to be any increase in homicides in open carry states (and there are 31 of them now, with 10 sorta kinda. But no sharp decrease either. There has been an increase in gun accidents and gun thefts however. > **[Concealed Carry Crime Stats 2024: The Impact of Open Carry on Crime in the...](https://havokjournal.com/guns/concealed-carry-crime-stats-2024-the-impact-of-open-carry-on-crime-in-the-u-s/)** > > by Cassandra McBride This article originally appeared in ammo.com and is re-published here with permission. Report Highlights There are 26 states with Concealed Carry Crime Stats 2024 ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/74 "2024-08-28T09:44:02Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > I read the linked article but it didn’t say anything about the plot. How did everyone owning guns work out in that fictional scenario? I mostly don’t remember; I haven’t seen it since it aired in '86. I only remember one scene were a couple of out-of-town thugs were getting ready to rob a grocery store, but then bailed on their plan when they noticed pretty much everyone in the store was packing. If you’re bored and have 90 minutes to kill, it’s available on YouTube: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CHNc5nGDjX0/maxresdefault.jpg "The Right of the People (1986) | Michael Ontkean Billy Dee Williams | Made-For-TV Movie") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHNc5nGDjX0) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/75 "2024-08-28T13:36:48Z")
I’ll point out that besides all the other issues the result will be racist and sexist, since due to our bigoted law enforcement system a third of black men have at least one felony. Also, you’ll likely end up having people using the bizarre defense for murder of “He was unarmed so I shot him.” > [@DtypeJag](#): > > Hope you realize that this was said tongue in cheek! Trying to illustrate absurdity of the NRA’s position. I’ve seen people genuinely push for everyone to carry a gun, so no, it’s not obviously sarcastic. [Poe’s Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law) applies. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/76 "2024-08-28T14:22:03Z")
My wife and I are (regularly) appalled at news stories about very young children shooting themselves or their siblings with unattended handguns. How can a 3 YO child even hold, much less fire, a full-sized handgun? It’s obviously possible, since we see the stories. Still, hard for us to picture. I can’t imagine the increase in these types of incidents if handguns are even more prevalent and readily accessible. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/77 "2024-09-03T17:12:00Z")
My Wife and I live pretty remote. The good news is any person thinking about intruding into a house around here would have to be crazy. People that live remote, generally can defend themselves. The bad news is any person thinking about intruding into a house around here would have to be crazy. I don’t CCW, but I’ve been a shooter since I was ~10 years old. My wife thought that perhaps she would like a gun. OK. I take her shooting. Single shot bolt action .22. We both decided that this is not a good idea. It takes a lot of training. At least for some folks. My wife being one of them. I was in ‘town’(it’s real small) 15 or so years ago thinking about this. The liquor store owner also owned a gun store. I asked the liquor store owner if they had any Lady Smith 38’s (perhaps a good choice for my wife) the owner said no, but said, “I have one though”, pulled it out of her purse, emptied it and thrust it into my hands. I’m now standing in a liquor store, at the cash register with a gun in my hands that the owner gave me. Alarms go off in my head, this is a very, very bad idea. I drop the gun on the counter and back away. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/78 "2024-09-07T03:34:28Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > My wife and I are (regularly) appalled at news stories about very young children shooting themselves or their siblings with unattended handguns. How can a 3 YO child even hold, much less fire, a full-sized handgun? It’s obviously possible, since we see the stories. Still, hard for us to picture. Most handguns only weigh between 2-3 pounds and the trigger pull on a double action revolver is between 10-15 pounds. It’s quite easy for a toddler to pick it up and pull that trigger. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/79 "2024-09-07T04:52:18Z")
The _only_ way I could accept requiring everyone to go around armed would be if all firearms (no exceptions) were required to have [non-attached](http://www.avvanta.com/~sydde/trigger.jpeg) triggers. There is _nothing_ is the second amendment that would enjoin such a legal requirement. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/80 "2024-09-07T07:05:28Z")
And computers come without keyboards or mice, and books and newspapers are blank… ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/81 "2024-09-07T10:42:03Z")
They aren’t dangerous to yourself or others. Heck, if magically compelled to mandate everyone carry a gun, I’d _also_ mandate that their barrels be filled with metal and their parts welded solid first to make them outright unusable. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/82 "2024-09-07T15:08:59Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And computers come without keyboards or mice What decade are you living in? The vast majority of computers sold today are notebooks, which do not lack those things. Not to mention phones. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216/83 "2024-09-07T18:31:06Z")
To bring this discussion back down to earth, if everyone was required to carry a gun then everyone would have to be required to go through an intensive firearm safety course, including range time, and pass. Additionally they should be required to keep themselves proficient by going to a range at regular times and be graded by an instructor. Said safety courses would also include a factual discussion of firearms, and arms in general, so as to dispel a lot of the nonsense spouted off in the discussion about firearms. Personally, I think it’s a bad idea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-every-adult-will-be-required-to-carry-a-gun-at-all-times-in-public/1006216.md?page=5)