Crimson Red Sports

I have been thinking for a year or two that it is probably time to get some guns.  The world is becoming more evil every day.  I've never really owned a gun or felt the need to.  But the ISIS plot that was broken up in Australia reminded me that I need to get this taken care of pretty soon.  You know there are hidden lone wolf terrorists in the US somewhere just waiting for the right moment to strike.

I've gone hunting a few times as a kid and I know the basics about gun safety.  I have enough common sense to be safe.  However, common sense also dictates that I educate myself as much as I can, so I will probably take a gun safety course if I can find one around here.

I think I want to get a concealed carry permit, but I am very concerned about getting myself into trouble.  I would hate to get arrested because I walked into a store or school or somewhere with my gun on me.

If you guys have any advice, I would love to hear it.

Thanks.

Coach, I would start by getting a reliable home defense gun.  There are lots of options out there, but the most effective in my opinion is a shotgun.  Hunting guns are ok but I prefer a shorter barrel tactical shotgun.  You can get a Mossberg Maverick for less than $300.  It will have a capacity of 5 to 8 rounds depending on which magazine you select.  Bear in mind that a 00 buckshot has 9 pellets each roughly the size of a 9mm round.  So if you get off 5 rounds you have sent 45 projectiles downrange.  You  get a lot of fire power quickly.  Another advantage is that you wont have to worry about accidentally killing a neighbor several houses away.
 My personal favorite is a Remington Model 870 with a 20 inch barrel,, but it will cost a little more, closer to $400.
If I could own only one gun it would be a home defense tactical 12 ga.  shotgun.

As far as a personal defense hand gun, there are as many opinions as there a guns or people.  As a general rule, the larger and more powerful a handgun is the more difficult it is to carry.  Most people make a trade off between effectiveness and comfort.  After all if you don't carry it because it is too heavy, or bulky it's not going to do you much good on your closet shelf.  I own every thing from .22's to .45's, but my favorite carry gun is a Smith and Wesson airweight .38 special cal. with a 2 in bbl.  Is a good balance between effectiveness and ease of carry.  My alternate carry guns are a Ruger LCP .380 and a Bersa CC .380.

I personally prefer a revolver over a semi automatic,  since I'm an old guy who
grew up on revolvers.  I also like their ease of use. Just point and pull the trigger, no chambering a round, then clicking the safety off.  They are much easier to clean and maintain.

If you have a specific question please fire away.

By the way, I think you are wise in being prepared.

 

as far as concealed carry, this link will show you a nice gun plus you can clip it to the inside of your pants in front and pull your T shirt out and no one  knows it is there, and it WILL NOT JAM
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/09/ralph/gun-review-smith-wesson-model-642/

Wow, Leewillie I needed you around back when I came out of Service and thought could whop a man with a gun as well as anybody else. I could had some good hardware from you. rofl, RTR!

I really appreciate this thread. I have never personally owned a gun, but like SC, current world events have led me to believe that having at least one on hand would not be a bad idea. I enjoyed reading the advice, and when I decide to go out and get one (which may be pretty soon), I may ask some additional advice myself.

In my opinion, Leewillie just gave the best advice I have ever read! It is a good start!

Here is a simple question, but I am certain the answer is complicated.  If you have a concealed carry permit, where can you go with your gun without getting in trouble?  Does anyone have a link to any information that goes into the details about what you can and cannot do?  For example, if you walk into the bank will you get arrested if the teller sees the gun?

What if you don't have a concealed carry permit?  Is the only difference that the gun has to be visible at all times (in a holster for example)?

Thanks for the help guys.

By the way, I really like the idea of a shot gun for an intruder.  You pretty much can't miss with that.

Another thought that just occurred to me is that those projectiles will go right through drywall.  Something to keep in mind if your family is hiding on the other side of the wall when you meet the intruder.  There is a lot more to this than point and shoot.  You probably shouldn't just go out and buy a gun and hide it in the house somewhere.  You need to be trained to handle something like this so that when the time comes you will know what to do.

Each state has it's own laws.  I live in Tennessee, each state has good information on the internet.  Here is one which might be helpful to you.  There are many more.



http://whnt.com/2013/07/30/alabamas-new-gun-law-what-you-need-to-know/

How many posters we got on here from Tennessee and what area? INTERESTING! Middle Tennessee here!

here is a video of the clip on the 642
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFnkK77nLM

Hendersonville

Charter Arms 38 special is what I keep in the house. A small gun with 2" barrel. My kids, who are grown now, don't know I own a hand gun. It always concerned me having a LOADED gun in the house with kids. I do not carry the gun outside and do not have a permit.

I still own a 22 Marlin bolt action rifle, 12 ga Remington shotgun and 308 Browning automatic rifle from my younger days but I have not fired any of them in a long time. I do not keep them loaded and have the ammo stored in a safe. I wanted to like hunting because so many of my friends love it but golf suited me better even in cold weather.

Lots of good information in here guys.  I feel a lot better about the legal side of it now that I read the link.  To be honest, I have been more concerned about the legal issues than gun safety.

My only advice would be that if you carry a gun you had better be willing to use it. I once carried a pistol in my car when I worked in Birmingham and had two incidents where there was a chance to use the gun if I chose to. I didn't choose to and today I am so glad I didn't pull the gun out because I would have been killed or I would have killed someone. I thought long and hard about those incidents and decided to take the gun out of my car because even if I shot someone in self defense I would have to deal with the laws of today. I don't want to test the court systems that we now have, I am a white man. Now if someone came into my house, that is a different story and I would use the gun in a heartbeat.

Good advice.  Just pulling the gun out is a huge escalation and you better be willing to pull the trigger.  The other guy might have a gun too.  If the situation isn't bad enough to pull the trigger, then leave the weapon concealed.

Not to be disrespectful, Super, but I estimate you are in more danger of being run over by a drunk Auburn tractor driver than being attacked by an ISIS lone wolf.

Well, I'll just shoot him too.

On a serious note, you are correct.  The odds of that specific scenario are extremely low.

I've never had a gun either.  Several years ago I was in a neighborhood grocery store in Mobile when it was held up by two guys with guns.  They emptied the cash registers and ran. I figure if I'd had a gun there might have been a shootout and I'd now be on our Evergreen Cemetery site instead of posting on Ferguson.

If I could keep my wits about me, I would probably keep mine hidden in that situation if it looked like all they wanted was the money.  But you never know what you will do until you are in a situation like that.  It is a tough call.  But just because you have a gun doesn't mean you have to use it, or even let the other guys know you have it.  If you do pull it out, you had better not be bluffing.  If I get one, it would only come out as an absolute last resort to save my life or the life of someone close to me.  You have to able to assess the risk and calculate the probabilities instantaneously, which is tough to do.  But, I think I would rather have a gun and choose not to use it, than not have a gun and not have the option.

Sounds reasonable.  My problem is I have trouble operating a can opener.  I can see myself dodging bullets while I fiddled with my gun.

There was a story several months ago about the Mobile police officer who questioned an elderly black man about why he was carrying a pistol.  To which the old gentleman replied "I live in a neighborhood being taken over by gangs and I would rather you catch me with it, than for them to catch me without it".

Pretty good logic if you ask me.

Smart man!

We've mentioned Mobile on here twice, but a list of America's most dangerous cities has Birmingham as 6th, the only Alabama city named.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/19/most-dangerous-cities-in-america-2013_n_4816774.html

And today three died when a guy started shooting in UPS in Bham.

So, going postal is being expanded?  :lol2:

Ouch!   ;)

I don't see how any city could be worse than Memphis for crime.  EVERY night!

There was a similar incident at a FedEx recently.  I guess the post office truly is being replaced by these guys.

Now, if something like that happens where you are at, wouldn't you at least want to have a weapon of your own to give yourself a fighting chance?

Maybe the problem is that too many irresponsible people own guns, and too many responsible people are reluctant to carry.

No, I want to outrun the person in front of me. ;)

That just means you get shot 2nd.

A Muslim in Oklahoma went on a rampage and beheaded someone at his job after he was fired.  He was stopped when the CFO of the company shot him.  He was wounded, but not killed.  He would have continued killing if he had not been shot.

Now, this CFO also had police experience and had proper training on how to handle this situation.  This case is a perfect example of how to react, as well as a perfect example of why you should be prepared to react.

Carrying a weapon is a huge responsibility, but I am beginning to be convinced that it is also an obligation.

If he had police experience, he should have shot him dead. That's what they teach you in law enforcement. If the seriousness of the situation is such, that you have to use your weapon, shoot to kill. At least he brought him down and stopped him from killing anyone else.

I agree with both of you.

Here's another example.  This time a pistol-packing mama.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2771350/Come-shed-hands-I-Petite-mom-points-9mm-gun-suspected-robber-attempts-break-home.html

Good for her.

I've spent time at shooting ranges doing sequences of targets and such.  The joke around ranges is 'cops are the worst at target shooting'. 

My experience is they're generally the worst at scoring hits, and they're slower than the other competitors.  I remember one cop who kept shooting the legs from under the targets until everyone was laughing.

So, if the cops expect to 'shoot him dead', more likely they'd cut his legs out instead.

I now have an old Arminius .38 special that has been in my family for 3 generations.  I had forgotten all about it, but my dad gave it to me 20 years ago.  I had given it to someone else for safe keeping because I didn't want it around the house at the time.

By the way, I am still planning to buy something else later, once I am comfortable with having a gun in the house.

 :lol:

Were these the cops?  :lol2:

(http://parentpreviews.com/legacy-pics/three-stooges-cops-and-robbers.jpg)

When I was a deputy sheriff, I consistently qualified in the high 90's, and I was one of the worst on the force. Better tell those Mississippi boys to pick it up a notch. 8)