I never considered carrying before, but this sweet little lady who works for a company that is my client does carry, and she recently had good reason to do so. After Hurricane Katrina she had loaded up her car with water, gasoline, food, batteries, and other supplies to bring to her 80-year-old parents in Mississippi. On the way down there, two 4x4 trucks tried to run her off of the highway in order to take her stuff. Not because they needed it but because there happened to be a black market for supplies in the first few days after the hurricane -- they wanted the money. Had she not stepped out of the car and aimed her gun at them, it could have gotten very interesting.

I won't go into great detail, but suffice to say: she was damned well prepared by having that little .38 in her purse.

Anyway, I say all that to say: it doesn't matter how safe the area is where you live. At some point you might need to travel. Maybe after some crazy **** has gone down and the police presence isn't quite what it should be. Better to have a gun and not need it, in that scenario.

 

You are, at this point, behaving in a condescending and smug fashion. I'm glad that life has afforded you the opportunity to remain so closed-minded to other peoples' worlds.

 

Can we carry concealed weapons in Chicago for situations like these ???

what is permit policy for carrying a gun in IL ?

 

Short answer: No. Illinois does not issue concealed-carry permits to citizens.

http://www.packing.org/state/illinois/

Date updated: Aug 27, 2005 @ 7:47 pm

Illinois has *no* provision for legal concealed or open carry by citizens.

There are two laws relating to firearms that must be simultaneously obeyed:

The Firearm Owners Identification Card Act (430 ILCS 65)
Click Here

and the Unlawful Use of Weapons (720 ILCS 5/24) law.
Click Here

Selected Illinois Municipalities That Prohibit and Regulate Firearms
http://www.packing.org/gs/il_cities_laws.pdf

How do I apply for a Permit/License?

Date updated: Jul 30, 2005 @ 9:50 pm

Illinois does not issue carry permits. Illinois residents must have a Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card in order to merely possess firearms or firearm ammunition. See the Illinois State Police Firearm Owner's Identification Information page for more details on how to apply. Issuance is on a shall-issue basis.

 

i don't even see why some people are still under the laughable assumption that only "shady" areas are where crimes happen. a few years ago my mom's crappy 92 accord was stolen while parked in front of her old townhouse over in potomac (median household income $128k, median family income $142k). they caught the guy within 24 hours as he was stupid enough to stop and change the tire when he got a flat several miles away, and he had a [needless to say, unregistered] gun on him. over the past 2-3 months here in northwest DC with its ridiculous gun ban, several people have been robbed at gunpoint on and near georgetown's campus, and at least two girls were sexually assaulted while inside their off-campus apartments. the area where all this happened is hardly considered shady, and nearby a few months ago a well-known old lady who works as a streetvendor was beaten right in front of a security camera near GW's metro station by a crazy armed robber. hell, even a few days ago some lady (again, from a nice local area) found a guy UNDERNEATH her bed with a video camera and condoms, turns out he was a former parking valet at the hospital she worked at and was going to rape her (luckily her boyfriend was in the home and held the guy down till cops got there).

being in a "nice" area might make crimes far less likely, but it'd be silly to assume you'll never be a victim or that you'll never witness a preventable crime. if you're afraid of owning a firearm then don't, but like it or not, legal gun owners or CCW-holders are not the ones who commit gun-related crimes. it's furthermore simply ridiculous to tell people to just "avoid bad areas" or to make laughable comparisons to the criminal statistics of other nations, especially ones totally different in culture, lifestyles and population diversity as well as a slew of other factors.

 

Well said

 

Yes, it was very well said.

 

Hey koosh,
I am not the one under the impression that bad things only happen in shady areas, I have seen the world well most of it anyway and I have seen **** happen in the nicest of the nice areas.
We all live in this time that ANYTHING can happen ANYWHERE at ANY time.
My response was that I will protect myself and my loved ones at any cost as that is my duty and my right. I dont shelter myself and go where I need to go, period.

Bajo

 

oh yeah i know, i didn't mean to imply it was your idea by quoting you, just refuting that general sentiment for the anti-gun folk in this thread, sorry for the confusion.

and to continue my earlier rant, i forgot to mention that my college roommate in 1999 was sitting at a cafe with his gf in dupont circle (again, really nice area of downtown DC) when some crazy old homeless dude just walked up and started threatening them with a 4" razorblade. crazy **** happens EVERYWHERE, DC is just a shining example of how strict gun laws (where you basically can't own a gun at all) are just plain idiotic. rather than boost prevention of violent crime or apprehending more criminals (getting to the root cause of social problems, putting more cops on the streets, etc), strict gun laws just add a few more years to the sentences of the small amount of criminals that ARE caught, at the cost of disarming people who want to own a gun to protect themselves and deter threats. if a state wants to increase jail time for people who commit gun-related crimes it can do so by changing their criminal code, a far better solution than simply blanket-banning guns or reducing the number of people who can legally own them.

 

All this quoting about what happened to your friend, or your friend's friend, or your friend's grandma or whatever is meaningless. Yes, the thought of a violent attack can stir up some emotions in people, but you guys aren't being realistic.

Since some of you still don't get what I was saying, let me give you some cold hard facts to chew on.

Over the course of your life, there is about a 0.5% chance that you will be killed during an assault.

Can you guess what the odds of dying from accidential poisoning by exposure to noxious substances is? The same 0.5%.

The odds of dying from a fall sometime during your life? 0.5%.

The odds of dying in an auto accident? Twice that at about 1%.

The odds of dying from intentional self harm? What do you know ... 1%.

So, let me ask you ...

Do you worry about noxious substances, and carry a gas mask everywhere you go? C'mon, you don't think a gas mask is as cool as a gun?

Do you worry about dying from a fall, and use the proper safety gear such as that used by mountain climbers, etc. every time you climb a ladder to clean your gutters? So what if the neighborhood kids laugh at you ...

Do you only drive the absolute #1 safest car that money can buy? It ain't no P-car, but remember, safety first!

Do you worry about going crazy and killing yourself? Hmm, maybe you already are and just don't know it?

Wait, you answered no to all of these things? I thought so.

So tell me exactly, why do you feel the need to carry a gun?

Even many people that aren't gun happy think it's a good idea to keep a gun in their house for home protection. Guess what? Repeated studies show that the risks of keeping a gun in the home far out-weigh the benefits.

Of course I don't approve of criminals. Of course I don't think crime only happens in the hood. Of course I'm not saying it's your fault if you are attacked by some psycho. You guys posting this nonsense are just twisting my words trying to divert attention from the simple facts that I've posted.

 

Here's some interesting, though a little sarcastic, facts:

1. Banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, & Chicago
cops need guns.

2. Washington DC's low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to
strict gun control, and Indianapolis' high murder rate of 9 per
100,000 is due to the lack of gun control.

3. The Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which
went into effect in 1994 are responsible for the decrease in
violent crime rates, which have been declining since 1991.

4. When confronted by violent criminals, you should "put up no
defense - give them what they want, or run" (Handgun Control
Inc. Chairman Pete Shields, Guns Don't Die - People Do, 1981,
p. 125).

5. In spite of waiting periods, background checks,
fingerprinting, government forms, etc., guns today are too readily
available, which is responsible for recent school shootings. In
the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's, anyone could buy guns at
hardware stores, army surplus stores, gas stations, variety
stores, Sears mail order, no waiting, no background check, no
fingerprints, no government forms and there were no school
shootings.

6. Private citizens don't need a gun for self- protection because
the police are there to protect them even though the Supreme
Court says the police are not responsible for their protection.

 

do you let your car idle in your garage with the door closed? do you ride a bike without a helmet? drive without your seatbelt on? we already know you don't spend time in rough areas, right? we all take everyday risks, but we all mitigate those risks quite a bit. i don't have to be paranoid to protect myself from those risks, whether it's keeping my seatbelt on, not exposing myself to noxious fumes, not driving in bad areas, or defending myself from criminals. suggesting that i "don't go to bad areas" to avoid crime is no different.

if you have kids that are combing through your stuff to take your gun to school so they can kill a bunch of their classmates, you've got other problems. if you have kids that think your gun is a toy, then that's your problem for not educating them properly about REAL gun safety and life in general. there is no shortage of stupid parents, the ones who don't protect their guns from their children (or, don't educate them about guns either) are just another kind of stupid, nothing special about that and it's a silly justification to prevent me from driving through DC with an unloaded firearm in my glovebox.

as for your "statistics" which are likely applying to the entire US (how someone is supposed to be convinced by statistics that are supposed to apply to every one of 300,000,000 people in very 50 different states, i'll never know), what are the odds of being a victim AT ALL? who says you have to DIE to be a victim of crime? give me some statistics of being shot or stabbed in DC, even if you survive. gimme some statistics about the odds that your hot gf/wife/sister/whatever gets raped or sexually assaulted in a "nice" area around here, or hell even in NYC? LA? what about the odds that you get robbed at gunpoint/knifepoint? get your house burglarized? protecting yourself with a gun doesn't have to mean someone dies, whether it's you or the other guy.

 

Tip: Don't go to shady areas. Doh! A gun won't solve your problem ...

Limit up those are your words, I am not trying to twist your words.

This topic is about what YOU personally believe in and I believe that IF there is EVER a need that I have to protect myself and others I can and will.
Bad things happen every day to unfortunately alot of people and that is a sad fact. If someone wants to take my car out of my garage while I am sleeping please do so it is insured and replacable my famliy's life and my life however is not.
Someone wants something real bad they will get it all I am pointing out is that people make choices in life and personally the ones that want to take something that is not theirs at gunpoint should be dealt with. I am not gonna step down and be humiliated and give some one the upper hand because they steal for a living.
Again I stress thats MY belief. I have been around guns since I can remember and have never pulled one out for the sake of scaring someone.
Just about a month ago I was traveling southbound on I-294 and 2 jokers in Chevy Tahoes wanted to play around by boxing me in, I was driving my RS6 with my wife and daughter in the car, they didnt like whatever it is that they didnt like about me or my car and started to block the 2 lanes they could with another innocent person in the 3rd lane that didnt know what was happening, YES I had my gun and YES I did not know what they were up to but remained calm in order to get their plates as my wife was calling the police and then I passed them and left them behind me. Honestly I would have liked to blow out their tire and see how they flipped around on the x-way but there was alot of innocent people there that did not need that to happen and we were amongst them.
Unfortunatelly there isnt enough police out there to help when needed and that will always be the case.

Now, as far as the Brady Bill, dont make me laugh, it didnt do a thing to lower gun violence.
Criminals DO NOT go to gun stores to buy a weapon that can be traced back to them.
I wish everyonel the best in life and may God watch over you and yours.
Good Night,

Bajo !

 

don't forget the lifting of the assault weapons ban, for some reason since it happened there hasn't been an 8000% increase in violent crime, can't seem to understand why... or florida's enactment of the stand-your-ground self-defense laws in april, i wonder why we haven't heard of "arguments between neighbors, parents at soccer games or drinking buddies that escalate into gunfights" like the gun-control crackpots said would happen.

 

I could care less about gun control, I never said anything about that. Own as many guns as you want - as long as you don't point one at me or anyone I care about I could care less.

It has nothing to do with gun control, laws, protecting yourself, morality, or any of that. It has to do with reality. Some people just don't "get it". You are not even close to the real issue at hand. Some of you are just jumping to conclusions, the same way that most people who own and/or carry guns do so for the wrong reasons and/or "reasons" that are not valuable in practice.

Whatevers, I guess we could debate this forever. I would enjoy standing across from a few of you guys at a real debate, but you can only go so far on a message board. I'm sure you'll agree.

A few more random comments and I'm done ...

I agree. I just think it's interesting when one goes to extremes to attempt to protect themselves from one risk, while ignoring other equally common risks. I never once said you shouldn't carry a gun, or shouldn't be allowed to carry one.

First of all, it's about more than just your kids finding your gun. But even if that's all it had to do with, what you are saying is not based in reality. Surely you don't have children, if you think that telling kids not to play with guns is going to prevent accidents. The same way that telling kids not to play with matches doesn't prevent the fires that they start every day. I could go on and on but I'm hoping you just mispoke about this because you don't have kids and/or you don't have any real experience with kids.

I'm not going to address all of these points, because as I said before if you use common sense the odds of all these types of things happening are the same as the odds for other common ****ty things that happy to people every day. It's just not practical to obsess over this type of thing.

Now you're scaring me. If some crackhead psycho is pointing a gun at you, the last thing you want to do is make sudden quick movements and try to reach for your own gun. It's way too late at that point. That **** only happens in the movies dude. The only way you would pull it off with any consistency is if you are highly skilled in this area. You gotta play the odds. More than likely you'll scare the crackhead and he'll pull the trigger.

Statistically, the only way that guns reduce crime/injuries/fatalities is by making some criminals think twice before acting, so there are less attempts. Unless you are highly skilled and trained in this type of thing, having a gun tucked under your belt isn't going to improve your overall odds of "success" if an attacker pulls a gun on you. Most of the time the bad guy won't actually use his gun, until you whip out yours.

I'm sorry BBGT2, but that's just crazy. The irony is that what you think might be "protecting" yourself is actually putting you in more danger. You're going to make a bad situation worse, and actually decrease your odds of success, just so you can say that you didn't back down, and you weren't humiliated? That's silly. Again this assumes you are not trained and highly skilled in these areas, which I'm pretty darn sure you're not.

Oh well I could go on and on but I won't. We are obviously not on the same page here, and that's not going to change.