The Glade 4.0

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/ ... ews&rpc=22



By Michael Peltier

TALLAHASSEE, Florida | Wed Dec 12, 2012 5:53pm EST

(Reuters) - The number of active concealed weapons licenses in Florida, already home to more owners of such registered weapons than any other U.S. state, is expected to reach the 1 million mark next week, a state official said on Wednesday.

Applications for the permits in the state of 19.1 million people have doubled since 2007. Only 0.3 percent of the more than 2 million total permits issued since 1987 have been revoked, said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.

"Floridians who are obtaining these licenses are obtaining them for the right reason and are using them in an appropriate way," Putnam said.

The state processed more criminal background checks for firearm purchases on Black Friday, the busy shopping day that follows Thanksgiving, than any single other day in the state's history, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey said.

Florida has been a bastion for gun owners, with some of the most expansive laws on the books regarding who can carry weapons and when they can be used.

A state law that can make it difficult to prosecute shooters who claim self-defense has come under scrutiny following the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in February.

George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, faces second-degree murder charges in the 17-year-old's killing. Zimmerman's attorneys have said his actions were legal under the state's Stand Your Ground law, which allows the use of deadly force by someone who feels his life is in danger.

Former National Rifle Association President Marion Hammer said a spike in gun sales since 2007 is due to concerns by gun owners that Democratic President Barack Obama would push for stricter federal gun laws.

She said the increase in the number of owners of licensed concealed weapons is a positive sign because of the additional training required.

"The number of gun owners is up and crime is down," Hammer said. "Criminals commit crimes, but they aren't stupid. They don't want to get shot."

(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Christopher Wilson)







The bullshit is the SYG do not make it more difficult to prosecute. That is usually what DA's and police say because they don't like not having a presumption of guilt. They don't change the requirements for deadly force - they only remove the duty to retreat in public.

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"...but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom." - De Tocqueville

Whoops sorry about that anyone who read it while the add crap was in there.

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"...but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom." - De Tocqueville

Concealed carry isn't the big sticking point amongst most gun control advocates. They don't really care if you own a gun, they just don't want to see it or deal with it. If you keep it concealed, noone cares. If you openly carry it, everyone gets pissed off.

Funny, I see a growing number of anti's who would rather know someone is armed so they can avoid them than have someone be "devious" and conceal it.

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"...but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom." - De Tocqueville

Enormous numbers of gun control advocates do, in fact, address all kinds of overblown fears about people having concealed weapons or having them at all.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Guns are bad, mm'kay?

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“The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government.” - Thomas Paine

How deep are the rivers of blood predicted to be by the Brady group? Do the streets clear ever day at high noon for the wild west shootouts? Has the market for armored cars and bullet resistant glass skyrocketed due to all the car to car shootings during rush hour?

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A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. ~ John Stuart Mill

Elmo was at my house one time (carrying open) and some of Oonagh's family was also there. After he left, Oonagh's aunt said to the two of us, 'Was (Elmo) carrying a gun? I thought he was a nice guy."

Her sentiment has since bothered me because instead of understanding why someone would carry a weapon, she immediately called into question the type of person he is for carrying a weapon.

We immediately defended him and told her why he does. In truth, I was unsure of his motives at first for open carry, but now I completely understand. People NEED to see others carrying to start to feel comfortable with it. There absolutely needs to be a dialog about it so people can understand that the ones you see carrying the gun on their hip are most likely not those whom they need to be fearful of.

When I get around to a purchase of a handgun, I will likely not open carry at first. I don't know if I would want the immediate attention (Likely negative due to perceptions as I mentioned above), but I say good for Elmo and those who do. This needs to be accepted as normal for one to want the means to defend themselves and their family instead of having to cower in fear after dialing 911 hoping for help to arrive when\if their life may be in danger.

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This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.

Honestly, it sounds like a giant pain in the ***.

Can't go in federal buildings, some state buildings, liquor stores, restaurants that sell liquor, blah blah blah.

Leave it in my car? Yikes.

I'm the guy that would, thinking everything's hunky-dory or forgetting about my weapon, walk into a federal liquor store to ask a cop for directions.

I get harassed enough by the fuzz enough as it is.

Only Federal Buildings and court facilities here Ara.

Bars, liquor stores, all legal in Pa.

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"...but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom." - De Tocqueville

Like in Delaware open carry is legal even in a car. In Pennsylvania having a firearm in a car is considered concealed carry. The only provision in Delaware is that the firearm is visible, so just toss it on your dashboard.

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A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. ~ John Stuart Mill

Technically its not concealed in PA but the penalty for driving with a loaded handgun within access is the same as for carrying concealed unlicensed. It's a separate violation with the same everything else.

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"...but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom." - De Tocqueville

The interesting thing about objections to open carry is that they represent a total reversal from earlier ages when concealed carry bans first appeared. The belief was that an honest man carried his weapon openly, but one who cancealed it had mischief in mind.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Open carry makes people uncomfortable because it reminds them of their own mortality. They see the gun, they know that person can end their existence in a few seconds if they feel like it. Of course, the kind of person that would do that is just going to ignore gun control laws anyway, but at least if you don't have to see the gun, you don't have to be reminded of this fact constantly.

In addition, it starts making one wonder exactly what this guy feels the need to defend himself from, and how they personally are powerless against it. IMHO, the "only a violent/immoral person would carry a gun" is actually a defense mechanism so they don't have to think about this. "There's nothing to worry about, that guy is just paranoid."

Exactly Xeq - most people prefer to live in their little conjured world where if nothing bad happens to them - nothing bad could happen to them.

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"...but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom." - De Tocqueville

I see cars driving on streets while I am out for a walk and know that, in an instant, one of them can decide to end my existence in a few seconds if they feel like. Should all cars be concealed because I don't want to be reminded of my own mortality should I be run down by one?

There is an irrational fear of guns that pervades the public and that needs to be brought under control. That you would think just because you see someone legally carrying their weapon, it is on their mind that they can end the life of whomever they choose at their own whim, is ridiculous.

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This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.

Hollywood has also done a great job teaching people that guns are highly unreliable and unless you're a badass action hero carrying a gun makes you a walking death magnet, so even a noncriminal is still very dangerous. Dropping the gun will set it off. Slamming the clip in too hard sets it off. Placing it on a table will set it off. If you leave it in the sun, the ammo will explode. If you bump into the gun-carrying person, expect to get shot in the foot. Hell, a stiff breeze has been known to set them off.

Wait, what? When does Hollywood depict those things?

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

All the freakin time lol

Sounds like my penis.

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Holy shitsnacks!

True Lies - Jamie Lee Curtis' character drops an Uzi down a flight of stairs and it spins perfectly end over end, all the while firing as if the trigger is being held. Manages to take out a few terrorists, IIRC.

Unless, of course, Uzis have an lock mechanism that I am not aware of that would enable the user to pull/lock the trigger for ease of emptying the clip.

Yeah, typical Hollywood.

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This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.

Oh, I see. So the problem is that we've come to accept comedies as valid instructional/educational delivery methods.

Got it.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

I'm not sure where you're going with this but is it really a big surprise that people are influenced by, and occasionally take at face value what they see on TV and in movies?

^^^^^ What Lenas said.

Guns are that big taboo thing that people who have never been exposed to them will do their damndest to avoid fully understanding them. They'd rather take what they see on TV and the big screen as fact.

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This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.

Which is the real problem, not that Hollywood portrays ludicrous situations as part of a comedy.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades