Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 02:07:03 -0500
Reply-To: "Joe L." <jliasse@TOAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Joe L." <jliasse@TOAST.NET>
Subject: Re: mom's USA trip: your advice NO VANAGON CONTENT
In-Reply-To: <3702AEFD.59C8@cyburban.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Guns, or any other weapon for that matter, are sort of like fire
extinguishers. You dont need one very often but when you do you need it in a
BIG hurry. If you are going to have one for self-defense you need to have
it where you can get to it quickly but having it where you can get to it
quickly is also likely to be a violation of law. As a general rule of thumb
it is safe to say that the carrying of a firearm in such a way as to make it
useful for self-defense on the road is also an illegal way of carrying it.
An exception to this is, of course, if you are in your home state and have a
valid CCW license.
Should you carry one? That is up to you. There is risk involved in
carrying one but there is also risk involved in NOT carrying one.Either way
it is YOUR risk we are discussing here and YOUR decision as to how you are
going to handle that risk. What others have said here about people never
getting hit after traveling XXX years and such is true but it was also true
about all the folks you hear about on the 6 o'clock news. They never got hit
either, until they did. Folks can cite the odds all they want but the simple
fact is that SOMEONE is going to win the lottery and someday that just might
be you. You must measure these things for yourself and act accordingly.
If you decide to have one then have one but get some basic training
with it and PRACTICE. Not just shooting it on a range but drawing it from
the places you decide you are going to keep it. And THINK about those
places. Find out about the law regarding self-defense; when the law permits
the use of deadly force. Sit in the van and PLAN things out beforehand (If
"this" happens then I will to "this"). No need to become a "Doc Holiday";
the point is to have a plan so that if something does happen you will be
less likely to panic because you will have already put yourself through the
situation if only mentally. Back to the fire extinguisher again. The time
to think how to use it is BEFORE it is needed because neither the fire nor
the criminal is going to wait for you to figure things out.
Sounds like and IS a lot of work but it is NECESSARY if you decide to
carry. If you are not prepared to do these things carrying is likely to do
you no good. Simply having a gun does not make you armed any more than
simply having a banjo makes you a musician.
Regarding the legal aspects of carrying. Search the court cases
involving actual people who used an illegally carried gun in self-defense.
You will find that these folks are rarely prosecuted for their illegal gun
for the simple fact that the DA does not wish to look like a damn fool by
trying to convince a jury that the defendent should not have had the gun
that saved his life. Of course, if this defendent had been found to have the
gun just BEFORE the crime he WOULD have been prosecuted even though his need
for the gun would have been amply demonstrated just a few minutes later.
Most gun laws are like that. Laws demanded and passed by people who see
themselves at little risk. Ted Kennedy is a case in point. There are few who
more ardently persue gun control yet he himself is constantly surrounded by
armed body guards. Few of us have the luxury of tailoring the laws to permit
ourselves to do as we like while denying the same to others. Most of us must
examine the laws and judge for ourselves if they are reasonable in our own
situation. That old saw, "I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6."
applies here.
Like I said before; there is risk involved in both carrying and NOT
carrying. Either way you choose you face the possibility of unpleasant
consiquences. You yourself must judge the risks you are most comfortable
with and act accordingly. Either way you choose you have my blessings.
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of David..M
Sent: Wed, March 31, 1999 6:26 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: mom's USA trip: your advice NO VANAGON CONTENT
Robert A. Alexander wrote:
>
> Jeez, David, let's not get carried away! An unloaded rifle/shotgun can
> be transported through NY by a non-resident. Handguns, as long as they
> are unloaded and in the trunk, can be transported by non-residents. In
> the case of vehicles with no trunks, ala Vanagons, the handgun has to be
> in a locked containter, NOT including the glove-box or center console.
>
Well, I am not sure you are right. I believe it is illegal to transport
any firearm across state lines into New York unless you are a firearms
dealer.
However, assuming you are correct, what use will the firearm be for
protection in a locked container?
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