The issue of carrying a firearm is very personal. There =
are over
30 states
that have "shall - issue" concealed carry laws =
now.
The idea being that a
law - abiding citizen shall not be denied the =
right to
"keep and bear arms".
That means that in those states a =
check is
done on the applicant and the
request is approved if there is no =
criminal
record.
The fact remains that many folks carry without a permit =
in those
states as
well as others. Many consider the =
"registration"
that goes along with the
permit is an infringement on their
liberty.
The criminal element is not so concerned with the laws =
governing
weapons.
You, as a law - abiding citizen need to be. So the =
best thing
to do is look
at your route and get a brief on the laws of the states =
you
will encounter.
You will find that most places allow transportation =
of
firearms with certain
provisions, some with no =
restrictions.
The
bottom line is that if you are going to carry a handgun as you =
travel
you
need to know the laws of the states that you will cross (and in =
some
cases
the counties and cities). The laws are many and varied. You
can't
rely on a phone call to a police station or a lawyer, because =
they
probably
don't know the laws themselves. This may seem like a =
fruitless
pursuit, but
the fact remains that if you choose to carry a gun as =
you travel
you will
probably break some laws. So, is the changing law =
issue or the
self
protection issue the more important to you?
In a lethal
encounter, as a woman, you will normally be "outgunned' by
bad
guys. The most effective way to neutralize a violent =
encounter is
with a
firearm, properly presented. The knowledge of the =
presence of
the gun is
normally enough to repel a human predator. Shots are =
fired
fewer than 999
out of a thousand times that handguns are used to =
defend
people. It is your
decision. Just fully prepare =
yourself.
If you have no training in combat
handgunning or proper carry you are =
more
likely to make serious mistakes in
situations where you are nervous, =
or in a
hurry. You don't want your gun
to fall out of your purse =
as you
hurry into the Wall Mart to beat closing
time, or forget where you =
hid it
when you need it. Training is good.
As far as a stun gun is =
concerned, it is a contact weapon. You have to
touch the =
attacker to
use it, and that is just too close for comfort. It is
also =
ineffective
when applied through heavy clothing, and the target should
be the =
torso for
the best (safest) result. A good pepper spray that you
have =
been
trained on and that is fresh and tested is a better choice. =
Also
have a
cell phone with pre - programmed numbers for emergency =
services.
THE BEST
POSSIBLE THING YOU CAN DO IS TRAIN TO NOT BE A VICTIM! Read
the
book "Safe, not Sorry" by Tanya K. Metaska and =
visit the
NRA at this web
address for VERY good resources on personal =
protection for
women!
http://www.nrahq.org/safety/God
Bless,
Steve Tew
satew@mninter.net-----Origi=
nal
Message-----
From: Kari Williams <
Karibel@AOL.COM>
To:
vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM =
<
vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM&g=
t;
Date:
Wednesday, March 31, 1999 4:38 PM
Subject: Mom's USA trip: forget the =
gun!
>so what do you all
>think of a stun gun? and do you =
have any
idea how many times per day my
>coworkers tell me about the =
"yosemite
3"? i just refuse to spend my summer
>watching TV inside my =
locked
house. boring!
>~kari