Opinions Please - Should I get a CCW permit? (Vanity)

[chickpundit]

I have been wanting to pursue a CCW permit for a while. I just wonder if it's a good idea in an Obama administration. Will I be an easier target for gun confiscation if I'm a registered CCW holder?

[evets]

[conductor john]

You wouldnt believe it on the trains. I had to get the law after one guy gets on, starts shouting, ‘we gonna paint the white house BLACK!’, and wouldn’t stop yakking. When I came up to collect his ticket, he shouts, “ why should I have ta pay? A BLACK MAN is now in the white house! I don’t have ta pay!”
You should of seen the halo pop out when the law met him at newark penn sta. Ha! Respectfully, he bought his ticket.

[kbennkc]

It is the accessories that really finish a nice outfit .

[VairyAngel]

That sounds like a scary situation as well. My daughter was pretty shaken up over what happened. She was more worried about the children than anything else. Thank God nothing got out of hand for her and also for you.

[ironwill]

Get it. Always carry. Never tell.

[Southern Partisan]

What State?

[oldfart]

I’m 74 years old and I don’t think I’ve been “pulled over” more than three times. All three of those occasioans I just sat in my car while the nice officer (/sarc) wrote me a citation. I was always carrying a pistol but I could have been carrying a sawed-off shotgun and it would never have been noticed. Recently, with the advent of arthritis, I’ve stopped carrying anything. The chance of fighting off a bad guy compared to the probability of me shooting my a$$ off was a definite factor in that decision.

If you check the lights on your car once a week and refrain from driving like an idiot the chance of getting “pulled over” decreases dramatically.

[Sans-Culotte]

When pulled over the first words out of your mouth should be you have a permit and wait for instructions from the officer.

In my class, I was taught to always give the officer both my permit and drivers license.

[Sans-Culotte]

Handgun purses are a great way to carry.

Do you have one of those purses? Do they work well? My wife does not carry her S&W Airweight enough, IMO, because she does not have a good way to carry it (I carry my .38 in a pocket holster). That purse looks interesting. Can you walk with the purse on your shoulder and your hand on the gun?

[kbennkc]

If you buy your wife a custom made leather gun purse to carry the semi rare Python you pretended to give her , be sure she does not also routinely carry chewing gum . There is a known risk your pet rat will chew a much larger than rat size door in the purse , eat the entire pack of gum , become ill and leave gummy evidence of rat sickness all over the aforementioned jointly owned Python .

[kbennkc]

In my class, I was taught to always give the officer both my permit and drivers license.

I am not disagreeing with your training , but my personal preference is to tell the officer before I make any movement . I turn my dome light on before the officer gets to the car and I keep my hands on the wheel until he asks me to do something . Yes I get pulled over often , I don't drive like an idiot , but I have business interests with calls at 2 or 3 in the morning . They get curious , it is their job .

[chickpundit]

That’s frightening! I’m sorry that happened. It probably would be wise for her to arm herself. I’ve never experienced anything like that, but I should probably be prepared for such a situation.

[chickpundit]

I’m a little nervous about the best way to carry. I would prefer to have it on my person, but that may not be practical. I will do some research on a purse. I would just have to remember never to put it down.

[PowderMonkey]

"In my class, I was taught to always give the officer both my permit and drivers license."

No need in my State. CWP records are linked to DMV here. They immediately know the instant they run your plates whether or not you've been issued a CWP. They'll be fully prepared before they walk up on you. When the officer appears at your window, he'll ask "are you armed?" If yes, he'll ask where it is, and ask you to keep your hands away from it.

[PowderMonkey]

Yes. Definitely get your permit. I know this may sound counter-intuitive, but the pattern among gun-grabbers around the world has been to require:
licensing
registration
proof of competency
proof of membership in a shooting club
Get the picture? If nothing else, having a CWP may ultimately provide a modicum of assurance the "the tiger eats you last." As far as finding gun holders with a view towards confiscation...well there's no escaping that. They'll know the minute you purchase one. It's only a matter of tweaking legislation to the point where they can sift through all the available electronic records: bought ammo, targets, firearms accessories, or paid for range time on your credit or debit card? Purchased arms within the last 15 years? The data's out there just waiting to be mined.

[chickpundit]

That makes sense. Also, the cost and regulations required to acquire a permit may increase in the future.

[Tallguy]

When I first got my CCW permit in PA I did it for convenience. Here in PA, at least, you can’t transport a loaded weapon in your car unless you have a CCW — even if the weapon is under the seat, armrest or in the glovebox. If no CCW the gun must be unloaded, locked and stored separate from the ammo (ie. ammo in the glovebox; handgun in the trunk).

I have a shooting range just around the corner from me. It’s a pain in the butt going through that evolution just to go practice.

Oh, and with all the stuff on the horizon I’ve begun carrying whenever I leave the property. You might want to give consideration to the fact that if you get into a beef it might be enough to prevent you from getting the CCW when you need it, but not enough that you’d have to surrender it if you already had it. Bureaucracies being what they are.

[Tallguy]

In my class, I was taught to always give the officer both my permit and drivers license.

I've done just that & the (PA State) trooper looked at me like I'd just grown a second head. Didn't even thank me. Apparently they already know (DMV records) and it just isn't necessary.

[Recovering_Democrat]

yes.

[chickpundit]

Thanks everyone for the input.