For Well-Armed Citizenry, Handguns Are a Big Issue

KTLA 5 (Los Angeles)(original source: LA Times) ^ | 9 August 2004 | Rone Tempest

[45Auto]

"Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has approved only 377 permits, mostly for judges, prosecutors, public defenders and retired federal agents."

Corruption of public officials is endemic with regard to CCW issuance in California.

[Puppage]

"Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has approved only 377 permits, mostly for judges, prosecutors, public defenders and retired federal agents."

For the people whos lives are important. And, I thought it was a pain getting my Connecticut CCW.

[NRA2BFree]

"I pretty much know who is reliable and who is not," said Mix, 57, the head lawman and coroner here since 1988.

I wonder how many people he's sent from one job to the other. He could be his own best customer. He stabs 'em and slabs 'em. LOL!

[Rakkasan1]

...just like the old system in MN about 2 years ago
(in the metro areas)

[Spok]

Congress quietly passed a bill last week making it legal for active and retired police officers from any jurisdiction to carry a gun anywhere in the US. This is predicted to put 100,000 more armed citizens on the public streets. More Guns-Less Crime? Apparently Congress has, to some extent, seen the light.

[phasma proeliator]

How's that going in MN anyway? I hear that some judge decided he was more important than the legislature and ruled the new shall issue law 'unconstitutional'...

??

[phasma proeliator]

ping

[Shooter 2.5]

Apparently Congress has, to some extent, seen the light.

If the dems were in charge, the bill wouldn't have seen the light of day.

[George Smiley]

Corruption of public officials is endemic with regard to CCW issuance in California.

Speaking of which, as a Californian, do you have an update on Jim March's lawsuit challenging the current discretionary CCW permitting process?

[Dead Corpse]

Handguns are a progression up from the fist.

First we had nothing. Our bare knuckles.

Then we started hitting each other with rocks.

Then sticks to get some distance.

Then we tied sharp rocks to sticks.

Then copper and bronze knives.

Then swords.

Now handguns.

A handgun is most effective for close in, point blank, knock down and kill your enemy situations. They are THE single best deterrent for the common street criminal looking for an easy score or the rapist looking to get one up on a smaller target.

That some in our government see them as an inherently "evil" thing says more about their mindset than it does about the responsible law abiding gun owner's mindset.

[aomagrat]

"They aren't going to take all my guns away from me," Ray snorted. "I've had them my whole damn life."

Worth repeating.

[dhuffman@awod.com]

'Head lawman and coroner' may not be describing two different jobs but expanding on the single title of coroner. Traditionally the coroner is the supreme officer of a county.

[flashbunny]

"A handgun is most effective for close in, point blank, knock down and kill your enemy situations. They are THE single best deterrent for the common street criminal looking for an easy score or the rapist looking to get one up on a smaller target."

This might be an even better deterrent, but would be harder to conceal than a handgun:

http://www.serbu.com/shorty.htm

:)

[45Auto]

I don't know what, if anything, is happening with Jim March; his website was last updated September 2003 and his blog-site can no longer be accessed. He said he was going to be a "field representative" for the Citizen's Committee for the RKBA, but a visit to their site does not mention him. He seems to have dropped off the radar screen.

[Dead Corpse]

I'd love to get one of those. I'm still waiting for some brave firearms engineer to come up with an autoloader chambered for S&W .500. Wheel guns are fine, but I got hooked on the auto's with my little Tarus 92 9mm.

[George Smiley]

Read your laws carefully before doing so. Your CCW laws might allow it, then again they might not.

Also, that's an AOW and you've got to keep the paperwork with you at all times.

[backtothestreets]

Great article!

The time is near at hand when average citizens will have to provide for their own defense. This will bring the nation full circle to our militia roots. Police departments were unheard of nearly the first century of the nation, and crime was nil.

Across the nation, police agencies have been decimated by budgetary shortfalls and the call up of National Guard and Reserve military members that served as police officers within communities. They still serve, but not on streets of our nation, but the streets of Iraq. What resources remain have been parceled out between the War on Terrorism and crime prevention within local communities.

This climate of limited resources has ignited a new wave of crime of extreme violence. The police agencies are under staffed, under budget, and ill prepared for the coming onslaught.

Always be mindful vigilante groups are criminal as they usurp judicial authority, but militias are vested by the Constitution. Never confuse one with the other.

Be mindful it didn't have to come to this.  Unlike wars of the past, the government sought to exclude common citizens from participating in the War on Terrorism.  The government seeks to protect itself and corporate "citizens", at the expense of common citizens.  The lone call for help from the government following 9-11 was for citizens to spend money.  Even citizen volunteers were shown the door in the 9-11 rescue and recovery efforts.  Lacking were calls for a renewed, voluntary civil defense and service.  Instead, a new civil defense was instated that included citizens by invitation only.  To add insult to injury, the government passed the Patriot Act that potentially views everyone, the common citizen and suspect terrorist as equals.  With these acts, the government severed ties with common citizens.

Had the government sought civilian participation, the eyes and ears of tens of millions of citizens would be assisting in the War on Terrorism.

[William Tell]

45Auto said: Often, said Undersheriff Mark Gentry, people seek to arm themselves before venturing to large California cities. "Someone will come in," said Gentry, "and say, 'I'm going to San Diego, I need a gun.' "

Of course, the Undersheriff is not handing out guns, he is issuing concealed carry permits. It's ironic that a resident of Modoc County can easily get a permit to carry a gun which must be recognized in Los Angeles but the residents there have virtually zero chances of being granted a permit for them to carry in Modoc County.

Kalifornia's county-level "good cause" CCW system is not only corrupt but obviously denies equal treatment to the citizenry.

[William Tell]

45Auto didn't say what I quoted. It was from the article he posted. Sorry.

[goldstategop]

True. In rural counties, you can get shall-issue CCW permits as a matter of course. Modoc actually as the equivalent of Alaska style "open carry" when it comes to guns. In urban counties, you can get a CCW permit if you're a friend of the sheriff, or if you have political or business connections to get one approved - in other words, you have to be one of the Elite to carry there.