The sale of firearms locally is on the rise because of the budget.
“People are coming in and saying, ‘I want to buy a gun today,'” Barrett said. “We’re specifically seeing people say, ‘I want it because I’m not going to be able to get the protection that I need from the sheriff’s department.'”
This can’t miss. Luckily, folks will not be able to conceal these weapons …
Faced with the potential loss of more than 200 deputies due to budget cuts, McGinness said earlier this month that he may consider issuing more concealed weapons permits.
So, we have this going for us. From the comments area:
People have to be able to protect themselves and their families!!! Yes, case studies are proven about when honest, law abiding citizens are armed and ready that crime does go down.
I wonder if case studies would also prove that if folks installed a soft serve ice cream machine in their kitchen obesity would go down.
The Sac Rag 
No. But legal gun ownership does not correlate with increased violent crime either.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go2782/is_2_30/ai_n29346290/?tag=content;col1
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Only because the vast increase in gun accidents – mostly involving children – correlated with (legal) gun ownership are not defined as “crimes” by the Justice department.
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Ugh. I’m just not in love with the idea of pissing someone off in line at Jacks getting my salad at lunch and knowing that they might shoot me. I know that sounds nuts but people are nuts.
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Moe: What vast increase in gun accidents? Accidental deaths due to firearm discharge have been dropping for many years.
The people who would shoot someone over a minor squabble are already carrying firearms. To someone who would murder over an argument, a little thing like laws against concealed weapons are no big deal. The ones most likely to be unarmed are law-abiding people.
A majority of states in this country have “shall-issue” concealed weapon permit programs (if you have a clear criminal record, and in most cases complete a training program, they can’t refuse a request for a concealed-carry permit) and in those states the permit programs are generally followed by a drop in crime–and so far, no increases in crime.
There are better ways to ensure your home’s safety than purchasing a firearm: securing doors and windows with good locks and sturdy frames, an alarm system, a sturdily mounted safe. But once those basics are done, a firearm can be a prudent next step for home defense. The point is to keep the laziest burglars out: most will be dissuaded by locked doors and secured windows (they look for unlocked doors and open windows) and more will be scared off by a loud alarm.
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And a dog. A “woof woof”- not a “yap yap.”
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wburg, that’s true, but accidental deaths involving children in homes with guns are far higher than in homes without guns, and in the vast majority of cases, it’s legally-owned handguns that do the killing of children.
it is still true that a handgun in your home is more likely to be used to hurt you or a member of your family than an intruder.
i think gun ownership is an important liberty and responsibility. but handguns are far more harmful for safety, hunting, or ensuring democracy than long guns, and as long as i have a child in my home i can’t in good conscience allow a handgun in the house.
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sorry, my last “harmful” should be been another adjective. “useless,” perhaps.
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Moe, that’s true, but accidental deaths involving children in homes with dogs are far higher than in homes without dogs, and in the vast majority of cases, it’s legally-owned dogs that do the killing of children.
it is still true that a dog in your home is more likely to be used to hurt you or a member of your family than an intruder.
i think dog ownership is an important liberty and responsibility. but small dogs are far more useless (?) for safety, hunting, or ensuring democracy than large dogs, and as long as i have a child in my home i can’t in good conscience allow a dog in the house.
“cars” in place of “guns” would have worked too. I hope you don’t have a car or a dog…
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I would gladly participate in that ice cream study.
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I think I’ll just go buy a nail gun. That way I can protect myself and get some projects done around the house. Oh Wait…
Click to access Beaver1999.pdf
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@turty, wow, that was probaly the most solipsistic bit of jackassery i’ve seen in some time.
Handguns are invented to kill, and there are better options for home protection that don’t have the same trend toward accidental death.
You cannot say the same about dogs, cars, ice-cream, or whatever other idiotic strawman you want to pull out of your ass.
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Yep- I’ll pull the strawman (and uncited) “vast increase in gun accidents – mostly involving children” out of my ass, as soon as the ice cream is done coming out. OH! WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN!?!
“in the vast majority of cases, it’s legally-owned handguns that do the killing of children” So like, way more than 50%? Do tell!
“a handgun in your home is more likely to be used to hurt you or a member of your family than an intruder”- Ditto?
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But seriously. Which type of gun do you want for the zombie war? I’ve got a 12 guage… I’m not sure if I have the right shells for it though. Do you think you need full decapitation to kill a zombie?
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adamant – Yeah you don’t want buckshot. Pellets are useless since they wouldn’t deter a zombie even for a second. I think all you really need is something strong enough to penetrate the skull and that isn’t likely to jam on you. As far as I understand it you don’t need full decapitation – just destruction of the “brain.” But I would carry a machete as well as your sidearm.
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Moe Hong: Statements like “there are more accidential firearms deaths among households with guns than those without guns” is pure solipism–it is, as Turty says, pretty much like saying dog-related accidents are more common in homes with dogs than those without, and car-related accidents are more common among those in cars than those who don’t travel in cars.
The idea that a handgun is more likely to hurt a family member than an intruder is also solipism. Half of the handgun deaths in the US are suicides, so technically you’re right, but that’s hardly accidental, and there are plenty of ways to kill yourself (suicide rates are much higher in Japan, which has almost no private firearm ownership.)
It also implies that the only possible resolution to a self-defense situation is injuring the intruder/assailant: in more than 95% of self-defense incidents, NO SHOTS ARE FIRED, so nobody is hurt. The objective is to defend your life and your home, not to hurt people–so if you stop an attacker without shooting, YOU WIN. Thus comparing injuries to an attacker is inherently unfair and illogical.
Most of the “child death” statistics in the US are based on statistics for deaths of anyone under the age of 19, and the vast majority of those fatalities are teenagers, ages 15-19, mostly gang members shooting each other, almost exclusively with illegally obtained firearms. Which is a tragedy in itself, but a tragedy that could be solved by better education systems and more economic opportunity, not gun laws that gang members already ignore.
So, when you actually compare the number of successful uses of firearms in self-defense (which, remember, in most cases, don’t require firing a shot) to the number of actual accidental deaths of small children due to firearms (which, remember, are at an all-time low) the statistics change dramatically.
Handguns, in the hands of someone with at least rudimentary training, are far better for home defense than long guns. They are shorter, lighter and easier to carry and handle than a shotgun or rifle. Rifles are utterly impractical for conealed carry (self-defense outside of your home.) Pistols still carry risk of overpenetration (punching through exterior walls) but not nearly to the extent of a rifle–rifles use far more powerful ammunition. Pistols aren’t as useful for long-range shooting, but home defense engagements are by definition at short range. Despite what anti-gunners will tell you, people can and do use pistols for hunting. And if you have children, there are a great many ways to keep them safe: by using a gun safe (there are models that can be accessed in seconds with one hand in the dark, but keep kids and burglars out) and by educating your kids about gun safety as early as you can, and teaching them how to use them (safely and sanely) when they are young. Teaching children responsibility and safety is never a bad thing, and those lessons will translate into other areas where children have to learn responsibility and safety–whether it is crossing the street or telling the truth.
The right to keep and bear arms is a right, not a liberty. A liberty is something granted by government to the people. A right is something we have inherently, because we are human, and the Constitution makes it clear that the government cannot infringe on those rights.
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cool,
I think I hear what you’re saying. I should trade my 9MM in for a 38 revolver then? I guess it depends on whether these are run of tthe mill slow zombies or the fast, swarming kind of zombies. I’ve always been more worried about the fast, swarming kind of zombie. I figure all you need to defend your house from slow zombies is a baseball bat or any garden implement.
I’m thinking 28 days later vs. shaun of the dead.
That is all.
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News flash: The Second Amendment is for killing people. It is not to protect a right to collect old fire arms. It is not to protect the ability to hunt game. So to argue that guns are too deadly is a false argument. The argument should be is the parent charged with Murder 1 or 2 for leaving a gun where a kid can get to it? I think everyone should have a gun. If you blow a .01 BAC while carrying, then you should be charged with the equivalent of a dui and brandishing a weapon. If you bring it in to a place that bans them, you should be open to being sued for destroying the atmosphere of the business. You shouldn’t be allowed to have it anywhere that alcohol is being served ie parties, bars, ball games, if you do you should be charged with instigating a fight. Leaving it in your car should also be a crime. So we should all be free to carry guns, as long as we know exactly where we are going when we leave and are willing to come home and put it in the safe if we want to drink.
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Zombies? .38+P would be good if you live far from a potential zombie yard(cemetery). If you live within a 2 mile radius you will need more than a 6-shooter with a few speed loaders. I say you need a BAR and a tree house. You ever see a zombie in a tree? For shaun of the dead you just need a big truck.
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9mm and .38 are pretty comparable in stopping power, wheelguns are reliable but slower to reload–even speedloaders take a bit longer than changing magazines. Of course, in California we are limited to 10-round magazines even for firearms designed for 15-18 round capacities.
Shotguns are often considered the ultimate counter-zombie weapon in films–OO buck is about the same size as a 9mm bullet, and multiple impacts on the same target supposedly have a cumulative effect that is greater than the sum of their parts. And then there’s always slug ammunition, but that negates the shotgun’s benefit of pointability at moderate range. Bird-shot is considered a popular alternative for home defense, since it is assumed that pellets won’t punch through too much drywall, but even birdshot can punch through a lot at short range, (google Box O’ Truth for experiments in penetration of common firearms through things like walls.)
Nick, are you talking about the hunting rifle BAR or the old LMG? The LMG version is nice but heavy–any more-modern .308 battle rifle (H&K G3, FAL, CETME, Galil, M14) would be lighter and shorter with the same magazine capacity, stopping power and accuracy potential (plus selective fire if you really need it.) Plus if you’re in a tree you probably won’t be able to manage a good bipod rest anyhow.
Personally I am fond of Soviet-era rifles: ridiculously reliable and easy to maintain, fair accuracy (I’m no Vasily Zaitsev) and cheap to buy and feed.
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Super Soaker [(TM)/(R)/(C)] with pig blood on gangs of zombies should turn them against each other and away from you. Never seen anything scientific to back this up though.
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For Zombies..I think I will just attach chain saws to my arms and go wild..
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