Watch your back....

[Chris James]

Florida is seriously considering an open carry law so we may seeing guns everywhere. We have presidential candidates suggesting we should arm teachers to stop school massacres. But before you think those carrying guns won't use them at the drop of a hat look at this:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-woman-shoots-at-shoplifter-as-he-flees-store/ar-AAfcjea?li=BBieTUX&ocid=LENDHP

In the second incident I'd say the man in the bank may be able to plead self defense, but the woman shooting wildly in a parking lot? Since those with guns may be tempted to become vigilantes without any idea why someone is running away it won't be long before we have a dead person. What if the security guard had been chasing a guy who left his wallet in the store by accident.

Who deputized this woman to take the law into her own hands? I think she needs to be prosecuted for indiscriminate use of a firearm, at the very least public endangerment. Just wait until someone you know gets shot in one of these incidents.

[Merkin]

I grew up in a region of small dairy farms and every hunting season many farmers painted 'COW' on members of their herds to protect them from hunters.

Looks as though it might be wise to paint 'SHOPPER' on folks headed for the malls in Florida.

[Lugnutz]

Michigan is an open carry state.

[JamesSavik]

I carry but, I'm not stupid. I will only use a weapon if cornered. Nor would I care to be some BS hero.

As a member of an unpopular minority that is often the target of random violence, the 2nd amendment is one of my favorites.

Anyone that wants to shit can that right is not getting my vote.

[Nick Deverill]

I'm not going to put figures on it, but of the deaths caused by guns, two types stand out. Inadequate care taken by the owner and the gun being 'found' and used by a child. The other is loony mass shootings where the perpetrator is either an adult, or a teen.

In the UK, the Dunblane massacre is often spoken of, as the subsequent knee jerk legislation totally banned private handguns. However, had the already existing rules been properly implemented, the killer would have had his licence withdrawn. There is no mention of this in the Wikipedia article.

Criminals though will always get guns if they want them.

[Joe]

I think the 2nd Amendment is bad policy and bad law. It was originally justified when the assault weapon of the day was a flintlock rifle and/or musket. This because a "well regulated" militia was deemed a necessary part of national defense. But the militia was hardly ever "well regulated". The few times it was effective was when it had been whipped into shape by a hard nosed general who'd been given enough time (New Orleans). More often, it was a comedic failure as in the Bladensburg Races (the defense of Washington DC) and the three invasions of Canada (note the lack of impact these invasions had on Canada's independence). There are many other examples of this.

However, the nation was expansionist and there were Native Americans to be slaughtered, and species to be rendered extinct or almost extinct. So for better or worse, we've become an armed society. But it's instructive to note that one of the first civilizing drives on the frontier was to have a place to check ones guns before going out and about on the town. The guns were not confiscated, merely regulated.

The proliferation of open carry and concealed carry jurisdictions will continue until there are a few more horrific slaughters. At some point we will realize that guns are serious business and there will be some common sense regulation of them that will require constant training as a requisite for being permitted to carry a weapon, open or concealed. Professionals who carry weapons on a daily basis are required to qualify with those weapons on a regular basis and the same should be true of non-professionals who think they should be lugging a weapon around.

By this time, I'll have been dismissed as a bleeding heart of the worst sort. But in fact, I'd have to take a few minutes to count the number of firearms in my house. The total would be in excess of 10. I carried a firearm professionally for years and used it four times. I'm not trying to confiscate weapons; I merely suggest that they are serious to the point of being deadly and need to be respected as such.

Now I'm sure there's some overweight, overage, pseudo-patriot out there who needs to think that he's going to fight the government over some alleged wrong with his personal firearms. Good luck with that if it ever came to pass. There, I've vented a bit. Thanks all.

[Joe]

Florida is seriously considering an open carry law so we may seeing guns everywhere. We have presidential candidates suggesting we should arm teachers to stop school massacres. But before you think those carrying guns won't use them at the drop of a hat look at this:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-woman-shoots-at-shoplifter-as-he-flees-store/ar-AAfcjea?li=BBieTUX&ocid=LENDHP

In the second incident I'd say the man in the bank may be able to plead self defense, but the woman shooting wildly in a parking lot? Since those with guns may be tempted to become vigilantes without any idea why someone is running away it won't be long before we have a dead person. What if the security guard had been chasing a guy who left his wallet in the store by accident.

Who deputized this woman to take the law into her own hands? I think she needs to be prosecuted for indiscriminate use of a firearm, at the very least public endangerment. Just wait until someone you know gets shot in one of these incidents.

Generally, the police don't shoot at fleeing felons and no one should be shooting at a fleeing misdemeanant.