I had a friend who had a sticker on his window, beside the front door. "Home Security provided by Smith and Wesson". He also had two chihuahuas. Guess what their names were?

In my small town of San Marcos Texas, everyone carries a weapon. I have a permit, most dont, but carry anyway. No problems. . . . . . Why you ask ?

Bobs, I understand your positions and I respect your right to hold those positions and act upon them when legally justified. My convictions regarding not responding to violence with violence, even for self defense, are based on my personal beliefs regarding the temporary nature of my life here on earth and my belief that my life doesn't belong to me. Those are my personal religious convictions and I would not expect anyone else to adhere to them. With a husband in law enforcement, I lived with a gun in my house for many years. Our agreement was that it remained trigger-locked when it was in our home.

Bobber, I've taken that test. I passed.

Agreed LA, hope to see you in SP one day.................Oh, and you as well Bobber!

I was looking at Collyk's post from earlier today, #287037, and then I re read it substituting the terminology for child or raising children for gun: it makes for an interesting comparison: there are many who do not give that much thought to bringing a child into the world, and society as a whole picks up the tab !

Any major decision in life has pros and cons, and those who chose to not to participate passionately in any issue by default leave those who do to shape culture. Selecting which issue , and how much passion is the big question

My wife and I both have Concealed Weapons Permits, and although we fire somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 rounds per year at targets, neither of us have ever used a weapon in a personal protection situation: Our main reason for carrying is that when riding horses in the back country, a horse with a broken leg needs to be put down immediately, and rattle snakes are the biggest threat on the trail, so the first 2 rounds in each clip are "snake shot"

I have a Carry Permit because it's my right to. Rights are like muscles, if you don't use them, you lose them. I fire about 2000 rounds a year, and have never had the need to pull a weapon in anger or self-defense, thank goodness. I view it the same way as any other emergency equipment like a first-aid kit or a fire extinquisher...you don't need them until you really need them, and if you don't have them you're screwed. And the Beatles said it best: "You say you'll change the constitution, well, you know, we all want to change your head." The Bill of Rights is a special group of amendments that laid out the basic inalienable rights we all have, in this case, the right to defend yourself, your family, your home. Regardless of the reasoning of the 'militia' portion of the 2nd, it still says that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Besides guns DON'T kill people, really fast bullets kill people. And yeah, we DO need a Constitution. I'm impressesed by the unusually intelligent conversation about this topic, not surprised, but impressed. There is a real lack of the normal 'guns are always bad' rhetoric. I'm really going to enjoy living around such bright folks!

Leah Ann, glad to hear you survived it. Personally, I would not hesitate to use appropriate force if attacked. If one of my loved ones, or even some strangers kid was attacked, maybe the force would be a little more than appropriate The innocents MUST be protected. I am also not stupid enough to challenge opposition if I am unlikely to succeed.

I do not carry. I do own a few guns, and I do have one readily available in the home if necessary. I gave up hunting years ago because I am unwilling to kill anything I don't plan to eat (and don't particularly like wild game). I have not fired a gun in the last 15 years, but am quite familiar with them and have always had good control. Qualified years ago with automatic weapons, fair shot with a .45 auto, good with a shotgun. Not your typical cowboy altho raised with guns and hunting.

Good point Pugwash. That is exactly the reason I don't have children.

I've also been in life threatening situations on more than one ocassion. While I cannot say I will not resort to violence to defend myself when confronted with violence as I have absolutely no religious conviction and subsequently believe that this is my only chance at life, I will say that even in retrospect, I am so glad that I didn't have a gun.

Expressing hope that someone doesn't find themselves in the position where someone might think they 'need' a gun is about as useful as hoping someone isn't run over by a drunk driver. I suppose it comes back to the basics. I choose not to live in fear and I live my life in a manner that makes that possible. Living in fear is probably the quickest way to waste a life.

As for exercising rights, a right is not an obligation. Just because you have the right to bear arms, doesn't mean you are obliged to do so. It is highly unlikely I would ever exercise the right to stay silent either.

Colly, please keep my number handy for that one time you decide not to exercise your right to remain silent.

ps - completely unrelated: the house is beautiful. Congratulations to you both!