scrubbedexpat142

I think some of you aren't taking this thread seriously!

Pulaski

Are you new here?

civilservant

I very much like that I have options with my 43. I can either open carry or pocket carry very easily. I don't think I could conceal a 26 quite so easily but the larger capacity would feel a little better.

That said, if you have a situation that cannot be solved in 6+1 then you probably need to be calling the cavalry anyway.

scrubbedexpat142

Relatively new to BE but living in Hungary have never before ventured onto the USA forum - BUT I am an enthusiastic follower of the OP's threads!

Pulaski

Indeed, so am I. I have followed her threads around the world and I am hoping for more.

Smartyy

I thought that before also. You can always carry more magazines with you to compensate! Not to mention by the time of the first shot, the police are likely on their way.

I myself have a 15 round magazine and 1 in the chamber. I also carry two extra magazines just in case. Not that I would ever want to use them. If I did, I would hope it would be just to buy time until the cavalry arrived.

scrubbedexpat142

MarylandNed

I've lived in the US for almost 20 years and I have the whole gun issue at the back of my mind constantly. I saw someone earlier claim they don't know anyone who owns a gun. That's actually highly unlikely. I thought the same only to discover over the years that several people I know have guns and I'm sure there are others I don't know about. One older female neighbor who I've know for 10 years (and who would be at the bottom of my list of suspected gun owners) asked me recently if I wanted to see her gun!

I worry about my kids visiting friends because I don't know who has guns and who doesn't. I don't know if guns have been stored properly. I don't know the mental state of the people living in the house and whether they would use a gun to harm others. I know people can also kill with knives but you don't have to be up close to someone to kill them with a gun and you can kill more people more quickly with a gun than with a knife.

I worry about road rage incidents. In the UK, you could get into a debate/argument/altercation with someone without fear of being shot. In the US, you just don't know who is driving around with a gun in the glove box or on their person. So I drive much more defensively and I avoid altercations. Not just driving - but everywhere. Some people might say that's a benefit of knowing that others might be armed - but it's not a great way to live if you can't approach someone without them possibly misunderstanding your intentions and then shooting you in "self defense".

I live in a relatively affluent suburban area - Montgomery County, Maryland near Washington DC. We have one of the top school districts in the country and I feel fairly safe here with the exception of a few areas where you really need to be aware of your surroundings. There has been gun violence in my area over the years. Most is probably gang related but there have been other incidents too (including the DC Beltway Snipers in 2002). It worries me. Schools have implemented better security (you can't just walk into a school here anymore) but, however small the risk of being shot at school or work is, it's still higher in the US than in other places I've lived (Ireland, UK and Canada).

There are many things I like about living in the US but there are also things that I do not like. I do not like the gun culture. IMO, the 2nd amendment (which was written when weapons were primitive) is not a reason to let everyone have guns - especially assault rifles. There needs to be stricter gun controls and they need to be enforced. The other major thing that really bothers me is health insurance. It's frustrating that the US is the only major developed country in the world that does not have universal healthcare. The current political climate is toxic and our President is an embarrassment. To be honest, I'm thinking of moving from the US. I'll have lived here 20 years in January 2018 and that's a significant milestone that is causing me to re-evaluate my time here.

mrken30

I never know whether to ask kids friends parents whether they have guns, or to tell other kids parents that ours guns are secured away safely from kids.

How do you even bring that topic up?

ABD79

Is that something I should be flattered by or worried about?

Nutmegger

Stand back ladies, the gentlemen have begun to discuss who carries the bigger piece . . .

mrken30

Who gives more bang for the buck?

ABD79

This is a brilliant comment! Because I would want to ask other parents the exact question. Personally, if my children were invited to yours and you said, "we do have guns and they're securely locked away with no chance of the children getting to them" I'd be soooo happy that you brought it up without me feeling the awkwardness of having to ask. You'd be doing me a favour so I think if you told anyone that whose children were coming to yours then they'd be grateful to know. I would be so worried of offending anyone to ask. It's almost like saying, "now, I don't totally trust that you're sensible enough to lock away your guns should you have any so I need to ask...". Yet I'd really want to ask because if anything ever happened then, as a parent, you'd be beside yourself with guilt for not asking that one simple question. But if you raise the topic yourself then you save all awkwardness so I say just bring it up in a relaxed, quick way because if everyone thought like you did then gun accidents would be slashed.

scrubbedexpat099

If it was good enough for James?

ABD79

Replied to the wrong comment and it won't let me delete this now