To answer some questions in jeepster's thread: Yes, I own a couple of guns. 1 Ruger P94 .40. 1 semi-auto 20-gauge shotgun. And 1 Marlin bolt-action .22 Long Rifile.

*slowly gives wallet back, backs away*

...... jaaaaaaaaaay..... i never knew.

Ooooh.

I so wish I had a CWP. I have an offense on my record that makes it so I can't even OWN a gun for the next couple days, let alone carry one around with me.

Doesn't stop me from shooting though.

YUCK. GUNZ.

@Phro - I don't use 'em on people! Just water jugs and the little target thing I bought.

And one time, an old water cooler. Oh! And when I had an SKS which had a built-in bayonette, a friend of mine had me stick a potato on the end of it and then shoot. Hahaha.

@erica - A concealed weapons permit allows you to carry the gun (or any other weapon) hidden. If you don't have a CWP, you have to have your weapon obviously displayed when carrying them.

I mainly just got it, because with the CWP you don't have to fill out any paperwork when you purchase a gun. Plus, you don't have to worry about keeping your gun displayed when you driving out to target shoot.

Also, most cops will be a little more trusting of someone with a CWP if they're carrying, because you actually have to have a pretty extensive background check to get it. That's not always the case, though. A friend of mine got stopped one time, and he accidentally gave his CWP to the cop instead of his Driver's License. The cop took 2 steps back and pulled out his gun before asking if he was carrying. (He wasn't at the time.) That guy was being a douche, though. I was always told that if you have a CWP, it's best to notify the police officer that you have it and whether or not you're carrying.

Just a note, these laws vary by state. In Wisconsin you can't get a CWP but you can carry a gun out in the open. In Vermont you don't need a CWP to carry a concealed weapon. Neither of these states require a permit to own a gun.

Yeah, people can have concealed weapons here. The thing I don't get though, is that any business/church/school/health care provider/etc can very clearly state that they ban guns on the premise, and many of them do. So, if you are carrying a weapon and want to stay legal, you basically can't go anywhere except walk around outside.

I want to own a gun, and learn how to shoot. But i don't think they give guns to crazy people.

yeah, in Texas we had a similar laws where anybody could own a gun, and it was up to the officer on the spot who could carry a concealed weapon and who couldn't. So basically, unless you obviously about to commit a crime, any fool could pack heat that wanted to. By introducing a licensing apparatus it actually significantly DROPPED the number of people carrying guns around here because now if you haven't had the extensive background checks required for licensing, the police are allowed to take away your guns if they find a concealed one on you. In fact, they are probably required to.

Hey, jay, does your state require a "competency" component to CWP? Here in Texas you actually have to go out to a shooting range and prove you can hit a target at like 10 feet or something. It's not hard, but there's more than a few people who'd have a hard time doing just that.

BTW - .50 Desert Eagles are very satisfying to shoot for blowing up a gallon milk container filled with water. But they lose their appeal pretty quickly.

@Jas - No kidding. Are you guys getting the same effect there that we are here? After Obama got elected, everyone assumed that there was going to be a huge ban/tax hike on ammunition, so people have been buying it up quick and it's nearly impossible to buy ammo for most of the common calibers.

It's actually the same here. Ammo actually did increase in price quite a bit due to the increased demand. Luckily for Patrick's gun, he bought 1000 reloads at a gun show last year and at the rate we've been going out, he'll never be empty handed.

Chuck's gun on the other hand... mini-14s are a sonofabitch to load inexpensively.

iv'e thought about learning to re-load. my step grand dad has the gear and powder. i remember my crazy postman telling me a few months ago that they were going to start making ammunition with powder that becomes inert after a year or two. some of the more cop-ish elements of my family harp on me to get a cwp, but i'm content with leaving my guns at home. i can't even imagine the hysterics from my friends of both gender if i were to carry a gun into their homes or just announce on a day trip that i'm packing.

What a badass.

I sold the .357 for smack. ;)

Nah, but I did pawn it...it wasn't very fun to shoot because it was too lightweight. I could shoot .38 through it okay, but .357 sucked. Plus I really wanted the .40

I have a BB Gun.

The barrel was too short, that is.

I have a retractable baton from Strangerbox's delusional stalker days. Turns out tasers are illegal in Massachusetts, except for law enforcement. Lame.

I used to want to get a CWP and get a 22 magnum. YUP, a 22 magnum. I saw it in a PUNISHER ARMORY comic, and for some reason thought it was really cool. I still do! A North American Arms Black Widow. http://www.naaminis.com/bwmm.html

i want this Morini CM 162:

http://www.morini.ch/cm162.htm

i'd worry about blowing off appendages

Black powder is very fun.

Also, ew Deagles.

Also, I don't own any guns, but I've shot quite a few. I plan on getting one eventually, but not for HOME DEFENSE or TO PROTECT MAH RIGHTS or anything like that. They're just fun to go out and shoot at the range now and then.

@ABV - HOW CAN YOU EW A DEAGLE?! ITS GORGEOUS.

@Jay Def yeah, a snub-nosed .357 sounds great for defense, but wouldn't be much fun to shoot. Did you try some rubber grips on it? .40 is a good gun, though. My dad let's me shoot his Sig-Saurers in .40.

are wooden grips better than rubber grips on a purely functional level?

In a bigger caliber, a wraparound rubber grip is a life saver. I swapped out rubber grips on a .44 Magnum for wooden once and immediately regretted it. It didn't hurt but I couldn't control the recoil.

@rink: that would make for some very entertaining action movies.

I have a hard time thinking of a Glock as a knife without imagining it as at least a bayonet-like weapon.

Too many video games, I guess.