Carrying illegally

[SanPedroShooter]

not that I would ever get the chance to be on such a jury, but, I would not vote to convict ANY law abiding citizen, who happened to get busted trying to protect themselves

I won't convict someone due to a law I don't believe is just...that's just me

I doubt I'd ever get a seating on such a case

Okay I agree. What about this, the person in question is a gang banger (how you'd ever find out, I don't know) but lets just say this guy got caught carrying a firearm without a permit. And nothing else.

Do you still acquit?

My gut tells me if I nullify for one, it has to be for all.

[El Toro]

If youre considering it dont. It is a misdemeanor for the first offense but you will never get a license after that first offense.

Not true..i been approved for my license..

Well in general, that particular misdemeanor would be enough for most issuing agencies to deny on Good Moral Character. You were fortunate.

[chainsaw]

To begin with, I don't judge. My personal opinion doesn't matter at all. Unless I happen to be on a jury, in which case I will vote to uphold the law, whatever the law might be.

The problem with the OP's situation is that there is an extremely wide range of possible punishment if caught. One one hand, if the pistol isn't registered to the person carrying, it is a felony, with a maximum sentence of somewhere between 1 and 10 years in state prison. Actually, it can be worse: if a person carrying acts in a really dumb fashion, and threatens LEOs with the gun, it can easily turn into "suicide by cop". On the other hand, there is some statistics on the average penalty for people arrested for illegal concealed carry (I think the data was gathered in San Francisco, absolutely not a pro-gun city, by some newspaper). I think the result was that unless concealed carry is used as an add-on to more serious crimes (usually drug crimes, or felon in possession), it is not charged at all. So the typical scenario for an otherwise law-abiding person is that they are arrested, the gun is confiscated, and then charges are dropped.

[teg33]

I don't really care how that person carry, legally or not and for whatever reasons. It's none of my business, as long as he/she doesn't use the gun against me.

[HPBrowningMK3]

The only way I'd carry without a license if my life was in danger, and I just couldnt remove myself from the environment(after making detailed complaints to my local LEA), but I would make sure I am fully aware of the consequences of my behavior.

And in todays environment, at least in our lovely state, should I be unfortunate enough to use a firearm, I could expect my local tarded media to paint me as yet another virgilante, regardless of the facts. Most importantly, local DA could be expected to go full retard with it. They wouldnt disappoint, I am sure.

This is my long winded way of saying "Dont do the crime if you cant do the time"

[ElDub1950]

Man, that's a ton o' drama

No one should break the law but calm down, it's a misdemeanor for gosh sakes. It's a fine not a public flogging.

Lets say that even under the Insurmountable fear of getting arrested, spending jail time for a significant amount of time, and having their life ruined...

Lets say that the person in question makes the ultimate decision to carry illegally anyway, not because he is a lowlife thug, nor a drug dealer, pimp etc...
But because at the end of the day he decided that he wanted to be alive and have the ability to continue seeing and being with his family.

How are we to judge him? Treat and think of him no better than a gangbanger down the street carrying a gun? Lash out at him and single him out, disavow him from society regardless of his morals and personality and simply throw him and rot in jail? By doing this we have become no better than the liberals.

And from what I can see, we will all sit here and do nothing and let it happen.

What purpose is our lives if we cant even defend it? Live day to day with the thought that we could one day be beaten and killed, and have our loved ones lives be taken from us and do nothing about it? How is that freedom in America?

It bears me that we exist in a world where we live at the mercy of evil people, stupid people, and jealous people who down the line dont care about anyone but themselves and their moral ego.

[obiwan]

For the 15 years I worked for the PD, I legally carried off duty, cannot recall ever getting "questioned" or "looked at odd", unless you are getting searched for something, it is concealed carry and the odds of getting caught are slim.

If you live in craptown and have a family you want to protect, then it might be worth the risk....

[dragonboy221]

Do it at your own risk mate. Talk to a lawyer first

Thomas Jefferson once said,

"If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so."


Like those Connecticut gun owners who refused to register. Good for them. F**k the government

[Rosereader]

I've thought about this as well. Determined it's better to apply for a license and carry a knife.

Or, several knives.

[junior40er]

Saying f the government is not going to do you any favors but paint gun owners as anarchist which we are not. We obeys laws...mostly. Yes we may not agree on gun laws but a government is still and always be needed to maintain social order...but it should be limited and we should have the righ to defend ourselves from those who will disregard the law.

[FourTenJaeger]

I've thought about this as well. Determined it's better to apply for a license and carry a knife.

Or, several knives.

You're better off carrying some kind of spray instead of a knife for SD. Spray is ranged and dosen't require you to get up close and personal with your attacker, and most people dont know how to wield a knife for defense. Better chance they'd slip and hurt themselves.

Should you be stopped by the PD, They're likely to better recieve a can of pepperspray than a knife. Carry a knife as a tool, not as a defensive one.

That being said, Ill stick to my things that spray lead.

[Rosereader]

You're better off carrying some kind of spray instead of a knife for SD. Spray is ranged and dosen't require you to get up close and personal with your attacker, and most people dont know how to wield a knife for defense. Better chance they'd slip and hurt themselves.

Should you be stopped by the PD, They're likely to better recieve a can of pepperspray than a knife. Carry a knife as a tool, not as a defensive one.

That being said, Ill stick to my things that spray lead.

In general I'd agree, it doesn't work for most people. I am decent with a knife, though.

More importantly knives are easier to carry than sprays. Unless you go for one of those necklace things but it's just a crime against fashion to wear one of those.

[Beelzy]

Lol!....I have shown some CCW permit holders how slow they are when compared to my
knife draw. My knife was at their face before they could get their shirts up.

I'll stick to the Blade, for now.

[SGTKane]

I think the wrong question is being asked here. The question shouldn't be "How do we treat him", but "how do we treat those who choose not to carry and their wives/children/themselves end up dead/raped"?

To answer that question we can search the forums here and find plenty of stories were that happened and the comments sections are peppered with "If he'd only had a gun" or some variation of that. Some follow up with comments about how if it'd been them things would have turned out differently, others rant and rave about how the state disarms its citizens...

Which isn't true. If you own a firearm and choose not to carry it, you disarmed yourself. I'm not going to tell you that you are wrong for making that choice, anymore than I'm going to tell someone who chooses to carry is wrong.

You have to do your own cost benefits analysis and decide which is right for you. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something or advancing their own agenda.

When open carry was legal, I carried openly when I felt the situation required it. When that was no longer legal, I got my CCW...and then I carried every day.

Never had to use it.

Now that I'm not in CA, I carry when I feel the situation may require it, but not daily. And yes I have the New Hampshire equivalent of a CCW, I just don't feel as sketched out by people as I did in CA.

But that's my choice. And should I choose wrong (ie carry it and don't need it, or not carry and need it) I fully expect that someone is going to tell me I'm doing it wrong.

[luckystrike]

Okay I agree. What about this, the person in question is a gang banger (how you'd ever find out, I don't know) but lets just say this guy got caught carrying a firearm without a permit. And nothing else.

Do you still acquit?

My gut tells me if I nullify for one, it has to be for all.

depends if he passes the **** bag test.

Unless I happen to be on a jury, in which case I will vote to uphold the law, whatever the law might be.

whatever the law may be, no matter what?