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Thu, Jan. 10th, 2008, 12:01 pm
My constitutional right as a Permanent Resident

My first "right" as a Permanent Resident of the US has come through, and I am now legally allowed to carry a (concealed, i.e. hidden on your body) handgun on the streets of Texas. Earlier in 2007 I took a 10-hour course in criminal and administrative law as it applies to firearms and I also took a shooting proficiency test at a nearby range. Yesterday, the license, called a Concealed Handgun License, came in the mail.

Why? "Because" :) I do not actually want to carry a gun, but learning about the various laws in the land where you live is useful, target practice is fun, and hey, you can't do this in the Netherlands! Also, if you get pulled over by a police officer, a CHL tells them that you have never been convicted of a felony (crime) in your life (a prerequisite to getting the license), which will make them less worried about you. After all, law enforcement rather deals with someone who is responsible with weapons than a criminal.

I also found this article an interesting read into why someone would opt to carry a deadly weapon on them at all times.
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Thu, Jan. 10th, 2008 10:35 pm (UTC)
[info]goulo

To me, the guy comes off as a real macho jerk (despite his assertion that this isn't about being macho) with a weird argument that could seemingly justify doing any kind of dangerous or bizarre thing. But whatever.

He concludes with "I carry a gun because it is my right, and because I am responsible enough to excercise it. I feel nothing but pity or contempt for those who are not."

There are a lot of things that are my right and that I am responsible enough to do. I do many of them, and I don't do many of them. To feel pity or contempt for others who choose not to do some of these things would seem awfully weird to me.
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Fri, Jan. 11th, 2008 01:32 am (UTC)
[info]http://openid.hypnogogic.org/orion: Nicely done.

Good stuff, good stuff. I'll be sure to go light on the harassment if I see you on the street.
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