Saw in another post 12% of America carries a firearm

[madville]

53% of America is not allowed to carry a firearm for self defense right off the bat.


87,000,000 Underage - 29% of the population

We will deduct 29% from the below numbers because they are underage.

10,000,000 Illegal Immigrants
13,000,000 Population of Illinois
37,000,000 Population of California
5,500,000 Population of Wisconsin
5,500,000 Population of Maryland
8,500,000 Population of New Jersey
500,000 Population of Washington DC
6,500,000 Population of Massachusetts
8,000,000 Population of NYC
6,000,000 Felons who have lost their gun rights
1,000,000 Guilty of Misdemeanor Domestic Violence
-----------
101,500,000 - 29% =

72,000,000 + 87,000,000 = 159,000,000

So 159,000,000 cannot even consider carrying a firearm with them because it is against the law or almost impossible to get a permit where they are at. So your 12% of 300,000,000 is 36,000,000 who carry out of a possible 141,000,000 who possibly could. That is more like 26% of eligible people carry a firearm, not 12%.

[jody]

1. The wonderful thing about inalienable/unalienable rights is that a simple majority cannot infringe

upon such rights.

To those who would take away any inalienable/unalienable right, I say:

[Tim01]

2. I would have to think somebody made a mistake.

1.2 percent maybe.

[russ1943]

3. Can you provide any cite?

I think some of those figures are un um er not exactly accurate.

[doc03]

4. There is no way 12% of Americans carry a gun

when we got the CC law in Ohio the applicants were far lower than everyone had predicted I doubt if even one percent of the population bothered to get a CC permit. I know several people myself that got the permit just to have it and rarely if ever actually carry.

[jeepnstein]

6. Agree...

I know only a small handful of CCW holders who actually bother to carry their weapon daily. It's more about having options with most people. Ohio is a fairly easy state to get a CCW. The school is not expensive and the application process is simple enough. Most Sheriffs are complying with the strict letter of the law with regard to issuing them the last time I checked.

I'd guess that there are 2,000 CCW holders in my rural county of 80,000. It's hardly a flood of guns in the streets. Guns in the home? Well, that number is much, much higher. My best guess is 2/3's of homes have some sort of firearm present.

[doc03]

7. I haven't bothered to get the CC permit myself

for one thing almost every business prohibits them. We had some idiot that dropped a handgun in the K Mart right after the CC started when it hit the floor it discharged and could have killed someone. The main trouble I have with getting the CC is if you get a nut job cop that pulls you over, if he is like I say a nut job and sees you have a CC and knows you have a weapon he could just blow you away and say you went for your weapon. There may only be a small percentage of that type but there are some bullies attracted to that occupation. I had a Sheriff show me a snipers rifle he bought for the department and said he could blow a n----- away a mile away. I knew the guy all my life and I don't even think he should be able to own a gun let alone be a Sheriff. Don't worry he got voted out of office a couple decades ago.

[jeepnstein]

8. Most cops...

are supportive of the CCW concept. The nut jobs you speak of are usually isolated in small-town departments where family lineage is a deciding factor on new hires. The stories I could tell about a couple of them I've known would make one think the whole justice system was bent beyond description.

I can't recall a single CCW incident locally. Guns do get dropped. I kicked mine down a flight of stairs once while trying to get it into a lock box at a County Courthouse. Talk about embarrassing, at least it didn't go boom. I know a guy who shot himself in the butt, on duty, in a public restroom after he dropped his duty weapon. The restaurant manager called it in as an "officer down with shots fired" so everyone and his brother responded. He still hasn't lived that one down. Personally, I think citizens with CCW are generally sharper than cops when it comes to gun safety.

I just got an email about a class forming in Franklin County for $85.00. It's being put on by a really good instructor who also has an outstanding carbine class. It's well worth it, especially now that the affirmative defense is gone.

[doc03]

9. There are bad ones out there that get a kick out of

slapping someone around or even would like to get a chance to shoot someone. the profession does attract some of those types. I don't know how many times they have caught firemen around here actually starting fires, same there some bad people are attracted to those jobs.

[jeepnstein]

10. It's still relatively rare.

Volunteer fire departments do get their share of fire bugs. It's the blinking red lights that draw them in.

Screwball cops are harder to keep on the force these days. Most departments really worry about potential liability if they turn an idiot loose with a gun and a badge. That hasn't always been the case. Getting popped by a bucket head because you are carrying a gun without a CCW would make the bucket head right.

[HALO141]

12. Went off when it hit the ground?

Not likely. With a very few notable exceptions nearly every modern handgun is drop-safe. The firing pin is physically prevented from contacting the primer unless the trigger is being pressed back at the same time. There are some models of Colt 1911 for which this is not the case and, perhaps, a few really cheap oddball guns. For the overwhelming majority of modern handguns, however, it's a non-problem.

[TheWraith]

13. He probably tried to grab it as it fell, and accidently squeezed the trigger.

Rule number one, never try to catch a handgun if you don't have to. Also, another good reason for having a manual safety.

[Howzit]

14. "Rule number one"

Keep it in a holster that retains the gun properly. You know exactly where it is and which way it is pointing.

[TheWraith]

15. Well, there's a lot of rule number ones.

But rule number one of trying to catch a falling gun is, "Don't."

[MineralMan]

5. I don't think so...

On a typical day, I'm sure less than 1% is carrying. In Minnesota, the number of CCW permits doesn't even reach 1%, and most of the holders probably don't always carry.

[X_Digger]

11. I think you mixed up..

Ownership vs Carry.