RobertNashville

Yeah...I remember when my girl used to fit under my sofa and would play hide and seek...I wouldn't say she is a demon but she sure can be stubborn and cantankerous when it suits her!

That's a pretty bold statement...is is just your opinion of is there empirical evidence to support it? If someone lives in a home/area when there are no innocent bystanders to be killed then there is no problem...but...if someone does live in such a home/area then not taking overpenetration into account seems somewhat reckless to me...for me; I'd rather be killed by a bad gun in my home that risk killing an innocent in the house next door.

I'm not sure anyone has "admitted" to anything here have they? My question was completely and only hypothetical.

Getting an HCP is not a big deal; making the decision to carry a firearm and the responsibility that goes with that decision is; or at least it should be...I would hope no one takes that responsibility lighlty.

All is well and you are welcome...Merry Christmas!

Respectfully, as I've delved into the Constitution of late and the Second Amendment in particular, I don't believe the Second Amendment deals with "self defense" at all nor was that ever its intent. I've come to the conclusion, and I think a reasonable one, that the concept of the "right of self defense" is so basic to a person that the founders didn't see a need to codify it in the Constitution - I don't think they could every had imagined that such a concept would ever be called into question! After all, in order to pursue "Live, Liberty and Happiness" one must first be alive and stay alive and when confronted with a deadly threat, it should be beyond obvious that a person has a right to defend his live with whatever means are necessary gun, knife, stick, rock, brick...whatever. In other words, while I DO believe that we have the right to defend ourselves including bearing arms to do so, I don't believe that is the purpose of the Second Amendment. That said, I'm more than glad we have the Second Amendment and more than happy to use it as part of any legal argument why we should be allowed to "go armed" for our own protection.

I'd like to get there...summer tends to get busy for me because my other passion (as well as profession) is cars which generally take up at least one to two weekends a month, then a once a month Saturday drill with the State Guard and the month is pretty much gone...if only I could get everyone to schedule things so they work out for ME everything would be great!!! If the weather isn't bad I will likely be there although I suppose I should ask what kind of rifles are allowed...I would be using an FN SCAR (light - 5.56nato)...I have an EOTech red dot although I haven't really zeroed it for the weapon yet so I'd probably just use the iron sights.

I could but I think the best thing I could recommend to you is a book called "In The Gravest Extreme" ( Amazon.com: In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection (0749522009954): Massad F. Ayoob: Books ) by Massad Ayoob. Massad is practical, down to earth and he's "been there done that" for many years. Much of the "law" referenced is outdated as are much of the weapons recommendations but the general information is almost timeless. I read this book every year or two (even long before I decided to actually carry on a regular basis).

Sounds like fun (if the weather isn't nasty anyway).

I would agree except for one thing, the only thing a government can do effectively is CONSUME what others produce. Creating jobs is not for the government to do; at best the State can make sure it isn't doing things that make Tennessee unattractive to business but that's pretty much it and Tennessee is already pretty dam attractive to business which is one of the reasons this state has fared better than most during this downturn.

I was an FTM (Tarrier Missile System) on a guided missile cruiser about the same time although a couple of years behind you I'd say...my ship made her last Vietnam deployment about a year before I joined her.

Not that it helps you now but consider that it used to be even worse...you could be drafted, sent to war and killed while serving your country but you couldn't cast a vote for or against the politicians who were sitting on their brains making the decision to draft/send you.

Congratulations to you! Getting mine was a very long wait (August until late December)...I actually got my HCP delivered to me on Wednesday, December 23, 2009. It was a great feeling and yes, it is a tremendous responsibility and as Glock30 said, you look at the world and people differently.

As Jamie noted (above), over-penetration is a very real concern inside your home; especially if your home is in a suburb. I've seen many, many tests where even the lowly .38 special will penetrate through most drywall, glass, etc. far more than most suspect and if you are using a 12ga or 357 or 45 your bullets are likely to wind up going right through your exterior walls and into your neighbor's house (or hitting a family member in another room). Now...if you live out in the middle of nowhere with no neighbor houses anywhere near you then the problem of over-penetration is lessened...I also realize that we need to "hit our target", etc. etc. but no one, in my humble opinion, should discount the very real possibility that our rounds can go places we don't necessarily want them to go and especially in a stressful situation like defending our lives.

I've chosen to use .223/5.56 precisely because of over-penetration concerns. While I always have a 12ga and a .45 handgun handy, my first choice, if I can get to it, is my SCAR. I've been told, although not confirmed, that many law enforcement agencies are replacing their 12 ga shotguns and switching to AR15 and .223 due to the same over-penetration concerns.

I'd think what thickness of drywall is used might well depend on the building codes (if any) of the location where the construction is happening wouldn't it?

I can say with some assurance that Kano knows what he's talking about when it comes to 1911s...I bought my Nighthawk and Les Baer from him!

I think the police did the right thing here and I'd be glad to see them. To use a perhaps overused phrase, this ain't Mayberry anymore...a simple door bell ringing late at night can't be taken at face value anymore.

Probably...I tend to disagree with someone almost every day.

I very much like the goals, here. All three proposals sound good but I suspect that implementing them AND keeping all three true to the intended goal is going to be difficult and require a lot of oversight; "best laid plans of Mice and Men", etc. as it's simply difficult to keep things like reputation points, etc. from not turning into or at least being perceived as some sort of popularity contest. I'm not saying don't try; just adding a note of caution.

My current stock of 1911s are... 1. Kimber basic 1911 (blued) 2. Kimber Pro CDPII 4.5in (my primary carry weapon) 3. Colt Gold Cup National Match Series 70 (1975) 4. Nighthawk Custom Talon 5. LesBaer Thunder Ranch 6. and I'm buying and Ed Brown Executive Target stainless from a forum member I've never owned is a Dan Wesson or a Wilson Combat but I've no doubt that they are fine weapons. I would agree with some of the sentiments above...I think when you get into any of the big custom shops you are going to get a truly great weapon. But, I also think you'll "like" them differently for different reasons. All in all, I don't think you can make a bad choice with any of them!

Yes...if I chose to do this I'd be looking for training on making the best use of it. Unfortunately, were I ever involved in an altercation I can't help but wonder if any "training" was used against me in court as in trying to prove that my only intent on having a cane was for its potential as a weapon. As I said, with a weak knee a cane could come in handy but it's not a true necessity for me so I don't know if my "need" would be sufficient to get me out of a criminal charge of illegally carrying a weapon (but it may be a better excuse than carrying around a baseball and glove in the trunk in the middle of winter.

And should I need to defend myself one of my SCARS is likely better than your .45 (or any of my .45s) but I don't carry a SCAR around with me for obvious reasons. That's the premise of my question about carrying a cane...I can't carry a firearm everywhere, at least not legally but I don't know of anyplace offhand that posts against a cane and my thinking is that any weapon is likely better than no weapon at all which is what I now have when I am in a place that doesn't allow me to carry a firearm. I'm not suggesting that a can is preferable and I can't imagine ever choosing to carry a care instead of a firearm if I have the option to legally carry a firearm.

Hello all, I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place to put this thread or not but I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts on carrying a cane either specifically for self-defense use and/or carrying for it's usual purposes but also because it can be used for self-defense? I don't really need a cane to get around but I'm at an age that I could probably do so without raising suspicion and I do have one weak knee and could logically use that as a reason to carry one. I can see an advantage as I can carry a cane in places I could never legally carry my firearm but I cant' help but wonder if the cane might make me more of a "target" by those who assume that since I have a cane I might be easier prey. Any thoughts, experience to share would be appreciated. Thanks!

I decided to move this as the Handgun Carry and Self Defense section seemed more appropriate! http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/handgun-carry-self-defense/50554-carrying-cane-self-defense-purposes.html#post654491