RobertNashville

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 Much of the "law" referenced is outdated as are much of the weapons recommendations but the general information is almost timeless.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

Welcome to TGO! I live in the "Boro" and am former military myself (USN '73-'81). There is a TON of good info here that you'll find helpful...firearms are both useful for self-defense but also a heck of a lot of fun and you'll find plenty of info on both here. When the weather gets better we'll definitely need to get you out to a range and let you do some plinking; I know I and many others here will be happy to let you shoot any of or weapons. I guess I was about the same age as you when I got my first BB gun...my uncle (who was only 7 years older than I) used to shoot birds sometimes as well but we only shot the ones that were a problem for our 1 acre garden (we never shot any of the song birds or birds like Robins, Cardinals, etc). I guess I got my first real gun when I was about 10...it was a 410 single shot shot gun! Did some rabbit hunting with it...graduated to a single shot Savage 12 ga a couple of years later and used it for both rabbit and pheasant hunting (although I have to say, neither the rabbit nor pheasant populations of southern Ohio had much to fear from me!). Take care..stay warm...Merry Christmas!

I'd love to but I'm out of town over the holiday.

Like much in life, it often takes experiencing something for yourself to truly understand when someone else is going through the same thing...I lost my cat back in 2006; she was 21. A few months after she died I adopted an HIV positive Main Coon from the local shelter - at first I wasn't sure they were going to let me adopt him but I knew I wanted to give him a good home for as long as he makes it...he is still healthy although every year he makes it is on borrowed time. He and my 6 year old basset are almost inseparable and I don't want to fact the day I lose either of them. My condolences for the loss of your friend.

I would say that the officer definetly exceeded his authority. I'm not an attorney nor have a stayed at a Holiday Inn Express recently but to the best of my knowledge, no LEO in the State of Tennessee has the authority to simply take a person's license; that is only for the State to do AFTER there has been some due process involved (there may be an exception for DUI but I'm not sure). That said, the office probably would have the authority to have the car impounded and towed and the driver issued a ticked to boot so the "taking the license", even if illegal, might be considered a bit of a favor compared to what the officer could have done. Now, when it comes to other states...it's a different story. In Illinois they do (or at least they did when I lived there) take your license when they issue a traffic ticket and you get your license back when you pay the fine (the ticket proves you have a valid license until you have your actual license back).

There have been times in my life when I only had one handgun so "choice" was not an issue! These days, I carry a Kimber 1911 .45 ACP (Pro CDP 2) as my EDC weapon with a Ruger LCR as my backup and those weapons are either on me or within easy reach whenever I'm home and awake. However, while I generally take my two carry guns to the bedroom when I settle down for the night, in my nightstand and always in my nightstand is an HK45 with a Surefire tactical light on rail and that's the handgun I'm going to use if I'm reaching for a handgun in the middle of the night. However, none of those handguns would be a first choice - they are simply a backup to my SCAR light and my 12GA.

I can't help but wonder what sort of "remedial training" one needs to be able to spot a handgun in a piece of luggage? I mean, a gun pretty much looks like a gun every time you look at one doesn't it???