I worry about my fellow parishioners safety should some demented soul enter into our church with a weapon and seek to do them harm. That is why I carry concealed everywhere, even in church. Guns are not evil, they are a tool used correctly and wisely they are a force for good.I would have a problem going to a church that encourages its members to wear concealed weapons. I guess I’d be so concerned about the safety measurest that each person took to make sure their guns were safe that I wouldn’t be able to focus on the message of the sermon.
I don’t know, this thread isn’t about those topics.Did folks really expect ‘interesting debate’ on subjects such as when to leave the country and if killing weapons should be brought into a sacred place of peace?
Then you should not have posted this:I don’t know, this thread isn’t about those topics.
Just pointing out the obvious.Then you should not have posted this:
“We can always count on you to derail interesting debate and spin it into absurdity.”
Sure, you throw out a little snide comment and then when you are taken to task:Just pointing out the obvious.
I know nothing about you personally, so I can’t speak to whether your intentions and your markmanship are good, but I can say that I would not feel comfortable attending Mass with you knowing that you are armed. In our society, we hear of too many horrible things happening with guns, so I never feel comfortable seeing someone I don’t know carrying a weapon - I can’t know for sure if this person is the kind of person who is going to pull that weapon and, say, kill and abortionist or a priest (both of which have happened in the recent past). In my opinion, I should be able to worship without that particular anxiety, and the house of God should remain a house of prayer. It’s hard to be completely prayerful when, in your case, you’re scanning the crowd to see if you need to take defensive action and, in my case, I’m watching you to make sure you’re not one of the whackos that winds up on the front pages each week.I worry about my fellow parishioners safety should some demented soul enter into our church with a weapon and seek to do them harm. That is why I carry concealed everywhere, even in church. Guns are not evil, they are a tool used correctly and wisely they are a force for good.
WOW, I guess ignorance is bliss? What about all the people who are legally carrying concealed weapons? Do you dash quickly from bush to bush to remain hidden from their view? Do you pile your grocery basket up high with heavy canned goods to deflect bullets that may be fired by pistol packing housewives who legally carry a gun?I know nothing about you personally, so I can’t speak to whether your intentions and your markmanship are good, but I can say that I would not feel comfortable attending Mass with you knowing that you are armed. In our society, we hear of too many horrible things happening with guns, so I never feel comfortable seeing someone I don’t know carrying a weapon - I can’t know for sure if this person is the kind of person who is going to pull that weapon and, say, kill and abortionist or a priest (both of which have happened in the recent past). In my opinion, I should be able to worship without that particular anxiety, and the house of God should remain a house of prayer. It’s hard to be completely prayerful when, in your case, you’re scanning the crowd to see if you need to take defensive action and, in my case, I’m watching you to make sure you’re not one of the whackos that winds up on the front pages each week.
Perhaps you don’t see the contradiction here? You make ME out to be paranoid after hearing about crazy people doing evil things with guns… and yet YOU carry a gun to protect yourself from crazy people.WOW, I guess ignorance is bliss? What about all the people who are legally carrying concealed weapons? Do you dash quickly from bush to bush to remain hidden from their view? Do you pile your grocery basket up high with heavy canned goods to deflect bullets that may be fired by pistol packing housewives who legally carry a gun?
Seriously, in my state 11% of the adult population has a permit to carry a handgun. I don’t know about your state but I suspect that you encounter some person almost every day when you are in public who has a legally concealed gun with them. Be it the shop owner, or someone at the gas station filling up, or another mom at the school picking up their child.
The people you need to be LEAST worried about are those who legally carry guns because they have passed back ground checks, have likely had specialized training in safety, they have NO criminal activity in their past, they have NO history of domestic violence and NO arrests. Yet you are afraid of the people who have actually been checked out by the police and deemed honest, law abiding and upstanding. You are afraid of the very people who you have less to be afraid of than anyone else out on the street because that license to carry a handgun is very much a character reference that shows they are honest, upstanding, stable citizens.
I suspect that you may have a mental disorder called hopolophobia which is a real disorder and is an irrational fear of guns.
I’m not in any way trying to insult you but you may want to look into treatment because your fears seem to be so misguided as to cause you hardship in your days when/if you encounter honest people who happen to choose to have a gun. Yet when you are ignorant of their actions (because they carry concealed) you have no such fear. That seems to be a clinical case of irrational fear.
Much of your fear seems to be based on what you “hear” as you reference hearing horrible stories. It may comfort you to know that according to several studies that guns are used more frequently to prevent crime than to commit it.
No ma’am, you have no idea why I carry a gun and to jump to such a conclusion is clearly irrational. I have actually stated on this forum in a past thread why I do carry a gun and it is clearly logical and had been recommended first to me by the chief of police and then later by a couple officers from various departments. Let it be said that none of the reason is to protect myself from ‘crazy’ people as you mistakenly indicate.Perhaps you don’t see the contradiction here? You make ME out to be paranoid after hearing about crazy people doing evil things with guns… and yet YOU carry a gun to protect yourself from crazy people.
It’s a matter of degree, my dear.
Perhaps I am paranoid, but I have no way of knowing if you’re carrying your weapon legally.
What in the world are you talking about?Sure, you throw out a little snide comment and then when you are taken to task:
"I don’t know, this thread isn’t about those topics. "
Just pointing out the obvious.
I trust you have this same fear about cars, since you are much, much more likely to get killed by a car than a gun.In our society, we hear of too many horrible things happening with guns, so I never feel comfortable seeing someone I don’t know carrying a weapon
Actually, I’m really not as stupid as you think I am.I trust you have this same fear about cars, since you are much, much more likely to get killed by a car than a gun.
I do not think you are stupid at all.Actually, I’m really not as stupid as you think I am.
Would you please be kind enough to stick to the topic?
Your analogy is a bit flawed.I do not think you are stupid at all.
The question about being fearfu labout cars is very much on topic as you have a greater chance of dieing from a car (a very commonly used item) than a firearm (~11% of the population carrying concealed).
OK. I need your help here.
Today I read a news story at msnbc.msn.com/id/31111096/ that has been bugging me, and I simply can’t seem to put it into words… although I tried on my blog today at acts17verse28.blogspot.com/2009/06/guns-and-god.html#comments.
The story involves a pastor from an Assemblies of God church in Kentucky who’s inviting his congregation to carry guns into church as part of their July 4 celebration. There will be a handgun raffle and gun safety courses. His rationale is that, without religious faith and guns, we would not have our country and its freedoms.
I have a friend in Nicholasville Kentucky and she sent me a newspaper article on the church and it is a SOUTHERN BAPTIST and the pastor is a former MARINE , she also said that the entire area is up in arms with this church as they dont feel it is the correct thing to do
Okay, let’s stick to the topic. According to a published study by John Lott & David Mustard who looked at county level crime statistics from all 3,054 counties in the U.S. from 1977 through 1992 – they discovered that gun owners who lawfully carry firearms are 5.7 times LESS likely to be arrested for violent offenses than the general public and 13.5 times LESS likely to be arrested for non-violent offenses than the general public.Actually, I’m really not as stupid as you think I am.
Would you please be kind enough to stick to the topic?
Fear that the person is not a lawful carrier?Now, please explain to us again what your fear of a person carrying a gun is based on?
if they arent a lawful carrier you wont know until it is too late.Fear that the person is not a lawful carrier?