If you look back on this blog just two years ago, you'll notice I rarely posted about guns. Heck, a few years before that and it was all politics (ah... the salad days of 2000+ daily hits), then I simply was aimless for a while.
However, I began to realize that it was in my best interest to be able to defend myself if need be. Now I am 6'3", two hundred and something pounds, walk with a purpose and make eye contact with people, so I don't project "EASY TARGET", but that doesn't preclude me from being selected by the dumb criminals. So, I looked at my options and realized a firearm was the best tool for the job and applied for my CCW.
That process alone opened my eyes to the horror that has become our government and thrust me into being a gun blogger.
Tanya explains how it is in her neck of the woods
2. It’s hard to get a concealed carry license. Not hard to get qualified, but a lot of footwork and money. Which is smart, because it weeds out the folks who don’t really want it, but it also makes it hard on working class people and parents who really do want it. I don’t live in the city, but in the county, it’s like this: You have to take a class first, which is like $150, where they teach you the basic laws and make sure you can load and shoot both a pistol and a revolver competently. Then you take the form from the class, take time off from work, and run it down to the main police station (you can only go to one specific station) where you fill out their forms, pay another $65-100, and they fingerprint you. Then you wait 45 days (or less) for your ok letter in the mail. Then you take more time off work, and go back to the one police station with your letter, and they certify it. Then you try to get a copy of your birth certificate, if you don’t have a passport. More time and money. Then you take more time off from work, and go to the DMV and pay for a new driver’s license with your CCW endorsement. And they take your picture, so do something with your hair, for pete’s sake.
Now, I lucked out insofar as being a former Marine, I didn't have to do any sort of training so I didn't have to pay for a class. But I did have to pay a large sum of money to get permission to exercise a right and I had to get fingerprinted (after standing in line with a bunch of criminals), and even eventually had to write my representatives because the process was so garbled and lengthy that it bordered on criminal.
It was then that I came to a shocking realizations - CCW permits do nothing to assure the safety of the citizenry. They are hurdles put in place to appear to be "doing something" when in fact they are intentionally overpriced, overly complicated means to naturally restrict people from using said rights.
I just found out yesterday that when I go to renew my application, I have to get it notarized!!! Granted I love the fact that when I had to get the original application notarized, it scared the pants off the lady ("You're getting a GUN????" Then the subsequent explanation that no, I already had guns, I just wanted to keep them on me where they were actually useful), it makes no sense that I would submit to such an intense background check yet forge my own signature.
Now, Tanya has a point and it's been said over and over again - People who go through these hoops do so because they are law abiding citizens. They don't want to break the law, even if it's a pain to comply. Therefore, people who have CCW's tend to be some of the most law abiding people around. Cops have a higher percentage of criminals than CCW holders.
Then you have may issue states where only the rich and famous, or politically connected people can protect themselves. Not rich and famous? Tough shit.
It's a crock. All of it. Criminals conceal weapons and no price tag, class requirements, notarization or background check for a license is ever going to deter them from doing so. Crime doesn't increase when the law abiding are not hindered from exercising their right to use the tools best suited for self defense, so why put so many barriers up to prevent them from doing so?
Control. The politicians and police chiefs are too cowardly to outright state their desires to see the populace disarmed so they come up with convoluted "requirements" that do nothing but collect money and prevent the honest man and woman from exercising their rights. It's patently false that crime increases when the law abiding carry guns, so adding a piece of expensive plastic in the middle of the act does nothing to secure our liberty, the one thing our government should be doing.