That's CLASSIC!! ROFLMAO

(oh, and thanks for doing the job you choose to do)

Uhm, you're welcome.

I'm just a professional computer geek who grew up in a family where if you weren't a healer or in the military, the only other acceptable profession was medicine/engineering. (Same thing, just your patients don't restart to easily if you turn them off at the end of the day.) If I gave anyone the impression I am military (Air Force said no when I was still high school- arthritic jaw) or police (I said no, not with my lack of tolerance for people who hurt little kids), becuase I'm not. I'm just a renaissance man who grew up rural, and acted a mentor to a lot of kids in college who had never found someone quite like them and thought they were misfits.

It's odd, being a survival geek like us is as much of a stigma in our society as being gay, just with different segments. Closets suck, everyone out.

I am former military, former law enforcement, and a lifelong firearm owner. I am the worlds biggest fan of private ownership of firearms (with exception of convicted felons, those addicted to drugs, etc etc etc), and CCW's by those who can pass whatever is required by their local laws. In many cases (McD's, Post Offices, etc) where shootings have happened in the past, I feel that a firearm in the hands of one good guy could have made all the difference in the world. But in the jurisdictions I am familiar with, firearms are not allowed on school grounds by any other than peace officers. One may have a CCW, but it does not allow carry on a campus, so it is a moot point in this case...

You are correct carry on campus is not allowed. In this state, the full rule I believe is that carry on college campuses is not allowed with out written permission from the head of security or campus police which is (at least at my school) impossible to get. My argument is two fold that appropriate students should be allowed to carry on campus, and that campuses should not bar students from carrying any sort of weapon at all. Students at my school who live in the dorms are not even allowed to have mace let alone an ASP baton or a stun gun. Keeping people helpless seems to be endemic in schools and universities and many other places.

I am fortunate that I live in a state where publicly funded colleges are not allowed to ban the carry of firearms by people who are licensed to do so. A fairly recent law, and long overdue IMO.

As far as being prepared to defend myself, I consider it no different than being prepared to build a fire or purify water. I carry an RSK and a handgun, as well as pepper spray (while jogging.) I keep myself in reasonable shape and try to be aware of my surroundings at all times.

I stumbled across this essay and feel it's very worthwhile to read...
Each one of us is a foot soldier for civ...t to thwart it.

I can defend myself. If the need arises, I will try to defend others. I will teach my girls these lessons, too.

-Blast

A very good read:

"On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs"

ironraven,

Do you really think that I wouldn't come to your aid just because I didn't carry a gun?

I would come to your and anyone else's aid in a heartbeat. It's what we human beings do (for the most part).

If I were to receive help from you, you would receive my life-long gratitude and would not be puked on (not intentionally mind you, I can't account for what I might do during loss of consciousness).

The resentment I hear from folks leads me to think that the group views me as a coward or pacifist (not carrying a gun = defensless cowardice).

My arguements has always been and always will be:

1) to base gun laws on careful, reasoned thought and not reactionary emotional responses.

2) arming college kids is stupid.

3) large numbers of people walking around carrying fire arms does not make everyone safer.

For the record, I am not unarmed nor defenseless. My EDC does include a Delica tucked in my waistband for defense only. It's destination: the carotids (and any other artery I can get to) of my assailant.

If I gotta go, I'm not going alone.

Wow! That's going to a bunch of people I know.

-Blast

I'm going to try and not come off too harsh here but there seems to be a great deal of something.. (ignorance?) in this post. People need to take personal accountability for their actions. That's the problem with our evolving democracy is that for some reason people are content to remove less and less responsibility from their lives. Responsibilities like parenting (let the schools do it!), self defense (let the police do it!), washing their clothes (let the washing machine do it!), et al.

There are alot of rebuttals I could do here because I vehemently disagree with much of the "leave it in the hands of the pros" defense. First, police are people like you and me. They make mistakes too.

Second, former police are on here stating their opinion it's best to arm the citizens. I would suspect that opinion likely comes from a very valuable experience from which they can draw said conclusion. In that respect, I trust that judgement in usage to supplement my own. I would hope others would do the same.

Third, the response time issue. I personally wouldn't want to wait huddled in a classroom for 20+ minutes desperately barricading a door while bullets are ripping through it. Ultimately as stated multiple times before YOU are responsible for you. No one else. That's the problem with our coddling nanny society anymore is that everyone expects to be babied and cuddled while someone else does the dirty work. Call it what you want, but that's the reality of it. Don't trust the guy down the street? Tough. That's the nature of this world. Who do you trust? What is trust? What is love, what is hate? What is this pseudo philosophical crap I'm spewing getting at? YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU. NO ONE ELSE IS. Therefore if you choose to go out unarmed that is YOUR CHOICE - you can rely on others to protect you. Perhaps they will. Perhaps they won't. Your problem, not mine. Unless I see the problem happening, then I will come to help. That's just my nature.

Me? I choose to protect myself. Because in the end, I'm the ONLY PERSON I CAN ABSOLUTELY BE SURE WILL DO IT. That's in caps for a reason folks. Because I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MYSELF - end of story. If the cops show up, great. More help. Otherwise, I will most likely have things covered BY MYSELF - because again.. I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR ME (see a pattern here?).

Also on the note of militias - not to degrade the topic here but I'm just going to make this flat and clear - our own government includes us as part of their military via militias. Want proof?

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/10/usc_sec_10_00000311----000-.html

TITLE 10 > Subtitle A > PART I > CHAPTER 13 > 311. Militia: composition and classes

(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard.
(b) The classes of the militia are—
(1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and
(2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.

Our government EXPECTS us to be able to defend the country. End of story. By the way, sorry for the tone of the post. I'm in a pissy mood.

Lastly, I'm glad someone posted the info about the sheep/sheepdog/wolf bit. That one never gets old and definitely gets the point across.