I wouldn't call you a coward, because I don't know you. I actually am a pacifist- I would much rather just be left alone. I would consider you, like a great many people, someone who seems to ignore that what we wish and what is are very different.

And I do appologize for mistyping- I'd been taken crap all day from a now former coworker who was antagonizing the guys in the shop who are gun owners. Including the boss. Not the first time it's happened from this individual, is the last. My "you" in that staement was a general statement to those who feel as you stated you do about private citizens carrying a concealed firearm.

But you seemed to be attacking those of us here who do legally carry a concealed handgun when you said you didn't trust us. THAT is why you hear resentment. I don't mind that you don't carry a sidearm, that is your choice. I respect your choice. What I, and undoubtedly a others, do resent that you implied that since I am neither military nor law enforcement that we could not be trusted to carry a firearm.

I have known several cops, and many of my friends went not only into the military but also the special operations community. A competitive shooter shoots a lot more than anyone outside of Delta, SEAL 6, the Presidential Detail or the FBI's HRT. If you hunt, you know what bullets do. You're average cop fires less than 500 rounds a year, and if they've never hunted, the only thing that they believe (practical knowledge vs book knowledge) is that bullets punch holes in paper and just disappear when . You're average infantryman fires more than that in peace time, but is just as unfamiliar with the terminal effects of small arms ammunition, maybe even less becuase you don't always see the person you hit in a firefight. Most of the people I know who EDC or semi-EDC a handgun fire at least 500 rounds a year, and since a great many of us hunt, we know what bullets do. We know they leave the body in most cases, so there is always the danger part the target, but still we accept the risk. We know that in a situation where there might be multiple shooters in a group setting that we just became a target for the shooters we don't see, and that we don't have the option of praying to the radio gods for back up or air support. And we know that if that bullet hits someone after it exits the perpetrator, that we don't have a larger organization behind us with lawyers and handlers and access to the press and either insurance or buckets of money. And we accept that, as an armed citizen.

As I said, you don't have to trust me or any of the others. And even though we resent your attitude towards us, we'll stick our necks on the line while waiting for the guys with badges, armour and radios to show up, rather than let others die.