A Proclamation

[Rottmeister]

I should carry a gun because:

i. I love my family.

ii. It's my responsibility to protect innocents from harm.

iii. I value my life and the lives of my family and friends more than anything else in the world. If we were ever threatened, I'd rather die with a gun in my hand and defending their lives and honour rather than watching helplessly the ones I love being brutalized.

iv. I realize that I cannot depend on anyone else for protection. When seconds count, the police are minutes (and sometimes, even hours) away.

v. I would like to carry a gun because the safest place to keep a loaded gun is on your person at all times. An unloaded gun is as useless as a paperweight, and a gun in the safe is no help when you need a gun RIGHT NOW.

vi. I would carry a gun because even though I'm a strong and an intelligent man, without a gun I would be no match for a skinny terrorist / goon who had one. And fact is, the criminals will always find a way to get the guns illegally.

vii. I would carry a gun after training myself to use it properly, and I know that if required I would use it without hesitation.

viii. I shall carry a revolver with a heavy trigger pull to ensure that the gun is not going to fire accidentally.


It's a humble request to you all for passing it all around; the time has come for the Government to wake up and realize creating weak subjects for gaining a better control over them is passe; unless you strengthen the population, there shall be none to fight for it when the very day comes!

[paragvns]

My two bits (not my own tough)
40 Reasons For Gun Control
1. Banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, & Chicago cops need guns.
2. Washington DC's low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control, and
Indianapolis' high murder rate of 9 per 100,000 is due to the lack of gun control.
3. Statistics showing high murder rates justify gun control but statistics showing increasing murder
rates after gun control are "just statistics."
4. The Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which went into effect in 1994 are
responsible for the decrease in violent crime rates, which have been declining since 1991.
5. We must get rid of guns because a deranged lunatic may go on a shooting spree at any time and
anyone who would own a gun out of fear of such a lunatic is paranoid.
6. The more helpless you are the safer you are from criminals.
7. An intruder will be incapacitated by tear gas or oven spray, but if shot with a .357 Magnum will
get angry and kill you.
8. A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead
rapist at her feet.
9. When confronted by violent criminals, you should "put up no defense- give them what they
want, or run" (Handgun Control Inc. Chairman Pete Shields, Guns Don't Die - People Do, 1981,
p.125).
10. The New England Journal of Medicine is filled with expert advice about guns; just like Guns
& Ammo has some excellent treatises on heart surgery.
11. One should consult an automotive engineer for safer seatbelts, a civil engineer for a better
bridge, a surgeon for internal medicine, a computer programmer for hard drive problems, and
Sarah Brady for firearms expertise.
12. The 2nd Amendment, ratified in 1787, refers to the National Guard, which was created 130
years later, in 1917.
13. The National Guard, federally funded, with bases on federal land, using federally-owned
weapons vehicles buildings and uniforms, punishing trespassers under federal law, is a "state"
militia.
14. These phrases: "right of the people peaceably to assemble," "right of the people to be secure in
their homes," "enumerations herein of certain rights shall not be construed to disparage others
retained by the people," and "The powers not delegated herein are reserved to the states
respectively, and to the people" all refer to individuals, but "the right of the people to keep and
bear arm" refers to the state.
15. "The Constitution is strong and will never change." But we should ban and seize all guns
thereby violating the 2nd, 4th, and 5thAmendments to that Constitution.
16. Rifles and handguns aren't necessary to national defense! Of course, the army has hundreds of thousands of them.
17. Private citizens shouldn't have handguns, because they aren't "military weapons", but private
citizens shouldn't have "assault rifles", because they are military weapons.
18. In spite of waiting periods, background checks, finger printing, government forms, etc., guns
today are too readily available, which is responsible for recent school shootings. In the 1940's,
1950's and1960's, anyone could buy guns at hardware stores, army surplus stores, gas stations,
variety stores, Sears mail order, no waiting, no background check, no fingerprints, no government
forms and there were no school shootings.
19. The NRA's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign about kids handling guns is propaganda,
but the anti-gun lobby's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign is responsible social activity.
20. Guns are so complex that special training is necessary to use them properly, and so simple to
use that they make murder easy.
21. A handgun, with up to 4 controls, is far too complex for the typical adult to learn to use, as
opposed to an automobile that only has 20.
22. Women are just as intelligent and capable as men but a woman with a gun is "an accident
waiting to happen" and gun makers' advertisements aimed at women are "preying on their fears."
23. Ordinary people in the presence of guns turn into slaughtering butchers but revert to normal
when the weapon is removed.
24. Guns cause violence, which is why there are so many mass killings at gun shows.
25. A majority of the population supports gun control, just like a majority of the population
supported owning slaves.
26. Any self-loading small arm can legitimately be considered to be a "weapon of mass
destruction" or an "assault weapon."
27. Most people can't be trusted, so we should have laws against guns, which most people will
abide by because they can be trusted.
28. The right of Internet pornographers to exist cannot be questioned because it is constitutionally
protected by the Bill of Rights, but the use of handguns for self defense is not really protected by
the Bill of Rights.
29. Free speech entitles one to own newspapers, transmitters, computers, and typewriters, but selfdefense
only justifies bare hands.
30. The ACLU is good because it uncompromisingly defends certain parts of the Constitution, and
the NRA is bad, because it defends other parts of the Constitution.
31. Charlton Heston, a movie actor as president of the NRA is a cheap lunatic who should be
ignored, but Michael Douglas, a movie actor as a representative of Handgun Control, Inc. is an
ambassador for peace who is entitled to an audience at the UN arms control summit.
32. Police operate with backup within groups, which is why they need larger capacity pistol
magazines than do "civilians" who must face criminals alone and therefore need less ammunition.
33. We should ban "Saturday Night Specials" and other inexpensive guns because it's not fair that
poor people have access to guns too.
34. Police officers have some special Jedi-like mastery over hand guns that private citizens can
never hope to obtain.
35. Private citizens don't need a gun for self-protection because the police are there to protect them
even though the Supreme Court says the police are not responsible for their protection.
36. Citizens don't need to carry a gun for personal protection but police chiefs, who are deskbound
administrators who work in a building filled with cops, need a gun.
37. "Assault weapons" have no purpose other than to kill large numbers of people. The police
need assault weapons. You do not.
38. When Microsoft pressures its distributors to give Microsoft preferential promotion, that's bad;
but when the Federal government pressures cities to buy guns only from Smith & Wesson, that's
good.
39. Trigger locks do not interfere with the ability to use a gun for defensive purposes, which is
why you see police officers with one on their duty weapon.
40. Handgun Control, Inc. says they want to "keep guns out of the wrong hands." Guess what?
You have the wrong hands

Regards
Parag

[paragvns]

Rottlord,
I strongly support you, your 8 points are already saved in my computer and the 9th one - last but not the least is also being followed

Regards
Parag

[TenX]

OOOWWWW Parag... Thats a good doctorate paper dude... Nice big info

[joydeepm]

As a relative newcome to IFG , I am very moved by this statement . Very pithy . Captures the exact reasons for carrying a weapon.
Cheers mate

I should carry a gun because:

i. I love my family.

ii. It's my responsibility to protect innocents from harm.

iii. I value my life and the lives of my family and friends more than anything else in the world. If we were ever threatened, I'd rather die with a gun in my hand and defending their lives and honour rather than watching helplessly the ones I love being brutalized.

iv. I realize that I cannot depend on anyone else for protection. When seconds count, the police are minutes (and sometimes, even hours) away.

v. I would like to carry a gun because the safest place to keep a loaded gun is on your person at all times. An unloaded gun is as useless as a paperweight, and a gun in the safe is no help when you need a gun RIGHT NOW.

vi. I would carry a gun because even though I'm a strong and an intelligent man, without a gun I would be no match for a skinny terrorist / goon who had one. And fact is, the criminals will always find a way to get the guns illegally.

vii. I would carry a gun after training myself to use it properly, and I know that if required I would use it without hesitation.

viii. I shall carry a revolver with a heavy trigger pull to ensure that the gun is not going to fire accidentally.


It's a humble request to you all for passing it all around; the time has come for the Government to wake up and realize creating weak subjects for gaining a better control over them is passe; unless you strengthen the population, there shall be none to fight for it when the very day comes!

[xl_target]

viii. I shall carry a revolver with a heavy trigger pull to ensure that the gun is not going to fire accidentally.

I would submit, sir, that guns don't go off by themselves whether they have heavy or light trigger pulls.
As long as a gun is mechanically sound, the only way it will go off is when the trigger is pressed.
You hear stories about "the gun went off as I was cleaning it". Sorry, you didn't follow the four rules AND you deliberately disobeyed one of them by putting your finger on the trigger.
If one follows the four rules of gun safety, the odds of a negligent discharge or accidental discharge are low to nonexistent.

So what I'm saying is that a light or heavy trigger pull is of no consequence as long as the weapon is mechanically sound and within its design tolerances.

[TenX]

... stories about "the gun went off as I was cleaning it". ...

:LOL:
Why bother to load one while cleaning! One could be better off holding the wrong end of the knife

[Rottmeister]

I would submit, sir, that guns don't go off by themselves whether they have heavy or light trigger pulls.
As long as a gun is mechanically sound, the only way it will go off is when the trigger is pressed.
You hear stories about "the gun went off as I was cleaning it". Sorry, you didn't follow the four rules AND you deliberately disobeyed one of them by putting your finger on the trigger.
If one follows the four rules of gun safety, the odds of a negligent discharge or accidental discharge are low to nonexistent.

So what I'm saying is that a light or heavy trigger pull is of no consequence as long as the weapon is mechanically sound and within its design tolerances.

Why the transfer safety bars were introduced, then?

[xl_target]

The transfer bar must be between the hammer and firing pin to transfer the energy of the hammer to the firing pin. Unless the trigger is pulled all the way back, the hammer bar will not be in the proper place to transfer that energy. So it has everything to do with whether the trigger is pulled back or not and nothing to do with the weight of the trigger pull. If the trigger is not pulled back, No Boom.

The sticky in the Guns Misc section gives you a link to the NRA site's safety rules. (http://www.nrahq.org/education/guide.asp)
This is a must read for any person who is new to guns. You must live with these safety rules. Don't even touch a gun till you have those rules memorized.
You cannot forget any of them. If you do, you will regret it. Firearms can be very unforgiving.
Keep your finger off the trigger.

Most movies will show any actor/actress who is toting a gun with his/her finger on the trigger. Most movie actors and directors have no clue on how to handle a gun safely. Now go find photos of the Pro's, the ones who handle real guns for a living. Go find some photos of the commandos who cleared the Taj during the Mumbai incident. See where their fingers are. Go find images of western special forces units and watch where their fingers are.

[Rottmeister]

I thought it was an added safety feature that stands as a guard between the hammer and the firing pin.

[ravi.sharma]

Hi Rottlord,

Very well written points and Thanks for sharing them.

XL: Thanks for the clarification, though i have heard, that Handguns some times fire, when they fall, i dont think their would be any trigger pull in those circumstances, could you shed some light on that.


Ravi.

[xl_target]

I thought it was an added safety feature that stands as a guard between the hammer and the firing pin.

Rottlord, you're thinking more of a hammer block type of safety. It is the opposite of the Transfer bar type.

From Wikipedia:

Hammer block
A hammer block is similar to a pin block but is used in revolvers, and is a latch, block or other obstruction built into the action and normally positioned to prevent the hammer contacting the cartridge primer when at rest. The obstruction to the hammer's travel is removed as a consequence of pulling the trigger, allowing the hammer to contact the primer only when the trigger is pulled.
[edit]Transfer bar
A transfer bar is also used in revolvers, but works the opposite way from a hammer block. The transfer bar, in a firearm so equipped, features the spur that would otherwise be found on the hammer, or encloses a firing pin similar to autoloading designs. The hammer itself cannot contact a loaded cartridge; it must instead strike the transfer bar, which then contacts the cartridge primer with the spur or pin. The transfer bar is normally positioned out of line with the hammer's travel, but is moved into place by the normal action of the trigger, providing similar "drop safety" to a firing pin block.

XL: Thanks for the clarification, though i have heard, that Handguns some times fire, when they fall, i dont think their would be any trigger pull in those circumstances, could you shed some light on that.

Sure Ravi, some of older handguns, for example, had no real safety. For example, the Colt Single Action Army, had a "half cock" notch or position meant to catch the hammer before the firing pin hit the cartridge primer. However if you had a loaded chamber under the hammer in its resting position, a sharp blow to the hammer (or if the pistol were dropped) could possibly fire the cartridge. Generally, when carrying a loading a Colt SAA type revolver, one is advised to leave the cylinder chamber under the hammer empty. When cocking the revolver, it rotates the cylinder lining up a loaded chamber so the first trigger pull gives you a shot anyway.
Most modern arms (not counting reproductions) have some kind of safety that prevents them from firing when dropped.

I don't want to drift Rottlord's thread, so if you want read more about some of the different types of safeties, try this article (from which the above excerpt was taken):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_(firearms)

I was just trying to point out that the "heaviness" or "lightness" of the trigger pull doesn't necessarily make a gun more or less safe. Most, if not all, accidental or negligent discharges of a firearm are caused by someone having their finger on the trigger. Keeping your finger off the trigger is the best way to avoid an AD or ND. Guns don't generally "go off" by themselves without human intervention.