The cougar attack thread got me thinking about an important topic. My home is in bear and cougar country. I've never seen a cougar, but bears are found roaming the streets about a dozen times each year. More importantly, all the paved walking trails run along side a forest and I'm sure there's all kinds of fun things in there. We need some kind of protection and I figure bear spray is best, particularly for my wife and parents. I plan to hang a can of bear spray on the stroller, so we never forget it. I also plan to hang a can of neutralizer on the stroller, in case one of the kids gets into the bear spray.
All the above then got me thinking about firearms, too. I feel like every time I get in my car and the radio turns on, I hear about a new shooting. With my second kid on the way, I'm starting to wonder if I need to embrace the chaos and become a real American. I was at a busy playground with my kid, on the weekend, and found myself thinking about how completely f-ed we would be if a nutcase with a gun came through. One of my expat friends is feeling the same way. He has been evacuated from Southcenter mall twice, due to an active shooter.
I've never shot a handgun and I've only owned an air rifle. My experience with guns is limited to plinking with my grandpa's .22s, when I was younger. I'm trying to decide whether it is practical to do the concealed carry thing. There is an outdoor shooting range about 5 minutes from my home. However, I barely get to go fishing these days and I'm not sure I would be able to practice often enough. I barely used my air rifle and I doubt shooting will become a hobby. If it weren't for protection reasons, I probably wouldn't bother at all. With all this in mind, I have some questions for folks that do concealed carry.
I could commit to target practice and gun cleaning twice a year. I'm not sure I would have the time or motivation to do more than that. Is that sufficient or is this whole thing a non-starter?
If this all sounds feasible, I would appreciate some advice on the setup, including storage and so on. A gun forum might seem like a better place to ask, but I think folks here are a bit more level headed than what I have observed elsewhere. My only requirements are (very) small size and minimal maintenance.
All the above then got me thinking about firearms, too. I feel like every time I get in my car and the radio turns on, I hear about a new shooting. With my second kid on the way, I'm starting to wonder if I need to embrace the chaos and become a real American. I was at a busy playground with my kid, on the weekend, and found myself thinking about how completely f-ed we would be if a nutcase with a gun came through. One of my expat friends is feeling the same way. He has been evacuated from Southcenter mall twice, due to an active shooter.
I've never shot a handgun and I've only owned an air rifle. My experience with guns is limited to plinking with my grandpa's .22s, when I was younger. I'm trying to decide whether it is practical to do the concealed carry thing. There is an outdoor shooting range about 5 minutes from my home. However, I barely get to go fishing these days and I'm not sure I would be able to practice often enough. I barely used my air rifle and I doubt shooting will become a hobby. If it weren't for protection reasons, I probably wouldn't bother at all. With all this in mind, I have some questions for folks that do concealed carry.
I could commit to target practice and gun cleaning twice a year. I'm not sure I would have the time or motivation to do more than that. Is that sufficient or is this whole thing a non-starter?
If this all sounds feasible, I would appreciate some advice on the setup, including storage and so on. A gun forum might seem like a better place to ask, but I think folks here are a bit more level headed than what I have observed elsewhere. My only requirements are (very) small size and minimal maintenance.
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