I'm the same, I'd rather fight my own battles than rely on the govt when it comes to personal safety.

that's what I like to think the second amendment is for. if the rational and sane citizens of paris were armed, they could have at the very least prevented the attack.

All this MSM bs I think will have the opposite effect in turn. People will want to be armed, just in case "ISIL-IS-ICA" shows up in our towns.

European governments are strengthening gun laws in the wake of the Paris attacks.

More people have died this year in Chicago alone due to gun crime than died in Paris last week.

Personally, I'd take the million to one odds of dying in a terrorist act over the 10,000 to one odds of dying due to gun crime.

Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the us. It's not the guns, it's the quality of humans in the city

I lived in Chicago for over 15 years and I couldn't agree more that it is about the quality of the people, not the laws.

Chicago is an hour drive from an area with some of the most loose gun laws in the country. Put a place with easily accessible firearms next to an unarmed populace, throw in a heaping amount of economic disparity, and what else would you expect?

I visited Chicago last year. Really enjoyed it, I thought it was a terrific place, loved the atmosphere of the city. And it looks amazing, sitting right on the lake, with the Chicago river meandering through the massive skyscrapers. Absolutely stunning.

And even though I was thousands of times more likely to die visiting Chicago than staying in my bed, I wasn't afraid of being murdered at all.

Well in that case you should feel completely safe from a terrorist attack

Exercise your 2nd sir!

What type of handgun are you considering?

Thank you!

I'm not sure. My good friend is a marine, I'm going to talk to him. Another friend of mine has a glock that I've shot before and i liked it a lot. I'm not very experienced with guns so I have a lot of learning to do. Right now I'm looking into taking the safety class, etc, so any suggestions are welcome!

Glock makes an excellent and reliable firearm. Not my cup of tea though, for some reason I never liked the angle of the grip it always felt awkward to me. Currently I'm looking at upgrading my Bursa Thunder 380 to a Walther P99 or possibly an H&K 45 if my wallet will allow. Anyway have fun and be safe.

Before you decide on something, I highly recommend finding a local (preferably outdoor) range where you can rent and shoot an array of different handguns.

I'm fond of .45 1911s myself. Shoots straight, powerful round, and as an added bonus....

That is one of my favorite movies!

I am going to be patient, this isn't something I'm just going to jump in and get.

A TERRORIST? DONT WORRY GUYS I DIALED 911 WERE SAVED

dumb fuckin lambs to the slaughter

also having same thoughts as you, I want to be able to defend myself

Exactly. When you have seconds to react the police are minutes away.

Now I'm highly considering getting my permit and a handgun.

I'm with you dude. 5 years ago I was anti gun. Now I'm calling places trying to figure out how to get my permit asap.

I appreciate everyone's responses. at least I don't feel like I'm taking crazy pills by myself lol.

Always good to excersize your inherent right to defend ones self. Gov't is middle-man not daddy.

I agree. Why take the guns away from the sane and informed when the crazies will have them regardless.

But now you can identify and arrest the crazies, because they're the ones with the guns.

wee anecdote; a friend of mine was mugged at gunpoint in a Scottish city. He wandered into the police station to report it and the place goes crazy, police are running out of there with the description of the guy to hunt the streets on foot. Hes hustled into the back of a police car to cruse around looking for this guy.

Didn't catch the guy that day, but my point is if only criminals have guns, then its easy to spot the criminals; they'll be the ones with the guns.

I'm sorry but I don't agree with what you are saying, in fact I believe the opposite to be true.

But it sounds like your friend wouldn't have been successfully mugged if he had a firearm and trained himself how to wield it. So in your version of the story your poor friend has to run to the cops to report the mugging because he wasn't able to protect himself, and in doing so found no justice that day. Sounds like your buddy might have been alright if he had a firearm! I think it's your right as a human being to protect yourself from intruders of your rights and safety.

I think this is exactly the effect that these events are supposed to inspire. These attacks are meant to instill fear and incite action. The fear causes those who were against gun ownership to fear guns even more and cause those who were for gun ownership to speak up and fight more for ownership rights.

You are meant to be afraid. It doesn't matter whether or not you trust the government to handle the situation because they are the entity that controls the military. They will enact and enforce any laws that are for our "safety", but are really only in the interests of the corporate banks.

Fear also causes us to point fingers and place blame. Whether this blame is on a religion, ethnicity or other generalized group of people does not matter either. Please remember to take a breath and ground yourself. Do not allow yourself to be riled up by these fear mongering tactics.

That being said, I am neither for nor against gun ownership, and if you feel moved to exercise your 2nd amendment rights, by all means do so.

Noithing against you getting a gun, but statistically speaking terrorist attacks have a statistically insignificant chance of effecting you. If you are planning to keep it in your home then the chance of it coming into play in a terrorist attack are essentially zero; even closer to zero than in public and that is really close to zero already.

If you want to carry a gun with you, you must either openly display it (not have it hidden in a pocket or under a coat that passes your waist. Alternately you can acquire a concealed carry permit however, last I heard they are basically never granted in CA except to law enforcement personnel. There has been at least one lawsuit on the constitutionality of their not being issued with any frequency recently, so this may have changed.

Realistically and probabilistically terrorism should not come into your decision making much more than should dangerous escaped zoo animals or being suddenly transported to the wild west. Much more important factors:

Do you live in a dangerous neighborhood? Even if yes, you're probably safer outside your home without one than with. A free gun not registered to a criminal is a nice prize and a gun doesn't stop a baseball bat to the head from behind. Further you are several times more likely to be shot in an assault if you are carrying a gun.

Do yu live with children, drug users or idiots? If the answer to any of these is yes, then a gun should be stored in a combination locked gun box for your safety and for that of others. This makes it much less likely to be useful for home protection. You are also several times as likely to have an accident with a gun in or around around the house than to use it in self defense in the house.

Does your job involve an unusually high risk of being attacked (attorney, jeweler, Apu). If yes, then you have an added incentive to get one, concealed carry permit or no.

It's your right, but for most people the risks outweigh the gains and based on the statistical likelihood of various occurrences, terrorist attack should not significantly influence your decision one way or the other.

Thanks you for the insightful opinion. I agree with you on almost all your points. The rationale behind this decision is not only related to the terrorists, that was just the irony of the post. That is not to say it hasn't had an impact, I'm sure the rest of the world would agree.

I should probably edit my title and include that this decision is not one based on fear OR that terrorists are going to get me.

That was not my intention of the post, it was more focused on the irony that this is what the war on terror helped bring me too.

Congratulations, you've been terrorized.

I disagree with that as I'm more of a proponent to stand up against their actions then I was before. I don't think owning a firearm is actually being terrorized as I'm not afraid, I just don't ever want to find myself in a position to need a firearm and not have one.

You're more likely to be run over by a car than to encounter a terrorist attack. Look both ways before crossing the street.

You're more likely to die just leaving your house than die in a terrorist attack. Better stay at home.

whether the time actually ever comes where you would have to use your firearm to defend your life doesn't really matter. having a gun on/near you in any situation makes you feel a bit more safe, and if not safe, at least a bit more in control

I would say you are now awake. A gun is a tool and nothing else. A tool to stop someone else who wants to harm you or your loved ones. Nothing else. Get one and carry it everywhere. Be as prepared as you possible can.

This is the shitty part of living in Canada. Only enforcement and people working in the wilderness can legally carry a concealed gun.

Well, I guess those terrorist did their jobs, you're scared.

Hearing about cops looting during Katrina, and also the post-Katrina story of Helen Hill made me completely change my opinion on gun ownership.

There are plenty of rational reasons to own a firearm aside from terrorism. Why let a criminal have an advantage over you? I own guns for what's at stake, not the odds.

Im european . im seriously considering getting an illegal gun.

"Once you outlaw guns , only outlaw will have guns "

well I'm not advocating that, however I do understand why you would feel that way. Shit is really crazy there

It would appear... That false flags, like sweet delicious cocaine, require greater doses as time goes by... Or they don't work as well.

Are you buying a gun because you are afraid? Then that is exactly the effect the terrorists wanted.

You want to behave in the opposite way to the terrorists want? Go about your business as usual.

Western governments have caused millions of deaths in the middle east, terrorists have inflicted a few thousand in the west.

Not at all, I'm buying a gun because the ineffectiveness and blatant corruption of the current government has caused most of the rest of the natural world to hate us. I'd rather be prepared then not.

You're more likely to die just leaving your house than die in a terrorist attack. Better stay at home.