Interesting comment from Shooting Industry Magazine

[pax]

Emotionally I tend to agree with Frank Lloyd Wright on this one:

"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters." -- FLW​

He was behind the times, though. These days we'd have to ban computers -- or at least internet access.

As for idiots holding guns on the range, I've seen a lot of them over the years. Doesn't change my mind.

Self-defense is the most basic of all human rights, and I'm not in favor of any law that limits that right to people who aren't fools. Who'd be left?

pax

Every man is a fool for at least five minutes of every day; wisdom consists of not exceeding the limit. – Elbert Hubbard

 

[g.willikers]

I'm not in favor of any law that limits that right to people who aren't fools.

Quite right, it's not the province of anyone associated with government to make that determination or restrictions.
Like everything else in life, it's up to us, as individuals, to watch our own backs.
"Don't go stupid places and do stupid things with stupid people."
I've taken to only going to the local ranges to practice on days and times when it's the most likely to be in light use.
And preferably to organized matches where it's not likely at all to have to watch one's back.
It's not very convenient but possible.

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Another interesting comment from a survivor of Virginia Tech. He is not overly sympathetic to guns but is mixed in his views about carry and whether it would help.

One thing he said was:

And while I personally think there is no state with a concealed-carry training system that would prepare you for a close-quarters, live-fire combat scenario like I experienced, having some semblance of being able to point a gun down a range and hit a target is better than no training whatsoever.

http://chronicle.com/article/A-Virginia-Tech-Survivor-Puts/234329

The context is discussing whether the argument by some campus carry advocates who say that having a trained person would be a good thing vs. the 'constitutional carry' folks.

I have heard this myself. There is a fear that the untrained would be useless and in fact dangerous. There is a natural prejudice against killing an innocent even to save others - the Trolley car problem.

While we might on a civil rights position not want a training mandate, it is clear to me that if I were to argue that I should carry on campus - I would like to argue that I tried to a reasonable level to be competent.

Thus, denial of the need for competency doesn't help. I pointed out that folks seem to think a gun fight is easy but Averi's figures dispute that. I just had a friend say that you don't need to train to shoot close up. But that doesn't seem to be supported. In a critical incident (as compared to shooing away a mugger), it would seem more relevant.

 

[Ruark]

(Pax) A lot of the popular concealed-carry guns we're seeing now, are frankly horrible for new shooters. Slides on tiny guns are harder to work than slides on real guns, controls harder to manipulate (on big guns, controls are harder to reach - pick your poison) and so on.

True. Even experienced shooters can have a hard time hitting the side of a barn with some of these tiny guns. People don't realize how hard it is to control a 2-inch barrel length, especially under the paralyzing stress of a split-second SD situation. I remember teaching a small, nervous young woman how to shoot her Charter Arms Undercover snubbie. 1 1/2" barrel, .38 special. The "expert in the gun store" recommended it. Holy smokes. Standard B27 target at 5 yards, half her shots didn't even hit the paper.

Remember the percentage of shots fired by police officers that hit their criminal targets is only about 12%. Not an insignificant concern when you consider that you are legally responsible for every bullet that leaves your gun.

Also, these tiny guns, especially the .380s, are very susceptible to limp-wristing, i.e. jamming if they're not held firmly enough, or held with an unlocked elbow.

I loved my little P238, but finally moved up to a mid-sized 9mm (Walther P99, 15+1) for peace of mind. It's a joy to shoot, and the Safariland paddle holster holds it snugly against my side, totally concealable. But I think a lot of people, especially naive first timers, get suckered in by all the marketing and go out looking for the smallest pistol they can find, which can be a real mistake.