Must conceal or be scorned

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Just some background. I got my first .22 rifle when was 9. We always had guns in my childhoodhome. I played cowboys and indians, cops and robbers when I was a kid. I got an FID card when I turned 18. We've had my old rifes and a Mossberg500 locked up in a gun case in my family house for the last10 years, but never used themas we live in the city now. I'm 42. Irecently got my LTC in MAand bought a S&W 442andran into a big problem with carrying. My 5 year-old son, like most boys I consider normal, likes to play guns and bad guys. He always did even before my LTC. He always provides toy guns for his friends. He bought a $1 toy rifle at the Dollar store for his best friend so he would stop taking away his gun. His friend's mother told my wife no to the gun. She wants the gun play to end. She said it is not normal. Sooooo, my wife, who never grew up around guns andis terrified of them, really lambasted me for open carrying in the house and my son's gun play. She said it teaches my son badbehavior (playing guns and bad guys)whichcauses other parents to avoid my son. Now, if these people knew I carried, that would end many of my son's friendships. Forget about open carrying. I can't even concieve of that and the social consequences for my wife and son. I don't care what people say or think about me personally. The people in my neighborhood wouldnever let their kids near our house if they knew I carried. So, not only do I have to conceal in public, but I also have to conceal from my family. I never thought my son and wife would lose friends as a consequence of my carrying a handgun. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated, just don't suggest I hand out flyers orinfo cards to my neighbors. Remember, I live in MA. You can't change these people.

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I don't know what suggestion I could offer. It seems that you have already made up your mind to CC. You state that you could loose friends and upset family. So really it's all about what you choose.

I will say this. Don't think I'm harping on you because I'm not. For me this isa personal choice.

I do not let my children play with toy guns. I teach them to respect firearms. I am teaching them firearm safety. Telling a child to not play with guns and then handing them a toy rifle or pistol to go play with defeats the purpose in my mind.

My children are four and three. We practice shooting a BB rifle. I teach them and make them follow the same safety rules as if it were a .308.

I let my kids touch hold my carry pistol when they ask. (unloaded of course). We go over the various parts of the pistol and the don'ts of safety.

They know that they do not touch any type of firearm without my permission. I've tested them a few times by leaving an unloaded firearm where they are sure to find it. I point the video camera at where the firearm is and wait for them to come tell me that there is a gun at X location. I then look at the tape to see if they messed with it. Not once have they touched it. As soon as they see it they come to get me.

How many kids that are allowed to play with toy guns and have no interaction with real guns do you think would produce the same result?

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yea its a hippie dominated world we live in these days... unfortunately people are happier in there safe little peace thoughts than actually trying to understand what is happening in this world and how to prevent bad things from happening. just conceal dude what else can you do? me personally, if i had my whole block against me for liking guns i sure as hell wouldnt be helping them in their time of crisis. thats what the police are for right

just mind your own, no big deal. let the sheeple live in their fantasy world while you keep your family safe

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Since I am not an east-coast person, and I have never even visited that area of the country I have no idea what you mean by "I live in MA, you can't change these people.
The closest I have seen to someone from MA is the current police chief in the city of Milwaukee WI. And he is an anti-2A prick that ordered the uniformed officers (that he called "His troops") to violently violate peoples rights by drawing a firearm on Open-Carriers and "forcing them to the ground to disarm them so they could figure out f they had rights"

(I wonder what you and the wife had in common to decide to spend the rest of your lives together if you were not aware of her hoplophobia when you got married).

Maybe you need to teach a little history to your family in a passive manner by framing a copy of the US constitution and hanging it on the wall of your home? get her a subscription to the NRA publication "American freedoms", she may have an epiphany reading the "Armed Citizen" section. Teach her to shoot, get her a handgun to protect herself and your son, help her through the permitting process in your state so she can carry when you are not available to act as sole protector.

Have you taught your child to respect guns, and explained that he is never ever to touch your gun without your direct permission and supervision, and laid out that it is not a toy and what can andwhat will happen if he uses it as a toy.
Maybe some quality time at a shooting range with a small-caliber rifle or shotgun may make him understand the situation a little better. In the world of video games, they just need to hit the reset button and averyone comes alive again, make sure he knows that does not happen in real life/
I had the difficult task of trying to get my GF's mentally retarded son to understand that guns are not toys. You think a normal child is going to be tough, try doing it with someone with an IQ less than 55 points that just does not understand simple concepts no matter how much you try to pound it into their head!
I took him to the range, I helped him hold and aim my 12GA with a 1-ounce brenneke slug and turkey loadsand helped him shoot a few items so the destructionthe shotscaused was unmistakable. (make sure the gun is not tight to his shoulder so there is a little pain involved too, trust me, it helps get the point across better)



I would teach the kid proper respect for firearms, and just plan to become "That Family down the road that lets their kid play with toy guns" To hell with what others may think! What is more important to you, holding up outward appearances, or being able to protect your family from harm?

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You have to do what you have to do, but I would not change my carry habits to satisfy people who would not be convinced to my point of view pro or con. Frankly, you and you kid might be better off if he doesn't associate with some of your neighbors or their spawn.

I'm just saying.

Regards

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Nutczak wrote:

Since I am not an east-coast person, and I have never even visited that area of the country I have no idea what you mean by "I live in MA, you can't change these people.

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They had the same senator for 46 years...if that tells you anything...

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mrjam2jab wrote:

Nutczak wrote:

Since I am not an east-coast person, and I have never even visited that area of the country I have no idea what you mean by "I live in MA, you can't change these people.

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They had the same senator for 46 years...if that tells you anything...

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No, they had the same ANTI RIGHTS senator for 46 years ... and that tells most of us a lot. He couldn't drive or swim, and did not know CPR either. In fact he has killed more people with his car than most firearms owners have with their sidearm.:banghead:

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Thanks to all for your comments.

I have educated and continue to educate my son about gun safety. This is something I learned and pass down. I just have not let him touch my guns. I let him look and watch, but make that a privledge to be earned with age and maturity. Maybe I'm wrong there. I don't want him to feel it is okay to touch a gun at 5 years old.

I will not change my carrying habits. What I will change is that Iwill do my bestsonobody will know I carry, not even my son. I will not carry in the house. I will open carry myM&P in the backyard and clean all of my guns on the picnic tableto piss off the looney liberal neighbor nextdoor.The gunis for my and my family's protection. I will leave my neighbors to the police, since that is their choice.

I will continue to let my son play cops and robbers. I don't see any harm to that. That's what boys do. He always plays the good guy.

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Dr. CCW wrote:

T...SNIP
I will open carry my M&P in the backyard and clean all of my guns on the picnic table to piss off the looney liberal neighbor next door.  The gun is for my and my family's protection.  I will leave my neighbors to the police, since that is their choice.
SNIP...

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Since your neighbor insists on living under the umbrella of safety you provide around you and your family, I suggest you provide him with a sign for him to hang prominently on his front door where it can be read from the street.

To Whit -
"There are NO firearms in this house!"

If he won't hang it, then he is only worried about YOU having a firearm, and that should piss you off.
Regards

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who cares what people think about you???

i have lots of piercings and tattoos that scare of alot of people. you know what i say??? it weeds out the @#$%s right from the getgo.

if you are to high and mighty to to talk to me because you "judge a book by it's cover", then you might very well be to close minded to associate with anyways.

i want people to accept ME for WHO I AM. if i have to dress a certain way, or look a certain way for you to accept me, then you are NOT accepting ME. so then why would i want you around for such FAKE friendship???


in my opinion the same applies here. If your neighbors knew you and liked you, they would like you regardless.




one thing i can suggest that has helped me "educate" people that i am just a normal person (under the tattoos and piercings) is to just walk over and talk with them, offer them a drink, or if i see they need help with something, i go over and offer them help.

lets say your neighbors start seeing that "the guy that always carries a gun on his hip" is helping the old folks next door shovel the snow off their property, or whatever good deeds you can come up with, then they might start to see YOU, and not the gun.



just don't sink to far into azzkissing. in the end my first sentence still applies.




oh and regarding your wife. you may have to attempt to lure the true answer out of her. it may take several attempts over weeks/months, and you may have to try several different ways of wording your questions.

my wife liked the idea of homedefense, and of self defense. but at the same time never wanted guns around. but she did tolerate the fact that after being burglarized 2x, i was keeping them in the house regardless. after many many attempts of talking to her (generally she would shoot down the subject and not talk about it anymore) about carrying and guns, she finally admitted that she was afraid of handguns because she had never held or fired a handgun. she ONLY knew the M-16 that she was trained with in the military, and was ONLY comfortable with it. after taking her to the range with my handgun and shotgun, she became more comfortable with it, wants to go back to the range to try their "rent a gun case" to see what she feels comfortable with, AND....................today is the 2nd time she's coming with me to a gun show to see if she sees anything she likes.

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I know what you mean about not being able to change some people. My next door neighbors moved in from the Bay Area in Ca. They are scared to death of the "gun guy" next door to them. The funny thing is, if they would just relax and say "Hi" once in a while, they would learn that I'm not only a decent guy, but that I am more than happy to share.

I love taking newbies to the range. There'ssomething wonderful about the look on a persons face when they realize just how fun shooting can be.:celebrate

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scorpio_vette wrote:

i have lots of piercings and tattoos that scare of alot of people. you know what i say??? it weeds out the @#$%s right from the getgo.

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Thanks for the info.

FYI, it ain't fear ("that scare alot[sic]"), it is loathing and disgust.

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From MY perspective, being shunned by imbeciles is a GOOD thing and I'm always on the lookout for better ways to achieve that. The sorts of people who would avoid me because they knew I owned and carried firearms are not the sorts of people I want anything to do with anyway. Overwhelmingly, they have feelings instead of thoughts, are narcissistic passive-aggressive bullies, and are frequently crude bigots, and not just about firearms ownership.

I do realize that some people want to be liked, and not necessarily for who they really are.

It's a matter of choice. Do you want to deceive people who don't give a damn about you in the first place into "liking" you, or do you want a lot fewer real FRIENDS? You have a right to make either choice. Long ago, I chose the latter and feel a lot better about myself than if I'd chosen differently.

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Dr. CCW wrote:

Thanks to all for your comments.

I have educated and continue to educate my son about gun safety. This is something I learned and pass down. I just have not let him touch my guns. I let him look and watch, but make that a privledge to be earned with age and maturity. Maybe I'm wrong there. I don't want him to feel it is okay to touch a gun at 5 years old. I think that is a personal choice for you to make, whether or not you think your son is ready to handle a firearm. I shot my first gun, a Beretta .22 at 5 years old.

I will not change my carrying habits. What I will change is that Iwill do my bestsonobody will know I carry, not even my son. I will not carry in the house. In your first post didn't you say that you carry in your house? So you actually will be changing your carrying habits, right? P.S. a lot of bad stuff can happen in your house when you are home. Carrying in your house isn't as crazy as people make it out to be. Maybe you could show your wife some of the S.D. stories involving people getting attacked in their homes. I will open carry myM&P in the backyard and clean all of my guns on the picnic tableto piss off the looney liberal neighbor nextdoor.The gunis for my and my family's protection. I will leave my neighbors to the police, since that is their choice.

I will continue to let my son play cops and robbers. I don't see any harm to that. That's what boys do. He always plays to good guy.

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Scorpio, Thanks for your input. I agree with all you said.

Here's a little clarification. I've been in the same house for 6 years, same neighborhood for 8. Longer than everyone around. Everyone knows me from before and they never had any issues. I now carry a gun. That info is VERY slowly trickling out. I'm finding that people are shocked. They want to know why. Did I lose a screw? Was I attacked? Meanwhile, here's a quick rundown of the police log since I've been here:

Guy beaten with a shovel during robbery as he stepped out of his car 4 houses away.

Guy smashed in the face with a brick and robbedwhile walking down the sidewalk

Corrections officer stabbed to death on the sidewalkat the bar 2 blocks away

Teenage heroin addict jumps my backyard wall and comes at mebecause "I'm looking at him" on it

Young lady robbed at knife point in her doorway 4 houses in the other direction

Home invasions by guys pretending to be utility workers

3 banks in town, 2 blocks away get robbed at least once a year

Convenient store 2 blocks away gets robbed at least 4 times a year

They think I have a loose screw? Hawkflyer had it right. I live with people who voted in an anti-rights senator for 46 years.Sheep.

The unanticipated problem I ran into is some people think it is unsafe to let their kid play with my kid because I carry and have guns in the house. I don't care what people think about me, never did, never will. The problem is, I don't want people to scorn my wife and kid.Carrying may negatively affect the friendships my kid and wife have had for years. My wife wants the gun out of sight and never talked about.

I will hopefully be moving out of this state someday unless things change. We have a republican, Scott Brown running for Teddy Kennedy's seat. Hopefully every registered republican will go out and vote and all the complacent Obamites will say at home. The problem is epidemic here.

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Master Doug Huffman wrote:

scorpio_vette wrote:

i have lots of piercings and tattoos that scare of alot of people. you know what i say??? it weeds out the @#$%s right from the getgo.

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Thanks for the info.

FYI, it ain't fear ("that scare alot[sic]"), it is loathing and disgust.

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I'm not sure if that is entirely true. There are many people who are absolutely terrified of the 'counter culture' type of people. I would say it's a bit of both. I'm not covered in tattoos, but I have plenty, and I have seen reactions of all types that include both fear and loathing/disgust. Many of them are the same sheeple who we speak of daily. Their ignorance is very well rounded.

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Dr. CCW wrote:

Thanks to all for your comments.

I have educated and continue to educate my son about gun safety. This is something I learned and pass down. I just have not let him touch my guns. I let him look and watch, but make that a privledge to be earned with age and maturity. Maybe I'm wrong there. I don't want him to feel it is okay to touch a gun at 5 years old.

I will not change my carrying habits. What I will change is that Iwill do my bestsonobody will know I carry, not even my son. I will not carry in the house. I will open carry myM&P in the backyard and clean all of my guns on the picnic tableto piss off the looney liberal neighbor nextdoor.The gunis for my and my family's protection. I will leave my neighbors to the police, since that is their choice.

I will continue to let my son play cops and robbers. I don't see any harm to that. That's what boys do. He always plays to good guy.

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I would suggest this. Don't go out of your way, or design ways, to deliberately irritate your family members or neighbors. Just go about your business as though what you are doing is perfectly normal and in your opinion, acceptable. Be respectful, polite, and friendly, but also firm in your convictions. You do not owe anything to neighbors who may disagree with your method, but you also do not want to alienate them any more than necessary because you might find you need them some day. In the final assessment, it really boils down to this.

The man who concerns himself with what others think of and/or about him lives in a shell and is less of a man.

Don't let others dictate to you, your rights.

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Dr. CCW;

Now I am the last person to make your life miserable by chastising you, saying you're less of a man because you won't tell your pissant neighbors to go crap in their hats. Really, I would never do that. So with that in mind, consider this little interesting tidbit.

You will notice that I live in Virginia. From your description I have to tell you that down here, there is a WORLD of difference in the sort of attitudes and behavior which you have reported. You have no idea. It's almost like another country. Some day, if you get a chance, take a trip down here and see what I'm talking about. Virginia is not only by far the best fiscally managed state in the nation, but just amazing for those who chose to carry.. open or concealed.

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I know. I've been there. My dad lives in GA and that seems like a completely different country. A simple thing like reading the paper, opens your eyes. Our media here, paper, radio, and tv is so liberal it can brain wash you. No wonder the weaker of mind here is so easily programmed.

Didn't your state go Democrat in 2008? What the hell happened? Oh, just wait till the next round. I hope all thoseturncoats are regretfull.

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Dr. CCW, what i'm about to say is VERY HARSH and VERY DISRESPECTFUL but at the same time TRUE. so please don't take offense.


you don't necessarily want to go and "push the topic", and make things worse, but at the same time, if you CONTINUE to go about your business as usual WITH your gun on you. that way 1) they don't win and take away your rights, and 2) if they see that nothing changed, then eventually they will find something else to complain about. it's like dogs. if you react, then they continue what they are doing. but if you completely ignore them, they'll get bored and move to other things.


now as far as your wife wanting it "out of sight and never talked about". ask your wife this (it may start a fight. just let it go after she answers. no need to get into an argument over it.): so if a guy breaks in and wants to rape you, i should just let him instead of protecting you, since YOU WANT THE GUN OUT OF SIGHT AND NEVER TALKED ABOUT. (if she thinks guns are dangerous or doesn't like them, then throw that bit in at the end).



yes it's a VERY VERY DISTURBING example, but it is true. i used rape examples when discussing guns with my wife, because not only is it one of the most horrific crimes in my opinion, but our sons god-mother was raped in a public park not even 1/2 mile from our house. in my opinion the rape topic generally really strikes home with woman.


also when talking to your wife, do not describe the gun or discuss it as a weapon or something to kill with. describe it as a TOOL (use whatever hobbies you have as an example. a mechanic can't work without sockets, a woodworker can't work without saws, etc..etc..and not all tools are FREQUENT use tools. i had mechanic tools that were only used ones every blue moon. but when i did need them, it was usually an emergency.). and also make sure you use the phrase.

better to HAVE IT and NOT NEED IT, then NEED IT and NOT HAVE IT.