"This comment is not meant for those who are rabidly anti-gun. You’ve already made your choice not to protect your family and loved ones, and that’s perfectly fine. It’s not meant for those who are avid gun fanatics. You’ve made your choices as well. This is specifically directed at those people who were truly afraid in their homes last night (like some of the comments already posted here.) This is for the ones who might be on the fence about this whole self-defense issue. While I certainly don’t disagree with the posters stating that people should be running out to get their Concealed Carry Permits, let’s not forget that Colorado is a Right-to-Carry state. If you can legally own a handgun, you can carry it with you, whether at home, in your car or just walking down the street. Pretty much without exception, unless there is a No Firearms sign posted, you are welcome to openly carry a firearm there.
Open carry is NOT something you need a permit for. This is a right detailed in both the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution and again in Article 2 of the Colorado Constitution, specifically, sections 3 and 13. Bear in mind, the process to obtain a Concealed Carry Permit in El Paso County can take over 90 days, start to finish and will cost a few hundred dollars. No one should have to wait to protect themselves and their families. That said, I certainly don’t encourage un-trained individuals to run around with weapons they barely know how to use. However, firearms proficiency and safety are NOT mythical skill sets that require a lifetime of training or entrance to a police academy or branch of military service in order to achieve. Self-defense and pistol classes are always good, and so is just spending time at the range getting to know your weapon of choice. Remember, people, you have the RIGHT to arm and defend yourself, and a right not used is a right wasted.
One further note as a small aside to the people who choose to depend on the police as their first and only line of defense against the bad guys; no matter how fast police response time is, unless you live in the station, they likely won’t get there in time to stop an actual threat on your life. The police are reactive, not proactive, and this is a good thing. We don’t want to live in a society where the police can simply detain and question you without any evidence of wrongdoing. A reactive police force means that there must be a reasonable suspicion that you’ve done something wrong before you can be arrested. Again, this is a GOOD thing for honest, law-abiding citizens.
For a concluding thought, it is important to know, that the police have no duty whatsoever to protect the individual. Warren v. District of Columbia is the key judgment to support this, but you can also reference Hartzler v. City of San Jose, Riss v. New York, DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services, Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Department and many others. These decisions basically mean that even if an officer is standing outside your home while a violent home intruder is trying to gain entrance, he can’t be held legally responsible if he just stands there and does nothing. Now, I’m certainly not suggesting that this is going to happen to any of you here, but it’s important to bear in mind exactly what role law enforcement plays in keeping you safe. You are only as safe as you make yourself. For further information, visit sites like RMG
rg or opencarry.org"
