I Need Help With My Parents...

There are essentially two facets to the OP's dilema.

(1) He is serious about exercising his constitutionally guaranteed right to bear his holstered handgun. "Bearing" infers carrying openly displayed in public - not hidden.


(2) The disarmament mentality that is ever-present in "civilized" society argues that being passive (sheeply) incourages passivity ( sheepliness), which in turn produces peace.

Unfortunately, that premise doesn't hold water. Cemetaries are filled with the advocates of passivity.

The visible presence of a peacefully holstered firearm worn in a nonthreatening mannner will deter opportunistic predatory criminal behavior.

I was 43 when I first started carrying a handgun routinely, and that was illegal in Texas at that time. Under Arizona law it is legal. That being the case Mom & Dad need to respect the law, and their son's adult status.

rushcreek2 said:

,,,Mom & Dad need to respect the law, and their son's adult status.

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I disagree.

He is living under Mom & Dad's roof. They own the house (maybe along with the bank) and they can set any rules they want to about what anyone does under their roof. OK, we all know they can't set rules to make folks break the law - let's not get crazy picking nits. But if they say no OC, or even no firearms, then the OP should follow their dictate.

Once the OP gets out on his own he can set up his own rules for both what he does inside and outside his own place - including telling his parents that if they do not bring their own guns they can't come to his house. (Yes, that is hyperbole, in case you were wondering.)

stay safe.

I see a few problems:

1) When you live at home you follow your parents rules. Personally I joined the military less than two weeks after graduating to get out of my parents house because I didn't want to deal with their rules (I've planned on joining the military since I was about the age of four, they just sped up how close I set my BMT date to my HS graduation date).

2) You're 19 and still live at home. While you will always be your parents' "kid" these two things really don't help. Now some parents will always view their kid as unable to think for theirselves, for most parents they treat their kids more as adults after they have moved out and aren't so close to the age of 18. Now as you get older they will likely come to treat you as an adult more, but moving out will still play a big part in it (and yes I understand why you feel that you can't currently move out).

3) Anti-gun mom. Your mom has likely tried to sway your dad to her side at some point (and he has likely tried to do the same to her). Chances are that while he got her to accept the guns in the house and what not, she has also likely managed to sway your dad a bit in regards to why she doesn't like guns. At which point when you combine this with #2 and the fact that parents typically show a united front to their kids even if they don't agree, and chances are you're not going to make any headway.

So all in all you likely need to move out and "mature" some more in your parents eyes before you can make any real headway. Of course this could be wrong and you might be able to convince them while living at home, but without knowing your parents it's hard to say.

When I was younger, you either voluntarily went into the military for 3 or more years, or you involuntarily went in for two years of active duty and 6 years of reserves, I chose to go in voluntarily.

This option is also open to you if you are half way intelligent and half way fit. It can be a pain in teh behind, but you will go places you never would and get experience that will help you find good employment later. (or maybe even give you an idea to start your own business).

If you do decide to go this route, figure out what you really want to do with your life, and work at getting into that field in the Military. They will train you, and you will get experience in that field...making you more valuable to an employer if you should decide to work for someone else, and make it easier for you if you should decide to have your own business.

Do your own research, DO NOT listen only to a recruiter. The recruiter has a quota to fill and he/she will PUSH you to the opening that is in their best interest, not especially your best interest. You cannot "study" for the AFQT, but it is very important that you do the best you can on that first test. High scores open doors...

str3ngthz said:

Thanks man. The only problem is I make a slave wage $8/HR and I attend college full time, so there is no way, at that wage, I'll ever be able to move out.

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Goodness... where do you live? I support a family (wife and three kids) with a mortgage and I only get $10/hour (40 hour work week too, no OT)!

My mom and sister are the same way, and in their homes I respect their wishes and secure my sidearm in my vehicle, but as an adult I follow my own beliefs and OC everywhere else I can.

Here is one of the best (if long winded) posts that I've seen about why this person OCs (good enough to bookmark), and his reasoning aligns with mine.
If you agree with him, take his main points and boil them down to bite size bits. But in the end respect your parent's beliefs and ask that they respect yours.

http://www.usacarry.com/forums/open-carry-discussion/7230-open-carry-argument.html#post68167

As he states at the end "The purpose of this essay is not to convince you to carry a firearm openly, but to merely point out the reasoning I used to determine that it is often the best option for me."

OC, CC or no-carry, it's the individual's choice (and the associated responsibility that goes with it).

Lord Sega said:

My mom and sister are the same way, and in their homes I respect their wishes and secure my sidearm in my vehicle, but as an adult I follow my own beliefs and OC everywhere else I can.

Here is one of the best (if long winded) posts that I've seen about why this person OCs (good enough to bookmark), and his reasoning aligns with mine.
If you agree with him, take his main points and boil them down to bite size bits. But in the end respect your parent's beliefs and ask that they respect yours.

http://www.usacarry.com/forums/open-carry-discussion/7230-open-carry-argument.html#post68167

As he states at the end "The purpose of this essay is not to convince you to carry a firearm openly, but to merely point out the reasoning I used to determine that it is often the best option for me."

OC, CC or no-carry, it's the individual's choice (and the associated responsibility that goes with it).

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Thank you VERY much for that link. Its excellent!