I carry_-_—————-_———— tennis racket, pickleball ball paddle, and pool cue. Funny thing I came out of grocery story with my pool cue case sling over my shoulder. lady ask me? What you got in there a gun? I busted out laughing and no! a bazooka. She had funny look on her face??????

Not true, I possess a DD-214 and still needed to complete the CWFL course. Now what is true is that you receive an expedited processing of your CWFL application.


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People, who I have asked why they carry a gun, respond by saying, they carry so that they can defend themselves if there is a shooting. I wonder in all the mass shootings, how many people had guns on them and if they thought to shoot it.

In order to get a FL CCW, you must submit the following: completed application, set of fingerprints , passport photo, completed cow course or a copy of a DD-214 (stated on the application, question 6) and required payment ,

Too many of the hypothetical scenarios do not accurately describe what a legally armed person would actually do in a given scenario..... one of the 98+% that carry legally.

For me the more important hypothetical scenarios would be more about what the one percent wacko would do to better understand what can be done to mitigate the potential harm that one percenter might do!

Yep.
Just because we're "gun nuts" doesn't mean we are nuts with guns.
Steve

Sounds like you don’t think either guns or older folks can be effective in the art of protection. If all 50 of your geriatrics were firing at the recent madmen that would be a dream not a nightmare.

Another factor for those who carry,
1) get insurance
2) if something happens-tell the LEO the following:Identify yourself as the victim of the attack inform responding police that you have an attorney, and you will be happy to cooperate BUT only in the presence of your attorney--this from my insurers contact car---CCW SAFE

Dayton shooter wore mask (for gas I suppose) and bullet proof vest (expecting to be shot).

One of the very nice things about the US is (coming from a country in Europe where I had to duck behind the bushes as a 6 year old while going to buy milk because of war) is that I don’t have to carry to go to Publix or the Square or sleep with a gun under my pillow. Just stay away from some questionable neighborhoods in cities etc. I can’t tell you what a relief it is.

Except this all seems to be changing, and that's why we have these discussions here and elsewhere on the internet, in political arenas, in coffeeshops, in knitting circles, and most of the rest of the civilized world.

The Stoneman Douglas school shooting occurred in Parkland, Florida, a wealthy city of under 30,000 people. Median income is $131,000, median house price is alomst $600,000.

The Sandy Hook massacre occurred in a sleepy little village-type neighborhood of one of the richest towns in Connecticut, which is one of the richest states in the country.

It CAN happen here. It CAN happen anywhere. Denial won't save your life. Do you need to be in panic mode 24/7? Nope. Do you "need" to carry a gun just in case? Probably not. Is it healthy to have cautious optimism? Absolutely, as long as you don't forget the "cautious" part of that.

An old tidbit of wisdom:

Trust in the Lord, but tie up your camel.

It has happened in the Villages. A planned shooting was prevented at one of the charter schools.

Cops: Two students planned mass shooting at school in The Villages - News - Daily Commercial - Leesburg, FL

It can happen here. But talk about probabilities, what is the chance of being shot in TV: .1% say if we go out a thousand times (once every day for 3 years) do we get shot once? Where I was in Europe at the time the probability was much higher.

Is the probability of being struck by lightning or being shot for the average person higher in TV?

Having some experience with a 40-something woman who went through the war in Bosnia...


I suggest using some of the same precautions you did going through a war, only obviously less intense... situational awareness is key, plus knowing how you will exit a place you have entered if need be. Staying out of questionable places at questionable times. Exiting quickly if you see a situation possibly escalating.


The only thing that bothers me about so many people carrying in a retirement village is that we're all getting old, foggy, and losing our filters.


But I do feel safer in TV than I would in other places. Also, I'm not inclined to go to large gatherings, although that's no guarantee to staying safe.

Thank you for your advice. Especially useful when traveling. I feel pretty safe in TV.

I am from Central Europe, never been to Bosnia but have read about how hard it was for them.

Interesting. I actually feel safer knowing that one of my fellow Villagers may be carrying and having the ability to confront any would be attacker.

You will find that most of the mass shootings occurred in no carry zones or states / cities with extremely tight gun laws that make it very hard to carry a gun legally. Shooters know where to go.

Interesting statistics. Here are some more for you: most states had NO reported mass shootings at all in the last 2.5 years (I only checked from January 2017 to current).

Another: Of the states that have the most mass shootings since January 2017 (that would be California, Florida, Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvani), only California's gun laws are considered strict. And they are one of the strictest states in the country. However - California is also bordered by three of the loosest states in the country - Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. None of those states require a state license or permit to purchase a firearm at a private sale, and background checks are not required at private sales in these three states, so it would be very easy to buy a gun *legally* in these three states, even if you plan on doing illegal things with them (such as bringing them to California).

California had 9 mass shootings since 1/2017.
Florida had 6.
Texas had 5.
Ohio had 4.
Pennsylvania had 3.

In total, these five states alone make up 27 mass shootings in 3 years. Of those 27 mass shootings, only 9 of them occurred in a strictly-controlled gun law state. The other 18 occurred in especially relaxed gun law states.

There were 6 states that had "only" 2 mass shootings each, and again - only one state had strict gun laws in that state.

There were 12 states that had "only" 1 mass shooting each during this time period, and only 4 of them have strict gun laws in their states.

I got my primary list of mass shootings from Wikipedia. I then went to each state's official website to read their state's gun laws.

So I'm wondering where you got your statistics from.

You need to break it down even further. He was also referring to no carry/gun free zones. Not just states with strict or lax gun requirements.

How many of these shootings took place where you're not allowed to carry a gun even if the state has more permissive gun laws?

Mass shooters know schools are easy targets because they are gun free zones.

Yep. Also people need to look up what constitutes a "mass shooting".
Mass shootings happen more than you know, or what the media wants you to know, in the big cities.

UPDATED: Mass Public Shootings keep occurring in Gun-Free Zones: 94% of attacks since 1950 - Crime Prevention Research CenterCrime Prevention Research Center

Steve

It is against FEDERAL law to allow firearms within 1000 feet of a school. So it doesn't matter which state you're in, or which school district you're in. It's illegal, regardless.

However, most mass shootings in the last 2.5 years didn't occur at schools.

Gun-free isn't a legal term and is defined differently by different data-collectors. A sports arena where civilians aren't allowed to bring their weapons, but there are armed guards and police present - is that "gun-free?" Or is it "gun-restricted?" Some say it's semantics. But it's the semantics that people are basing their statistics on.

Also fyi "mass shooting" is also defined differently by different data collectors.

It's easy to believe internet memes and soundbites and tweets by pro- or anti- anything. But when you delve into the actual official documents of the subjects that interest you, you come up with a lot of facts that are not being included in your meme-of-the-day.

Under federal gun laws a private individual cannot legally sell a firearm, rifle or pistol, to an out of state individual and the buyer take it to his home state. It has to be sent to a licensed gun dealer in the buyer's home state and have a background check performed before the buyer can take possession of the gun. Now a resident of one of the states you listed could legally purchase a gun and then go to California and commit an act of violence but that is also illegal and I can't remember any instance where that has happened. If they are intent on doing a mass killing, why go to another state?

A perfect study in exactly what I was referring to in my last post.

This website, crimeresearch (dot) org, is a pro-gun-rights activist organization that culls data and turns it into whatever is necessary to promote the agenda of its founder, John Lott. Lott uses flawed models and systemic bias to sculpt conclusions that agree with his hypothesis.

He might even be correct on some of his conclusions but a broken clock is also correct twice a day.

And you don't think the anti-gun groups do the same thing? The media pick and choose the "facts" they use in their editorials to support more gun control. Everybody and every organization has an agenda, you have to do your own research beyond what is reported to find what is really true.

What website told you that?

The information posted on Wikipedia is not vetted by anyone.

:ohdear:
Steve

All I did today was go to shooters world for my six month gun exercise routine-My fn 57 -50 rds perfect, Springfield arms 45 acp 14 rds perfect, my Boberg xR9s 15 rds perfect & my old reliable S&W 638 10 rds 38 SPL perfect --my old 76 year old bod was able till shoot them , super fine--

don"t mess with old war horses

Too many guns to shoot at once. Now you get to spend the rest of the night cleaning them.. lol

The OP’s topic was inquiring how many villagers carry weapons. The thread has drifted significantly from that topic. Please return to the original topic or the thread will be closed.

Moderator

So do you carry?

Going to SW and shooting at a static target and saying its perfect..good for you. Have u joined the Villages Shooting Club and go to their training classses that show u how to shoot at moving targets?

I carry but so do a lot of people in Florida...most poorly trained. After all, Floridas requirements are minimal to get a ccw.

You are correct...all gun threads will wander about. However, asking if people carry, to some, is like asking how many times do you have sex.

Its the kind of topic many who do carry dont want to discuss.

The information on Wikipedia is vetted by everyone.

If you find an error, you can correct it. Your change is then vetted by everyone else.

This is a LONG standing argument about whether crowd sourced information is better or worse than controlled source information.

It usually turns out that a person believes the information sources that confirm their own beliefs and distrusts information sources that disagree their own beliefs.

people who carry should be proficient in all areas of the weapon they carry. Straight Shooters has classes for all levels af gun knowledge. a untrain, lack of knowledge person is dangerous to themselves and anyone around them. please take the weapon away from these people.

I completely agree with this, whatever the final solution (if there is one) it should include include regular "testing" to ensure people are safe to themselves and others.

So what’s changed? The Armalite Rifle has been with us since 1957. I don’t remember any mass shootings in the 60s, 70s, 80s, or even the 90s. The guns haven’t changed. People have. Most of these shooters are young (compared to me). What sends these people into a shooting mode? Video games, no patients at home, bullying in school? I just know it’s the people that have changed.

I carry a 9mm

I do not feel the need to carry a gun here in the villages. I am concerned that as residents age to the point they can no longer be TRUSTED with a weapon, still carry. This is not a status symbol or the wild west.

Things to Consider
 

It goes without saying that obtaining a ccw permit is only the initial step in the process. Here are a couple of suggestions that need to be considered as well:

1. Practice, practice, practice! - It will do you no good to obtain the permit, and not be able to hit what you are shooting at, or accidentally hit something that you weren't shooting at.

2. Plan of action - Develop "what if" scenarios. What if a person opened fire in a restaurant, the town square, Walmart, or how about if you're being carjacked? What steps would you take to neutralize the situation>

3. Keep a round chambered - It does no good to pull the weapon if there is noting in the chamber - you might not have the opportunity to get a round off before you are shot.

4. Consider purchasing a double-action weapon. A semi-automatic is ready to fire with just a slight pull of the trigger This could lead to an accidental discharge in an adrenaline fueled attempt to pull your weapon. If you are considering a revolver as your weapon of choice, get one where the hammer is recessed. There is less of a chance the weapon will get caught on your clothing.

5. Don't become a statistic - There have been incidents where the weapon owner has accidentally shot themselves or a family member.

6. Obtain liability coverage from your insurance carrier. Even if you've shot a bad guy, you're still going to be sued by his/her family members. In this day and age, there's no telling how a jury will react, especially if you've accidentally shot an innocent person.

Being a ccw holder comes with awesome responsibility. You are licensed by the state to take lethal action against another if your life, or the lives of others are in peril. Be certain that you know what you are doing.

If you carry make sure your firearm is loaded with good defense ammo, you don't want ball ammo or any ammo that will over penetrate

You will never know who carries or how many of us do , that is why it is conceived permits