In lieu of the saddening incident down in Charlestown, Im wondering whether you feel the need to carry (or will now carry) a concealed weapon for your safety?

I wish I could. Unfortunately, having a residence in New York City and Ct., it's nearly impossible. In ct you need to have a conceal to carry license, a license for buy and own long guns and a license to buy ammunition. In New York City I'm scared to even inquire. Also, if you get one in Ct.,it's not valid in New York.

I have, but no longer do or have the need to.

Agreed, East coast cities do make carrying a handgun difficult. Instead I just carry a 3 inch blade pocket knife, legal in all states to carry so no hassle there.

I have a 2 inch muzzle, sub nose 38. I take it with me from time to time. I don't have a license although I've promised myself for years that I would get one. When I go to Fla and PA in July I will take it with me.

I don't feel comfortable not carrying something for protection after all I am an old man. The secret is be willing to use it without taking the time to think about it first.

My two fingers can be a cancelled weapon if you stick them in someone's eyes if you don't take the time to think first. Good thing is they looked like your actual fingers and not weapons.

Only in America.. ;(

Yes I carry. Here in Alabama we can even open carry.

I have had a carry permit in Idaho and Washington for 23 years, I carried for years, don't carry anymore, there are no gangs here.

Open carry in Alabama, but a pistol permit is required for concealed carry. I carry once in while, but it depends on where I am or where I am going, I mainly just carry a pocketknife. California is strick on handguns, and New York, forget about it, but that is New York city and not the state its self.

Jack they are talking about changing that too because they feel the law about us being able to open carry kind of puts us in a spot once we get into a car as then like you said it becomes concealed. Honestly I'd rather just pay my $25 a year and be happy with it so the cops can't give me any shit either way.

I'm not afraid to say I carried on Sandy. It was my first time up North and we were hearing rumors about "how bad" everything was on the way up there. We are not supposed to carry but CEO's are not out in the trenches with us either. But it wasn't nowhere near as bad as we thought and I don't carry up there anymore. A line crew working for DTE Energy in Detroit was robbed the other night, they just made sure my white ass won't ever go to Detroit. To hell with them!

It's 15 a a year for a permit where i live but you can pay up five years in advance but no more over that. 25 a year? I assume you live in Montgomery, that has to be one of the strictest cities in Alabama Imho.
They have been talking about taking that away for a few years now, and I only recently heard they got enough signatures to move it forward, but not to take a vote yet.

I have a concealed carry permit here in AZ. $40, good for five years. A few years ago, the legislature waived the requirement to earn a carry permit. Now, anyone who qualifies to own a handgun--that is, who passes the Federal background check (there's no state background check) can carry openly or concealed. All of us who earned our concealed carry permits hated that development.

Not quite Montgomery, I'm further North but not too much. It differs by county but the 5 year rule is statewide. The sheriff's can set the prices so of course our greedy bastard set it at $25 a year. My cousins that are in Tallapoosa pay the same as you or it might be 10 or 12, I forget. Thing is, our county is not a big one so I don't understand the prices. I could understand if we were in Birmingham or Montgomery, but where we are at? It's freaking crazy!

Sounds like Alabama. We went from a "may issue" state to a "must issue" state where you have to take the applicant to court to prove why they cannot get a permit. So basically anyone can carry here unless you are a felon or have a violent arrest on your record. What sucks for some (and I hate) is that to get a concealed permit you have to be 21. I think anyone 19 or older can carry openly without a permit. Makes sense huh?

concerning the age of 21 to buy a handgun, its a stupid law simply because you at 18 can buy a shotgun 18- 20 inch barrel, and you can buy a ak 47- or a mini 14, those pieces will do far more damage than a hand gun.

its a federal law, and it has absolutely no logic.

and here's another no- brainer from the BATF you cannot purchase a handgun in any state, unless you reside in that state. I sold guns for 20 years, I know about federal laws, that's why I hate the Clintons, because of the brady bill.

my two cents

Honestly I think you should have to be 21 to buy anything, handgun, rifle or shotgun and ammo as well. I know we used to could buy shotgun rounds at Wal-Mart before Columbine when I was about 15 I think and that stopped that for sure. After that my Dad, Mom or best friends parents had to buy our rounds but of course I understand now the headaches behind it. Us normal law obeying folks are the ones to always suffer from this crap.

I don't care if the background checks become more strict because I think it is needed, because I would rather wait a few days and make sure folks are being checked out than to see some ISIS idiot here in country get a hold of a handgun when it could be prevented.

Who needs guns?

when they hit the wtc the news were all over it. Remember Ted Koppel he goes on his show and tells every one how to do an anthrax attack on the NYC subways that would kill 50 thousand people easy. I could not believe that pussy would say that shit. Then the fuck does it again.

This is the way to stop Isis kill every big mouth reporter who says anything that could be used to hurt Americans.

I have a CC in Louisiana but don't really need to carry it with me. The crap that people pull everywhere else doesn't happen down here.

Besides a background check what else do you need to do to get a permit? Do you have to show that you can shoot straight? Do you go to the range to take a test? No one has mentioned anything like that so that's why I'm asking.

Can you tell I have no idea about this subject

California you have pass the background check, then take a class with a certified instructor in handguns. Rifles and shotguns you don't have to, only have to be at least 18 to purchase one. Alabama you just have to pass the background check. NYC I know is a lot more strick with their handgun laws. Someone from New York can answer that question better than me Alfanosgirl.

Thanks GV for the info.

In Ct. You have to pass a written test and receive safety instructions and qualify on the range. Then the background and record check.

Thanks Beans. So you cannot go into NY with your Ct permit? That sucks.

Some states are tough. New Jersey is pretty bad. If I recall some tourist declared their legal to carry gun at the Empire State Building in NY City and was arrested on the spot a few years ago.

Here is an article on carrying Alfanosgirl...

Another NYC Tourist Arrested for Carrying Gun
By Brett Snider, Esq. on September 23, 2013 11:58 AM
A gun-toting tourist hoping to visit NYC's 9/11 Memorial did not have much time to reflect after she was arrested for carrying a semi-automatic weapon in her purse.
According to Gothamist, New York City is one of the stricter cities for concealed carry permits. So even though tourist Ursula Jerry had a valid Wisconsin permit, she was still allegedly violating the city's gun laws.
How can you travel to the Big Apple without your piece getting you in trouble?
Cruisin' the USA, Packin' Heat

The New York Post reports that Urusula Jerry, 41, of Milwaukee, "carried the weapon on the Amtrak train" and didn't intend to harm anyone with her loaded .38-caliber Kel-Tec semiautomatic.
Jerry may have avoided the TSA searching her purse by taking a train, but she should have checked the local laws in Manhattan to ensure that her out-of-state gun permit would be valid.
For any American traveling with a gun, it's important to remember three things:
You probably need a permit to carry a gun in any mode of transportation (car, train, etc.);
You can only carry guns on certain trains and planes (if checked); and
Your gun license may not have reciprocity in your destination city or state.
The last point is what tripped up Jerry; New York state doesn't have reciprocity with any other state, meaning you need a New York license to legally carry a gun while visiting the Empire State. In addition, New York City imposes its own license and permit requirements.
NYC's Concealed Carry Laws

It perfectly legal for some jurisdictions to honor these permits and not others.
Non-residents can apply for a permit to carry a handgun in New York state. But New York City has tightly regulated its concealed carry laws, making it almost impossible for a non-resident tourist to legally carry a handgun in the city.
Even if you are a New York City resident, the permit costs around $430 and can take up to eight months to obtain. So it may not be worth it to take your pearl-handled six shooter to see Lady Liberty.

Thnx for the article. Leave your gun at home when traveling to NYC, understood. I like how they referred to it as The Big Apple lol. That lady definitely had "tourist presence".

I agree. 18 is too young.

Like other states mentioned here, AZ requires a background check (including fingerprints) and a one-day classroom course, with time on a range, to get a concealed carry permit. But, you don't need a permit to carry concealed in AZ--if you pass the federal background check, you can legally carry open or concealed.

My impression is that NYC and NJ (and perhaps other cities and states states) won't issue a concealed weapons permit unless you show an overarching need for one--i.e., you're in private security, or you carry large amounts of cash for business reasons. That requirement is being challenged in a federal court in California (San Diego, I think), on constitutional grounds--i.e., the sheriff or police chief should not have the right to set requirements for carrying.

as far as nyc goes, they have what amounts to a total gun ban for citizens. forget concealed carry, just having a handgun for home protection is out of reach for joe taxpayer. whatever your position on guns is, hopefully you agree that fairness should be across the board. sadly, in nyc the rich and political elite are privy to a different set of rules than the slaves below them. donald trump, howard stern, robert deniro ect all are afforded the right to carry a weapon, even though they enjoy living in the best and most protected areas of the city. a working man who happens to live in one of the many bad areas of the city doesn't get that right, that has long ago been stripped from him by those who know what's best for him.

there are various degrees of concealed carry, be it unrestricted or a business carry, but the reality is that it costs thousands of dollars just to get the process going, with no sure thing that it will even be granted. got a bunch of speeding tickets in your past? that's grounds for denial. got arrested for something petty as a juvenile, again denied even though those records are supposed to be sealed. you have to list every single thing you've ever been charged with aside from a parking ticket, regardless of whether or not it was thrown out and give a detailed explanation of what happened. again, if you are politically connected these things can be overlooked, if not you are at the mercy of a city government content to deny you at all costs. multiple photos of not only yourself but also where you are to store the pistol, fingerprints, references, restrictions on the amount of ammo you're allowed, 72 hours from the time your permit is granted until you buy the gun otherwise you start over. you need special permission from the nypd to transport the handgun outside of nyc, which basically means you don't even own the weapon in the real sense.

as far as long guns, things are a bit more relaxed as far as getting things done if you have the time and money to jump though hoops just to be able to exercise your rights, that's how they do things there. the list of restrictions is so long it's insane, every known semi-auto rifle is banned, there's a 5 round magazine capacity that was passed in some shady city ordinance in 2010 by the yellow toothed gremlin who bought his 3rd term, who by the way has armed protection wherever he goes that are not subject to the same regulations as normal people, which tells you all you need to know right here. a lever action .22, technology that is more than 150 years old, is considered a prohibited weapon, notices where sent out a few years ago demanding that such weapons, as well as the laundry list of others, be turned in, but remember registration never leads to confiscation.

bottom line is that in nyc, unless you;re a millionaire or a member of the political elite, you just aren't afforded the same rights and protections as your slavemasters, totally disgusting and against everything this county stand for. i'd never move there, a city that treats it's citizens like shit imposing gun restrictions more severe in many ways than the poor nuetered sheep that were unlucky enough to be born in the uk, get the hell out of there as fats as you can, you can cook your own italain food some place else where you are allowed the right to protect yourself and your family, pathetic on a real primal level!

forgive me, i'm sure i forgot a ton, this all comes from memory, but it's accurate.