Moira weighs the costs and probabilities of breaking the law versus experiencing victimhood:
i’m a 20 year old college girl (BC college) in boston, mass one of the worst states for fascist gun control. i go to school in a moderately dangerous neighborhood and take public transportation because i dont have a car. i will be “allowed” to buy a handgun when i turn 21 but have heard it is almost impossible to get a license to carry a concealed weapon in mass.
in the opinion of experienced gun owners here, do you think it’s worth it for me to carry a concealed weapon around (illegally)? this of course would be after a long period of practice/training (i am strongly built/tall for a woman and i’ve been taking hard martial arts for five years but i’m not stupid enough to think i could definitely fend off a stronger/better trained guy). i don’t go partying or drinking and i dont go out at night when i dont need to, but muggings/rapes are increasing in boston even during the day and from watching the news i realize the police can’t protect me one bit. i think it would be moral to arm myself even if its technically illegal, but what do you guys/gals (not the feminazi gun control gals) think?
Oh, and what’s a good handgun for a medium-to-tall woman to carry concealed? i know i would have to learn a lot more before possibly doing this.
Moira, what you’ve done here is the metaphorical equivalent of waving a big red flag in front of a herd of bulls. I’ll let the Volk handle this one, with the following comments:
1. Don’t conflate legality with morality. They are not the same. And as you mentioned, only you are responsible for defending yourself.
2. Martial arts help, but they aren’t enough and you have clearly figured out that the speed and strength gap is too great to be overcome by mere skill. Anyhow, some of the most lethal martial artists I know carry. Our dojo used to go shooting from time to time; most of the guys owned at least one pistol.
3. The gun actually being there is the most important thing. For carrying, I favor the Smith and Wesson .38 Featherweight revolver. In general, I favor the Glock 23, which is the compact .40. Spacebunny likes the Glock 9mm with a laser attached.