Why can't I carry a gun?!?!?

I am steaming mad right now. Last night i was in Brooklyn during the night-time at one of my clients houses, i'm a mortgage broker and had an appointment there. My co-worker drove me there and decided to wait outside because we couldnt get a parking space anywhere.

Anyway, i leave the house and call my co-worker to come back to pick me up. While i am waiting 3 drunk hispanic individuals are walking towards me speaking in spanish and just staring at me laughing. I hear the words "gringo" and some other things, i know they are speaking about me.

One of the guys starts getting loud and reaches into his sock and pulls out a MACHETE!!!! I saw the fear in the other two's eyes, they were looking at him like they KNEW he was going to use it on me.

I know they were talking about messing with me but i dont think the other two thought this guy was serious when he said he was going to kill me. Or, at least i think thats what he was saying.

THANK GOD, my friend pulls up JUST IN TIME before i had to make a decision whether to run (which was a lil too late) or try to fight these guys off (i wouldnt have lasted very long).

I've been up all night thinking what would have happened if my friend didnt pull up at that time, most likely i wouldnt be telling you this story.

I know this will never happen, but i strongly believe that upstanding citizens of a certain age should legally be allowed to defend their life against criminals which we have absolutely no protection from.

Anyday at anytime someone can come up to me and take my life, and i have no means of defending myself.

Dude (?). Your guardian angel was wide awake...

I'm not sure what local ordanances come into play in Brooklyn, but a concealed carry permit would be advisable for you. Especially as you have to go out to properties like that.

Yes...I'd be buying your guardian angel a brew of his/her choice...whew!!!

Glad your ok.

Originally posted by seagull
Dude (?). Your guardian angel was wide awake...

I'm not sure what local ordanances come into play in Brooklyn, but a concealed carry permit would be advisable for you. Especially as you have to go out to properties like that.

Yes...I'd be buying your guardian angel a brew of his/her choice...whew!!!

Glad your ok.

Thanks i appreciate it, there are no laws in NY that i know of that would let anyone besides a police officer carry a gun. If anyone knows, i would love to hear it!

I think you can get a concealed carry weapons permit in New York City if your business takes you into dangerous area.

It's just very difficult when compared to the process in many other areas in the U.S.

In that case, it would come down to a decision on your part to carry anyway. Better to be judged by a jury of twelve, then buried by a group of six. Not sure what your own attitude would be concerning that, or maybe a less than leathal alternative, such as a taser, or capstan/pepperspray. Anything that enables you to vacate the premises.

my wife carries pepperspray, since she has a fear of any weapon she presents being snatched away and used on her.

Come up with a plan for next time. Anything. Throw money at them. Turn a hate-crime into a mere robbery. Throw your wallet one way and run the other. Whatever doesn't compromise your moral code, but keeps you from being chopped.

I would encourage you with the thought that a plan will save you, more than a tool or implement will. I have disarmed an arrestee when I didn't have a gun in my holster. How did I do this? Well, I had been trained in how to behave in this scenario. The other fellow was just making it up as he went along.

The guy who has the best plan almost always wins. Improvising gets you killed. Lucky for you, the guy with the knife was improvising, too.

.

Originally posted by dr_strangecraft


The guy who has the best plan almost always wins. Improvising gets you killed. Lucky for you, the guy with the knife was improvising, too.

.

Yeah, thank god because if he planned on killing me from the get go he would have done long before my friend got there. And it wasnt a knife, he had about a 2 foot long machete.

You can, but NYC is not going to make is easy for you. Visit the following (Sorry mods - hyperlinking feature doesn't seem to be working): www.ci.nyc.ny.us... for the types and reasons for permissable concealed carry in NYC.

Originally posted by kozmo
You can, but NYC is not going to make is easy for you. Visit the following (Sorry mods - hyperlinking feature doesn't seem to be working): www.ci.nyc.ny.us... for the types and reasons for permissable concealed carry in NYC.

Thanks for the link Kozmo, it actually doesnt really seem that difficult to obtain as long as you are a citizen with no prior arrests, im def going to look into it. And also hyperlinking hasnt been working for me either.

Another thing that could help, learn some spanish and portugues (depending on which "hispanic" group you come in contact with.

You might think I'm mad, but primarely being able to understand what they were saying can make a difference (could be the guy was asking you the time or directions or something and perceived your non understanding as a racially based ignoring of him) and secondarely, talking to them can buy you time.

Thirdly, if it was race motivated aggression from this guy, hearing you talk in his native tongue would show your sympathetic to them.

Alot of non white racial hate comes from the race being under the impression that the white people hate them.

You couldn't imagine how many volatile and potentialy deadly situations I got out laughing instead of bleeding because I took the effort to learn enough turkish, maroccan and russian to understand and be understood.

I can't own a handgun anyway but my understanding was you only need a CCW permit to actually conceal it. If you have a holster with a certain amount visible all you need is a regular owners permit. I'm sure this varies from state to state, but someone correct me if my basis is wrong.

I just hate that I can't have my shotgun in my car unless I'm going to or from some sort of gun-oriented event. Enough rednecks in others states have theirs hanging in their back window. I just want to keep mine in my trunk and not have to worry about taking heat for it!

Originally posted by thematrix
You might think I'm mad, but primarely being able to understand what they were saying can make a difference (could be the guy was asking you the time or directions or something and perceived your non understanding as a racially based ignoring of him) and secondarely, talking to them can buy you time.

asking the time or directions with a machete in his hands... I don't think so.

But I do understand what you're saying, just wouldn't have worked in this situation.

thats why I carry the Conan sword.
I then do the Crocidile dundee
A knife?
thats not a knife....
pulls out the conan sword.
thats a knife

Originally posted by elevatedone
asking the time or directions with a machete in his hands... I don't think so.

But I do understand what you're saying, just wouldn't have worked in this situation.

They were first talking about him, then to him and then the one guy pulled the machete.

Also, from what hikix said, the other guys weren't to agreable with the machete guy, so talking to them could've helped too.

Firstly, its good to still have you with us then.

Why not take up some martial arts lessons ? guns arnt always the first step

Just by the look of fear in the other 2 guy's faces, i knew that they knew that this guy was going to use it on me. I cannot stress this enough, the guy had a machete, it wasnt a pocket knife. Talking sense to someone with a machete in their hand isnt a very wise desicion.

hikix, youre in for legal and bureaucratic hell if youre trying to get a pistol permit in NYC. It isnt ouright illegal in the city but the police and the city government make it no secret they would rather you not have it. If you get started right away trying to get one you may have one in about 5 years after half a dozen lawyers and a few thousand dollars.

apc, you're right in that a conceal carry permit is only for concealed carry. Most states, however, do not allow open carry. As the citizenry grows more timid and more PC open carry has become a frightening thing for the sheltered or the urban who do not understand guns or gun owners. I know New Hampshire still allows open carry. Some towns are more understanding than others. Tourists will call the police, people who dont know the laws will call the police and people who just hate you for having a gun will call the police if they see you exercising open carry rights.

Here in CT there is no explicit provision stating I cannot carry openly but popular opinion dictates that if I were to walk downtown New Haven carrying openly I would be tackled by police. However, if I were in the Northwest or Northeastern part of the state I would likely see more reasonable behavior from people.

Concealed carry vs. open carry is a debate unto itself weighing pro's and con's of public reaction, criminal deterrent, even making yuorself a target of crime. Some people will be afraid seeing a gun. Others will feel secure. Some criminals will pass you up because they can see your gun. Some would intentionally target you in hopes of getting your gun.

There are way too many variables to pretend any blanket law will solve all of the problems. I like NH for its wilingness to assume the gun owner will practice good judgement and alter his carry to fit the situation. Sadly, most local, state and federal government simply assume we are all psychopathic morons who would sooner blow up a building in retaliation to name calling than behave as any rational human ought to.

I would definitely look into getting a CCW if I were you. I live in Michigan and I know they are easy to obtain here. We just had an incident here (2 miles from my home)where someone called in a pizza for delivery. When the delivery guy showed up three men approached him, one of the three hit him in the back of the head with a wrench and continued beating on him. Somehow this pizza guy was able to pull his hand gun out and shot and killed his attacker and held one of the other two at gun point until the police arrived. The third man escaped on foot and as far as I know is still at large. The pizza guy was held but later released. A local radio station was polling people on the street about the incident and asked what should happen to the delivery guy. Every single person I heard said the pizza guy should get a medal and the thugs got what they deserved. I agree, crooks need to know that people are no longer easy prey and the next decision they make may be there last.

Your occupation probably takes you to parts of town where the average person wouldn't go to even if you paid them. You should be able to conduct your business without fear of being robbed or without having to learn a new language for fear of offending some immigrant because you don't speak there native tongue. This is America WE speak ENGLISH here, THEY come here knowing this! If this ashole was offended as a poster said he may have been, then he needed to be shot.

Good to know your safe Hikix!

A tactic I used for many years while living in the city was to carry 'muggers cash'. The strategy is (and this has worked a treat the two occaisions I have had to use it) to throw the handful of coins at your assailant and then run like the wind!
The impact of coins flung in the face is going to stun for a few seconds, also, the mugger had to make the decision whether to pick up the few pounds in coins or chase you down, in which case you'll have at least a good 200yard head start.

Originally posted by citizen smith
Good to know your safe Hikix!

A tactic I used for many years while living in the city was to carry 'muggers cash'. The strategy is (and this has worked a treat the two occaisions I have had to use it) to throw the handful of coins at your assailant and then run like the wind!
The impact of coins flung in the face is going to stun for a few seconds, also, the mugger had to make the decision whether to pick up the few pounds in coins or chase you down, in which case you'll have at least a good 200yard head start.

hahah thats great, but i dont think it wouldve worked in this case. This guy didnt want my money, he was drunk and looking to use the machete on someone, and i was the perfect target. If i had a gun im sure he would be dead. But luckily i didnt have a gun, and my friend arrived just in time. But like i was saying, the outcome couldve been very different if it didnt happen the EXACT way that it did.

It was so great getting into my friends car and saying to him "do you know that you just saved my life!"

[edit on 17-5-2007 by hikix]