"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity."  
 
Sigmund Freud, General Introduction to Psychoanalysis (1952)

Quote from LadyBug on Jun 16^th, 2008, 9:07am:

 Never been 2 Texas .huh?

While I live in St. Louis - I am originally from Texas.  We have a saying down there which I am sure is not a Texas original -  An armed society is a polite society.  That, I believe is the "educated folks" words.  
 
I personally like the sticker which says . . . "forget with the dog - beware of the owner" - along with a business-end view of a large-caliber revolver.  
 
Funny how the states who ban guns generally have a higher gun-crime rate?  (Washington DC ring a bell?) And even more gang violence?
 
and yes we DO have guns on gun racks in our pickup trucks.  Generally - those folks never get fooled with.  
 
More and more people are learning that LAW-ABIDING citizens don't commit gun crimes.  They simply know they cannot depend on being protected by the police in their homes - in their vehicles (ever heard of being "jacked"?) or their business'.  
 
I - and all law abiding people have a right to defend themselves - and when scum knows that we shoot back - they tend to find the homes who think of people like me as a savage - and as guns as barbaric.
 
Good luck to all you "here - take anything you want - just don't shoot me" crowd.  It's just stuff . . . but damnit!! it's MY STUFF.  And nobody's gonna take it without a fight.      
 
 
Rare Bear

Here in New Mexico you can walk down the street wearing a holster and piston, or carry a rifle.  You might attract a lot of attention by the authorities but it is legal.  
 
However you do have to have a concealed carry permit if you don't have the weapon in plain sight. The permits are fairly expensive as you have to take a special class as part of the process.  
 
On a side note....... I was told by one of the instructors that if you happen to use your weapon, even in a clear case of self defense, you better be prepaired to spend a ton on lawyers, because the family of the perp will more than likely sue you. There's always a ambulance chaser who will be more than happy to represent the family of the bad guy, trying to prove you offed him without cause.