If It Were Legal For Us Expats To Own Guns, Would You Get One?

[Dave Hounddriver]

My dog is lucky that foreigners are not permitted guns . . . or he would have been double dead by now

[gapotwo]

ANYONE CAN CARRY, ANYONE CAN USE............BUT IS ANYONE WILLING TO BE RESPONSIBLE AND LEVELHEADED ABOUT IT????????? :th_signs083: .......BTW. balut vendors are exempted,cuz they keep me fed. :signnvm:

[Jake]

But walking down the street with one would make me feel less friendly and a little itchier, if you catch my drift. I think a taser or can of pepper spray is a lot safer, maybe more effective, and if turned on you, won't kill you. But I have no beef with anyone who does want to carry. I secretly wish I could carry, but admittedly for the wrong reasons. I don't trust my maturity level yet.

Good arguments on both sides.  Ekmswish's post above is pretty close to my personal views.  Even if properly trained, would I still have the "maturity level" to respond accordingly with a concealed weapon?  If my business dictates me to carry large amount of cash or some other valuables in the Philippines, I would rather have someone else cover me with a concealed weapon.  I had no problem carrying an exposed sidearm while in the military service, but out in the civilian world, the thought of pulling one out and actually pointing at someone (no matter what country you're in) means in my training, is to double tap at center mass without hesitation.  The ramification of that as an afterthought is -- was the use of deadly force necessary? Should I have taken another second to confirm his intentions? Should I have waited to verify he was carrying a toy gun or not?  Would giving him extra time (fraction of a second) allow him to send me to hell instead?  And being in foreign land does have its own complications.  You may have a permit in gold lettering to carry a concealed weapon but would be worthless if you don't have powerful connections (lawyers, govt, PNP, military) to cover your ass, even if your shooting was righteous or justified.  

 

My weapons of choice: a family kit of pepper spray canisters, a nice wooden baseball bat, a big ass German Shepherd and a Filipina wife who "pucks pear" against any intruder. 

 

Scared chitless -- Jake

Edited March 13, 2013 by Jake

[Art2ro]

But walking down the street with one would make me feel less friendly and a little itchier, if you catch my drift. I think a taser or can of pepper spray is a lot safer, maybe more effective, and if turned on you, won't kill you. But I have no beef with anyone who does want to carry. I secretly wish I could carry, but admittedly for the wrong reasons. I don't trust my maturity level yet.

My weapons of choice: a family kit of pepper spray cannisters, a nice wooden baseball bat, a big ass German Shepherd and a Filipina wife who "pucks pear" against any intruder.Scared chitless -- Jake

Here's my level of maturity, with Jake, EJ and myself side by side, arm in arm , with our balut farts alone will put down a water buffalo, let alone an armed assassin! What's a "pucks pear"? Edited January 13, 2011 by Fil/AmArt

[Jake]

Arm in arm, cheek to cheek -- that carabao would have been double dead meat if downwind from our balut farts. Yeah Art, that's me on the right with the hash marks. Gotta reverse my thongs now.....See ya on flip side -- Jake

[Fast&Furious]

In Australia we don't carry guns and that's what makes our society safer.Everybody has different standards and giving a gun to someone is just wrong. You see why the USA has so many gun related accidental deaths....even in the schools...actually those are not so accidental.

[Keg]

would love to own a gun here. I have a concealed deadly weapons permit(CCDW) from back home. I almost feel naked at times not having a gun to protect myself.

[Mr Lee]

In Australia we don't carry guns and that's what makes our society safer.Everybody has different standards and giving a gun to someone is just wrong. You see why the USA has so many gun related accidental deaths....even in the schools...actually those are not so accidental.

The term safer is debatable, READ THIS and THIS. You also read numerous news stories where people in the US with guns, did not end up becoming victims because of their having guns, and I have had a few instances during my life where having a gun and knowing how to use them (I have a permit to carry in the US) has saved my life and that of those around me, and the other person with the gun was not supposed to have it in the first place, so guns laws did no good in those instances. We are all taught different things and also brainwashed by our governments, so those who grow up in countries that do not allow guns, feel they are safer because of guns not being around, but the facts stand that criminals will always have guns or use other tools to kill, and even in many countries where guns are illegal for the average person to own, gun crime and possession is high, and in countries where guns are mandatory, and every home has them, gun crime is low, so there are many other issues that affect crime and murder rates, and having guns, or not having guns is not the answer. Look HERE and read and you will see the figures to back up what I just wrote. Look at the Philippines where illegal guns are everywhere and where home gun makers seem to flourish, and you will see that making them illegal does not stop people who want them from having them, whereas allowing licensed people to own guns, helps them not become victims. Crime has gone down in every state in the US where gun carry permits are now legal, and all those that said it would become the old west were proved wrong. Responsible people owning guns does not cause gun crimes, and in fact deters them. So if and when we live here full time, then my wife will have a gun in our home because she is a dual citizen and can legally own one, and she has a permit to carry in Florida and does head shots on targets at 10 yards, so while we feel totally safe in our condo, situations can change in a country such as the Philippines or even the world. Also once upon a time back in Florida and in other states where I lived, those anti gun neighbors I always seemed to have, always seemed to come running to me to ask to borrow a gun or have me protect them during riots and blackouts, seems anti gun is only a rule for them until the streets run wild and their lives and that of their families become endangered and then their attitude changed quickly. No I did not lend them a gun, and many of those anti gun people now own guns, because they saw the error of their ways when all hell broke loose and did not wish to ever be helpless again.

[RetiredNavyGuy]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! And yes, if it was legal, I would get one.., I had to sell several guns when I moved here.

[Papa Carl]

In Australia we don't carry guns and that's what makes our society safer.Everybody has different standards and giving a gun to someone is just wrong. You see why the USA has so many gun related accidental deaths....even in the schools...actually those are not so accidental.

The term safer is debatable, READ THIS and THIS. You also read numerous news stories where people in the US with guns, did not end up becoming victims because of their having guns, and I have had a few instances during my life where having a gun and knowing how to use them (I have a permit to carry in the US) has saved my life and that of those around me, and the other person with the gun was not supposed to have it in the first place, so guns laws did no good in those instances. We are all taught different things and also brainwashed by our governments, so those who grow up in countries that do not allow guns, feel they are safer because of guns not being around, but the facts stand that criminals will always have guns or use other tools to kill, and even in many countries where guns are illegal for the average person to own, gun crime and possession is high, and in countries where guns are mandatory, and every home has them, gun crime is low, so there are many other issues that affect crime and murder rates, and having guns, or not having guns is not the answer. Look HERE and read and you will see the figures to back up what I just wrote. Look at the Philippines where illegal guns are everywhere and where home gun makers seem to flourish, and you will see that making them illegal does not stop people who want them from having them, whereas allowing licensed people to own guns, helps them not become victims. Crime has gone down in every state in the US where gun carry permits are now legal, and all those that said it would become the old west were proved wrong. Responsible people owning guns does not cause gun crimes, and in fact deters them. So if and when we live here full time, then my wife will have a gun in our home because she is a dual citizen and can legally own one, and she has a permit to carry in Florida and does head shots on targets at 10 yards, so while we feel totally safe in our condo, situations can change in a country such as the Philippines or even the world. Also once upon a time back in Florida and in other states where I lived, those anti gun neighbors I always seemed to have, always seemed to come running to me to ask to borrow a gun or have me protect them during riots and blackouts, seems anti gun is only a rule for them until the streets run wild and their lives and that of their families become endangered and then their attitude changed quickly. No I did not lend them a gun, and many of those anti gun people now own guns, because they saw the error of their ways when all hell broke loose and did not wish to ever be helpless again.

On this one Lee, we will have to agree to disagree. I am not in favour of citizens carrying guns. Maybe being born in Canada where they are not allowed, or living in the UK where even most of the police do not carry guns has something to do with my beliefs, I'm not sure. I have carried a gun (a previous job required it), I did fire at and hit someone, .... I don't want to have to do that again and if I am not carrying, then I won't. I would prefer to let them have what they want and live. Also if their intent is to kill you, they will try whether you have a gun or not.But as one of the members says.... to each their own. We each have our beliefs and are allowed to express them, and even if we disagree we can still respect each other and be friends This is one debate that could go on and on and on. I guess it is like Marmite, you either like it or not.