Both actually.Triffid wrote:Yellowhand.
Welcome to the forum. The difference in attitude to firearms between Arizona and England is stark.
You evidently feel that you need to be able to protect yourself. The question that's been on my mind since reading the various posts is why that is? Is it about being armed because you can be? Or because you need to be?
Triffid
PS I'm not in any way anti-gun or judgemental about this. Just interested!
WE have a very large country, outside the major urban areas, police presence drops down to near nothing per sq mile.
Where I'm sitting right this minute, my home, if I were to call 911, response time most likely an hour, maybe more depending if our Sheriff deputies are up in the northern part of the county, say working a traffic accident, working another case, working a search and rescue mission, etc.
Cochise Country is 6219 square miles of very rugged territory. Cochise County is close to the size of the States of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined. We also border Mexico, and Mexican border areas are very well known for being "rough", drugs, drug cartels,etc. Last year, the cartels had a major gun battle in a nearby bordering Mexican border town, Mexican side, and were using crew served weapons in their streets! I'm talking M2 machine guns mounted to pickup trucks!
We hear automatic weapons fire coming across the border kinda often.
One of the average citizens issues living here, we get a lot of illegals crossing the border, and they are often carrying drugs in back packs. Old days, they got spotted, they'd drop their loads and run south, now, they are armed to the teeth and often fight back.
When we first moved here, illegals would show up, suck on a garden hose, maybe ask for food. My wife would feed them, they'd refill their water bottles and head on north.
Now, they are just as likely to break into your home, steal your vehicle, assault you and your family.
https://www.cochise.az.gov/sheriff/patrol-division
Don't get me wrong, I live in a very lovely place, full of very decent people, BUT, it can become very dangerous very quickly! And help can be a long time coming. In 20 minutes here, you can be 15 miles to the nearest paved road, never pass another vehicle, or see a home/ranch house, or another human being. My wife and I often jump into the Wrangler and take off driving old mining and logging roads across the tops of our mountain ranges. A single lane rutted winding "road" :)LOL up to altitudes of 7 or 8 thousand feet. This is a high desert area. My home is at 4800 above sea level. Here, its scrub oak and mesquite trees, 10/12 feet high, maybe.:)LOL A 30 minute drive, we're in 60/100 foot pines, with spring water, and with a temperature drop of 30 degrees and @ 7 or 8 thousand feet.
(Is it about being armed because you can be?)
We are a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy.
The people here can vote to end all private firearm ownership tomorrow, but we'll remain armed.
The Bill of Rights, cannot be voted out of existence here.
We see the Bill of Rights as G-D given rights, that no man can take away.
We live by the Constitution and Bill of Rights, not political whim or even voters desires.
The Bill of Rights is not the Bill of Suggestions.:)LOL
Most people outside this country do not understand this, hell, many people here seem not to understand this simple fact some days.
I do not ask permission to anyone to be armed.
I can buy a firearm from a private citizen here, pay cash, pick up firearm, and not report the transaction to anyone!
Why, because I have a G-D given right to be armed.
I and millions upon millions of others here, swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
As well as all elected officials, thought some forget this and need to be reminded in our separate independent court system, which works off the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. Every single "law" passed must be Constitutional, cannot go against the Constitution, and if found to be against the Constitution, its thrown out, now null and void!
Is the system perfect, oh hell no. Reason we have several layers of courts. Lower court gets it wrong, goes to the next level, then on up to the Supreme Court.
Our gun grabbers here, do not want any cases going to the SC, because they know they will lose.
I carry firearms to defend myself, my family, my property, insure I can go any damned place I wish to at anytime safely, day or night, and always have at hand the means to defend myself and others from harm. All human beings should have these G-D given rights, worldwide, they don't, but they should.
We have free speech here, because we are armed to the teeth. No one can shut up, lock up, a free man armed to the teeth because they, anyone in fact, does not care for what he is saying. I'm safe in my home, because I'm armed. I've read reports of people being locked up, because they "dared" to refuse to shut up, speak openly above certain subjects, that just don't happen here. Some one breaks down my front door, I'll kill them. The police will show up, collect the remains, write some reports, and go away. Anyone tries to carjack my wife, she'll shoot them in the head, call the police, fill out some reports, and come home safely.
I'll end with this;
The highest percentage of armed people I come into contact with weekly, are sitting in my church services!!!!:)LOL
We've had a few bad church shooting.
You don't see Armed military troops, like in France, outside our places of worship.
Or local police officers.
The decent folks attending religious services here, many that never have owned a firearm, bought one, or two, LOL, learned to use them, and now take responsibility for their own safety.
Freemen are responsible for their own safety and security.
