I'm buying a tazer

[spin]

56. Does a woman who is alone in a parking garage have to have a damn good reason to carry a firearm ...

for defense from a rapist who is looking for a victim? Chances are she will never be attacked but it is still a faint possibility. She might walk through this parking garage for years without a problem but one night she might face a dangerous attacker. It is totally impossible to predict if and when this might happen.

I don't expect to ever be attacked but I am an elderly man with a very noticeable limp because I am a candidate for a hip replacement and also suffer from degenerative disc disease. I could be viewed by a predator as an easy victim.

Under the "may issue" laws which once were popular in our nation, a citizen often had to have a good reason to carry a firearm. This often led to racial discrimination and usually only the rich and privileged were allowed to carry a weapon for self defense while the average citizen who lived in a bad neighborhood was denied. Under this system a person who was a member of a minority had little chance of getting approved. This is basically the same system that currently exists in New York City. The rich and the famous often qualify but those who live in a slum area find it extremely difficult to get permission to own a firearm and far much harder to get permission to carry one.

I don't recommend that everybody should run out and and get a carry permit as firearms are not for everybody and carrying one should be an individual decision that involves a lot of thought. However if an honest citizen chooses to take the time and effort to meet the requirements, I see no problem.

My daughter once attracted the attentions of a stalker through no fault of her own. She filed a restraining order which this individual totally ignored. Every time she left the house she encountered him and he drove by our house several times each day. He also had a criminal record and was known to abuse alcohol.

Fortunately she had a carry permit. If she hadn't it would have taken three months or more to get one. She never had to use it to deter her stalker and he eventually was arrested and spent several weekends in jail. He learned a lesson and never bothered my daughter after that.

My daughter was able to go about her life during the period of time that the stalker was harassing her. She had mo real fear of this man as she had the ability to defend herself if truly necessary. He was merely a pain in the ass.

This same individual also stalked one of my daughter's close friends and she was absolutely terrorized. Unlike my daughter this woman lacked the ability to defend herself. My daughter's friend also was afraid to get a restraining order as she felt it might cause the stalker to become violent.