And that means what?

I don't know what level of abuse was going on in the household, but I'm sure she felt that her need for personal protection was against OUTSIDE forces...NOT members of her own household. I'm not sure why some people don't see it that way. From some comments I have read on various blogs and editorial pages, it is almost as if people are mocking her decision to carry a gun in light of the fact that her husband shot her. His craziness has nothing to do with her decision to pack heat.

Now that we are back on that....this is the irony that Phill mentioned earlier

If lumping someone who isn't in the northeast is ok, then yes, lumping someone in as a racist IS ok.

In my experience people are, in general, on pretty extreme ends of the spectrum when it comes to gun possession.

That said, even though it isn't common around my area, I'm not going to judge someone who has made the decision to carry a weapon. I'm not in their shoes, and if they can carry it safely, more power to them.

Yeah really... I don't think it's all that ironic. That she was protecting herself against outside forces when she should have been protecting herself from inside her own home?

Many people pack heat outside the house and "unpack" so to speak immediately upon returning home.

I think it's just terribly unfortunate, but not particularly ironic. I would venture a guess that most people don't think they'll be shot by their spouse, even if they end up being shot by their spouse.

agzg

Good point and even so, if he was going to kill her, he was going to do it, gun or no.

Well said.

Right and I don't really get what her packing heat at a soccer game really has to do with the actual story.

well I guess we can probably chaclk it up to sensationalism.

She liked to carry a gun because it protected her.

She was an advocate for gun rights

She got killed by her husband's gun.

Guess what you got?


Fuel for anti gun lobbyists.

Yes, they are. I respect the fact that some people don't like guns. They are entitled to feel that way. What I hate is being excessively criticized by those same people because I DO pack heat (concealed). I don't do open carry because the open carry laws here are absurd. I just can't risk not being able to take the bar because someone wants to call the police if they see me with my gun on my hip.

ETA: I don't think the concealed carry laws here are all that great either.

For what it's worth, I do support concealed/carry permits but I do not support carrying in places like bars.

Of course, many people I know who carried to bars probably shouldn't have received their concealed/carry permits anyway - complete wackos who liked to wave that crap around in bars and other public places.

It really has nothing to do with it in my opinion except mainly to serve, as DS said, as fuel for anti-gun lobbyists. But I guess it could also serve as a way of identifying who she is to those who may have heard her story and wondered "what ever happened to her."

LOL.

As with all generalizations, you know it is not meant to apply to everyone and everything. Yes, there are different laws in different states (thus, translating to regional variations) and different norms regarding guns. Those differences in laws and norms are discussed in every gun control thread.

I can understand why someone would have issue with carrying in a bar. Here, in my state, you can't legally carry concealed in a bar or any other place where alcohol is sold and consumed.

But I also know some people who carry their guns to bars, not because they are wackos who are waving it around, but because so many fights break out in these bars. They want to have some level of protection.

I can really understand both sides. :)

Precisely.

It is relatively uncommon to be victimized by a complete stranger. People who pack weapons for protection are unlikely to "need" the gun at all (unless they have quick tempers or use guns as a FIRST resort); and are more likely to "need" the gun as protection against a family member, friend, or acquaintance.

I ask gun carriers why they feel they need it (beyond "it's my right!!!") and who they think they'll need it against.

This is just a reminder that you're more likely to be sleeping with the enemy, so keep your heat on you even after you get home. I'm jokingly serious, but this woman probably knew she was in a dangerous relationship and that she and/or her husband ("victim" and "offender" aren't always easily determined) had homicidal and suicidal tendencies.