In a post dated August 13th, I detailed how I carried a firearm on the streets of Providence, RI without a permit. There is no reciprocity between Kommiecticut and RI, so technically I was a criminal for deciding to exercise the God-given right of personal self defense. Last night, I did it again, this time to Massachusetts.
For decades, at the state border on the interstates crossing into MA was the large warning sign stating a mandatory 1 year jail sentence for carrying a gun. It was a stark warning to everyone that without exception, get caught with a gun and go to jail. Those signs have been gone for years now, not that it matters for this post, just an interesting side note. Prior to his return to Florida, my father-in-law wanted to take everyone to dinner at his and our favorite seafood place, Sturbridge Seafood. I was going to stick by my commitment to never go anywhere unarmed any more. For last night's foray into "illegal" concealed carry, it was the 45 Shield and a spare magazine in my cargo shorts, loaded with Hornady 185 gr Critical Defense ammo. In MA, even ammo is illegal if you don't have a state FOID. I did not care. I chose my seat in the restaurant to give me a clear view of the door, and in a chair at the end of the table instead of the bench on the side so I could get to my feet quickly. My wife sat at the other end of the table next to her handicapped brother and near her Dad. Dinner was delicious and uneventful, and I returned home without incident. Just like the last time, my wife and the rest of the family were unaware and I like it that way.
I used to live in MA and remember those signs well. I always felt like I was entering a true free country whenever I crossed the border into NH or VT to hunt and shoot. Returning to MA was like going back into occupied territory. Ma has only gotten worse over the years and VT is getting there. I crossed the RUbicon myself in a sense and I now live in a rural place with Constitutional carry and reasonable self defense laws. While I still lived in Ma I refused to get the unreasonable current License that replaced the old FID card. I thought the FID was unconstitutional too, but at least it was issued once without an expiration date and was only revoked for cause. My centerfires were kept at home for decades, making me a technical felon waiting to be discovered. I considered it an act of civil disobedience. Living now in my new state, I can't imagine how I lived with such tyranny for so long. Things are very safe an quiet here, as we are way behind to curve with the decline in the rest of the country, so I have no need yet to carry while in public yet. That time may come, but the main event should be underway in the big cities before I need to go that far. I assume you have good reasons to stay in occupied southern New England an live with the deteriorating situation. I hope it works out for you.
ReplyDelete"I assume you have good reasons to stay in occupied southern New England and live with the deteriorating situation."
DeleteYup. I love my wife and she refuses to leave. That's it. I have told her that if something were to happen to her, in between making her funeral arrangements, I would be working with a realtor to sell the house and GTFO!
I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 8
ReplyDeleteI live 14 hours west of you but I have been hired to work in NY NJ RI & Mass and have always carried. The company that I was doing contract work for found out I was not leaving my best friend at home and has not hired me since.
So Be It. I refuse to be a victim.
Screw 'Em
I live in a Constitutional carry state and violate the laws of neighbor states as does everyone I know. Not safe to go to gun unfreindly states without a sidearm.
ReplyDeleteI live in Michigan, have for all of my 62 years. The only thing that I hate is the fact that we must register our handguns. But we do have a shall issue CCW license, with a required 8 hour training class, which is 4 hours of classroom and 4 hours of range time.
ReplyDeleteTo renew, you are supposed to affirm that you have redone your study on the laws of CCW for Michigan, at least the last time I renewed I did. I conveniently must renew every 10 years, the same year as I must renew my ham radio license. I have been a ham since 1972, when I was just 12 years old, doing morse code with only 3 watts, and contacted all over Canada and down into the Caribbean. Then I built a Heathkit receiver and a homebrew transmitter, with 25 watts, and did even better.
I have been carrying a Ruger SR 9c, but just bought a S&W 3913 from my son. It is one of the first semi autos that the police started carrying after they transitioned away from the revolvers. It is a traditional double action/single action, single stack gun. My son got it from his MIL, who got it and hardly shot it, and neither did he. So it is hardly broken in. I have shot it some, and do carry it a bit, but still have to get more rounds through it, just to get used to it. My first centerfire carry gun was a DA/SA, so I do like that style of carry gun.
I am hoping that Michigan votes out the Empress of Lansing, Whitmer, and that we get constitutional carry here, still maintaining the option of a CCW for reciprocity. Michigan currently accepts all other states CCW's.
Do you think to load your mags with gloves on. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
ReplyDeleteBackwoods Okie
"Do you think to load your mags with gloves on. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
ReplyDelete@Backwoods Okie: No and here's why. If I have to defend myself, I don't plan on making a run for it. I will stay at the scene and deal with law enforcement. Now, if the SHTF and I start having to do the hard violent things good men are forced to do, then I will consider making sure all ammo is wiped clean of any prints.
I go to work every day violating the company policy. Been doing that for 20 some years. No problem. I have a state permit for CC. I'm not going to get shot in a gun free zone.
ReplyDelete@Sarthurk: I had a job from May 2011 until August 2016 and did the same thing. Sat right in the office next to my co-workers and they had no clue. The building had no security other than our locked office glass door. Anyone could just come in off the street, so the door would slow them down and I could stop them
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