I live in a state that has the most unique gun laws in the country: Vermont. Alaska's laws are very similar, but not identical. Basically in VT anyone, resident or non-resident, can carry a loaded gun, concealed, or unconcealed at anytime, anywhere. With the few exceptions being government buildings, schools etc... And you DO NOT need a permit to have the gun, NOR to carry it. Do I think this law is awesome? Yes, absolutely, and gun violence in Vermont is very minimal compared to other states that have extremely strict gun laws. Do I think that it's a good way for the entire country to handle gun laws? No, that would be retarded.
Gun laws need to be dealt with on a state-to-state basis, and people need to stop saying "2nd Amendment!" as their argument that everyone should be able to have a gun. Yes, I think that everyone should have the right to have one (and they do) but depending on where you live, getting and keeping/carrying that gun will mean having to go through a legal process. If someone has gone through that process, and legally completed what was necessary to purchase, and openly carry, or even keep concealed, that gun then there should be no debate over it being right or wrong. That person is well within their rights.
Do I have guns? Yes, many. And I have carried them in public before, but never in a crowded place, or at least not loaded around other people. I do carry a knife on me always. Whether it's a pocket knife, or my leatherman on my belt, I have it with me where ever I go. But I look at that knife as a tool; not a weapon. I don't carry it with the intent of defending myself from another person. I keep it because it is a handy tool to have. For example the other day I was working on a film shoot for a small production in the woods of New Hampshire. A woman came out of the woods with a dog that had attacked a porcupine, and I was able to removed the hundreds of quills with the pliers of my leatherman. To me, it is a necessary tool. Now to someone else, a gun is a necessary tool. I don't carry a gun for self defense because I don't feel the need to given where I live. And given that where I live is very rural and there isn't as much crime, it is no coincidence that getting and having a gun is so easy.
If I lived in a place that I felt required a handgun for self defense, I would follow the process to get one, and have it as tool. Not a weapon. Guns diffuse situations, and save lives but you never hear about it because a crime that doesn't happen never gets reported. I understand that they also cause untold damage and tragedy, but I cannot believe that my decision to carry or not to carry (legally) a handgun would contribute to that violence.
