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My nextdoor story: A couple of years ago we got a post in our nextdoor group: "watch out - car burglary!". Paraphrasing here - "be aware - someone is breaking

My nextdoor story: A couple of years ago we got a post in our nextdoor group: "watch out - car burglary!". Paraphrasing here - "be aware - someone is breaking in to cars parked outside and taking stuff. they got our gun last night!" Another neighbor chimed in a day later with "yeah, got mine too!". There's only maybe 60 houses in the whole area, and... people are leaving guns in cars - one was unlocked. This was, to my view, nowhere near "responsible gun ownership" - regardless of your 2A views, it just seems like that behavior should be illegal. But... it's not (at least in our state). Over the last couple years, I've used it as a talking point when talking 'gun rights' stuff to people, and - surprisingly to me - I only get around 50% of "pro gun" people who agree with me that it's irresponsible behavior.

billme 6y ago
People tend to believe that they have no responsibility to not bait criminals, acknowledge fault if their actions enabled crimes, etc. Reason? Doing so would reduce their rights, increase their responsibilities, etc.
ReactiveJelly 6y ago
Elsewhere online, someone planned to "lose" their guns while fishing if the government ever wanted to take them. Who's gonna bother diving into a lake to prove one person is lying? In your case, it's even worse if the gun really was stolen - Now a "bad guy" has it. Most people can't even keep their Twitter passwords safe, much less a weapon. I would like for good and responsible people to own guns, if only I had ever met any good and responsible people.
waffle_ss 6y ago
How do you know the gun wasn't in one of those little portable safes? Or in a locked glove box? If I'm running errands around town, I can't bring my gun into certain businesses, or federal facilities like the post office. So it stays locked in my car, in a little lock box that is tethered to the metal seat base with steel cable (but the cable could be cut with big enough bolt cutters or an angle grinder). I see no problems keeping guns in cars as long as they're secured, but I agree if your neighbors hadn't either locked theirs up somehow then that's irresponsible.
- mgkimsal 6y ago
  I don't, certainly. Had they said "they got bolt cutters and cut through my steel cable securing my portable gun safe!" I'd have been a bit more impressed. Two people within a few days just... not sure they both had portable gun safes broken in to. Possibility certainly - might ask one (one of them moved away recently).

billme 6y ago

People tend to believe that they have no responsibility to not bait criminals, acknowledge fault if their actions enabled crimes, etc. Reason? Doing so would reduce their rights, increase their responsibilities, etc.

ReactiveJelly 6y ago

Elsewhere online, someone planned to "lose" their guns while fishing if the government ever wanted to take them. Who's gonna bother diving into a lake to prove one person is lying? In your case, it's even worse if the gun really was stolen - Now a "bad guy" has it. Most people can't even keep their Twitter passwords safe, much less a weapon. I would like for good and responsible people to own guns, if only I had ever met any good and responsible people.

waffle_ss 6y ago

How do you know the gun wasn't in one of those little portable safes? Or in a locked glove box? If I'm running errands around town, I can't bring my gun into certain businesses, or federal facilities like the post office. So it stays locked in my car, in a little lock box that is tethered to the metal seat base with steel cable (but the cable could be cut with big enough bolt cutters or an angle grinder). I see no problems keeping guns in cars as long as they're secured, but I agree if your neighbors hadn't either locked theirs up somehow then that's irresponsible.

mgkimsal 6y ago
I don't, certainly. Had they said "they got bolt cutters and cut through my steel cable securing my portable gun safe!" I'd have been a bit more impressed. Two people within a few days just... not sure they both had portable gun safes broken in to. Possibility certainly - might ask one (one of them moved away recently).