Posted: 5/17/2008 4:46:14 PM EDT
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So I recently turned 21 and besides the obvious joy of being able to buy alcohol legally, I was also quite excited to apply for my CWP and purchase a firearm to carry. I have fired a dozen different types of handguns so I kind of have an idea of what I want. I brought this subject up with my dad however and he immediately rejected the idea. He is afraid of someone breaking in to my place to steal my handgun should i get one. But thats kinda the whole reason I want to get a handgun, I'm afraid of people breaking into my place! I live in a town with a fairly large amount of crime and its located near one of the biggest meth capitols around. So we argued some more an he said if I were to get a handgun he would completely drop his support for my college. So obviously I have decided to wait, because I can go another 1 1/2 years without a handgun. I recently got a 10/22 just for going up in the hills and blowing shit up. When I told him about that he didn't seem to care. So I am faced with a couple options as I'm working this summer. 1. Get a handgun and don't let him find out. 2. Get a shotgun (I have heard many people claim shotguns to be the best for home defense plus I like shooting clays) 3. Don't get anything I'm just wondering what everyone's opinion is on this whole deal. My dad carries sometimes himself. Is this a reasonable thing of him to ask me for? Or should I exercise my right to own a handgun? |
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You could get your CCW and keep your handgun on you/with you at all times. During school you can lock in in the glove box or in a lockable case in the trunk or something. I'd say its important to respect your parents opinion (especially if they financially help you out for school), but you're your own man now. Perhaps you could try talking to him again about it... Maybe he's afraid you want a handgun for the wrong reasons. Do you live in a dorm and not have a car? That'd make it sorta difficult to have a handgun I suppose. |
| Get a handgun and a small safe that you can keep it in at your residence and a locakble safe for the car too. Then you will have a means to keep it locked up in your residence and car for the times when you cannot CCW legally. You can gete a safe for the home and car both for lsee than $100. As for telling your father, that's up to you. I personally would just drop it with him. Don't bring the subject up around him and when he visits just put it away. You are 21 and are old enough to make your own decisions. |
+2 FWIW: your dad's logic is not exactly too sound...if he's worried that someone will break in and steal your handgun, well, they can do the same w/ ANY gun   what i would do: get the handgun anyways and my CCW and DONT tell or mention it....its one of those things that should be kept close to the chest anyways--a CCWed firearm offers the mobility vs a dedicated HD firearm get the shotgun anyways, they are great clay/hunting guns and w/ a bbl change, can be adapted to a HD firearm |
| Thanks for all the good info. The reason I won't pay for my own education is because I am thinking about dropping out anyways. At this point i just want to get my degree and get the fuck out I have been here for 3 years already. I don't live in a dorm I have an apartment and I would certainly get a small safe for it. |
before dropping out, i'd get the degree...it will help a LOT in today's job market, unless you have a future plan for living already in mind and have the capacity and knowhow to get it done |
If you've made it 3 years and you're only 1 to 1-1/2 Years away from getting a degree you would be foolish to quit. It's not easy. It took me 5 years to get my degree but in the end it is well worth it. Being broke in college isn't fun but being broke for life is even less fun. Stay in, get your degree, and years later you will look back and be very glad you did. Besides when you get out and enter the real world you will be looking back wishing you could be back in college. Sleeping in, partying, alot less stress, responsibility, and more fun than the real world is. |
| Stay in college, you'll make more money when you graduate and will be able to afford more firearms for collecting! I know how you feel about wanting to quit (I'm going into my 5th year of college now, 1 more after this one then I'll have my pharmacy doctorate, then going to med school for 4 more years), but trust me, finish out the schooling and let your dad help with as much as possible if he's for it. Good luck. |
You need to listen to your Father more. The man is trying to set you up to succeed in life and you're working against him. Think about it. |
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Just graduating two years ago and am now back in school I would say stay there & MAKE SURE you are doing what you want to do in life. I love firearms but the thought of loosing funding for school because I want to buy another one is out of the question. If your dad is okay with you getting the shotty, that is the way I would go, especially if it is only for home defense at this point. Get you CCW anyway but don’t worry about a handgun right now, the time will come soon enough ;) |
I think this is good advice. Make sure you keep your shotgun locked up and loaded but ACCESSIBLE when you are at home. Make sure none of your "buddies" know you have it. |
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You dont live in any form of school housing correct? there's a guy that got introuble because he lived in off campus housing that was still owned by the college and still subject to their gun polices. Is your dad normally anti-gun? or just doesnt want you owning one? If its the latter im sure you can work on him over the summer. Just dont push it too much and get him pissed off. If your going to get the gun anyway, id say get a handgun. If you need to keep it quiet that you have one its much easier to a handgun securely stored and hidden when your not around than a shotgun. Its always important not to flaunt your gun ownership to everyone you know, this can get you into trouble. Lastly, FINISH YOUR DEGREE or you'll be like me back in school in your mid 20's 
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First and foremost: GET YOUR DEGREE! It's extremely hard to go back later and finish. Believe me when I tell you the college years are the best. I was sick of it too my senior year, but now I miss all the lack responsibilty and drinking. Sounds like your dad might think you want the gun for the wrong reasons, as someone else had mentioned. A shotgun will work fine for home defense. What it more important, IMO, is get some quality training and understand the circumstances when DPF is warranted. Good luck and stay in school. |
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Is your father paying for your apartment? If the answer to this question is yes then I'd say that you're still under your fathers roof and should listen to him. If you have a job and pay for your own stuff then I'd get the pistol and not talk about it with your dad as this seems to be a sensitive subject with him. Please keep in mind that he loves you and is just trying to protect you (even if he's going about it the wrong way). If you do get a pistol please get some training to go along with it, the last thing you want to do is through your life away on a bad shoot. And don't be a fool, stay in school!  |
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I am in a similar situation. I live in my dads house and I am still in college. He used to give me an allowance every month. At the beggining of last summer I went to walmart and bought a 10/22. That was the last time I ever got an allowance. He never really said anything too me. But he never gave me the money either. I have bought a few guns since then and he thinks I am crazy. He's not against them in anyway. He just thinks that more that more than one of the same kind is a waste of money. I guess you should listen to your dad. I don't have any pistols yet and I'm not missing out on much. Also if I can ever get to the point where I only have 1-1.5 years of college left...I am def. not going to stop then. One of my buddies just dropped out and became a fireman. He is making a few bucks a year now...but thats all he can make. I am planning on making more than him right after graduation with plenty of raise oportunities. CS Major. Good Luck |
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Part of owning a gun is being responsible. If you are going to college and do not carry it onto your campus, then you are leaving it in your apt, where it can be stolen. Get a mini safe, they cost nothing and pay for themselves the first time your place gets hit. I wasn't aware that a 10/22 could blow anything but squirrels up. I bought my first gun after I bought my first safe. The safe was a 14 gunner and huge. I bought a hand gun, but had ideas. Buying the safe first was the way to go. I have moved it 7 times and am damn happy it is there. I can't carry all my guns ccw. Lot of these I'm a kid and want to carry a gun post going up lately. Anyone else notice or am I getting paranoid again....still.... whatever.... |
The poster said he was going to get a safe for it. And I take it then you have all your guns locked up in a safe. In addition to that you leave no guns at home when you are away as they can be stolen. I think the comment about blowing things up was plinking. I also dont believe the original poster is a "kid" either. |
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I am going through the same dilemma. I am going to be a sophomore (19 years old). My dad doesn't want me to own any weapons in college and does not believe there are any non-violent uses for handguns (Rifles and shotguns are OK). I will be living in an apartment next year with three of my shipmates. We're all NROTC, so I can pretty much trust them. My dad isn't putting out a single cent for my education (full tuition scholarship) and student loans are paying for my rent. I already bought a Sig P226 with some stipend money and will be taking a CHL class next week. I occasionally talk to him about guns for protections, and he'll say we don't really need them because we live in a nice neighborhood. Today, I joked about becoming an armed security guard at a nearby mall. He dismissed the idea because it's too dangerous no matter how slim the chances are of getting shot. My dad is usually contradictory in his statements about guns. I decided to go ahead and do it without telling my dad. I'll be in charge of multi-million dollar weapons and a division of sailors in a few years. If I can't handle my own handgun, how am I supposed to do my job? What gets me is that he was 100% independent by the time he was 18 when he enlisted...
Oh by the way, these kids are out there in the sandbox right now carrying all sorts of weapons. One last thing: Be cool, stay in school! |
Option #4: Get your CPL now, and when you're in a place to get a pistol, you won't have the waiting period to contend with. The only downside is that with a CPL, impulse buying is far too easy! Back in my broke youth, I used (a few times) the (pre-Brady) Wa State 5 day waiting period to figure just how I was going to pay for the other 90% of the pistol I had just put 10% down on.
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I ran into the same resistance from my father when I turned 21. He had all sorts of visions of horror (all in his parental imagination). I would recommend that you purchase a good AR15 for college-apartment defense. Since you're getting resistance on the CCW/handgun front, just get your CWP (to have) and buy yourself an awesome AR (how about a Noveske N4 Light Carbine or a Colt 6920?) and a good optic, mags, and ammo. Also, you might want to invest in a good handgun training course (to prove to your father that you're serious about being responsible, etc). Furthermore, if you really want to assuage his concerns, why not talk about securing your pistol in a GunVault in your apartment. Remember, it's all about "feeling his pain" and showing him that you care about his concerns. That may thaw him out a little bit. |
Unless that is Dad is paying for college and the OP spends a large chunk of his no-mooching money on a handgun. Fortunately, I was never put in this situation. Talk to dad again, look up some handgun safes that you can secure the weapon in while you're away and see what he says. Show that you won't just be leaving laying on the dresser. IMO, the fact that you bought a 10/22 "...just for blowing shit up..." may tell us a little about you. |
Don't fucking drop out bro... Six years in the Marine Corps and a fuck-ton of aircraft knowledge and training qualify me for minimum-wage assembly jobs at the defense contractors. Companies today, seeing that the bigger ones are controlled by HR retards, would rather hire some douche named Komeni Hussein Jihad who got his degree last week and his green card yesterday than someone who has a lot of technical experience and proven work ethic but is not the type to be successful in a classroom learning environment. Get the degree. Trust me... I'm still slinging drinks in a bar and it blows. |
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As a CHP-holding college student myself, my advice is to: 1) Stay in school 2) Try talking to your dad about it some more If he's dead-set on his idea, then you go ahead and get it if you feel that your safety depends on it. Keep it safe when you're not carrying it, and just keep it to yourself any other time. You are an adult, but he is the one paying for your school. You may need to make a very careful decision about whether your own safety is really in danger enough to undermine his trust. You'll need to decide if the place you live and the places you go really warrant that kind of decision. For me, it's a no-brainer - I live near a relatively unsafe part of town and my parents are OK with me owning a gun, so I carry, but things could be very different for you. Think it over, research it, and talk about it. |