[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by darstar

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The ultimate example I saw this summer.at Starbucks here in Marquette. There was a guy standing in line ahead of me that had a big shooter pistol strapped on his side, for all the world to see... Did He need this at Starbucks...hell no ! but he was packin, furthermore when he got his latte he came over and set doen in an easy chair where many of us meet every day at 3;00. Conversations are open anything is free fodder., so I ask him," why do you carry that six shooter on your hip ?" ...He looked up from his laptop, took a sip of coffee , the room was still..." because I can, no other reason". ...no one had anything to say...

Ah, validation. Macho - and he was glad you noticed.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by detwahDJ

Ah, validation. Macho - and he was glad you noticed.

No, I did not get the feeling that he wanted to " shock" the patrons. It was more a macho feel thing, exclusive to the Starbucks here on the edge of the wilds. Our city is unique in the world of Liberal leaning coffee joints. We have three Starbucks, and three unnamed places. That's a lot for a small city with less than 60,000 people in the County.I guess the mountain men that live off the grid up here like their latte's as much as the flock of scantly clad college girls that invade the place with there homework/ notebook in their pink backpack .

[darstar]

Originally Posted by YAZ

He probably doesn't like your tattoo either.

Not me! However it's Intersting that our store manager will not stand for any employies that display a Tatto, that's imeadate cause for getting fired!

[chiroptera]

Originally Posted by sesamekid

I basically live in that same area (around CS) in Colorado. And perhaps things have changed after 911 and people became more paranoid, because yes, I swear to God I know Realtors and mom friends of mine who pack. I think it's crazy - but they think I'm crazy, and I am in the minority here.

Case in point: the big annual parade in my current town had a float sponsored by the Republican party and NRA and the banners on the side said: "We cling to our Bibles and our Guns and are proud of it!" The float was full of children holding guns! 'nuff said.

Maybe things have changed but I don't think that much...I still have many friends in Colorado and have visited quite a few times over the last 12 years. I seriously have not noticed anyone with openly-carried firearms there, not ever. I am relatively liberal (sort of) but it would not really alarm me if I saw people going about their business while openly packing.

The NRA float, ehhh...that's a sort of outdated response to the years-old Obama comment, for which he got much flak.

I have never in my life owned a firearm and probably never will, although I have shot plenty. But for sure if I had kids, I would want them trained in gun handling and safety. Since firearms arfe ubiquitous in this country. Ignorance is not bliss. Farm kids and kids taught to hunt and handle guns responsibly do not tend to grow up to be gun-toting nutjobs.

[artisan4]

Originally Posted by sesamekid

I basically live in that same area (around CS) in Colorado. And perhaps things have changed after 911 and people became more paranoid, because yes, I swear to God I know Realtors and mom friends of mine who pack. I think it's crazy - but they think I'm crazy, and I am in the minority here.

Case in point: the big annual parade in my current town had a float sponsored by the Republican party and NRA and the banners on the side said: "We cling to our Bibles and our Guns and are proud of it!" The float was full of children holding guns! 'nuff said.

Rural Colorado is somewhat of a different world than the Denver/Boulder metro area, and I include Colorado Springs as rural. I'm from Canada also and this entire state seems like another planet sometimes. A backward one. Have been to the UP but have never lived there. Have you considered moving back to Canada? y

[Luzette]

Originally Posted by sesamekid

I basically live in that same area (around CS) in Colorado. And perhaps things have changed after 911 and people became more paranoid, because yes, I swear to God I know Realtors and mom friends of mine who pack. I think it's crazy - but they think I'm crazy, and I am in the minority here.

Case in point: the big annual parade in my current town had a float sponsored by the Republican party and NRA and the banners on the side said: "We cling to our Bibles and our Guns and are proud of it!" The float was full of children holding guns! 'nuff said.

That particular float would have been personally sickening to me, but that's just my reaction to all this. I'll never understand this glorification of children having guns. It would seem that "clinging to guns" has become part of religous worship. I think the Aussies refer to this as "the American sickness." I can understand guns for hunting and target shooting. I can certainly understand that many people want them in the home for self protection. What I'll never understand is how so many people don't seem to have any other interests in their lives. It's just all guns all the time.

[ram2]

Originally Posted by sesamekid

I am seriously considering a move to the Charlevoix/Petoskey are from Colorado for quality of life reasons.

Gun culture and gun violence are very bad in Colorado and I want to get my children out of that situation.

So please be real honest with me when I ask you to tell me what the gun culture is like in northern Michigan.

Do people open carry? Are there armed guards in schools? Armed teachers? In your day to day life do you fear gun violence?

I understand about hunters carrying guns - I grew up around that. But do soccer moms and realtors walk around packing guns like they do here?

Any insight you could give would be much appreciated!

It is legal to open carry in Michigan - thank goodness.

Colorado just passed a law limiting magazine capacities, so it must be a safer place. At least safer than south Chicago where guns are illegal.

[fishing4fun]

Y`all I really get a kick out of these posts.. This is not a gun problem it's a crime problem, drug problem.
You can always move back to Canada, California, Chicago hell they kill 10 to 20 people a weekend in Chicago and guns are illegal there. Till you folks stand up to the dope dealers, gang bangers, Criminals, you're never going to win the battle. And don't expect the government to do it because they haven't won the drug on War on drugs since 70`s.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by ram2

It is legal to open carry in Michigan - thank goodness.

Colorado just passed a law limiting magazine capacities, so it must be a safer place. At least safer than south Chicago where guns are illegal.

No , not really , you ( they ) just carry more guns ! Last I heard there is no limit on how many guns you can carry, own , store, collect or just have laying around your living room.,.....anywhere firearms are legal.

[ram2]

Originally Posted by darstar

No , not really , you ( they ) just carry more guns ! Last I heard there is no limit on how many guns you can carry, own , store, collect or just have laying around your living room.,.....anywhere firearms are legal.

As it should be. But since most people only have 2 hands, that limits how many guns you can shoot at one time.