Hidden Heat: Concealed carry in Kansas
Buying the gun
A .22 caliber Jimenez pistol cost $139 to buy at a local pawn shop. The pistol is about the size of a cell phone.
Buying into the gun culture
It is just a simple click, but it gets my mind racing. That’s the sound that a Colt .380 pocket pistol makes when it is being cocked. I know that’s the sound it makes, but it is still an attention-getter when you hear it in person. It isn’t the only thing that gets my attention this late June morning. More so is the guy behind the pawn shop counter explaining to me how I could feel comfortable sticking this cocked pistol down the front of my pants. Welcome to the world of concealed carry.
Richard Dyer, of Lawrence, passionate in his pro-gun views, thinks the concealed carry law makes the world safer.
Lawrence resident Marilyn Roy, above, shown outside the Douglas County Court-house, is passionate in her stance against the state's concealed carry law and guns in general. She believes the proliferation of firearms makes the world a more dangerous place.
Guns in our midst: ‘It makes the world a more dangerous place’
Marilyn Roy closes her eyes when she speaks about guns. At times she sees her childhood - growing up in the 1950s in Barstow, Calif. In the middle of the Mojave Desert, it was an isolated place. The most common visitor, Roy says, was a Route 66 traveler who would stop to repair a flat tire.
Guns in our midst: ‘It gives you the ability to look someone in the eye and say no’
A single, laminated flower hangs from the refrigerator in Richard Dyer’s Lawrence apartment. You know, the art-project kind where the petals are made from a cutout of a small child’s hand. Hanging next to a Kansas City Royals schedule, it paints a grandfatherly picture. Dyer’s curly white beard, a half-finished Sudoku puzzle on the kitchen table, and how he leans in and turns his ear toward you to hear better, add to the image. But don’t let the 57-year-old, self-professed bookworm fool you. He can show you a different side, not that he would want to, nor that you would want to see it.
Comments
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eotw33 (anonymous) says…
Dumbest thing I've seen in a while from the ljworld. I hope our super high sunflower bills don't pay for this crap, we all know the steps
jumpin_catfish (anonymous) says…
Talkin' about beating a dead horse.
MandM (anonymous) says…
Good grief. How many stories do you have to do on the same subject?
mongo55 (anonymous) says…
Guns kill people. Forks made Rosie O'Donnell fat. This keyboard makes my fingers type stupid shi....stuff.
jimincountry (anonymous) says…
These stories are noteworthy and informative. Thanks Chad.
MandM (anonymous) says…
These stories "can" be informative if everything is researched correctly and presented fairly. Unfortunately, in my humble opinion both as a reader and a former News Director. This has really been over kill (sorry no pun intended) on the part of the LJW. The paper clearly has an agenda beyond educating and informing the public. Too much "opinion" has been added which harms the journalistic value of the stories.
mfowler (Matthew Fowler) says…
If you are not in law enforcement or the armed forces and you carry a gun, then you are a paranoid wimp.end of story.
vpete69 (anonymous) says…
The .22 has been used in more assassinations worldwide than any other caliber.
vpete69 (anonymous) says…
mfowler: If you think your emotions are going to protect you or your family from a life threatening situation, you live in a fantasy world. Stop reading so much Harry Potter.Would you still have the same view on CC if your daughter's name was Kelsey Smith?
ilikestuff (anonymous) says…
Matt,Your comment couldn't help but make me think of "The Motor City Madman". Enjoy!http://www.tednugent.com/hunting/sunrize/
HootyWho (anonymous) says…
don't like guns,,,don't own one, never willdon't know why folks feel the need to carry, but i will say this,my son in law has to make after hour calls in his business, and he does carry,
beatrice (anonymous) says…
Here is how some of the comments will go:guns = safety = tools = men's privates = name calling in general;We will hear from Robert Marble soon, and he will call those opposed to guns "bedwetting liberals;"I'll say I don't own and don't want to own a gun, but support others' right to own, and that I support the concept of training for all;Marion will misread my comments and call me bad names;"Guns don't kill people ... but they help;" etc., etc."Nazis ... Australia ... statistics and murder rates ... Obama will take your guns ... McCain will pander to NRA lobbyists;" etc., etc.,And it won't make one bit of difference. Somebody shot the horse. It is dead. Next.
tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…
Concealed carry... what's that...?