If It Were Legal For Us Expats To Own Guns, Would You Get One?

[No name]

PS Please don't carry a handgun unless you've had some basic training on it.

[tropicalwaste]

I do not believe in guns. Once you pull it out you better use it. Then someone gets the bullet. In both cases your life is destroyed.What do you have in your house that would be so valuable if you loose it so to defend it with death (yours or others)? Your flat screen TV or a few thousand dollars? These you can remake, life not.If one intends to kill you so to rob you, he will do it irrepsective if you have gun or not. You might be able to shoot back, if you have the time to pull your gun from where you had it hidden, unless if you walk around like rambo...If one intends to rob you and kill you if you resist, you live through it but a life is lost if you use a weapon. Once you live in a society that you need to spread fear due to your gun, is that a life or what? Leave.The gun is to shoot. If you use it, do the purpose of it, otherwise you better not have it, will kill you.There are smarter ways to protect your property from everyday thieves. Get a couple of dogs, buy a few cameras, keep a helper in the house at all times, do not scream your wealth to poor people.In 8 years in PI i never never felt the need to own a gun. I have been robbed (less than i had in the western world) i have beed threatened, i dealed it all without a gun and no further complications. Did i had to shoot the guy who snatched my wife's cellphone and runned? Does an iphone worths ones life and/or all my ordeal with courts and jails etc?I have been to war, i have killed in fight, i am good on it too. No to guns.Never forget there are more guns in PI than people, they know you have it they come with a dozen of them.

Depends what your doing.. are you a retiree?? I run several businesses here and one of them is very high risk to murders. If you think people will just rob your house while your sat there you have to take a look at a lot of the things that go on where they kill everyone in the house. Or maybe the PC guy that killed a few people up in Angeles lately? Someone you trust into your home that happily kills everyone? If your retired your risk levels will be a lot lower than people who are working here.

[UZI]

I do not believe in guns. Once you pull it out you better use it. Then someone gets the bullet. In both cases your life is destroyed.What do you have in your house that would be so valuable if you loose it so to defend it with death (yours or others)? Your flat screen TV or a few thousand dollars? These you can remake, life not.If one intends to kill you so to rob you, he will do it irrepsective if you have gun or not. You might be able to shoot back, if you have the time to pull your gun from where you had it hidden, unless if you walk around like rambo...If one intends to rob you and kill you if you resist, you live through it but a life is lost if you use a weapon. Once you live in a society that you need to spread fear due to your gun, is that a life or what? Leave.The gun is to shoot. If you use it, do the purpose of it, otherwise you better not have it, will kill you.There are smarter ways to protect your property from everyday thieves. Get a couple of dogs, buy a few cameras, keep a helper in the house at all times, do not scream your wealth to poor people.In 8 years in PI i never never felt the need to own a gun. I have been robbed (less than i had in the western world) i have beed threatened, i dealed it all without a gun and no further complications. Did i had to shoot the guy who snatched my wife's cellphone and runned? Does an iphone worths ones life and/or all my ordeal with courts and jails etc?I have been to war, i have killed in fight, i am good on it too. No to guns.Never forget there are more guns in PI than people, they know you have it they come with a dozen of them.

Depends what your doing.. are you a retiree?? I run several businesses here and one of them is very high risk to murders. If you think people will just rob your house while your sat there you have to take a look at a lot of the things that go on where they kill everyone in the house. Or maybe the PC guy that killed a few people up in Angeles lately? Someone you trust into your home that happily kills everyone? If your retired your risk levels will be a lot lower than people who are working here.

Matt & Joe both make a strong point IMHO.

[FlyAway]

Many of my relatives there are Philippine National Police or Philippine military. Some live in Manila. Many do not even carry when off duty. Father-in-Law scares me at times carrying his WWII vintage .45. Guns, beer and wine do not mix to well in my opinion. To many variables for a foreigner to carry in public. Would I own one in my own home? Well, a relative might leave something behind one day. All depends on where we were living. A friend was recently robbed at a McDonald's in Makati. A man walked up, flashed a badge and holstered gun. Then motioned him to go outside. A partner also revealed a gun. They relieved him of his US cash only. Left him with a few peso's and his credit cards. What could he have done if he had a gun? Crowded public place to.I would carry little easily breakable baggies of powdered chilli pepper. Throw that in someones face and run.

[MikeB]

Many of my relatives there are Philippine National Police or Philippine military. Some live in Manila. Many do not even carry when off duty. Father-in-Law scares me at times carrying his WWII vintage .45. Guns, beer and wine do not mix to well in my opinion. To many variables for a foreigner to carry in public. Would I own one in my own home? Well, a relative might leave something behind one day. All depends on where we were living. A friend was recently robbed at a McDonald's in Makati. A man walked up, flashed a badge and holstered gun. Then motioned him to go outside. A partner also revealed a gun. They relieved him of his US cash only. Left him with a few peso's and his credit cards. What could he have done if he had a gun? Crowded public place to.I would carry little easily breakable baggies of powdered chilli pepper. Throw that in someones face and run.

I wouldn't throw a bag of chili powder in the face of someone holding a gun but that's just me. I've never used a gun, never fired one, as far as I can remember. I carry what little I can and leave the rest in a bank and always have backup credit cards. If a lowlife pulls a gun, whatever I have in my pockets is their's, I don't need a colostomy bag or worse.

[joeatmanila]

I do not believe in guns. Once you pull it out you better use it. Then someone gets the bullet. In both cases your life is destroyed.What do you have in your house that would be so valuable if you loose it so to defend it with death (yours or others)? Your flat screen TV or a few thousand dollars? These you can remake, life not.If one intends to kill you so to rob you, he will do it irrepsective if you have gun or not. You might be able to shoot back, if you have the time to pull your gun from where you had it hidden, unless if you walk around like rambo...If one intends to rob you and kill you if you resist, you live through it but a life is lost if you use a weapon. Once you live in a society that you need to spread fear due to your gun, is that a life or what? Leave.The gun is to shoot. If you use it, do the purpose of it, otherwise you better not have it, will kill you.There are smarter ways to protect your property from everyday thieves. Get a couple of dogs, buy a few cameras, keep a helper in the house at all times, do not scream your wealth to poor people.In 8 years in PI i never never felt the need to own a gun. I have been robbed (less than i had in the western world) i have beed threatened, i dealed it all without a gun and no further complications. Did i had to shoot the guy who snatched my wife's cellphone and runned? Does an iphone worths ones life and/or all my ordeal with courts and jails etc?I have been to war, i have killed in fight, i am good on it too. No to guns.Never forget there are more guns in PI than people, they know you have it they come with a dozen of them.

Depends what your doing.. are you a retiree?? I run several businesses here and one of them is very high risk to murders. If you think people will just rob your house while your sat there you have to take a look at a lot of the things that go on where they kill everyone in the house. Or maybe the PC guy that killed a few people up in Angeles lately? Someone you trust into your home that happily kills everyone? If your retired your risk levels will be a lot lower than people who are working here.

Matt & Joe both make a strong point IMHO.

I still work but my incomes come from abroad, i am 43...no plans for retirement yet!!! I live a low risk life. Other than a big house there is nothing else screaming fortunes on me (i do not have anyway). I do not have any close friends that i would ever tell them my assets, other than my wife, kid and two helpers (very well treated) no one else is in my house. I do give my small amount to the usual errants, i always give a 5-10peso to the self employed parking attendad in the local market, i do keep a smile to everyone, no close friendships and trust, i do not borrow money, i do not eye the women of my area, in general i live a quiet life without intrigues or high expectations, respect as i am respected, i give what i take. If someone comes to me with 'intentions" i keep my whereabouts alert and my self calm, i deal it according to the situation.I will agree with you that it might happen. yes there are people as such all over the world actually. But carry the gun will not save you much. I do not know any white guy who fought back and avoided him being murdered. Very few (rare i would say) times we read in the newspapers that someone avoided to be killed because he used his gun, many times the opposite though...

[UZI]

I do not believe in guns. Once you pull it out you better use it. Then someone gets the bullet. In both cases your life is destroyed.What do you have in your house that would be so valuable if you loose it so to defend it with death (yours or others)? Your flat screen TV or a few thousand dollars? These you can remake, life not.If one intends to kill you so to rob you, he will do it irrepsective if you have gun or not. You might be able to shoot back, if you have the time to pull your gun from where you had it hidden, unless if you walk around like rambo...If one intends to rob you and kill you if you resist, you live through it but a life is lost if you use a weapon. Once you live in a society that you need to spread fear due to your gun, is that a life or what? Leave.The gun is to shoot. If you use it, do the purpose of it, otherwise you better not have it, will kill you.There are smarter ways to protect your property from everyday thieves. Get a couple of dogs, buy a few cameras, keep a helper in the house at all times, do not scream your wealth to poor people.In 8 years in PI i never never felt the need to own a gun. I have been robbed (less than i had in the western world) i have beed threatened, i dealed it all without a gun and no further complications. Did i had to shoot the guy who snatched my wife's cellphone and runned? Does an iphone worths ones life and/or all my ordeal with courts and jails etc?I have been to war, i have killed in fight, i am good on it too. No to guns.Never forget there are more guns in PI than people, they know you have it they come with a dozen of them.

Depends what your doing.. are you a retiree?? I run several businesses here and one of them is very high risk to murders. If you think people will just rob your house while your sat there you have to take a look at a lot of the things that go on where they kill everyone in the house. Or maybe the PC guy that killed a few people up in Angeles lately? Someone you trust into your home that happily kills everyone? If your retired your risk levels will be a lot lower than people who are working here.

Matt & Joe both make a strong point IMHO.

I still work but my incomes come from abroad, i am 43...no plans for retirement yet!!! I live a low risk life. Other than a big house there is nothing else screaming fortunes on me (i do not have anyway). I do not have any close friends that i would ever tell them my assets, other than my wife, kid and two helpers (very well treated) no one else is in my house. I do give my small amount to the usual errants, i always give a 5-10peso to the self employed parking attendad in the local market, i do keep a smile to everyone, no close friendships and trust, i do not borrow money, i do not eye the women of my area, in general i live a quiet life without intrigues or high expectations, respect as i am respected, i give what i take. If someone comes to me with 'intentions" i keep my whereabouts alert and my self calm, i deal it according to the situation.I will agree with you that it might happen. yes there are people as such all over the world actually. But carry the gun will not save you much. I do not know any white guy who fought back and avoided him being murdered. Very few (rare i would say) times we read in the newspapers that someone avoided to be killed because he used his gun, many times the opposite though...

:mocking:Wise words indeed.

[ekimswish]

We will be getting a gun for our farm ASAP because of its isolated location. The couple who run the farm for us feel vulnerable and asked about it during election season. Now that the election season is over, I'd like to grant their wish. The president of the local hog grower's association also suggested we get a gun because of the isolated location. He has the connections, apparently, to help with the permit. My father had lots of guns in our house growing up in Canada. We always shot bottles, cans or golphers at the farm. But in the house they always had trigger locks and/or were locked to a gun rack in the back of the closet. Canadians love guns almost as much as Americans, but guns don't kill people. F'd up socio-economic problems kill people! lol.... Even with all the legal guns in Canada, most murders are by stabbing or beatings, or if by gun, a black market gun. But we don't need them for protection because we're not living in savage ganglands, like some parts of lowerclass America are. I grew up listening to gangster rap music, so imagine how paranoid I was!! lol.... I expected a drive-by shooting on my ass at any moment, not to mention vampires from the Lost Boys movie to swoop down and bite me. If it were legal to carry guns in the Fils for Phoreigners, I don't think I'd do it. It just advertises that I have something to protect (more of a target), and you WILL have to shoot me from the BACK to get it (issues an ultimatum). I might keep one in my house or in my car, where people won't see it. But walking down the street with one would make me feel less friendly and a little itchier, if you catch my drift. I think a taser or can of pepper spray is a lot safer, maybe more effective, and if turned on you, won't kill you. Might make a fun drinking game as well. But I have no beef with anyone who does want to carry. I secretly wish I could carry, but admittedly for the wrong reasons. I don't trust my maturity level yet.

[gapotwo]

I have concealed carry sidearms most of my life in alaska and the ph. except hawaii, where it is illegal. and i will carry again when i get back to the PH....ive takan a bullet only once, and thats only because i left it in the jeep.....What scares me is NOT the gun but the mentality of the person packing the heat, is he trained ? is he sober? or is he sane?if they know that you are packing, then they might think twice.notice i said MIGHT, anyways i walk taller and sleep better knowing that i have one if i would ever need it........my two centavos worth............tanks EJ :unsure:

[Art2ro]

I have carried concealed sidearms most of my life in Alaska and the Ph. I will carry again when I get back to the PH. My 2 centavos worth............tanks EJ :unsure:

EJ,Whenever I'm in town, you're hired to be my armed body guard! Just keep your finger out of the trigger guard, you might hit Jake's balut vendors and I'll be out of my midnight snack and Jake might not make any money from his balut business! Edited January 12, 2011 by Fil/AmArt