Susuto

New York City does not actually ban handgun ownership. What it bans is CARRYING a handgun, or possessing an unlicensed handgun. If you apply for a hangun permit, and are not a felon or mentally ill, you can own a handgun. NYC on the other hand, bans RIFLE or SHOTGUN ownership, and that state of affair I find objectionable.

I agree completely with the rest of your sentiments. The population density means there will be a larger number of idiots in the area, and the last thing I’d want to see is lawfully licensed to carry handgun citizens getting into a “defensive” shootout in the subway. I personally don’t even feel the need to own a handgun for home defense. There are so many cops crawling around NYC, I don’t feel particularly threatened by armed burglars, or handgun carrying criminals. And carrying a handgun on the street is not going to “protect” me from some punk’s bullets unless I can kill him first. That’s what ballistic cloth is for. And no, any shithead stupid enough to go firing a gun without a calculated reason in public is unlikely to be deterred by the fact that there are other people around them who do.

I don’t even have a compelling urge to own a handgun for home defense. This damn city has no-knock warrants. I’d probably more likely get killed by retarded cops busting through my door after checking that the residence has a handgun owner, than an armed burglar or whacko.