In light of recent events, I've decided to go become registered and get a conceal/carry license. Now I know things vary by state, but what should I do in order to get one.

Second, what handgun do people recommend?
AR?

Oh geez, the paranoia begins..... You're is the third person I've tell of getting a gun due to the "events". Yes, you're all DOOMED!

Love them as I do, I'm not much of a 'gun guy', but aren't 9mm's generally the most reliable? I wish mine had survived

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-- Of all the soles I've ever tasted, his had the most   ....cumin. --

I live in NY and while i don't care or want one my self. I have heard that its really hard here to get one. My bosses brother dose pick ups at stores to deposit into the bank and it took him (so I've heard) a year to get a permit.

As for you I cant say more since i don't know what state you live in but I did find this link that may help for anywhere but  New York City.


http://www.ehow.com/how_2064614_get-permit-carry-concealed-weapon.html
 
If your not in NY just copy the head line and change the state name. Then past it into the ehow search window.

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Knowledge is power.
Power corrupts.
Study Hard.
Be evil.

Well i looked it up, and Ohio laws are you don't need a license, registration or permit for any thing.  The only permit you need is for conceal carry of a handgun.

And abram, to be honest, I've wanted to do this for a long time, but this gives me an excuse.

Wat,  
Look into the compact kimbers
Very nice.
Easily carried

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As for what is needed for your license, I would suggest contacting your local LEOs and they should have info for you.

I dont know about Ohio, but in Colorado I was required to take a CHP class, go through a background check and that was it.


As for what to carry, it depends on your size.  I'm 6'2" 300lbs and I could probably conceal a howitzer.  But at this time my daily carry is a Springfield XD .45 4", w/ a spare mag.  It took a few days to get used to it but with a Kingtuk in belt holster you cant tell Im wearing anything.

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I own several guns, you only need a permit to carry here, they do a background check when you buy.  I suggest a 9 mm as the ammo is pretty reasonable.

Oh so I had a background check when I purchased my weapons, but CO does a more in depth CBI check when you apply for a CHP(Concealed Handgun Permit).

As for the 9mm.  I have a few of those and the main reason I went with a .45 for my carry is I dont want a round to go through someone and hitting someone else. .45 is a slower velocity with a larger projectile, add to the personal defense  round and the chances of that are null.  But keep in mind that your traditional .45 like the 1911 has a low capacity requiring more magazines. The Springfield XD .45 is growing as law enforcement's desired weapon due to its 13 round mag.  Im a big fan so I will talk them up all day long.

But I cant stress this part enough.  I did not work to get my CHP to use it.  If I live out the rest of my life and never had to draw my weapon I will die a happy man.  That being said, its better to have an not need, then to need and not have.

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Yeah, I never plan on using it except for target shooting. But I plan on being ready to use it.

I'm hoping being 6'3" 250lbs is enough discouragement to would be attackers lol.

Background check for me is easy, had so many of them in govt. work, all they'll find is Secret Clearance with Air Force that just expired, 1 traffic ticket since I was 14. And no criminal offenses at all. I'm sparkling clean.

you know, too bad my grandpa sold his broomstick handled ruger before he died.

6'3 at 250 lbs, you don't need a gun.

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If your going to get a CC , your probably going to need the background check. Although a call to your county clerks office could probably point you in a better direction pertaining to your local laws. Here in NY thats pretty much where you start the process.

Now on to the gun. I've been collecting for about 25 years and own a lot of guns , so what follows is just my experiences and hopefully may be able to help some. Bear in mind that some modifications are simple "drop in" stuff that will help, and some require machining. We've owned a machine shop for a number of years and were able to do the work ourselves , but I also had the advantage of having my dad who was an accomplished toolmaker and gunsmith to learn from , so dont go breaking out the Makita grinder and a set of files and think some things will work. Theres my disclaimer, hehe.
    First off , join a gun club . It does two things. 1- gives you a place to safely shoot in a controlled atmosphere. 2- most good ones will have an instructor which will not only help you in the safe handling ,clearing and carrying of the gun,but will also kinda help you decide on the model which best suits you (size , concealment, ect). As for the caliber , it all depends what your looking for. If its for home defense , and you live in a small house, you'll want stopping power over accuracy. 40 cal or 45 cal are unrivaled in this department imho. The XD Wolf suggested is a fine handgun. I own one as well. I swapped out the trigger , guide rod , barrel, and locking ring , and replaced the barrel bushing with a suppressor and can unload 5 shots into a 5" pie plate standing at 35-40 yards no problems. but the gun is heavier and longer, so there goes concealment.  I think the 40's a bit more accurate for longer ranges/ larger house.(read below)
    My other standard Colt 1911's (or any good brand of the same gun, there are a ton of them) are a better concealed weapon and can easily be modified in many configurations to fit the owner. Things like left/right safety tang , grips, sights , ect all play a part in how it works for you I also own a Taurus 40 cal..and its quickly growing on me. Its more accurate (imo), and has just as much stopping power with the right ammo. But is a little harder to control being on a smaller frame but conceals better. In my experiences I've tried a few different 9MM's , and just say they are nothing like the ones ingame. They all seem to lack the range and accuracy of just about anything else. the Glock 17 I had was traded for the XD I mentioned even after reworking the gun ($$) to be marginally as accurate and comfortable as the stock XD. But in your situation it may be acceptable. There are a ton of cheap ones out there , and if price is an issue, you may want to look at those.
  So you see there are many variables. Get with a good reputable gun dealer and explain exactly what your looking for , what you want to use it for , and what you expect out of it. A good dealer will take the time and make sure your comfortable with your purchase , he wants you to come back. I usually avoid buying guns at Gander Mountain type places because they usually lack the experience and knowledge a good dealer will have.

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Thanks. I'm probably going to join my uncle at a range and rent some guns to see what I like too. He already owns a few, but is looking for conceal carry so probably take the classes together.

LIke I said just getting some info for now, cause with Christmas and some moving stuff going on here, it's going to be a couple months before I have any extra money to even think about looking lol.

I don't know what I'll end up with, I have experience with shottys and some ARs, but handguns are completely new to me.

To bad you didnt live closer..we could modify something right up for you.  Just ask a lot of questions of your dealer and folks at the gun range. Best of luck.

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I only ever carried one handgun outside of the Army, and I loved it. Twas a Rutger P-89 9mm, hi-cap magazine. Very accurate, very reliable. I probably put around 150-200 rounds through it once a month for three years. Only ever had to pull it out once in defense, and luckily didnt have to pull the trigger. Being 6'4" 265lbs and ex military police makes for a fairly intimidating experience regardless of the hardware I had in my hand. I live in Florida so our rules are shoot first ask later, cnc isnt required, but all it took for prior military was the class hours, and photo for the card.

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