I read this during the summer when you first posted it. Living in the UK we don't carry guns as for bringing guns into t he temple I would stay home if anyone ever did bring a guy in
I thought it important to repost it, given the media coverage of the latest anti-masonic plot.
The US is a very large and diverse country. I know that there are Grand Lodges that allow firearms in the Lodge room, and I believe that there are Grand Lodges that don't. From a practical matter, I'm sure that in some areas of the country the presence of a gun in a Lodge room would be unheard of, but I also remember visiting a Lodge Stated Meeting in a very rural area once, at which virtually every man was openly armed. It is a function of culture, locality, and perceived need.
Beyond that, there are some working in Law Enforcement who are required by their agency to be armed, on duty or not. I don't know how prevalent that is, but I do know that at least some agencies require it.
Lastly, I should point out that if one properly carries a concealed handgun, no one else would know that he had it anyway.
One thing that has greatly declined in my part of the country, over the course of my lifetime is the open carrying of guns, particularly rifles. When I was young they used to sell rifle racks for the back windows of trucks and particularly around hunting season, loads and loads of people would have their rifles in those racks. One doesn't see that anymore. I presume that the reason it fell out of favor is that a rifle plainly visible in an unoccupied car is a mighty tempting target for thieves. Firearms are extremely expensive, and for a lot of people, including me, they are considered treasured family heirlooms.
I read this during the summer when you first posted it. Living in the UK we don't carry guns as for bringing guns into t he temple I would stay home if anyone ever did bring a guy in
I thought it important to repost it, given the media coverage of the latest anti-masonic plot.
The US is a very large and diverse country. I know that there are Grand Lodges that allow firearms in the Lodge room, and I believe that there are Grand Lodges that don't. From a practical matter, I'm sure that in some areas of the country the presence of a gun in a Lodge room would be unheard of, but I also remember visiting a Lodge Stated Meeting in a very rural area once, at which virtually every man was openly armed. It is a function of culture, locality, and perceived need.
Beyond that, there are some working in Law Enforcement who are required by their agency to be armed, on duty or not. I don't know how prevalent that is, but I do know that at least some agencies require it.
Lastly, I should point out that if one properly carries a concealed handgun, no one else would know that he had it anyway.
One thing that has greatly declined in my part of the country, over the course of my lifetime is the open carrying of guns, particularly rifles. When I was young they used to sell rifle racks for the back windows of trucks and particularly around hunting season, loads and loads of people would have their rifles in those racks. One doesn't see that anymore. I presume that the reason it fell out of favor is that a rifle plainly visible in an unoccupied car is a mighty tempting target for thieves. Firearms are extremely expensive, and for a lot of people, including me, they are considered treasured family heirlooms.