"But ALL guns have to be registered - especially in Philly!"

[ViperGTS19801]

SO I stopped into my regular meal-joint over on Main Street this morning for a late omlette. After joking with one of the cooks about if it was too early to order a reuben, I settled in and struck up a conversation with one of the waitresses. We joke back and forth and are sarcastic with each other often, and she seems to appreciate the distraction.

At one point, she was walking behind the stool I was sitting on and asked me what I do for a living.

"Computers...networks...virtualization of servers...boring stuff if you're not into it."
"Okay...and what the hell is that? (I saw her gesture towards my hip out of the corner of my eye, apparently she's never seen it on me in the last few months of me patronizing the place)
"It's a gun - what the hell does it look like?"
"Jeez, I hope you have a permit for that."
"Technically, I don't need one."
"Yes you do! You need a permit to have a gun."
"No, you don't - you don't need a permit or a license or anything to own and carry a gun under certain conditions." I thought about getting into the whole OC/CC discussion but she clearly wasn't interested, so I let her steer the conversation - call it a fishing expedition.
"Well, it better be registered."
"There is no gun registry - in fact, such a registry would be illegal if it existed."
"What?! That's bullshit - all guns need to be registered, especially in Philly."
"No they don't. In fact, anyone over 21 years old can own and possess any handgun, rifle, or shotgun in Pennsylvania without a license."
"Well, what about illegal guns?"
"There's no such thing as an illegal gun. There are people out there who possess guns illegally because they are prohibited for other reasons, but a gun is just an inanimate object - it's not evil and it doesn't act on it's own. Any time you see something on the news about 'illegal guns on the streets,' it's just a media ploy to try and trick you into thinking guns are evil, bad devices. They're nothing more than a tool, and they should be used only for self-defense. Why do you think cops carry guns?"
There was a slight pause. "...For self-defense."
"Exactly."

She turned away to tend to something work-related, and I think she may have muttered something along the lines of, "Yeah, but they're cops...", but I couldn't quite hear her.

At this point one of the cooks I am friendly with comes over to get something from underneath the counter.

"Isn't that right, Bill?"
"That's right, officer!" he said, jokingly.

That was the end of the conversation, and as I was about to go out the door after paying, the same cook points to the floor near my feet and says,

"Hey, you dropped your badge! "

[Usmc0311]

Great story. It is incredible how many people just assume that there are and should be tons of rules and regulations for non-criminals. Good call on the media bit.

Thanks for tha great story officer.

[knight0334]

SO I stopped into my regular meal-joint over on Main Street this morning for a late omlette. After joking with one of the cooks about if it was too early to order a reuben, I settled in and struck up a conversation with one of the waitresses. We joke back and forth and are sarcastic with each other often, and she seems to appreciate the distraction.

At one point, she was walking behind the stool I was sitting on and asked me what I do for a living.

"Computers...networks...virtualization of servers...boring stuff if you're not into it."
"Okay...and what the hell is that? (I saw her gesture towards my hip out of the corner of my eye, apparently she's never seen it on me in the last few months of me patronizing the place)
"It's a gun - what the hell does it look like?"
"Jeez, I hope you have a permit for that."
"Technically, I don't need one."
"Yes you do! You need a permit to have a gun."
"No, you don't - you don't need a permit or a license or anything to own and carry a gun under certain conditions." I thought about getting into the whole OC/CC discussion but she clearly wasn't interested, so I let her steer the conversation - call it a fishing expedition.
"Well, it better be registered."
"There is no gun registry - in fact, such a registry would be illegal if it existed."
"What?! That's bullshit - all guns need to be registered, especially in Philly."
"No they don't. In fact, anyone over 21 18 years old can own and possess any handgun, rifle, or shotgun in Pennsylvania without a license."
"Well, what about illegal guns?"
"There's no such thing as an illegal gun. There are people out there who possess guns illegally because they are prohibited for other reasons, but a gun is just an inanimate object - it's not evil and it doesn't act on it's own. Any time you see something on the news about 'illegal guns on the streets,' it's just a media ploy to try and trick you into thinking guns are evil, bad devices. They're nothing more than a tool, and they should be used only for self-defense. Why do you think cops carry guns?"
There was a slight pause. "...For self-defense."
"Exactly."

She turned away to tend to something work-related, and I think she may have muttered something along the lines of, "Yeah, but they're cops...", but I couldn't quite hear her.

At this point one of the cooks I am friendly with comes over to get something from underneath the counter.

"Isn't that right, Bill?"
"That's right, officer!" he said, jokingly.

That was the end of the conversation, and as I was about to go out the door after paying, the same cook points to the floor near my feet and says,

"Hey, you dropped your badge! "

Corrected that for you..

[MischaBurns]

haha! "officer" viper. for some reason, I am incredibly amused by this image. The red grip would not match your uniform

Talk about annoying people, though.

ETA: On a side note, are modern autos not technically "illegal"?

[ViperGTS19801]

Corrected that for you..

I was referring to purchasing through a dealer, though that context wasn't portrayed here. I wasn't going to go into all the details of FFLs and inheritance with her, etc etc. Thanks anyway.

[Al-Mumit]

It is incredible how many people just assume that there are and should be tons of rules and regulations for non-criminals.

It'll be that much easier to establish a police state here if the people are already used to the idea, eh?

[t1m0thy]

Full of win.

However, this reminds me of the conversation I had with a local police officer about gun registry. He told me that when you buy a gun they store the information in Harrisburg(which I was aware of but I played dumb) and law enforcement can see who the owner is by running the serial numbers. I realize this isn't "registration" but it is a from of it and there is a database that police can use to discover who owns a gun. He had asked me if my guns were registered and licensed and I simple replied that I owned them legally. At the time I didn't want a debate but he was half right...there is registration in some form but there is absolutely no such thing as a licensed gun in PA.

[GlockedAndLoaded]

Nice, this woman sounds like a hot mess.

[Usmc0311]

It'll be that much easier to establish a police state here if the people are already used to the idea, eh?

So true. I think we are getting closer everyday.

[Pink_Kitty]

Forgive my ignorance but I'm currently in the "learning phase". Is a permit necessary to carry a concealed gun in PA? And do you also need a permit to carry a gun in your vehicle?

Thanks for any replies.