Short Wave Sportfishing wrote in message . ..
On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 19:50:03 -0400, JohnH
wrote:

Is the storing of a pistol on a boat legal or not. Does it depend on the state
law?

In a very real sense, when truly at sea you ARE the law, and the right
question is not "is it legal", but rather: "Is it prudent, useful and
protective?"

As an avid shootist, hunter & gun owner who believes in concealed
carry ashore and who believes that every gun should be kept accessible
& loaded at all times for real safety, and who owns & is proficient
with several stainless steel firearms, I believe that wise answer to
this question aboard any vessel smaller than a commercial ship where
mutiny or heisting of the ship's safe are potential concerns, is "no."

In a real-life situation of violent piracy toward a yatch, in most any
tactical sense a firearm is useless if not suicidal. Your assailants
have the superior elements of surprise, grim determination, possibly
superior size or speed or power or maneuverability, usually home-turf
advantage, and already-drawn weapons. Ed Teach proved this 300 years
ago.

This situation is analagous to the dumb idea of drawing a gun on
someone who is already robbing or mugging you with a drawn weapon.
The best you can do is to try minimize your injuries and hope they
don't find your gun & shove it up your ass or kill you with it.

The only effective way to avoid or survive violent attacks at sea or
even in port, is to avoid them in the first place by staying well
clear of potential trouble by using wisdom, goodwill & self-control.
In an unarmed confrontation, one side may win, but in an armed one, no
one will likely come in second, and there is little likelihood that
you will come in first in such a scenario. A far better way includes:

- know your ports

- know the opposite culture & its habits (whether domestic of foreign)

- know your vessel & its maneuvering capabilites very well

- stand real watches, versus "dreaming in the cockpit for a trick"

- don't make an easy or tempting target of yourself or your vessel

- keep your mouth shut in port & don't have stupid people for crew

- if you do carry a deadly weapon aboard don't let *anybody* know it,
DON'T post that you do on the internet to sound like a hot ****, and
DON'T rely on it to bail you out of your own foolish mistakes or poor
judgements

- if you do carry a deadly weapon and do not have the training,
self-control, skill and determination to immediately & decisively
execute another(s) with it, AND to deal with all of the consequences
thereof (including being booked for murder & fighting a complex,
expensive criminal trial to prove your case, possibly in a foreign
country where you are unpopular & may be presumed guilty), get rid of
it because it is a serious threat to your own well-being.

There IS one left-handed big advantage to carrying a gun: if you have
an IQ over 80, it will make you expert at avoiding any possible
confrontations or anyplace where there is any hint of potential
trouble, will sharpen your powers of observation to detect these
things, and will turn you into a very peaceful diplomat - because you
will know the very ugly consequences of doing or being otherwise.
After these become ingrained habits, you'll realize you don't need the
hassle of carrying the gun anymore to remind you of their necessity.