Carry a Cheap Gun?

Addressing the issue of carrying a cheap firearm that could end up in a police evidence room and you never get it back.

Welcome to the "Hickok45 Talks" Channel. This channel is a place for me to just pontificate about random topics that somebody out there might find interesting. I will talk about firearms issues quite a lot, but I'll also exercise my license to talk about any topic I might pretend to know something about.
If you have a topic you'd like me to address, let me know. Doesn't mean I'll address it, but who knows, I might.
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[ericschneider]

When you need a firearm to save your life that firearm is priceless.

[chaseme]

There should be a federal law that makes it so a district attorney's office has to pay your legal fees if you win your case, and if a DA delelops a history of frivolous cases, they lose their license. Tort Reform should include frivolous prosecution!

[stansdds]

Our legal system has made the right of self defense a very expensive thing. It's almost like self defense has become a privilege for the wealthy, not a right of the peasantry.

[anangryranger]

I'm going to be very blunt. I'm an old retired peace officer with a few on duty shootings during my career. I was never "relieved" of my weapon after a shooting. The PD knew what I carried and it was their issue ammo used. But a citizen defending himself? Their weapon was always taken as "evidence ", which I always thought was ludicrous!

In 1984, a member of our local gun club, was involved in shooting one of two armed suspects that were attempting to rob his pharmacy. He shot one, and we caught the other shortly afterwards. A detective took the revolver from my friend. I immediately went to my unit and came back in, handing my friend my spare S&W mod 19 snubnose and two speedloaders. The detective started to object when the Lt. on the scene told him don't push it, you won't win this.

To this day, I've never understood why an honest citizen is deprived of his rights and property when he defends himself or others. And today, that same honest citizen is treated worse than a criminal for doing the right thing! It's not only wrong, it's downright un-American! This country needs some serious attention in putting things right. All politics and no justice.

[johngrunwell]

“Life is Good”, but the LAW isn’t! 👎

[LilYeshua]

In South Carolina once you've been cleared of any wrong doing, South Carolina law prevents any civil law suits against you

[patrickkelly]

Carry a quality inexpensive firearm, not a "cheap" firearm.

[rebeccabirchfield]

"If it ends up in a police locker for 20 years, that is the least of your worries." Great advice.

[eamonnmckeown]

America has become a nation of lawyers and not one of men.

[Ron-botb]

Great advice Hickok, I'm 81 and can't believe our justice system today. It used to be innocent until proven guilty, but now it's guilty until proven innocent. I've been around guns my entire life and belonged to several gun clubs over the years, shot skeet and trap. Never seen a gun pick itself up and shoot somebody, lucky I've never had to defend myself, but find myself today worrying about concealed carry or not. Just like you said, you can be defending yourself legally and still have expensive lawyer fees. I hope and pray I live to see this country return to some sanity!!!! God Bless!

[Kdstt.]

I'm so sick of the United States justice system who favor the criminals over the people who follow civility.

[titaniumgreen]

Defending your life against a criminal, then defending your freedom against the courts afterwards.."life is good"

[CharlesRyan-fj]

This is a true story. I gave my HK91 and an FN49 to my friend to sell at his table at a Virginia gun show about 15 years ago. The Thursday night before the show, a police officer knocked on his motel room door and asked him to step outside and go to his truck and trailer. The officer said there was a warrant for the owner of the truck out of Florida. The officer arrested my friend and confiscated his truck and trailer with 30 weapons and several thousand dollars in cash. Turns out the warrant was a "clerical error, " but it took 6 months to get an order to return firearms and cash. The cash was returned in whole, but half the firearms were missing from the evidence lockup! Turns out police officers had been stealing weapons and selling them. At least two were caught on video at a pawn shop. I lost both weapons. I never heard if they were prosecuted. Live and learn.

[WheelgunsOnWheels]

Great advice Hickok. I agree 100%. Your carry gun’s cost is a drop in the ocean compared to what lies ahead after a self defense shooting.

[nate.leal.]

Yep. Understandably, even law abiding citizens have a good reason for fleeing a scene.

[swhite]

Excellent advice. I fully agree with you. Get a gun you trust, can shoot, and will do the job. Recovery of the gun comes later. If it is justified, you should get it back eventually. Even Rittenhouse got his gun back at the end of his trial.

[ronie]

Agree, I wasn't sure about the what if's and now I know. 100 G's even if the shooting was justifiable. Holy Crap!
This message needs to get out because I believe there's a lot of guys who don't know this.

[drunk_by_noon]

On the topic of a cheap firearms, the the thing I hate the most to hear is when people say it's not a big deal if the gun gets lost or stolen. You should always do everything you can to make sure your firearm never leaves your possession, no matter how much it cost.

[richardkellar]

A VERY good point! What is a shame is, if you defend yourself, YOU are initially, AS guilty as the perpetrators!

[charlesshirk]

Tulsa, Oklahoma. A fellow that lived up the street shot a person on two different occasions in the 2010s. It both happened in his house. Each person had broken into the house. The first time the intruder was shot six times by a .22 and ran from the house. He survived and the police found him at the hospital, and he ended up serving several years in prison. The second the intruder was shot once by a 9mm and died in the house.
Both times the homeowner was questioned by police. He answered their questions without a lawyer. He was not arrested or charged. As far as civil litigation, the homeowner was out of work, broke and there was already a lien on his property. There was no money to be had, no one bothered to sue.