The CHL is not linked to some database of guns you own, so as far as the State knows, I have no guns. And yes, I would say there is safety in numbers. Think about the gay marriage issue in California: for a short while they legalized it, then a court suspended further marriages, then a constitutional amendment prohibited it. It's now illegal for new gay marriages, but as far as I know, those few couples who got married during that time it was allowed are still considered married. Now imagine if instead of a few dozen (or hundred, whatever) it was hundreds of thousands. They would probably have the necessary political clout to overturn the laws, again.JayAre wrote:From time to time I have considered getting my CHL, but I can't seem to get past the idea that if things go badly for the 2nd Amendment, having a CHL is like saying "I HAVE A GUN, COME AND GET MINE FIRST". Is this an irrational fear, or is there some degree of safety in the number of people with a permit?
Now, you may or may not find that example disagreeable, but I'm not commenting on that issue one way or the other. My point is that it's much easier for government to stop issuing something than it is to take something back. And if they do try to take away CHL forever, it will be much more difficult for them if there are many of us with CHL than if there are only a few.