Who Are The Qualified Experts Here?

[NcongruNt]

In my humble understanding of the way our society is built, uncertainty is inherent. This largely is so for the sake of liberty. Our constitution is based on the inalienability of certain rights. One of the rights stated by our forefathers is the "pursuit of happiness". We are not afforded the right of happiness, and we are not guaranteed anything. The founding fathers understood that the ideals of freedom and liberty were not something to be obtained without great sacrifice. Thus we have the right to pursue happiness with the understanding that the pursuit comes at a price of personal sacrifice.

In order for our government and society to function within those parameters, there must be a degree of uncertainty. It is what allows us to make the changes necessary to move forward as a society. It allows us to undergo a change in government without a complete upheaval of society. The alternative is a totalitarian government in which the rule of law is absolutely certain, but no freedoms are afforded to its citizens. Thus, we have a system that allows for uncertainty in the law to be worked out in a civil and peaceful manner in the courts, without requiring a revolution to make the changes.

With all of that stated, there are those in our society who make it their life's work to work out the uncertainties, or even create new ones. As others have stated, there are those who have a greater understanding of specific parts of our legal system than others, and a wise person takes these points of view into consideration, and understands that these people have a perspective unavailable to most of the rest of us. It is the responsibility and duty of every citizen to seek out an understanding of his or her government. We are a self-governed people, and the only thing that can ultimately lead to our downfall is the refusal of our own people to take it upon themselves to participate in the operation of our government in an informed manner. This is what leads to a power-hungry elite gaining rule over a complacent mass of society.

I'm sorry if this has been a bit long-winded. In direct answer to your question, familiarize yourself with the law and the way the legal system operates. Seek out the wisdom of those who have expertise. In areas of uncertainty, there may be no clear answer. It is up to you to seek out answers within trusted sources and make a decision for yourself.

[stevie_d_64]

Yikes!

There are experts here???

For a while there I thought there was a place you could go and exchange ideas and thoughts about issues regarding the carrying of a firearm for lawful purposes...

And that some ambiguities with the law could be worked out regardless if a person was wrong or not...

And those expressing an "opinion" were doing so as to illustrate either a personal experience or relating something they had seen or heard of regarding the subject matter...

Of course those of us who cut-n-paste scripture (law) to reinforce those opinions or experiences are doing a great service to the website and its participants...

I don't think anyone has even hung a shingle stating they are an "expert" here...

Its kinda like this quote I heard an old crusty Chief I served with years ago who said to a buck Ensign in our division...

"What do you want...A medal or a chest to pin it on???"

Needless to say that Ensign went on to be an outstanding officer, he just needed a little fine tuning of reality to get him adjusted properly...And those around him were very comfortable with his opinion and knowledge...

I think a lot of folks here do just fine, and I trust their opinions more than some people's stated facts...

[casingpoint]

"How do I separate those who are offering their opinion vs. those actually in the know?"

All I can tell you is there are seemingly some message board experts out there and some not so message board experts also out there. Sometimes way out there. Maybe Charles can tell the difference.