Canadians Avoiding US due to Gun Violence

Yes, we are concerned about the violence south of the border but that would not be enough reason to stop traveling there. However, we are staying home because of limited pension income, the low dollar, and high cost of travel insurance. We likely have a far greater chance of being hit by a bus than getting caught in a shoot out as long as we are aware of our surroundings and stay out of known hot spots in the cities.

We've been going to the States for over 40 years, at least once a year, everything from a long weekend to five months Snowbirding.
We have never ever felt threatened. The most danger we faced was New Years eve in Galveston. They sure like firing their guns at midnight. It was the full automatic firing that sorta spooked us.
Other than that the only thing that scared us was watching the evening news so we stopped doing that.

Read the original post again folks, "decided with our low dollar and all that is going on,". Do you think money may have something to do with the decision while taking a swipe at the US?

Stay away from the States. Avoid France. Don't go to Mexico. Pretty soon we will be stuck in a jail cell for safety. Not what I want.

Interesting article in the paper this morning. Depending on who is doing the reporting and how they determine mass shootings, from four different reporting groups the number of mass shootings in the US this year is a high of over 350, or a low of 4. The groups reporting high numbers count anything that results in 4 or more people injured or killed in one incident. If two gangs face off over a drug deal, have a shootout, and 4 gang members are shot, they consider that a mass shooting. If a family member goes off the deep end and shoots his wife, their two kids, and her brother, they add that as a mass shooting. When you take out gang violence, domestic violence, and other such incidence involving small numbers of people the total numbers drop dramatically. Incidents involving violence to multiple people in the general population in public settings is relatively rare. As usual, groups report numbers to support their own agenda. Certainly good to be careful and aware, but don't be paranoid about it.

And mass shootings is not the same as mass murders.Just sayin'

TomG2 wrote:
Read the original post again folks, "decided with our low dollar and all that is going on,". Do you think money may have something to do with the decision while taking a swipe at the US?..

X2
Everyone I got to know Snowbirding are not coming down this year because of their dollar vs ours. There RV trip would cost them close to double more. That is why they are staying home this year.

In regards to the gun violence? Without getting political. It's been the same o same o for over 50 years across the US.
There has always been gun violence in the bad part of town in all major cities. And every major city has a bad part of town where they all gather/live/and shoot themselves. The ONLY difference is it is being splattered all over the internet and TV in everyone's face 24/7's ad nauseum.

The exchange rate has scared a lot of Canadians off.

notruffinit wrote:
I glad you didn't put something in your post that got political and tried to give us in the USA advice.

That comes on page 5.

I've lived here my entire life. I've read about shootings forever, but nothing like this ISIS stuff. That scares me. Why? Because 'normal' gun violence is almost always about your lifestyle, the people you hang with, and the activities you participate in. Random mass killing is new, and way different.

A couple years ago I met a couple from Quebec who were camping on Padre Island in Texas as they made their way down to Mexico. The lady wouldn't talk to me because I couldn't speak a civilized language like French, but her husband did. I asked him if they were concerned about the crime in Mexico, especially along the border. He patiently explained to me that the Mexicans only hated Americans, not Canadians because of the US drug problem. He was supremely confident that the Maple Leaf he had painted on the front of his RV would protect him as the Mexican drug runners would see he was a lovable Canadian, not a much hated American.

I often wonder what happened to them and if they were indeed safe in their travels in Mexico. I've considered maybe painting a Maple Leaf on my RV, but then I remember, my RV was manufactured in Canada so I must be fully protected.

In the past we did not have the internet, social media, cell phones and a camera in everyone's hands. I bet just as many shootings happened but due to slow media most never heard about it.Today when something happens everyone around the globe knows about it within seconds.

When you let fear control your life what's the point of living.