Travel with guns

Depends on each state's laws, but for the most part you are innocent until proven guilty. If you had to use a gun in self defense, you should expect to be cuffed, gun taken away, and at the very least spend the day being interviewed... at the least. You should most certainly take your right to not speak without an attorney, and hire a good attorney as well.

Obviously, you should take time out of your life to train and train and train for such a situation. Law abiding citizens who choose to carry a gun spend a lot of time and money to take classes, not just on the actual shooting but also on the legal aspects of carrying a lethal weapon. We all want to protect our families, but WITHIN THE LAW.

In some states (like my Colorado), your vehicle is a literal extension of your house. Anyone who breaks into your "house" can be assumed they are meaning to do harm and/or kill, and you may defend yourself with lethal force. In other states (CA, NY, IL?) you may have a more difficult time staying out of jail, but if it was a legitimate self-defense shoot you will be going home thanks to the 2nd Amendment (and a good attorney). I'm not sure why some states rate a criminal's life as more valuable then ours, but some do. Make sure to vote smart next election to solve that madness.

No matter the State law, if someone is threatening to kill me or my family, I will protect myself and them with lethal force but only as a last resort. If I have the opportunity to run instead of shoot, I will do just that... the gun should be a last resort (in all states) used only to prevent major bodily harm (including rape) or the death of another person.

I have read all the above and respect every ones point of view. My question would be if you have to use your gun and actually shoot some one, whether it is fatal or not, don't you have to prove you needed to use deadly force? I often wonder about the consequences of having to use a gun, when sometimes you would only have a split second to make that decision.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/crime/a/wasp_spray.htm
"U.S. residents tempted to avail themselves of this Internet-recommended self-defense option by stockpiling wasp spray would do well consider that federal law prohibits the use of any pesticide "in a manner inconsistent with its labeling" (such as self defense). Likewise, some states forbid carrying substances for self-protection that aren't specifically authorized for that purpose."

Either get a weapon intended for self defense or do not carry one at all. And please read up on the laws before carrying anything in self defense. Proper use of a gun in self defense is within the law, use of bug spray in self defense will get you arrested, thrown in jail, and then likely sued by the guy who attacked you.
PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!

The actual amount of times a gun is taken away from it's legal owner and used again him is so low it is really not worth considering... and that argument falls short when you are 9 times more likely to be killed by a blunt object (such as you can of bug spray in your hands, or the bad guys fists) than a gun anyway. Personally I would not want to allow him to get within 20 feet of my body.

It is also widely accepted in the community of concealed-carry-permit-holders and Police Officers that a knife wielding bad guy within 21 feet of you has a very good chance to inflict fatal damage to you before you can draw and fire your gun. 21 feet! And that is with a gun on the hip of someone trained in it's use... and that wasp spray only goes 20 feet you say?

However, as I've said every time I post on this subject, if you are not comfortable with a firearm or not willing to take the time to train and practice regularly, DO NOT GET ONE. If pepper spray makes you feel safe, then that should be your weapon of choice. If a whistle does it for you, then get a whistle. Only get a gun if you are 100% committed to spending thousands more on training classes and then spending even more each month (ammo and range dues) to practice the skills.

We carry wasp and bee spray. Shoots 20' and can't be taken away form
You and used to kill yourself. State laws no worry.

CKNSLS - No one is saying there is...but it only takes once. Just once.

And in that one moment, if you have actively avoided taking steps to protect your family because it was too inconvenient, you have failed.

I've never "needed" my firearms either. Or my seatbelts. Or my homeowners insurance. Or my renters insurance. And rarely my vehicle insurance. But I still think they're all reasonable protections for my interests.

If I fail, it will not be due to my own lack of preparation, and I will always stack the odds in my favor instead of ceding to the bad guy, or to the Fortunes.

Your mileage obviously varies. That's why we have sheepdogs.

CKNSLS wrote:

hotpepperkid wrote:

CKNSLS wrote:
Currently towing across the U.S.A. I have towed through 14 states (4,000 miles) and never had a need for a fire arm. Just F.Y.I.

It only takes once. 14 states/4,000 didn't know that was possible

OK-The 4,000 was a typo. But now the state count is up to 26 on the trip thus far. I still have not had a need for a firearm, or even a close call for needing one.

Funny thing is, you never do until you do. I never walked until I did, never fell off a swing, until I did, never got a speeding ticket, until I did. You get the idea. Preparedness, like insurance is better off if never used, but essential and appreciated if needed. It's too late AFTER you need it.

bigcitypopo wrote:
Better yet, I'd like one real person to tell me how not having a gun really drove home that they wished they had one......

It's better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it.

Ck... Are you native to Utah?

No...not native to Utah.

CKNSLS,

I just gave five examples of real-world "stories" of the practical use of a self-defense gun. None are made up, all are real, and the two ended solely because I used (not fired) my gun. The fact is, more than 90% of the self-defense uses of a gun in this country goes without a single bullet being fired.

If you must see real-world uses of the self-defense gun being fired, just search YouTube, there are many cases where the gun was REQUIRED to save a life from a criminal or animal. Without the proper and legal use of the gun, innocent people would have died.

For us RVrs, we do not have the option of calling 911 and waiting for the police to arrive. Even if we have a cell signal, the average response time, if we are in the city limits, is often near the 10 minute range... outside city limits and we are lucky to see a police car within 40-minutes of calling 911.

Average time for a violent crime to be committed from start to finish? Under 2 minutes, often only seconds. The police are not there to protect you, they are there to draw a chalk outline around your body after you are dead. It is OUR OBLIGATION to protect ourselves and our family, not theirs.

Better yet, I'd like one real person to tell me how not having a gun really drove home that they wished they had one......

It's better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it.

Ck... Are you native to Utah?

Well, to play devil's advocate... I've used my gun(s) in self defense against another human twice in the past decade. I have not had to fire it either time (even though I could have legally), but both times could have been fatal to me if I had not had it with me.

Also, while hiking I have been within 100 feet of 3 different Black Bears (one was a cub, which was the real scary one as momma would have been nearby and very unhappy with me) and a mountain lion within the past 3 years. Again, I did not have to fire on any, but if I had too my pistol is much better defense than my walking stick and praying.

Just like the examples of car insurance, seat belts, and spare tires, you plan ahead in other areas of your life your own personal safety should not be shortcut. But I can not stress it enough, you MUST be trained, educated, and willing to constantly practice the skills of handling/cleaning/shooting or don't get one at all.

Personally, I am always prepared and feel sorry for those that are not.