SAFETY WHILE TRAVELLING ALONE

2oldman wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
As for the meth addicts, I really wonder where some of you travel. In all my years, I have seen a handle of meth addicts - and one was my next door neighbor. None of them have ever scared me to the point of wishing I had a gun.

Television programs. Watch enough of them, and you'll end up thinking ANY drug in ANY amount in ANYONE will change them into monsters. Overnight.

hey, I saw Breaking Bad so I know the true facts.
bumpy

toedtoes wrote:
As for the meth addicts, I really wonder where some of you travel. In all my years, I have seen a handle of meth addicts - and one was my next door neighbor. None of them have ever scared me to the point of wishing I had a gun.

Television programs. Watch enough of them, and you'll end up thinking ANY drug in ANY amount in ANYONE will change them into monsters. Overnight.

Walaby wrote:
MNGeeks and HadEnough... absolutely 100 percent correct.

I grew up around guns my entire life. I believe those of us who grew up around them, and the proper use thereof, have a healthy respect, and understanding about the responsibility owning a gun requires. Doesn't matter if it is a shotgun, rifle, handgun, BB gun, Stun gun, whatever. It comes with a huge amount of responsibility.

I believe there are others who, because of their lack of exposure, education or whatever, feel like anyone who carries a weapon is simply paranoid, an idiot etc... Those folks are the opposite end of our (my) spectrum, and there's no convincing them.

I carry, and I own a safe full of guns, of all types. I pray to god that I never have to pull my weapon in self defense. But, I am fully prepared, trained, and able, if necessary. There is a distinct difference between being prepared and being paranoid.

Mike

The problem with this logic is that it assumes that everyone who grew up with guns understands responsibility and the true danger of a loaded gun.

Unfortunately, that is not so. There are many "I grew up with guns" people who have shot themselves while cleaning their guns, shot a friend while hunting, shot a loved one because they thought he/she was an intruder, had a child shoot him/herself or a sibling because they forgot to lock up and/or unload the gun, and so on.

Rather than making generalizations that fit your point of view, the world would be a much better place if folks would learn to empathize and understand another viewpoint.

You may think my comments are stupid, but they have worked for me for over 51 years. In all those years, I have never found myself in a situation where I needed a gun to get me out of it safely. I have lived over 20 years in a low income, high risk neighborhood. I have walked in the dark in these areas by myself, I have driven through even worse neighborhoods. Never once have I needed a gun to safe my life. Lucky? Maybe. Or maybe it's that I don't ignore my common sense, realism and awareness because I have a piece of metal that will save me. I don't depend on an object to save me from trouble, I depend on myself to keep me from getting into trouble.

As for the meth addicts, I really wonder where some of you travel. In all my years, I have seen a handle of meth addicts - and one was my next door neighbor. None of them have ever scared me to the point of wishing I had a gun. I have felt more fear in the presence of narcissistic relatives who think they are too good to ever make a mistake and think that guns are "cool" (and yes, they grew up with guns - funny that).

I think there are a lot of blogs from women traveling alone

MNGeeks and HadEnough... absolutely 100 percent correct.

I grew up around guns my entire life. I believe those of us who grew up around them, and the proper use thereof, have a healthy respect, and understanding about the responsibility owning a gun requires. Doesn't matter if it is a shotgun, rifle, handgun, BB gun, Stun gun, whatever. It comes with a huge amount of responsibility.

I believe there are others who, because of their lack of exposure, education or whatever, feel like anyone who carries a weapon is simply paranoid, an idiot etc... Those folks are the opposite end of our (my) spectrum, and there's no convincing them.

I carry, and I own a safe full of guns, of all types. I pray to god that I never have to pull my weapon in self defense. But, I am fully prepared, trained, and able, if necessary. There is a distinct difference between being prepared and being paranoid.

Mike

MNGeeks61 wrote:

HadEnough wrote:
All I can say is don't rely on having a phone to call for help. Anything you do has to be able to be done then amd there. Don't think calling for help will help at all. it's too late by then.

I carry bear spray and a shot gun. Still want to cut my new TC a bit to get an emergency pass through working.

Use symmetric responses to danger.

1) Don't get into danger
2) Talk a good game, warn people and make yourself look a little crazy/dangedangerous.
3) Drive away first.
4) If not #3, warn an attacker
5) If not #4, bear spray an attacker.
6) If not #5, as an absolute last resort, kill the attacker wit a firearm.

Work your way up the scale, but never get involved in hand to hand combat.

**** Never brandish a firearm unless you are ready to kill a person.

Hopefully this won't completely derail the thread, but I completely agree with #6. If your life is threatened, shooting to injure may not necessarily stop an attacker. Rural areas of some states = some areas with meth labs and possibly crazy, drug-addled people.

My father is ex-military and impressed on me the gravity of pulling a gun on a person. At that point you MUST be deathly afraid for your life, or your family and READY to use that weapon. The only certain stop is to kill your attacker.

I'm sorry if this is shocking to some people, it is how I was raised. And I have had guns my entire life. I have not had a concealed carry (can open carry if required) and I have never been in a situation where I felt it would be required to access my weapon.

Every person's situation is different, but as quoted in several articles:

# 1

# 2

# 3

Oddly enough, some states actually prefer you shoot:
Kansas case

"Are you mentally prepared to actually shoot and kill somebody? If not, the gun should stay in your safe. If you think you are just going to pull the gun out and wave it around to scare somebody off, don’t carry. If you think you can “shoot to wound,” you have another thing coming.

If the gun comes out of its holster, you must already have decided to kill somebody. Period. There is no middle ground."

"Let’s be absolutely clear about one thing: your firearm doesn’t give you the authority to take the law into your own hands. It affords you the right and privilege of defending your life from lethal attack. Anything short of that will be construed as threatening someone who has not demonstrated intent to do you harm."

This is absolutely correct. Proper, professional use of weapons.

Too many amateurs out there view a firearm as some magical thing from the movies.

Firearms, for personal security, are your last line of defense after all else has failed and you have no other choice.

You absolutely have to be ready to kill the other person if it is at this stage.

Guns are not for slowing people down.That's what non lethal (bear spray, tasers) are for. Guns are for killing people. (and animals)

They should never be taken lightly, waived around, used in any other way. They are only taken out as a last resort and if you only injue your attacker, they could take your gun and kill YOU. So...


Not only that, but there are VERY strong legal ramifications once a gun comes out, brandishing, discharging it or killing with it.

They are not toys. They are devices made to kill things.

HadEnough wrote:
All I can say is don't rely on having a phone to call for help. Anything you do has to be able to be done then amd there. Don't think calling for help will help at all. it's too late by then.

I carry bear spray and a shot gun. Still want to cut my new TC a bit to get an emergency pass through working.

Use symmetric responses to danger.

1) Don't get into danger
2) Talk a good game, warn people and make yourself look a little crazy/dangedangerous.
3) Drive away first.
4) If not #3, warn an attacker
5) If not #4, bear spray an attacker.
6) If not #5, as an absolute last resort, kill the attacker wit a firearm.

Work your way up the scale, but never get involved in hand to hand combat.

**** Never brandish a firearm unless you are ready to kill a person.

Hopefully this won't completely derail the thread, but I completely agree with #6. If your life is threatened, shooting to injure may not necessarily stop an attacker. Rural areas of some states = some areas with meth labs and possibly crazy, drug-addled people.

My father is ex-military and impressed on me the gravity of pulling a gun on a person. At that point you MUST be deathly afraid for your life, or your family and READY to use that weapon. The only certain stop is to kill your attacker.

I'm sorry if this is shocking to some people, it is how I was raised. And I have had guns my entire life. I have not had a concealed carry (can open carry if required) and I have never been in a situation where I felt it would be required to access my weapon.

Every person's situation is different, but as quoted in several articles:

# 1

# 2

# 3

Oddly enough, some states actually prefer you shoot:
Kansas case

"Are you mentally prepared to actually shoot and kill somebody? If not, the gun should stay in your safe. If you think you are just going to pull the gun out and wave it around to scare somebody off, don’t carry. If you think you can “shoot to wound,” you have another thing coming.

If the gun comes out of its holster, you must already have decided to kill somebody. Period. There is no middle ground."

"Let’s be absolutely clear about one thing: your firearm doesn’t give you the authority to take the law into your own hands. It affords you the right and privilege of defending your life from lethal attack. Anything short of that will be construed as threatening someone who has not demonstrated intent to do you harm."

Remember that Carry permits are not necessarily reciprocal
bumpy

Check out RV Sue and her canine crew blog. She has been doing it for a while.

Tachdriver wrote:

Adam H wrote:

Tripalot wrote:

HadEnough wrote:
...snip snip ....

Use symmetric responses to danger.

1) Don't get into danger
2) Talk a good game, warn people and make yourself look a little crazy/dangedangerous.
3) Drive away first.
4) If not #3, warn an attacker
5) If not #4, bear spray an attacker.
6) If not #5, as an absolute last resort, kill the attacker wit a firearm.

Work your way up the scale, but never get involved in hand to hand combat.

**** Never brandish a firearm unless you are ready to kill a person.

This is sick!

NO this is good advice!!

I would add that staying at arms length from folks and out of "your space" is a key. If they keep broaching it, its time to end conversation.

The advice above is sound.

I am a single guy who travels alone. I once pulled into a service station at night in a different town when I travelled for business. The airplane ride was bumpy and warm in the cabin, my stomach was upside down and went in to get something to settle it. I parked on the side of the building and as I was coming out this guy from the gas pump area was in a half walk to run coming towards me. Caught me off guard. He was saying to me "Hey....I want to ask you a question..." out loud. I put my hand out and told him to stop and not get near me. He slowed down and continued towards me so I hurried in the car and told him if he wanted to talk to me, to move in front of the car and talk to me through the passenger window, as he did I backed out and left, he screamed that all he wanted was gas money.

This situation creeped me out. Late at night, strange city, not aware of my surroundings, I also was not feeling well. Guy approaches me in a fast pace and kept coming....no thanks.



Other than that all my solo camping experiences have been pleasant. Trails are places that you may want some protection of sort. When you leave your campground, let your hosts know where you are.

The quoted advice is good, but I'd strongly suggest changing every "kill" to "stop". We should never be intending to kill someone, just to stop the threat. The person on the receiving end of your shots may die as a result of your efforts to protect yourself. But the intent is self-protection, not killing.

If the OP was my wife or daughter I'd suggest she carry pepper spray anywhere she couldn't legally carry a handgun.