Boondocking safety-Are you armed?

[drmopar]

Looking for suggestions regarding Boondocking safety. With California RV camping spaces tough to get, I have been looking at secluded, boondocking areas and issues. Thanks

[Ralph_Cramden]

pianotuna wrote:
The USA has a problem with guns. I don't know the solution--but what is being done now certainly is NOT working.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/14/upshot/compare-these-gun-death-rates-the-us-is-in-a-different-wor...

A scatter graph of the over 45,000 incidents (so far in 2017) including over 11000 deaths.



Something to take away from the graph is that the farther you are from a high population density--the safer it appears to be. That's what boondocking is all about, yes?

LOL, posted by a Canadian referencing a NY Times article. That's special. Perhaps do not visit the USA if you're that concerned, and if you do just visit one of the states where they have it all figured out and safe, all through legislation, such as NY, NJ, MD, MA and most New England states, or most of the west coast lol.

That graphic is interesting. Compare it to a map of states that have the most stringent gun control and you'll see the red dots are mostly concentrated there lol.

[Sam_Spade]

doc brown wrote:
I refuse to be a victim.

No matter how many guns you carry, the choice is usually NOT yours.
The first bullet out of the barrel often wins.

And every time you pull the trigger there is a chance that you will end up being a criminal and not the victim.

[LenSatic]

memtb wrote:
While admittedly rare, boondockers are sometimes victims of violent crime. Several years ago, 2 escaped convicts murdered an elderly couple that were boondocking ( in Arizona I think). One of the escapees was captured about in Meteetsee, about 50 miles from our home. Had they been armed and cautious, maybe they would have survived....maybe not!

If one cares to do an internet search...campers do become victims! Yes it is rare, but....!

I believe that was New Mexico: https://www.inquisitr.com/3335201/linda-........ase-subject-of-passport-to-murder-on-id/

LS

Thanks, toedtoes!

[toedtoes]

I do want to add that this has been a nice civil conversation from both sides and I have enjoyed it and found the varying viewpoints of interest. It won't change my mind about not having a gun, but I have respect for those of you that do and have posted here with your experiences.

[dave54]

We boondock so far in on back roads it is highly unlikely anyone will stumble upon us, whether looking for victims or not. Typically, we do not see or hear another vehicle or person for days at a time.

Yes, we are armed anyway. It is like always wearing a seatbelt or having a first aid kit handy. I do not plan to have an accident, and take every effort to avoid one, but I cannot foresee the future and am prepared just in case the unlikely happens.

[toedtoes]

LenSatic wrote:

toedtoes wrote:

doc brown wrote:
Sweet! Eight pages and we are still on. Interesting, the antgunners will never convince the progunners and visa versa. I carry whether you like it or not, you'll never know I have one but you better pray that when you are in a really bad situation someone is nearby and willing to help. Help could involve a firearm, not necessarily. But if a firearm is required you'll be thankful the armed citizen was willing to help. No law says he has to. As my neighbor in my sticks and bricks neighborhood who knows I carry and knows my house is stocked well asked, "if I'm in trouble over here will you come and help?" My answer, "I'd call 911" , but he says "that will take about 10 minutes for the police to arrive", "sorry why don't you get a weapon for your families safety", " no way I would never own a gun". There you go, I hear that quite often. I refuse to be a victim.

I protect myself. I do not depend on a stranger carrying to keep me safe. Likewise, I don't expect an armed neighbor to come to my rescue. I take precautions as I see fit, not as others dictate.

I am willing to accept the "risk" of not having a gun. I refuse to be a victim too. I just don't believe I need a gun for that.

I believe that was New Mexico: https://www.inquisitr.com/3335201/linda-haas-gary-haas-retired-couples-charred-bodies-found-dead-in-...

LS

I think you quoted the wrong post.

Interesting article. If you read below it says the daughter of the victims was shot and killed by her husband in front of their son.

[LenSatic]

Ooops. Thanks, toedtoes!

LS

[toedtoes]

doc brown wrote:
Sweet! Eight pages and we are still on. Interesting, the antgunners will never convince the progunners and visa versa. I carry whether you like it or not, you'll never know I have one but you better pray that when you are in a really bad situation someone is nearby and willing to help. Help could involve a firearm, not necessarily. But if a firearm is required you'll be thankful the armed citizen was willing to help. No law says he has to. As my neighbor in my sticks and bricks neighborhood who knows I carry and knows my house is stocked well asked, "if I'm in trouble over here will you come and help?" My answer, "I'd call 911" , but he says "that will take about 10 minutes for the police to arrive", "sorry why don't you get a weapon for your families safety", " no way I would never own a gun". There you go, I hear that quite often. I refuse to be a victim.

I protect myself. I do not depend on a stranger carrying to keep me safe. Likewise, I don't expect an armed neighbor to come to my rescue. I take precautions as I see fit, not as others dictate.

I am willing to accept the "risk" of not having a gun. I refuse to be a victim too. I just don't believe I need a gun for that.

[memtb]

While admittedly rare, boondockers are sometimes victims of violent crime. Several years ago, 2 escaped convicts murdered an elderly couple that were boondocking ( in Arizona I think). One of the escapees was captured about in Meteetsee, about 50 miles from our home. Had they been armed and cautious, maybe they would have survived....maybe not!

If one cares to do an internet search...campers do become victims! Yes it is rare, but....!

[LenSatic]

pianotuna wrote:
What has this got to do with boondocking?

LenSatic wrote:
I spent 3 years in the US Army Infantry during the Viet Nam war . . . and never fired my weapon except at the range. But I never want to be in the position Suzanna Hupp found herself in:

Hupp and her parents were having lunch at the Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen in 1991 when a mass shooting took place. The gunman, George Hennard, shot 44 people in all, killing 24 of them, including himself. The fatally wounded included both of Hupp's parents. Hupp later expressed regret about deciding to remove her gun from her purse and lock it in her car, lest she risk possibly running afoul of the state's concealed weapons laws; during the shootings, she reached for her weapon but then remembered that it was "a hundred feet away in my car." Her father, Al Gratia, feeling he "needed to do something", tried to rush the gunman and was fatally shot in the chest instead. Hupp, eventually seeing an escape through a broken window (broken by the shoulder of another fleeing victim), grabbed her mother by the shirt telling her "Come on, we have to go now!" As Hupp moved toward the only escape, she believed her mother to be following her, only to find out later that Ursula had also been killed.

LS

Besides everything? :?

We don't have a Star Trek teleporter to get where we are going to boondock. We often stay in truck stops and Walmart parking lots and drive through sketchy areas of cities.

Actually, where we live now, we used to boondock before we built the house. It's near a river that illegals and drug smugglers use to "handhold" as they enter the country after crossing the border 14 miles away. Calling 911 does no good here, then or now.

LS

[doc_brown]

pianotuna wrote:
The USA has a problem with guns. I don't know the solution--but what is being done now certainly is NOT working.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/14/upshot/compare-these-gun-death-rates-the-us-is-in-a-different-wor...

A scatter graph of the over 45,000 incidents (so far in 2017) including over 11000 deaths.



Something to take away from the graph is that the farther you are from a high population density--the safer it appears to be. That's what boondocking is all about, yes?

I would guess 95% involves illegal guns and drugs.

[doc_brown]

Sweet! Eight pages and we are still on. Interesting, the antgunners will never convince the progunners and visa versa. I carry whether you like it or not, you'll never know I have one but you better pray that when you are in a really bad situation someone is nearby and willing to help. Help could involve a firearm, not necessarily. But if a firearm is required you'll be thankful the armed citizen was willing to help. No law says he has to. As my neighbor in my sticks and bricks neighborhood who knows I carry and knows my house is stocked well asked, "if I'm in trouble over here will you come and help?" My answer, "I'd call 911" , but he says "that will take about 10 minutes for the police to arrive", "sorry why don't you get a weapon for your families safety", " no way I would never own a gun". There you go, I hear that quite often. I refuse to be a victim.

[pianotuna]

What has this got to do with boondocking?

LenSatic wrote:
I spent 3 years in the US Army Infantry during the Viet Nam war . . . and never fired my weapon except at the range. But I never want to be in the position Suzanna Hupp found herself in:

Hupp and her parents were having lunch at the Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen in 1991 when a mass shooting took place. The gunman, George Hennard, shot 44 people in all, killing 24 of them, including himself. The fatally wounded included both of Hupp's parents. Hupp later expressed regret about deciding to remove her gun from her purse and lock it in her car, lest she risk possibly running afoul of the state's concealed weapons laws; during the shootings, she reached for her weapon but then remembered that it was "a hundred feet away in my car." Her father, Al Gratia, feeling he "needed to do something", tried to rush the gunman and was fatally shot in the chest instead. Hupp, eventually seeing an escape through a broken window (broken by the shoulder of another fleeing victim), grabbed her mother by the shirt telling her "Come on, we have to go now!" As Hupp moved toward the only escape, she believed her mother to be following her, only to find out later that Ursula had also been killed.

LS

[LenSatic]

I spent 3 years in the US Army Infantry during the Viet Nam war . . . and never fired my weapon except at the range. But I never want to be in the position Suzanna Hupp found herself in:

Hupp and her parents were having lunch at the Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen in 1991 when a mass shooting took place. The gunman, George Hennard, shot 44 people in all, killing 24 of them, including himself. The fatally wounded included both of Hupp's parents. Hupp later expressed regret about deciding to remove her gun from her purse and lock it in her car, lest she risk possibly running afoul of the state's concealed weapons laws; during the shootings, she reached for her weapon but then remembered that it was "a hundred feet away in my car." Her father, Al Gratia, feeling he "needed to do something", tried to rush the gunman and was fatally shot in the chest instead. Hupp, eventually seeing an escape through a broken window (broken by the shoulder of another fleeing victim), grabbed her mother by the shirt telling her "Come on, we have to go now!" As Hupp moved toward the only escape, she believed her mother to be following her, only to find out later that Ursula had also been killed.

LS

[toedtoes]

rjxj wrote:

toedtoes wrote:

rjxj wrote:
They never seem to like the idea but my best recommendation for those who dont like guns is to post it on the front of their homes and RV's "No guns in here". You know, sort of like those very safe gun free zones.

You say that's your "best recommendation". Recommendation for what? What purpose does that serve other than to continue to break down civilized discussion.

Do you have a sign on your house or RV saying NO GUNS IN HERE? It's a yes or no question.

That's not what you said before - you said you recommend that people post a sign, not asking if they do.

To answer your question, no I do not. I also don't post "I don't have any knives", "I have money", "I took self defense courses","beware of dogs", and so on. I don't post signs on my house or Rv period. I don't post such a sign because I'm afraid I'll be a target, I just don't post signs. I don't even have a welcome sign or my name on the mailbox. Why would I? What does it have to do with whether one chooses to carry a weapon when boondocking?

And why get upset with someone who has stated she doesn't care if you choose to carry a gun, but she chooses not to do so and chooses not to let them in her home? I'm not infringing on anyone's rights - I'm just asking others to not infringe on mine.

The only gun regulations I'd like to see is registration (so a gun used in a crime can be used to assist in the arrest of the perpetrator), penalties for those who buy guns for someone who can't qualify to buy one themselves (same with buying alcohol for minors), and required courses. Nothing in my stand suggests taking away anyone's guns just because I don't personally like them.

But this is where the discussion dies every time. Everyone gets defensive and then it resorts to "you're trying to take away my rights" and "no one should have a gun". I had a relative tell me that banning lakes and rivers is the same as banning guns - they both can kill people. That type of argument does no one any good. One can't walk into a school with a lake in their pocket and kill grade schoolers. On the flip side, the argument "guns are evil" is just as lame. The gun was the tool used, it was the person to blame. And that's my stand - there are certain people who should not be allowed to have guns - several in my own family (I've seen their trigger finger and their unsafe handling of guns and they are a greater risk to me than some stranger in the forest).