How safe are you when boondocking

[exhaustipated]

My wife and I have never boondocked before, nor have we ever spent the night in a Walmart parking lot. We have always stayed in campgrounds or RV parks where we know we will be safe. We our considering taking a cross country trip next year and was wondering just how safe it is to boondock in case we stumble onto a remote area that we would like to spend some time at. Do you folks out there carry a handgun with you when you boondock for protection and security reasons if and when you feel threatened? I would like some feedback on this before we head out.

[Reddog1]

As you all can see, the Thread has gone off track. Too much work to edit all or delete to get back on track. It did go a long way before it got out of hand.

This Thread is closed.

Wayne
Moderator

[starcraft69]

Lynnsr wrote:

CAJW wrote:
We have a 2nd amendment right to bear arms and protect ourselves, if you choose not to do so, it's a free country, but don't you dare try to infringe on my rights to do so. Fact is, crime can and does happen anywhere, be prepared, be smart or don't whine when you become a victim.

x2, and 100 times over.

Lynnsr

X 1000
And I would like to add that the first part of our 2nd amendment is the most important and tends to get left out in topics like this.

A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.


What do you think about that EH

[MTRhino]

X3

[Lynnsr]

CAJW wrote:
We have a 2nd amendment right to bear arms and protect ourselves, if you choose not to do so, it's a free country, but don't you dare try to infringe on my rights to do so. Fact is, crime can and does happen anywhere, be prepared, be smart or don't whine when you become a victim.

x2, and 100 times over.

Lynnsr

[CAJW]

Lots of opposing viewpoints here, but the OP asked how safe are you boondocking? That question cannot be answered for the masses, only by the individual. What is safe for one, is sheer terror for another. My personal experience is 25 years ago, we (wife & 2 young sons) camped in a TT with no one else in the campground (a remote 50 miles east of San Jose). A biker gang (8 bikes) showed up at about 0100 and made about 30 minutes of our lives hell by hollering revving up their motors, general intimidation tactics. All I had was a lousy fire extinguisher which surely wouldn't have done much to deter 8 Aholes if they decided to push things. Thankfully they did not and I've never camped without a firearm since. Portions of this thread have deteriorated into citing statistics that obviously are not true with no in-depth detail, but support that person's particular position. We have a 2nd amendment right to bear arms and protect ourselves, if you choose not to do so, it's a free country, but don't you dare try to infringe on my rights to do so. Fact is, crime can and does happen anywhere, be prepared, be smart or don't whine when you become a victim.

[69_Avion]

elkhornsun wrote:
The odds are greater of being struck by lightening than of having someone break into an RV in the middle of the night. Thieves (except for the bankers) are opportunists and most crime is in the poor parts of cities where the thieves live along with their victims.

A handgun is a great way to get yourself shot. In two-thirds of gun incidents where there is an intruder the intruder uses the homeowner's handgun to kill them - at least according to the FBI statistics.

I would not consider any public parking lot at a place like a Wal-Mart safe for overnight stays. If we cannot stay at a state rest stop or a truck stop or a campground and we are near a city we stay at an inexpensive motel.

99% of the time we find places to stay but I do route planning and locate in advance private RV parks, county RV parks, BLM and USFS campgrounds, etc. so every 200-300 miles we have a place to stay and if we make a detour I know in advance where we can stay for the night. It may not be the most scenic spot in the area but there is almost always a place to stay and when there is not we either do the motel option or driv a few more miles.

For example we often pass through the Barstow area but stay in Tehachapi, either stopping short or driving the extra miles when coming from the east. There are two RV parks in Tehachapi, one run by Tea Party rednecks and another by the glider airport. The people that run the one by the glider airport are very nice and keep the facilities very clean and that is where we always stay when traveling along this route.

I need to respond to your statistics. That simply isn't true. What is true is that the mere presence of a gun stops the intruder before the firearm is used. Those numbers usually aren't reported and they occur many times more than the actual discharge of a firearm. If you honestly think that the police are going to be there for you in your time of need, you are going to be sadly disappointed. Your odds are very slim, less than 5% and probably less than 1% that the police will be there to protect you. Most police work is reactionary. I'm sure my dad wished that the police were there when he was kidnapped. Fortunately he survived the situation by getting his rope burned hands free and running for his life. The police showed up after my dad got free. Good thing the police weren't good shots or they would have killed him. By the way, the perps murdered a person during there crime spree.

Also, the more rural you are, the worse those odds get. Everyone can make an educated descision and choose the right course of action for themselves.

[69_Avion]

bcbigfoot wrote:
My brother has a trucking company with 60 trucks, 70% of those trucks take goods south into the western US and spend a average of 4 nights a week there, and have done so for the past 15 years. All of these nights are spent in Walmarts, truck stops, Lowes, Home Depots so on. This all works out to 131040 nights with no incidents of violence.

Now if we were talking about violence in the daytime and on the highway that's a different story. Average Joe becoming unglued in a road rage incidence pulling a gun has happened several times.

I have personally spent over 300 nights in my TC at these locations with 0 incidences. I do carry bear spray in various locations around the TC.

Try that south of our border.

[bighatnohorse]

• "FEAR" - the emotion that clouds reason.
  
  
• "DENIAL" - the response to logic when experiencing FEAR.
  

One should analyze their own feelings.
Know yourself first.

[skipbee]

By the way, we were able to take our Remington shotgun into Canada,on a trip to Alaska. We paid a small fee for an annual permit. Our gun has two interchangeable barrels, one long and a short (rifled slug) barrel. As I understand it, no hand guns are permitted to be imported in Canada. We did carry the shot gun on the occasion of tramping deep into the woods in Alaska fishing. We have never needed to show it otherwise.

[_DJ_1]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

One incident in 31 years eh? Sounds like a good reason to carry more lead for guns than in the battery bank.

Or you could go to that campground where the police shot a human being 8 times before they got a "kill".

Sleepy's experience is that boondocking is, for him, 100% safe. So is mine.

iwon415 wrote:
http://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/shearing-david.htm

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Or you could boondock in Canada, leave all the hardware behind and be extremely safe.

I had to laugh at this statement. The following website details the most horrific mass murder that took place in a park in British Columbia. Still makes me shudder after all these years...

http://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/shearing-david.htm

"One incident in 31 years eh?" :R

I am safer in the USA with my gun than Canada without one!!!~

I can't get the link to post here but Wiki shows pages and pages and pages of murders in Canada!!!

[pianotuna]

Hi,

And, of course, the NRA is totally unbiased.

rfryer wrote:

elkhornsun wrote:


A handgun is a great way to get yourself shot. In two-thirds of gun incidents where there is an intruder the intruder uses the homeowner's handgun to kill them - at least according to the FBI statistics.

Oh, man, another one. That statement is so farfetched it’s ludicrous. Someone has either badly misread a statement or we have a blatantly phony study again. I find it unlikely, though, that the FBI would risk its credibility by publishing phony stats so I think a lot more is unsaid than said.

For many years the NRA has collected newspaper articles from all over the country regarding citizens using a gun to defend themselves and they publish some in their monthly magazine. Overwhelmingly, no shots are fired; the mere presence of the gun stopped the activity in its tracks. The last issue notes that guns are used over two million times a year for personal protection. An incredible number, but they’re astute enough to also publish the source and date of the articles so the info is easily confirmed, to the chagrin of the opposition. Interestingly, I see many phony studies published but I never see the above info in the media and I wonder why.:)

[pianotuna]

Hi,

One incident in 31 years eh? Sounds like a good reason to carry more lead for guns than in the battery bank.

Or you could go to that campground where the police shot a human being 8 times before they got a "kill".

Sleepy's experience is that boondocking is, for him, 100% safe. So is mine.

iwon415 wrote:
http://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/shearing-david.htm

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Or you could boondock in Canada, leave all the hardware behind and be extremely safe.

I had to laugh at this statement. The following website details the most horrific mass murder that took place in a park in British Columbia. Still makes me shudder after all these years...

http://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/shearing-david.htm

[wayward1]

Always had guns around and was trained very early in life.

I carry a gun and always have...cops are just too heavy.

[iwon415]

http://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/shearing-david.htm

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Or you could boondock in Canada, leave all the hardware behind and be extremely safe.

I had to laugh at this statement. The following website details the most horrific mass murder that took place in a park in British Columbia. Still makes me shudder after all these years...

http://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/shearing-david.htm