I know of people's guns who have shot me some beef. Ever have Alaskan reindeer sausage? Mmmmmm....

I am definitely given a wider berth by other vehicles when I motorcycle and wear my Glock (open carry).

that's a good question. but don't be so hasty as to exclude cops. take plain clothes officers for example. when I did criminal investigations years ago, I carried concealed and of course no-one on the street was ever the wiser. however, having had the gun at my disposal did instill at least a little bit of confidence that was probably visible to others on the street. knowing that a person who walks in public with confidence is much less likely to get assaulted, it could be said that the gun may have "saved my beef" without ever needing to be used in any way. remember, you can never tell what another person is really thinking, so you never know who might have had designs on you but changed their mind in the end. sure it's a stretch but not at all unlikely. kind of a cause-and-effect chain

i once drove through Las Vegas, NM. i was with my bro (cop), and we were going to a hunting trip in colorado. i guess the kind folks in LV,NM have never seen chinese people before. because we got lines that i havent heard since gradeschool. i was very quick with a eff-U! i might have used the word "cracker", i cant be sure. we were almost surrounded until my bro unzip his fanny pack with SIG. we were allowed to leave. they never really saw the gun, but i think they made the assumption. still wouldnt carry a gun personally, my plan "A" is typically to run! but if someone crawled through a window into my house.....

Running's good.

Running is why I lost weight so I could run faster since the "baddies" now run faster too. :(

Here's the secret to running:

With a firearm, you only need to be able to run well enough that you can find cover and plug your adversaries at will.

Or, if you carry a sword, run fast enough to string out your adversaries into (roughly) a single file, turn and take out the leaders, then lead the rest to a location where they can only come at you one or two at a time.

Or, if you're unarmed, break their knees. Then run.

Aurel,

This is a true story. It may be a bit long so I apologize. My father-in-law, Pete, my best friend DJ and I were deer hunting in SE Alaska. Pete was visiting and DJ and I were residents. We were staying at a Forest Service Cabin that you could drive to (rare in that area). We were about fifty dirt-road miles from the nearest town. The cabin was a half-mile walk down a trail from the dead end road where we parked. After unloading everything, DJ and I went fishing while Pete set up camp and messed with dinner. He had gone down to the creek to get some water for dinner. When he turned back to the cabin, he saw two men coming out of the cabin (which we had reserved and was our property during the reservation period). Pete confronted them and asked them what they were doing. There response was that they didn't think anyone was there (like the pile of stuff didn't give us away?). The two guys got on their mtn bikes and took off down the trail. Afterward, we didn't give it a second thought.

We went to sleep in the cabin. That night, after midnight, there came a loud banging at the cabin door. Two guys said that they reserved the cabin and we needed to get the hell out. Well, we had reservation and could prove it. DJ and I were suspicious. So, while DJ got the receipt out of his wallet for the reservation, he told me to get my gun (night-sighted Glock 21). When he was ready to open the door, he said in a loud voice, "get your gun". This whole time the guys were pounding on the door etc. So after DJ shouted for me to get my gun, the guys quieted down. I took up a position where I could see the front porch through the front window. We left all lights off. The two guys couldn't produce a receipt, they were acting very sheepish, and backed away carefully after DJ told them to get the &$^ out of there. Later, Pete said they were the same guys who had cased the joint earlier. They probably thought 'ol Pete was alone and felt they could take him and steal his stuff. It happens in AK once in a while. Its considered a threat to life and lethal force is justified if someone is stealing the gear you need to survive.

I shot practical pistol competitively for five years, have had a state-issued CCL from AK and Oregon continually since 1990. Safety and proficiency are my mottos.

Troy

I was a Rifle Expert for 20 years in the Marine Corps...my philosophy on running was simply this..."You can run, but you'll only die tired."

Troy, good story. did you guys get the chance to report them to police asap, lest they try to do this to someone else??

bad guys
 

Hi ronin,

Yes. When we got back to Craig (on Prince of Whales Island) we told the troopers what happened. They actually had reports of similar stuff happening. The guys were probably out of work dudes who had blown their money before they got home. There's a lot of seasonal work up there associated with fishing. Its a rough time to be a local because a lot of trash rolls into town with a big wad of bills. We used to stay out of downtown in the summer due to the riff-raff and tourists!

Troy

Sounds like too much work.

Ronin, you demonstrated exactly my point: in 99% of the cases, a gun is only a support for self-confidence. The trick is to walk in public AS IF you were wearing a gun, and the result is the same.

Troy, I enjoyed your story. It probably makes more sense to have a gun in the middle of the wilderness, where there are no cops but bears and bandits. And still, at three against two, you had your chances without the gun...

Aurel

Aurel,

In the darkness, with no way to retreat, we really were caught with our pants down (literally, just getting out of bed). Knowing that most people out in the Alaskan bush are carrying a gun, we assumed they were armed.

I have found that people are bolder off the pavement than on. In other words, I have found people more willing to look for trouble away from populated areas. That's just my experience.

Troy

With you all the way on that. I love to camp out in the middle of nowhere, (not that I really do it very often), and wouldn't even consider doing it w/o my trusty Glock. I sleep like a baby w/ it next to me, plus my German Shepard likes to go camping as well, so no sneak attacks. The dog stays inside where he is safe from poison, etc., and he is better than a sophisticated motion-sensing security system on the perimeter.

Being out in the woods is much more of a dangerous place to be unarmed, IMO, then in the city. Easier place to defend yourself w/ a firearm usually, too. :cool:

definitely agree. only problem is that it isn't always possible to lie to your subconscience. ;) I don't always carry a gun, (very seldom do these days) but I still try to carry myself as confidently as possible. (not cocky, just confident) the problem lies in the fact that your emotions will not always be on-par. hence, the possibility that this fact will show to the wrong person one day. and should this happen, you will always wish that you were better prepared. it basically has the same psychological effect as that of car insurance

and btw: that still actually doesn't answer your original question, but now that I think about it, I never leave a gun in my car. it is always with me because it serves to protect me and not the car. leaving it in the car is pretty useless. if I feel that I am heading into a situation where I should have a gun with me, I put on my holster before I leave the house and keep the gun on my person where it belongs, and not in the glove box. I know some people leave a gun in the car as a convenience, like a small set of tools or a second flashlight. but a gun is much more than that. it requires just a bit more attention

lest it get stolen...

[quote]Why have a gun in car?[/quote
To to fend off eRam salemen.

why in the hell would you carry a gun in your car or on your belt its not for self defense!! its more than likely that you have a very tiny unit and you carry for the same reason people drive vettes!! UNIT EXTENSION the more flashy it is the smaller your unit is.

DEALT

LATE
K

Yeah, Isabo has a small "unit". :rolleyes:

I thought that Porsches were for "unit enhancement"? ;)

I just drive down the road licking my eyebrows, happy as a pig in slop. :)

In my mind, I beat fellow drivers to a bloody pulp and leave them on the side of the road all the time, but fortunately they never know that it happened. :cool: