Do You Carry A Weapon/Craigslist Meet

[jyl]

I always carry a suicide pill when pumping gas. You can't be too prepared.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by LeeH

I just want to turn on the news one night and hear a story like, "2 million people sold items on Craigslist today and everything went well," instead of "One guy got jumped while trying to buy an iPad."

The point is that you have no idea which news report you will be a member of.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

There are plenty of muggings and self-defense shootings at gas stations. I am on high alert when pumping gas.

Seriously I think we live in a different universe. I told my 12 year daughter to walk the dog yesterday and she was gone for 30 minutes. Yet you need a sidearm to get the mail. One of us is seriously delusional.

[LeeH]

Originally Posted by masraum

The point is that you have no idea which news report you will be a member of.

Yeah, but if you look at the statistics, the odds are greater that you're going to die in a crash on the way to work in the morning than getting mugged in a CL transaction.

Based on the numbers everyone should be installing roll cages, 5 point harnesses, and fire supression systems in their daily drivers before worrying about which gun to carry.

You just don't worry about the drive because you have the illusion of control.

Lifetime odds of death in a car 1:244
Lifetime odds of death by assult with a firearm 1:328
Lifetime odds of intentional self-harm by firearm 1:214 (so, if you REALLY want to be safe, get rid of your guns)

And, fyi - I do own/shoot guns.

What Are the Odds of Dying

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

Yet you need a sidearm to get the mail. One of us is seriously delusional.

I think you're delusional for thinking I need a sidearm to get the mail. I only need my mailbox key to get my mail. I choose to carry a sidearm everywhere because I refuse to be a victim. You rely strictly on odds and good luck for your safety. And they are strongly in your favor. I want just a little bit more than that. I really never understood why the antis hate guns and gun owners so much. If you don't want one, don't buy one. Why do you care if I carry one? Why am I delusional for doing so? It affects you in no way whatsoever. And someday your child might be saved by a good samaritan with a gun. She'll never be saved by an unarmed person vs. an armed bad guy.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

Seriously I think we live in a different universe. I told my 12 year daughter to walk the dog yesterday and she was gone for 30 minutes. Yet you need a sidearm to get the mail. One of us is seriously delusional.

You live in SoCal and feel its safer than the rest of the country? Hmm, guess I should not bring up the History Channel's programs yesterday on the young girls abducted, raped and killed in SoCal...

Yea it does happen everywhere but not to the extent that it does in certain places... ie your universe.

[MMARSH]

Kinda funny to me. I can legally carry anytime i want. But i often leave the house without a firearm..meeting a stranger for exchange of goods in a pubilc place, i might carry.

IF i needed to carry a firearm to feel secure enough to check my mail, i'd move or get some psycholgical help.....With a few of you guys, i get the sence that carrying a firearm isnt so much really about a possible threat, but more how big you feel by having a gun with you...a pan handler at a gas station and you mention that you had someones back because you had a gun in the small of your back....

Oh and im not anti gun.

[vash]

Originally Posted by jyl

I always carry a suicide pill when pumping gas. You can't be too prepared.

^^^this and a couple lessons in Krav Maga, you're good.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Joeaksa

You live in SoCal and feel its safer than the rest of the country? Hmm, guess I should not bring up the History Channel's programs yesterday on the young girls abducted, raped and killed in SoCal...

Yea it does happen everywhere but not to the extent that it does in certain places... ie your universe.

Absolute bull schit. Are you lumping all of SoCal, an area with a population of 20 million people, together? In my universe, the chance of a 12 year old getting abducted and raped is about 1: eleventy billion, or about the same as the chance of getting abducted and raped by a dog, or the dog getting abducted and raped by a 12 year old...

IOW, it's probably never happened. You have to play the odds in life. Otherwise we should all take our paychecks to Vegas every week and put it all on red. Something like 400 trillion people have walked to their mailbox, (in the history of the world), w/o getting raped/sodomised/garroted/shot/robbed/buggered or otherwise inconvenienced. I like those odds.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I think you're delusional for thinking I need a sidearm to get the mail. I only need my mailbox key to get my mail. I choose to carry a sidearm everywhere because I refuse to be a victim. You rely strictly on odds and good luck for your safety. And they are strongly in your favor. I want just a little bit more than that. I really never understood why the antis hate guns and gun owners so much. If you don't want one, don't buy one. Why do you care if I carry one? Why am I delusional for doing so? It affects you in no way whatsoever. And someday your child might be saved by a good samaritan with a gun. She'll never be saved by an unarmed person vs. an armed bad guy.

You left out my primary defense - common sense.

I am not an anti or gun hater. As a gun owner I fully support the right to carry (I personally don't carry) though I think your open carry lifestyle is ridiculous. But that is just me so who the F cares. I am just speaking my mind here - like everyone else. That said I believe your strong attraction to guns has in a way clouded your ability to rationally gauge the level of threat we face in our daily lives. Now your current MC journey is another matter entirely and I too would hesitate to embark on such a trip without a partner and/or way of defending myself.

Finally if you were the good Samaritan I doubt my daughter would be saved as you have stated prior your weapon would not be drawn unless you and/or your wife were in danger. You would remain in a defensive posture until the threat was directly upon you which by the way I think is a solid strategy.

[HHI944]

So, what are the odds of pulling into a parking lot to find someone laying on the ground with a sucking chest wound? Probably pretty damn small....and yet, it happened to me and I slept that night knowing that I'd done everything i could because I had a full medic bag, with chest seals, in my car. Before that, people gave me crap about varying it around. No one has said anything about it since.

The guy still died, but I can move forward because I know i did everything i could....because i was prepared for that one in a billion chance.

FTR, I'm travelling a bit today, that medics bag is behind my seat, next to a gallon jug of water, there's a Sig on my hip and an HK in the glove compartment. Maybe the gun won't save my life, maybe it will, god willing I'll never have to find out.

[MMARSH]

Originally Posted by HHI944

So, what are the odds of pulling into a parking lot to find someone laying on the ground with a sucking chest wound? Probably pretty damn small....and yet, it happened to me and I slept that night knowing that I'd done everything i could because I had a full medic bag, with chest seals, in my car. Before that, people gave me crap about varying it around. No one has said anything about it since.

The guy still died, but I can move forward because I know i did everything i could....because i was prepared for that one in a billion chance.

FTR, I'm travelling a bit today, that medics bag is behind my seat, next to a gallon jug of water, there's a Sig on my hip and an HK in the glove compartment. Maybe the gun won't save my life, maybe it will, god willing I'll never have to find out.

Thats great that you were able to help. But maybe you should also wear a bullet proof vest or get your vehicle armoured as well. God willing, you will never have to find out if those things are needed, but I imagine the odds are pretty similiar that you would need them...

Of course, I'm being sarcstic. I can understand having a medics bag in the vehicle with you. There is a very real chance that you come upon a vehicle or bicycle accident with an injured person. But you probably don't walk down to your mailbox with it, you probably don't have it slung over your shoulder when at the mall and you probably don't have medic bags hidden all over your house.

Some of these guys act like they are terrified to leave their house without being armed.....I'm a freakin cop in a LA County and I'm not that paranoid....

[vash]

Originally Posted by HHI944

So, what are the odds of pulling into a parking lot to find someone laying on the ground with a sucking chest wound? Probably pretty damn small....and yet, it happened to me and I slept that night knowing that I'd done everything i could because I had a full medic bag, with chest seals, in my car. Before that, people gave me crap about varying it around. No one has said anything about it since.

wow!! kudos. i'm not so sure i would have kept it together. no denying it..i think the best tool you had on you THAT day was your brain, and your fast thinking.

[mikeferg75]

Guy was killed in Boulder a few years back, yup, he was selling his Porsche, showing it at his business to what he thought were potential buyers.

'Last piece' in 2-year-old Libman murder case - Boulder Daily Camera

[speeder]

Originally Posted by mikeferg75

Guy was killed in Boulder a few years back, yup, he was selling his Porsche, showing it at his business to what he thought were potential buyers.

'Last piece' in 2-year-old Libman murder case - Boulder Daily Camera

Yes and he "struggled with" the armed robber instead of giving up his stupid car. (That was presumably insured). With that kind of common sense, your daily odds of staying alive plummet substantially. I'm actually shocked at how often I read about a scenario like this, where an unarmed victim decides to "struggle" with an armed attacker or robber. Absolute genius.

At any rate, with the advent of the internet it is possible to find examples of absolutely anything occurring somewhere in the world at some time to support a weird argument like being armed at all times. And no, I am not anti-gun and arm myself on road trips and camping trips or other (rare) times when I feel it would be prudent. Other than that, I play the (considerable) odds against needing a gun and choose not to lower my quality of life by carrying a loaded gun everywhere. I've carried one, (rarely), and it's a major PIA. Major. The amount of extra responsibility alone gives me a headache. It's not like your car keys or even my backpack w/ laptop that I carry everywhere. You cannot leave it unattended for 1 second ever, anywhere. You need to be conscience of its presence at all times + it's heavy and potentially dangerous in unintentional ways. That's just the facts of life. Also, carrying a gun does NOT mean that you'll never be a victim. Oh contraire. The morgue is filled w/ dead pistoleros.

So there is more to it than simply carrying a gun everywhere and therefore being safe.

[Baz]

HHI944: You're my hero sir! Prepared for a multitude of situations. Please convey my thanks to your parents for raising a good citizen!

Whether or not you carry may just boil down to how you were raised, your schooling, military service, area you live in, your occupation, and the influence of your peers and mentors.

But no matter what - I REALLY resent anyone telling someone else whether or not they should carry. That is tantimount to telling someone they do not have the right to carry. They should just keep their big mouth shut, IMO. That's how I see it.

When the bad guys stop carrying - I will give it a second thought. In the meantime....once a Boy Scout.....always a Boy Scout.

[speeder]

I'd feel slightly different if I had a really small/light carry piece like a SW airweight. Carrying my Glock is not something I would enjoy, at all.

[Turbo_pro]

Originally Posted by BernieP

I would not shoot someone over wheels or $900 but to prevent getting shot, stabbed, or beaten, yes I would shoot.

BernieP

Wouldn't it make more sense to limit your exposure to these situations?
I own guns and I carry guns and without a doubt could hit what I aim at but I will go out of my way to avoid shooting anyone. If the situation requires a strategic advantage perhaps a different buyer or venue is advised.
Limit your exposure by judgement not firepower.

[madmmac]

Do You Carry A Weapon/Craigslist Meet

Yep, never had to pay for anything yet!!

[vash]

On personal alert level orange! Waiting to show a camera I am selling. Sitting with a crowd, my back to the wall. You guys have me scanning everyone.