How necessary is it to have a gun?

[SoulRaven]

To what are you referring Bardo?

 

[jonsun]

occular pat downs are important

 

[Scott7022]

Robndahood.

Thank you for you, and your families, service. I totally agree with you. My Dad once told me I wasn't experienced enough with an ax to cut down a tree. I proved him wrong and spent the summer bailing hay to pay for the shed I dropped the tree on. I missed his point. I find firearm conversations usually drift into that area quickly. Just because we can doesn't mean we should. But because of all our service we are free to be you and me. As for the Memes. Sorry I made ya look! LOL! Historically distance stuff was not discussed outside of physics and class but I recently saw one of our boys made an incredible shot. I understand there is a little controversy, down angle blah blah, but anyway it slices a wow shot!

 

[SoulRaven]

A two mile shot whether uphill or downhill is amazing. The two pictures were in jest, true, but still true.

Nice to have you on the forum, welcome.

 

[Scott7022]

Thanks and yeah amazing. I got they were in jest no problem at all! LOL! But yes very true!

 

[Ballenxj]

My Dad once told me I wasn't experienced enough with an ax to cut down a tree. I proved him wrong and spent the summer bailing hay to pay for the shed I dropped the tree on. I missed his point.

Haha! This is a good example of the term "Not experienced enough," showing its not always the obvious that will get you into trouble.

 

[TrainChaser]

RobndaHood: "The OP is asking about the need for a weapon, I don't think an untrained person should rely on a tool that needs a lot of practice and a certain mindset to use correctly."

And THAT is what it all boils down to. Thanks, Rob.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Great idea with the ratchet strap! Thanks for sharing that will be on my list of things to do.

He likes teasing his polite, hippie, liberal, lethal Uncle as he is fond of describing me to his friends. I just smile and say; "if I need a gun, I'll use yours"

If someone here wants to try using a ratchet strap up front, dont hook the hooks on the door handles, loop the straps around them one or two times, then bring the two metal hooks back and hook one to the other. Then tighten the ratchet just enough, dont break your door handles! (some interior door handles dont have openings all the way thru, and some are just flimsy plastic)

For an RVer, if you feel like you are in a bad area and need to do this, its actually probably a better idea to use the ignition keys, start the motor, and leave, and just camp or park somewhere else. But truck drivers do have to park in bad areas sometimes...we dont always have a choice. And possibly, an urban stealth van-dweller might find it useful.

The second comment reminds me of the old, "hold my beer while I kiss your girlfriend"...

Works good in the movies, anyway....

 

[wagoneer]

it's snot neccesarry but "ol" gangsters like me just grew up with guns fact of life, respect em and never use em until your life is dependent on preserving your own.

 

[akrvbob]

A quick glance through this article finds this sentence:

Joe Keller had just joined the foggy stratum of the hundreds or maybe thousands of people who’ve gone missing on our federal public lands. Thing is, nobody knows how many.

The author had a point to make and I would assume tried hard to find facts to validate his theory and concluded that no one knows how many have gone missing. It could be hundreds. Or it could be thousands. Who knows, maybe its millions!!!!! Billions? Anyone's guess is as good as his. Pull a number out of the air!

So he dreams up a number of 1600, why not? And what's his source?

That leaves the only estimates to civilians and conspiracy theorists. Aficionados of the vanished believe that at least 1,600 people, and perhaps many times that number, ­remain missing on public lands under circumstances that defy easy explanation.

Rightttttt... I'm going to base all my decision-making on conspiracy theorists. What could possibly go wrong?

Last year there were 330 million visitors to the National Parks alone in 2016. How many to the rest of Public Land? IN 2010 National Forests had 177 million and BLM had 58 million = 235 million. So that's 565 million visitors a year and more because we aren't including COE or NWR or other public lands. 

And the fictional 1600 number is for how many years? 20, 40, 60? How many visitors in that time? Probably in the billions!!!

It sounds to me like Public Lands are among the safest places on the planet.

 

[sushidog]

"...An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." Col. Jeff Cooper

Food for thought.

Chip

 

[Ballenxj]

A quick glance through this article finds this sentence:

Joe Keller had just joined the foggy stratum of the hundreds or maybe thousands of people who’ve gone missing on our federal public lands. Thing is, nobody knows how many.
<-------->
And the fictional 1600 number is for how many years? 20, 40, 60? How many visitors in that time? Probably in the billions!!!

It sounds to me like Public Lands are among the safest places on the planet.

Bob, I'm not going to argue for or against the validity of those articles. You asked for one, and I found six without even trying. You would think there might be something to it with so many articles being posted.
 Now the one I found and posted in post #44 that links to an ABC News Article sounds pretty serious, and is pretty close to home for a lot of you folks in the Vegas AZ. area. Whether or not you heed it is your business.
Chip, I've always liked Col. Jeff Cooper.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Alien abductions.

 

[John61CT]

"...An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." Col. Jeff Cooper

Food for thought.

Chip

Evil is just an absence, cannot be "fought"

only light can dispel the dark

 

[Scott7022]

Hey Chip,

Good quote but no one is suggesting go unarmed into the fray. The reliance on cheap, fast, good, is too prevalent these days. My father always said I could only pick two.

I am always armed with the most dangerous weapon on the planet. The human brain. It is by far the most lethal weapon when developed. As previously mentioned by another poster Situational Awareness is weapon one. Having a true understanding of ones abilities and short comings is two...Etc Etc.
We just travelled across Siberia Russia. For a large portion of that two year trip I couldn't speak the language. I wear a nice watch, and stereotypically represent a rich American. They don't really differentiate between Canada and America we both live in North America. To them we are the same. My computer was never hacked and neither was my iPhone. Flip phones are still common in remote villages and no one tried to steal mine. I was met with curiosity and love 98% of the time. Because I was relaxed, unafraid, and curious too. They had less than me and all I had to share were stories, spoken poorly, and laughter. I was invited to eat and drink with people that could ill afford to host me. The support crew that followed helped make that right when they arrived but these people had no idea they were coming. But to live life without fear you need to have an ultimate weapon ( as mentioned above). In my opinion that isn't a rock, a knife, or a gun. Then you can confidently project calm, show love, and see the love for life in those around you; fearlessly. But, situational aware and confident in your abilities that if things go south you can unleash hell.

 

[tx2sturgis]

We just travelled across Siberia Russia.

Doesn't really sound like cheap rv living....so how did you swerve into this corner of the interweb, and is there a video or travelogue being made about this adventure?

Reason I ask is that over on the Ural forums we LOVE stories about Russia...the Ural mountains and Siberia... the land, the remoteness, the hardy individuals. It's not about the politics, its about the place.

If its on a need-to-know basis....well then....

I need to know...



(Warning: impending thread drift)

 

[Scott7022]

A thread drift is probably ok. Hmmm. Ok. I retired about four years ago. My wife is a dual citizen Canada/Russian. I have always wanted to see the ice cream houses, Saint Basil cathedral. But when I was a child this was impossible. Iron Curtain time. So retired sold everything, two 90 pound suitcases and came here. I was on a tourist visa max 90 days so in out repeat. Did some overlanding when I lived in Georgia (the country) for a year, and finished my second book. Book got traction with Russian fans, a filming crew was doing an expedition from Kamchatka to Kransnodar across the frozen part. I was a writer, I could slaughter Russian language, I wasn't allowed to earn any money. So they offered me a position. I thought about it. I could crush a four year 5K film school into a year and do sub titling for them. Or I could hang out in Georgia doing nothing and wait for my Russian residency permit (green card). I say yes to adventure WTF lets do this. The rest is history. It is popular here with test groups but I don't know when it is scheduled to be released. I also signed a non disclosure agreement that they printed in Russian and English. Suffice to say Top Gear meets mutual of Omaha's wild kingdom, with a fair bit of drinking and cultural interaction by the Canadian Perkins! I was not to be in the series but stuff happens. We are still editing as 90% was shot full 5k but the pilot was well received. Four Uaz rigs built for overlanding a newer Lada and an H1Alpha for when build it stronger than you are stupid principle needed to be applied. I liked the pilot the people behind the project have big goals but the humor will not work for a North American audience. Not sure any Russian themed movie would do to well in NA right now. I will be continuing my own project when I return building off this one. Largest country in the world, second largest solo and then America. One person shoot, edit, write, travel, do! Same format they used here, as it works, only solo and without support. So I will be living out of my off road Dodge 2500 and shell. So I came for research and intelligence gathering, LOL! I also play and share well with others.

Never carried a gun here (just to stay on topic) but did shoot quite a few. Earned a few drinks and many; "He is an American spy; How else he learn to shoot like that." LOL!

 

[lenny flank]

And, as always, all the "gun" threads veer sooner or later into political ideology. No surprise there---that is all they are really based on.

 

[SoulRaven]

lenny, I re-read the page twice and other than drifting a bit off course (and returning) I saw no "political ideology" brought up. Scott gave a well thought out and written answer to Tx's question.

It seems you want to drag in to some political arena and it's not needed. It's been a nice, friendly thread and I think very informative. Why try and instigate something?

 

[TrainChaser]

Scott7022: "I am always armed with the most dangerous weapon on the planet. The human brain."

But it only works when engaged, and some of them are rusted closed.