Packing heat while on tour/middle of nowhere

[jimoots]

Being from Australia, I find this thread so hard to comprehend. The premise and some of the reasonings behind responses are just bizarre to me.

All I can say is that I'm glad I live in a country where guns are seriously hard to come by. I have never felt the need to carry any sort of weapon and I travel through rough areas.

Feel sorry for you guys...

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Frankwurst

Kudos to the members of the forum for carrying on a civilized and intelligent conversation about such a sensitive topic and for what it's worth I have more guns than I do bicycles.

Back to the OP, if I were going to go on a long, unsupported, bike tour, in very remote areas, by myself, I would carry my little 38. The OP asked and I would say, yes, if you can do it safely, know how to use it, can do it legally. I'd recommend he do. I'd carry a spare tire also, and some tools.

Unsupported, in remote area. Do I carry the thing around in general? No.

But if you don't like them, don't want to carry one, don't. If you don't like your riding buddy to have one, ride w/o him. I rode with a retired cop for a long time who carried one like I have, every ride, in a wee fanny pack. So what. There are weirdos and freaks in every group. Don't confront, stay away.

I should also say, if I were on same bike tour, and rode over a hill and saw 3-4 guys, 'over there', around a camp fire, would I walk up and 'say hi'?? Nope, I wouldn't.

[dcama5]

Originally Posted by Louis

My only real question about carrying a gun while cycling is how often would you really, truly need it? (and presumably that's the only time you should point it at some one/thing)

Unfortunately, I think as a cyclist you're much more likely to be mowed down by a texting teen / drunk idiot / or sky-high meth head than you are to need a gun. I have no data to back this up, but I bet a mirror on your helmet and good lights fore and aft are more likely to help you while touring than a gun in your pack.

Yes, as a cyclist with a concealed carry permit, I agree with you 100%. I just don't carry on the bike for exactly the reasons you mentioned. The likelihood of various possibilities keeps me bringing my cell phone, wearing a mirror on my helmet, and riding safely on the roads.

[93legendti]

Originally Posted by professerr

Thinking people should click on the gallup poll link that 93legendti has helpfully provided above to see the chart with the trendline showing gun ownership declined significantly from 1994 (54%) to 2011 (41%). Decide for yourself what that has to do with the decline in gun crime during virtually the exact same period cited in the other multiple reports provided above by 93legendti.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/nic...month_year.pdf

FBI Background checks have gone from 11 million in 2007 to 21 million the last 2 years:
12.7 mil in 2008,
14 mil in 2009,
14.4 mil in 2010,
16.5 mil in 2011,
19.6 mil in 2012,
21 mil in 2013,
21 mil in 2014.

Total guns have gone from 190 million in 1994 to 290 million in 2007. http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32842.pdf

[Bruce K]

Looking at the number of people attending the safety classes our club puts on each month makes this last statistic more believable

I agree that carrying on the bike is a bad idea

I have carried a couple of times, going to the range to practice, just to see what it felt like. It was mentally/emotionally uncomfortable and I probably won't do it again. Unloaded, with the trigger lock in place, locked in the trunk until I get there is just way more comfortable

BK

[laupsi]

Nope, never, nada...

[parris]

Mcteague I'm not advocating for or against any particular tool/method for self defense. Every one of us is in a different place and try to make our "best" choices for personal safety. Some of the other posters talked about Pepper spray, Taser, and baton as options which are as valid as any choice. I'm just bringing to the table some incidents that I've been involved in.

I don't begrudge anyone who is on either side of the firearms debate. It's a personal choice.

[William]

Threads like this tend to be interesting. The OP asked about remote back Country riding. If he is in the confines of the law, and hence legal, what’s the problem? It sounds like he just being prepared for the unforeseen. No law abiding citizen goes out looking for a reason to pop off a few rounds, and chances are he won’t need to use it. But if something does go down he has an option. No one “needs” protection, until they do. Being off in the back country, he’s on his own for resources and protection, there is no quick 911 response. So again, if he is in the confines of the law, and hence legal, what’s the problem?



...one important reason that I don't think it makes sense to *usually* carry firearms in public places is that it sets a slightly weird precedent. Most of society views a gun as a weapon, and a civilian with a gun will be viewed as someone to stay away from...cascading effect of which implies more people in the area would be tempted to carry weapons. Where does that road lead us down? Moreover I think it is statistically accurate to say that not everyone carrying the weapon is going to be as meticulous as the members of this forum. Put another way, it takes all sorts to make the world, but all sorts (discounting the sliver of people who are banned from arming up) have a right to bear arms, at least thus far. Would you be willing to trust everyone around you carrying a weapon had the same amount of rigour/care in securing their loaded weapon? Would you be comfortable with sudden, jerky movements by your fellow passerby without being afraid of them? Would you be willing to trust your fellow citizen to never discharge a weapon on accident? If not, isn't it better that the maximum penalty for an accident not be death, and instead be getting teary-eyed or have a really fast paced heart for a few minutes? Maybe after getting zapped, and spiced a few times the society realises that there are too many careless people at any given time, and in time people stop arming themselves in their everyday life; all without anyone losing a life. Would it be possible for such an evolution if a few people died, or got injured by bullet wounds by unintentional yet careless acts?



This is another issue, YOU don’t “trust” others around you to be responsible. You are worried about what they “might" do. I think there are more armed people around you then you realize. Be it guns, knives, sharp tools, impact weapons, etc…yet in the grand scheme of things, incidents are pretty low (compare the number of legally owned firearms to actual incidents). Most people that legally own firearms for self protection don’t “trust” that bad people won’t do bad things, and that they realize that LE won’t get to a situation until after the fact in most cases. They choose to be prepared for what “might” happen.

Again, to the OP, I see no issue with being prepared, within the confines of the law, while being out in the wild.









William

[avalonracing]

Originally Posted by Anarchist

I do not live in the US and every time one of these threads pops up, I have to confess, I read everyone's responses and sit an wonder what on earth sort of places do you guys live that you feel the need to carry guns even when just out riding a bike ..................

I'm also always surprised how many people who carry guns say that their "Gun has saved them from a sticky situation" yet those who don't carry have also managed to survive.

Many years ago I was at a public boat slip in south Baltimore when two drunk SOBs decided that they weren't going to wait anymore and decided that they were going go first. He and his buddy pulled "their magnum" on a group of us. In this sticky situation none of us had a gun. The result? No one was shot. Had a self-appointed cowboy been among us I don't know if it would have worked out that way.

(BTW-I have a gun in the house, I just don't feel like I'm less of a man if I don't have it with me at all times).

[William]

Originally Posted by avalonracing

I'm also always surprised how many people who carry guns say that their "Gun has saved them from a sticky situation" yet those who don't carry have also managed to survive.

Many years ago I was at a public boat slip in south Baltimore when two drunk SOBs decided that they weren't going to wait anymore and decided that they were going go first. He and his buddy pulled "their magnum" on a group of us. In this sticky situation none of us had a gun. The result? No one was shot. Had a self-appointed cowboy been among us I don't know if it would have worked out that way.

(BTW-I have a gun in the house, I just don't feel like I'm less of a man if I don't have it with me at all times).

One could find just as many stories of situations where they have helped when a situation went down differently. Most law abiding, responsible owners don't fit your bolded descriptors.






William

[93legendti]

Originally Posted by william

one could find just as many stories of situations where they have helped when a situation went down differently. Most law abiding, responsible owners don't fit your bolded descriptors.


William

+1.

[Gsinill]

Originally Posted by 93legendti

Ah, sorry, no.

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=18319&page=R1

I mean the $10 million CDC study that was commissioned by Obama as part of 23 executive orders he signed in January 2013.

"[I]The report, which notes that “ violent crimes, including homicides specifically, have declined in the past five years,” also pointed out that “some firearm violence results in death, but most does not.” In fact, the CDC report said, most incidents involving the discharge of firearms do not result in a fatality."

Ah, sorry, yes.

Obama's executive didn't provide any direct funding but only lifted the ban on research. He was calling on Congress though to provide $10 million to allow the CDC to conduct further research but guess what? Congress never approved funding:

Why the CDC still isn’t researching gun violence, despite the ban being lifted two years ago
From the article:
"Congress has continued to block dedicated funding. Obama requested $10 million for the CDC’s gun violence research in his last two budgets. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) have introduced bills supporting the funding. Both times the Republican-controlled House of Representatives said no. Maloney recently said she planned to reintroduce her bill this year, but she wasn’t hopeful."

The link you posted is not for a report conducted by the CDC itself but rather a 3rd party study to determine the "PRIORITIES FOR RESEARCH TO REDUCE THE THREAT OF FIREARM-RELATED VIOLENCE" as per a Whitehouse Progress Report: "...to inform this process, earlier this month the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council – at the request of the CDC – released a report recommending the most pressing research questions with the greatest potential public health impact."

I guess you would agree that a government agency tasked in January would not be capable to conduct a meaningful study of that magnitude and deliver results by mid June.

Also, you are trying to make it look like your quote about the results is from this linked report, but as a matter of fact, it is from CNS News, who claims "The Right News. Right Now." - Guess no need to argue about where they stand politically

[pbarry]

Did not read the entire thread, so this pistol may have been covered.. A coworker has his CC, and has one of these. It handles really well, light but not a feather, balances well. On a remote trek, I'd consider one:
http://www.ruger.com/products/lc380/models.html

[fuzzalow]

In many ways to me, it is incomprehensible the growth in guns and the pathology behind the acquisition of them and reliance on them in US culture. Among the richest and most powerful nation-state in the world with simultaneously the most fearful and insular in a very large proportion of its populace. This whole Second Amendment thing has perverted and conflated gun rights and gun ownership as a birthright of patriotism. Every bloke that has ever cited the Constitution for entitlement of rights and privileges has NEVER actually read and comprehended that document.

The mythical Charles Bronson portrayal of the honorable "Death Wish" character is a fantasy. The real world instead is fulla loons and invisible, insignificant men like the Skittles shooter and the Muslim parking space vigilante just yearning for notice and admiration - nobodies alost and adrift in their own overly complex and unsatisfying feral existence.

What situations, other than invented scenarios, does a cyclist need a firearm? Coming across the hypothetical, random crazy violent nut case is pretty thin reasoning - most large urban areas have more crazies per square mile or riding in the subways right next to you than you're likely to find out in the wild. Because short of having somebody wanting to steal/harvest your vital organs, there's not that much value for theft can be found on a touring cyclist. Ironically, if you are a cyclist packing heat and I were looking to rip you off for your valuables, the most valuable piece I'd want to steal from you is your piece!

Give me a scenario where having a firearm saved the day. IMO it is no where near as prevelant and commonplace as to be supportive of the number of guns bought, sold and in circulation. Most LEOs have the good fortune to not draw their weapon and that is the more typical experience, isn't it? All these stories about guns saving the day and not one tale about it told around the fireplace. I have an open mind and am in no way anti-gun (duh!) but I'm not buying into the testimonials in and of the protective redemption of the gun.

[jr59]

This is going to go south.

Some people think that no bad people will/want to do harm. And some believe that they would rather be prepared for such a thing. NO amount of sats, or logic will change the other side.

I say a little prayer everyday, that I never need to use a weapon. Yet I still carry it on the off chance that I might. I also assume that all I meet are armed as well .hat way I will always error on the side of being ready.