carry gun

[DaveInDenver]

I do keep a big a@# knife in my driver side door.

So you do fear the unknown. Hand gun, Bowie knife, night stick, big screwdriver, 4-cell Maglite, ball peen hammer, Hi-Lift handle. They're all just tools, just some are better ways to tip the balance when used as a weapon or are more effective in hunting.

 

[7wt]

Please with tears in my eyes don't get her a .38 snubbie. That seems to be a favourite for people who don't know guns but it's the last thing you should get her. Because of the short frame it will recoil like crazy in her hand, (and it's pretty loud) and she will be scared of it from that day forward. She must be totally comfortable with her weapon or it will be a hindrance.

I've lost count of the people that I know who have 38 snubbies gathering dust.

Before I stopped strapping a gun to myself everyday all I would carry was a Smith and Wesson 642 38+P. The gun took a little to get used to being short coupled and all but the ease of concealment and other factors made this gun my number one choice. I stopped bringing my Colt 1911 Officers after I purchased the Smith. Sure the gun would bark but I could hit what ever I wanted and it carried enough knock down power to do the job. Also since the gun was a hammerless double action, I knew the thing would never shoot my gimbals off. Plus the muzzle flash at night was way more impressive than the .45. Different strokes I guess.

 

[pete.wilson]

Hey

The question I would like to pose is this: How many of you are legal in carrying your firearms? Especially across State lines, in Federal/State parks or recreation area's and do you have a Concealed Carry? Have you ever been stopped and asked?

Personally I don't carry as much as I used to and wished we could carry whenever and wherever we wanted. I sometimes will carry my (1911 size) Colt SA Auto in .38 Super.

Pete Wilson

 

[DaveM]

So you do fear the unknown. Hand gun, Bowie knife, night stick, big screwdriver, 4-cell Maglite, ball peen hammer, Hi-Lift handle. They're all just tools, just some are better ways to tip the balance when used as a weapon or are more effective in hunting.

Of course, I just draw a different line than many I think. Am I concerned about being caught alone in the wilderness with a criminal? Sure, but in the greater scheme of things I put the probability of that well below being car jacked in Oakland, Richmond or East Palo Alto. And I feel like there is a certain unhealthy reliance on the safety a handgun seems to give people.

I don't mean to criticize others use of handguns for safety, this is America after-all and like many an American male, I like to shoots my guns!. I'm just very suspicious of the credibility of the "handgun as safety tool" argument. Maybe I'm just uncomfortable with handguns.

 

[BigDaveZJ]

Pete,
In CO the laws are pretty easy actually when the weapon is in your vehicle, which is where mine typically resides when we're out and about in the mountains. CO law permits a loaded weapon inside the vehicle and it can be concealed. UT, the only other state I've taken my weapon, has some slightly different laws that were a little tricky to interpret for me, so unless a threat is present, I keep the mag out of the gun.

We were travelling in UT this last fall along the Green River NW of Moab/Arches/Canyonlands in the Mineral Bottom area. I forgot the name of the road we were on, but it ran along the east side of the river by the landing strip. Anyways, we were heading north and came across some wash outs, so we had to turn around. Our tire tracks were the only discernible tracks out there on the way out. On the way back there were barefoot human footprints in our tire tracks. It hadn't been more than 5 minutes since we had been through there. We were 40+ miles away from Moab at that point, so I was very happy we were armed. Luckily nothing came of it, but who knows what kind of tweaker was hiding in the bushes watching us.

Also at that point we were north of Canyonlands so we didn't have to deal with that, but I believe the laws may have changed recently to allow CCW permit holders to carry in the parks. I don't have my permit yet, but need to get on it.

 

[DH2002]

Carry a sig sauer 229 40 s&w everday out on trips also bring the savage semi 12 gauge with a variety of shells

 

[Spikepretorius]

I carry a Browning HP 9mm daily.

I used to carry my Walther PPK 7.65 and keep the 9mm for the range and long trips, but it's like the wild west here now so it's the 9mm plus 2 spare mags and the PPK is confined to storage.

I also have .22 Ruger with a 5.5inch bull barrel but fitted with an integral silencer so it looks like a 10inch bull barrel. Great fun for plinking and a nice-to-have when out in the wilds.

 

[cnynrat]

Hey

The question I would like to pose is this: How many of you are legal in carrying your firearms? Especially across State lines, in Federal/State parks or recreation area's and do you have a Concealed Carry? Have you ever been stopped and asked?

Pete Wilson

Also at that point we were north of Canyonlands so we didn't have to deal with that, but I believe the laws may have changed recently to allow CCW permit holders to carry in the parks. I don't have my permit yet, but need to get on it.

Bush did recently sign a new rule into effect regarding firearms in areas under the jurisdiction of the NPS. The new ruling allows people to carry concealed loaded firearms to the same extent they would be permitted to under the State law in which the park is located. So, in most (all?) cases that would require you to have a CCW for that State.

Regarding the legality of carrying while travelling, one approach would be to get UT and FL CCW permits. UT and FL are unique in that they allow non-residents to apply for a CCW, and they are both "shall issue" states. Basically that means if you meet the legal requirements (no criminal record, etc.) you will be issued a CCW. For one of them (I forget which) you need to show that you have basic firearms training. Because of the reciprocity agreements these states have in place you will be legal to carry concealed in about 30 States with these two CCW permits. handgunlaw.us is a great source of info, and has a utility where you can interactively create a map of the states where you can carry concealed based on the individual state CCW permits you hold.

The current rules and laws may be subject to change after January 20th.

 

[xcmountain80]

Hey

The question I would like to pose is this: How many of you are legal in carrying your firearms? Especially across State lines, in Federal/State parks or recreation area's and do you have a Concealed Carry? Have you ever been stopped and asked?

Personally I don't carry as much as I used to and wished we could carry whenever and wherever we wanted. I sometimes will carry my (1911 size) Colt SA Auto in .38 Super.

Pete Wilson

I have a CCW of course, and have never been asked whether or not I was carrying a weapon. I have almost handed my CCW card instead of my Lisc. during a routine traffic stop.


Aaron

 

[98dango]

As far as legality she is me not so much. I say that becous she has her CWP. Ok she has only had it about 45 mins. I half to wait 3 months to get mine. No we where not looking at a 38 stubby. She want's rounds 6 isent gonna cut it for her.

The big worrie for her is critters. We take our dogs every where my lab is fine her tine dog is a troubble maker and just a morsel for the critters. Yes ther is the tweeker factor. In our travels we have found 15 meth labs 10 active 5 abandon. All reported and I will take off and she will stay at camp. She likes to wheel but dosent want to be ther when i cave in a fender wich i am good at. So she feals better with a gun there.

 

[jh504]

As far as legality she is me not so much. I say that becous she has her CWP. Ok she has only had it about 45 mins. I half to wait 3 months to get mine. No we where not looking at a 38 stubby. She want's rounds 6 isent gonna cut it for her.

The big worrie for her is critters. We take our dogs every where my lab is fine her tine dog is a troubble maker and just a morsel for the critters. Yes ther is the tweeker factor. In our travels we have found 15 meth labs 10 active 5 abandon. All reported and I will take off and she will stay at camp. She likes to wheel but dosent want to be ther when i cave in a fender wich i am good at. So she feals better with a gun there.

I have changed my mode of carry when in the outdoors because we also take our dog everywhere. I will open carry in camp simply due to the threat of Coyotes or lions to my dog. I am not too worried about them trying to take on one of us, but a dog is a good target for them.
Any other time the gun stays in the truck, which I am usually close by, or driving, when exploring.

As far as transport across state lines, I take it on any road trip to any new place we are going. I do not conceal it, it is in plane sight in my vehicle, unless I leave the vehicle. Working in New Orleans and also the inccident at the Wal Mart has taught me that I would rather me and my family be alive than worry about 100 technicalities that the anti-gun group can throw at you. I do try to be as legal as possible, but I'm not going without a firearm. The threats are very real, and I think people greatly underestimate that so that they can have a false since of security.

(Edit) oh yeah, and when Im back at home in rural Mississippi, where my extended family owns most of the land, I open carry most places.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Hey

The question I would like to pose is this: How many of you are legal in carrying your firearms? Especially across State lines, in Federal/State parks or recreation area's and do you have a Concealed Carry? Have you ever been stopped and asked?

Reminds me of a line from the Traveling Wilburies song "Tweeter and the Monkey Man": "In Jersey everything's legal/As long as you don't get caught."

In all seriousness, whenever you are talking about any safety/security measure you really need to do a 4-prong analysis before making a decision:

1. What is the advantage of taking the protective measure (in this case, carrying a weapon)?

2. What is the risk of taking the protective measure?

3. What is the advantage of not taking the protective measure?

4. What is the risk of not taking the protective measure?

You have to weigh the pros and the cons. I would never try to sneak a weapon into Mexico, for example, even though there are some bad guys there (instead, I'd just avoid Mexico altogether) because the risk of getting caught and the consequences of getting caught are just too high.

For the same reason, if I was traveling onto a military reservation or other high-security area, again I would not have a weapon in the vehicle because it's just not worth the risk if you get caught.

On the other hand, when I was driving around the Southwest in October, I traveleved briefly through California (I spent maybe 45 minutes in the Golden State, including a stop for a soda.) Even though CA has pretty strict laws about firarms, I didn't really worry too much about the pistol in my car because (a) it was unloaded, (b) it was in the back of the truck, not the cab, and (c) since I didn't plan on blowing any stop signs, exceeding the speed limit by more than the normal amount or committing any other crimes or infractions, I calculated that the risk of being contacted by the police was minimal.

Furthermore, I have no qualms about asserting my rights - I've never been asked by a cop if I'm carrying anything illegal (I guess a middle-aged white guy with National Guard plates and military stickers in a late model Toyota 4x4 isn't exactly the profile of a gangster or terrorist) and if a cop were to ask permission to search my vehicle, I'd have no difficulty telling him that he does not have my permission, under any circumstances, to search my vehicle.

So I calculated that the risk of having a weapon was low, the advantage of having a weapon was high, and that the advantage of not having a weapon was minimal or nonexistent.

Of course, your mileage may vary. If you're a bearded hippie with "******* tha Police" stickers on your back window and a big pot leaf decal on your tailgate, you may have more to worry about. If you live in an area where it's legal for the cops to search your vehicle without probable cause and/or where there are severe penalties for having a concealed weapon, then you've got some thinking to do.

I guess my point is that there's no one answer to this because like so much of what we do in the ExPo world, each person is likely to have a different "right" answer based on his or her individual circumstances.

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

SIG P220 whenever it "fits" with what I'm wearing....H&K P7 when it doesn't.

The old, "I'd rather be judged by twelve than carried by six" comes to mind....

...and, yes, I'm licensed.

 

[mobilguy66]

Guy's....Excellent, informative thread. Over the years I have scaled my firearms down. I have carried every day since 1974 for many different reasons but always foremost for self protection. I have never had the need to reveal my weapon and hope I never do. I too started off with a .357mag. In the last ten years my weapon of choice on a daily basis is a North American Arms 5 shot pocket derringer in .22 mag. Reason being is that I don't want to get involved in a gun fight but I can justify being threatened in close quarters. The gun goes from pocket to pocket, shorts to suits to jeans etc. just as my truck keys do. It goes to places it should not go because of it's "second nature" versatility, but I never regret having it and would pay the toll should that happen. My second weapon is for my nightstand, hunting, fishing, hiking, RVing etc. and is my fairly new Taurus Judge. ( Actually got it from Santa Claus in 2007) http://www.taurususa.com/video/taurus-theJudge-video.cfm This firearm would be great for all you Expo guys for self protection and varmit/snake disposal. Thanks for letting me chime in and BE SAFE!! Paul

 

[DaveM]

My second weapon is for my nightstand, hunting, fishing, hiking, RVing etc. and is my fairly new Taurus Judge. ( Actually got it from Santa Claus in 2007) http://www.taurususa.com/video/taurus-theJudge-video.cfm This firearm would be great for all you Expo guys for self protection and varmit/snake disposal. Thanks for letting me chime in and BE SAFE!! Paul

Ok, now thats a cool gun. Ever since the expo article on the full folding stock .410s I've been looking into those as my all around travel firearm. But I may have to add the Judge to my search.

I really like the idea of a pistol sized .410.