How many of you carry a gun as part of your cycling equipment?

[antones]

What is wrong with you????? carrying a gun????? are you at war or something????? ... I live in the south west part of Peloponnese Greece (Pylos is my hometown, great place to live). Nobody carries a gun here, and he doesn't have any reasons to do so. It sounds strange to me and i think its very dangerous to carry weapons. I'm a retired Army Officer (46 years old) and i served in the Special Forces for 28 years. Used a lot of guns in my carrier and i have to say that its crazy to allow civilians to carry weapons. Something is very wrong with you in the United States. Hope that you let down all your weapons and never use one again ..... live in peace. Respect your neighbours and you will never need a gun .......

 

[KD5NRH]

What is wrong with you?????

What is wrong with you??????????????????????????????????????
(Since I used more question marks, my implication becomes absolute truth.)

We've been doing it for years. "Respecting" rapists, murderers and armed robbers doesn't work. Defending one's self with adequate force does.

For that matter, why doesn't your country just respect its neighbors so it won't need a military at all?

 

[antones]

What is wrong with you??????????????????????????????????????
(Since I used more question marks, my implication becomes absolute truth.)

We've been doing it for years. "Respecting" rapists, murderers and armed robbers doesn't work. Defending one's self with adequate force does.

For that matter, why doesn't your country just respect its neighbors so it won't need a military at all?

ok...... i didn't knew that criminality is so high and you have to defend youself even when you're riding your bike. Forgive me if i said something wrong. But i still believe that civilians shouldn't carry guns. Police should do their job and i hope for you that soon you'll ride your bike without worrying about criminals ........... as for why my country has a military ....... its not the same ......... greek armed forces are for defending our borders and only if war is declared ....... its a diifferent thing ........

 

[KD5NRH]

ok...... i didn't knew that criminality is so high and you have to defend youself even when you're riding your bike.

If you can tell me with 100% certainty, and at least a $500,000 bond to ensure your accuracy, when I will need to defend myself or my family, I will just avoid that time and place. Make sure the guarantor of the bond is in a more financially stable country than yours, though.

While you're at it, why don't you tell me when I'll need my fire extinguisher so I can just have the fire department waiting in the yard that day.

But i still believe that civilians shouldn't carry guns.

Why? Because we're not special superhumans like you? Or just because our individual lives aren't worth defending like all the people over there that have armed bodyguards?

Police should do their job and i hope for you that soon you'll ride your bike without worrying about criminals

You mean like yours are doing such a great job at preventing riots?

Police can't be everywhere. At best, they can get here in 2-3 minutes after I hit a panic button or call them. Considering that most deadly force encounters are over in seconds, that's too long to wait when my family's safety is at stake.

........... as for why my country has a military ....... its not the same ......... greek armed forces are for defending our borders and only if war is declared ....... its a diifferent thing ........

Well, you said yourself that respecting your neighbors would make everyone leave you alone. Why would anyone declare war on you if you respect them?

 

[antones]

Now i'm sure ........ you need proffesional help .... i can't help you ..... enjoy living in your beatifull and peacefull country ............ or ...... buy an F16 and a tank ......

 

[kdelong]

Antones, there are places in the US that still have large wildlife such as bears and panthers. While riding in these areas, it would be adviseable to carry a gun for your own protection. Bears and definately panthers can outrun most cyclists, especially on the hills.

We do have a large criminal element amongst our population and they are not going to give up their guns, no matter how much you try to respect them and live in peace. The police in the US are ineffectual due to all of regulations that they have to follow to try to ensure that the innocent are not jailed or executed by mistake. Most of the police here will tell you that they are not here to protect you but to clean up after a crime has been committed. Therefore, it is prudent to have a firearm while traversing some of the rougher neighborhoods, or in your home if you live close to one of the bad neighborhoods.

Now there are large areas of the US where you probably would never need a gun, but the criminals also have cars, so you are never really completely immune to their violence. I applaud your country for not needing firearms, but this is not Greece and we are in a quasi-state of war, the civilized versus the thugs.

 

[mitosis]

John Howard's gun legacy - 200 lives saved a year
Control guns, control gun deaths.
Suicides by shooting down by 74% according to study.

 

[KD5NRH]

Control guns, control gun deaths.
Suicides by shooting down by 74% according to study.

Every study of defensive gun uses comes up with numbers in the hundreds of thousands annually. To save 200 people who want to die, you would condemn thousands who don't.

 

[alienator]

Every study of defensive gun uses comes up with numbers in the hundreds of thousands annually. To save 200 people who want to die, you would condemn thousands who don't.

That's the beauty of statistics in the hands of special interest groups: you can get the statistics, with a bit of legerdemain, to say what you want them to say. The NRA knows how to do this, as do other special interests, so don't think that your statistics are somehow more credible or carry more weight than anyone else's.

This whole thread has gone way past stupid. It's just rehashing the same **** from the first 3 or 4 pages over and over again. It was started by someone, Joe West, to stir the pot, and he hasn't contributed a damned thing anywhere else in the forum since (or before).

No one is changing anyone's minds. Nothing is being accomplished. Critical thought is sorely lacking in this thread. It's just like masturbation, except in this case, there's no gratification in the end, just the lingering stale, smelly remains of something completely unsatisfying.

Joe West was certainly successful when he dropped by to troll.

 

[Froze]

Well, you said yourself that respecting your neighbors would make everyone leave you alone. Why would anyone declare war on you if you respect them?

They can't defend their country, their military sucks, they rely on the United States Of America to defend them just as all of Europe.

 

[6fhscjess]

That's the beauty of statistics in the hands of special interest groups: you can get the statistics, with a bit of legerdemain, to say what you want them to say. The NRA knows how to do this, as do other special interests, so don't think that your statistics are somehow more credible or carry more weight than anyone else's.

This whole thread has gone way past stupid. It's just rehashing the same **** from the first 3 or 4 pages over and over again. It was started by someone, Joe West, to stir the pot, and he hasn't contributed a damned thing anywhere else in the forum since (or before).

No one is changing anyone's minds. Nothing is being accomplished. Critical thought is sorely lacking in this thread. It's just like masturbation, except in this case, there's no gratification in the end, just the lingering stale, smelly remains of something completely unsatisfying.

Joe West was certainly successful when he dropped by to troll.

The statistics don't come from the NRA although the NRA uses them. The statistics come from a study done during the Clinton administration, a study done by Gary Kleck the CDC and others.
Actually there is alot of critical thought in this thread but some people are fueled by emotions instead of rational thought and therefore they just choose to ignore it.
I do agree that this post has gone on & on.

 

[davereo]

Antones, there are places in the US that still have large wildlife such as bears and panthers. While riding in these areas, it would be adviseable to carry a gun for your own protection. Bears and definately panthers can outrun most cyclists, especially on the hills.

We do have a large criminal element amongst our population and they are not going to give up their guns, no matter how much you try to respect them and live in peace. The police in the US are ineffectual due to all of regulations that they have to follow to try to ensure that the innocent are not jailed or executed by mistake. Most of the police here will tell you that they are not here to protect you but to clean up after a crime has been committed. Therefore, it is prudent to have a firearm while traversing some of the rougher neighborhoods, or in your home if you live close to one of the bad neighborhoods.

Now there are large areas of the US where you probably would never need a gun, but the criminals also have cars, so you are never really completely immune to their violence. I applaud your country for not needing firearms, but this is not Greece and we are in a quasi-state of war, the civilized versus the thugs.

Lions and tiger and bears oh my!!!!

 

[kdelong]

Lions and tiger and bears oh my!!!!

You forgot the thugs.

 

[dhk2]

We ride and camp in black bear country each fall, and none of us feels the need to carry a weapon. A couple of years ago a big black bear ran across the road right in front of us. It was a sight I'll remember for a long time, certainly the bear wasn't trying to threaten us.

Dogs and deer are a real threat here to cyclists. I know two people who've literally been hit and taken down by deer, as well as several who've been crashed by dogs. But carrying a gun would have been useless to prevent these encounters; they just happen too quickly, when attention and both hands are needed to control the bike.

Rednecks here don't need guns to harass or intimidate cyclists; they just use their horns or their trucks. The law here generally allows for a driver to hit or kill a cyclist and not be charged with a crime, so there is no need to resort to using a gun anyway.

 

[Bweber]

A Smith 642 slips easily into one of those back hip pockets on the old cycling jersey.

Couple of speed strips in the off-side pocket and you're good to go.

Ben

 

[skidanski]

this is probably the best thread title i've ever seen... If I had a convenient place to put it, I would happily carry my Walther P22 or S&W .40 for the occasional woodchuck running by the country roads I frequent... Alas, as someone posted earlier though, the temptation to wave it around angrily at jerks would be pretty great. For now, no carrying, only because it's bulky though... Cycling shorts aren't the best for concealing handguns

 

[Froze]

this is probably the best thread title i've ever seen... If I had a convenient place to put it, I would happily carry my Walther P22 or S&W .40 for the occasional woodchuck running by the country roads I frequent... Alas, as someone posted earlier though, the temptation to wave it around angrily at jerks would be pretty great. For now, no carrying, only because it's bulky though... Cycling shorts aren't the best for concealing handguns

Why would you shoot a woodchuck? Unless he's gnawing on your wood peg leg there isn't much of a reason.

Girls find the bulge in ones cycling shorts particularly exciting..."are you excited to see me? or is that your big 44?"

 

[skidanski]

Why would you shoot a woodchuck? Unless he's gnawing on your wood peg leg there isn't much of a reason.

Girls find the bulge in ones cycling shorts particularly exciting..."are you excited to see me? or is that your big 44?"

A better question would be: "why wouldn't you shoot a woodchuck?" They're nuisance species, farmers hate them, they dig holes, cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to farm equipment every year, and I like shooting my gun. I hope that answers the proposed query satisfactorily.

 

[Serious Chris]

This is an interesting discussion, and finding it is quite the coincidence since I was just discussing this very thing a couple days ago with a friend. The honest answer from me is yes, I would like to carry a LARGE gun, perhaps a an assault rifle or shotgun, strapped to my back when I ride on the street in hopes it would deter road-ragers from targeting me with their insane behavior.

Pic related...

 

[KD5NRH]

The honest answer from me is yes, I would like to carry a LARGE gun, perhaps a an assault rifle or shotgun, strapped to my back when I ride on the street in hopes it would deter road-ragers from targeting me with their insane behavior.

I was just thinking that I should get one of those old saddle-scabbards and rig it along the fork to put a lever action carbine in so I could ride out to our land for deer season. No gas wasted if I don't get a deer on a given trip, and it'd only take my wife 15 minutes or so to drive out if I do get one. Just enough time to field dress it and be ready to load it up.

Since Texas allows open carry of long guns, I guess I could leave it there all the time, but that might result in more law enforcement attention than I care for.