Originally Posted by Akadat .
He He, SB. Still the same ol MO. Slander all who oppose yer blinkered views and ya spout forth as if yer'n orthorrity. Herewith a free spellin mistake for you to grab onto cos there's very little substance otherwise.
quick explanation: as a newbie on this forum I was unfamiliar with its format, and therefore only saw the FIRST PAGE of this thread, leading me to think it was a new thread and also to the comment about the only dissenter being from Belgium. However, although I may have misunderstood the way the forum works, I don't believe I misunderstand the issue. As I've said, I have friends that own guns, who use them responsibly (Ive never known my pal Rich, who has a large gunsafe at home full of shotguns, to show up to work with a gun in his truck or to carry a gun when he goes boating). Ive lived in both rural and urban areas, all over this country, but as a cyclist and someone who has toured in this country in others, I see no logical reason to bring a gun, nor do I understand the need to carry a firearm to a movie theater or a college campus (are you serious Joe? you are excited to have the opportunity to legally carry a gun to class? WHY? what are you going to do with it? Are you afraid of your classmates? A lot of coyote attacks on your campus?). I don't bring my saws-all to a dinner party or my chefs knife to work, why would I? There is such a small likelihood of needing these tools under these circumstances. If I was confronted by a bear in the wilderness, the last thing that I would want to do would be pump a couple rounds from a .45 into it, which would mostly just **** the thing off. Best protection from wildlife? make a lot of noise. Very few wild animals are seeking confrontations with humans, if you leave them alone and make your presence known there should be no reason to defend yourself. Worst experience I've had with animals on the trail was mangy street dogs in rural Mexico nipping at my panniers, I just rode away...Originally Posted by slothluvchunk .
And clearly, not even all Americans understand why those who carry do.
Certainly there are CCW carriers who are paranoid of the world around them. There are also those who carry out of utility - as I stated earlier, living in Colorado it is wise to be prepared back country - and for those touring in Alaska, it would be downright foolish to be unprepared (whether that includes a gun is up to the individual). There are also those who carry because they simply don't have the cultural idea that guns are associated with "bad." My wife has lived in predominantly large cities (L.A., D.C., various East Coast areas) and associated guns with crime, and "bad." It's been a huge adjustment for her to live in a place where many of us grew up with firearms being something without this inherent evil associated with it.
If I were touring the Continental Divide for example, I'd definitely be carrying, and I wouldn't even need a CCW to do it, as I'd be in National Forest.
Would I carry on a ride around the neighborhood, or even around my city? Probably not.
But whether a CCW carrier carries to Church, or on a date, or out grocery shopping has nothing to do with a level of paranoia or fear. For many, it has to do with a desire to be available to help the helpless should the need arise, and not live in fear of those around them. It may seem crazy to many, especially since you don't get to read most of the stories where guns prevent crime in the local paper. This happens thousands of times a year, and is widely unreported.
Also - in 240 pages, there have been plenty of people who thought carrying was odd (who weren't from Belgium). In fact, many (if not the majority of) Americans would agree.
Again, I'm not advocating for carrying while cycling - but it always surprises me to see someone who so misunderstands the issue (and the tool itself), that they decide to tack apologetic to avoid the rest of the world thinking *all* Americans love guns. I don't think everyone should have, love, or support firearms. But I'd hope that even those in disagreement would have an accurate frame of reference from which to voice their disapproval.
Originally Posted by n8opot8o .
quick explanation: as a newbie on this forum I was unfamiliar with its format, and therefore only saw the FIRST PAGE of this thread, leading me to think it was a new thread and also to the comment about the only dissenter being from Belgium.
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