boondocking safely

[pameridan04]

Hi Mike:

Great Post... Very well put. Thank you for your service.

Regards... Jim P.

[Revodoc]

<<<< Is protected when boondocking

[WheelingIt]

Just read through this set of posts and found the discussion very interesting. I agree with most of what's been said. The best advice are those that say be aware if your surroundings and neighbors. As a woman I've travelled the world since I was 4, and left home to live in a foreign city at 16. My experience is that you can find danger anywhere and safety anywhere. I know basic self defence (and have used it) and I know how to use a weapon but my BEST defence was always being aware of my surroundings. As a fulltime RVer I've had very little occasion to feel danger. Nina

[Revodoc]

Very cool Blog you have there Nina

[WheelingIt]

Originally Posted by Revodoc

Very cool Blog you have there Nina

Thank you very much {blushing}&hellip; Nina

[montara24d]

For many years we have stayed in out of the way places in out M/H, and always felt the security of knowing that I could drive away from any problem without leaving the RV. We now camp in 5th wheel & have second thoughts in some places knowing that I must go outside to drive away. I do believe in the boy scout motto, & we are prepared.

[Funkmoney]

Originally Posted by dajudge

When I travel, I always have my Smith & Wesson insurance. Being a retired police officer, I have the advantage of knowing how to use it and I have a permit that allows me to carry in all 50 states. I would hate to use my weapon, but I will to protect my family.

HR 218 is a beautiful thing!

[Funkmoney]

When we travel/boondock its usually in packs. Each one of us (off duty police officers) has our buddy with us plus an ammo box. Always keep your doors locked and park in a lit area. Be safe and have fun!!

[ralper]

Walk softly and carry a big stick. Also a pocket pal for when the stick fails to gain the respect it deserves.

The farther from civilization I am, the safer I feel. I have not yet heard of anyone being mugged by a squirrel.

[Big Bear Local]

Originally Posted by ralper

Walk softly and carry a big stick. Also a pocket pal for when the stick fails to gain the respect it deserves.

The farther from civilization I am, the safer I feel. I have not yet heard of anyone being mugged by a squirrel.

Copy that........

[NITEHAWK]

As one police officer told me: "We will protect you as soon as we get to you"

In other words stay aware of what is going on around you and try to limit the opportunities for someone to do you harm.

[Big Bear Local]

The Gun Is Civilization


"The Gun Is Civilization" by Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret)
Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force.

Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that’s it. In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some. When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force.
You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender. There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we’d be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a [armed] mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger’s potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat—it has no validity when most of a mugger’s potential marks are armed. People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that’s the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly. Then there’s the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury.
This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser. People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don’t constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level. The gun is the only weapon that’s as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weight lifter.
It simply wouldn’t work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn’t both lethal and easily employable. When I carry a gun, I don’t do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I’m looking to be left alone.
The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don’t carry it because I’m afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn’t limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force.
It removes force from the equation... And that’s why carrying a gun is a civilized act..
By Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret.)

[Dave1956]

As a 35 year veteran Police Officer in Houston I will add a couple of thoughts to this blog.

1. If you are going to carry a weapon (especially a handgun) be certain that you know how to use it in a combat situation. Far too many people think that because they have bought a gun and learned to shoot it, it will save their life. The facts are that most police officers, with guns readily available, who have been taught battle tactics, and presumably have practiced them, hit their targets in real gun battles slightly more than 60% of the time. How much better do you think you will do?

2. Your gun must be readily available, in good working order (especially semi-autos), and you must have used it enough to be effective with it in a stresful cituation. Thus, include in your training some stress creating scenerios. Go for a run, do some push ups, have someone shouting in your ear as you practice. When faced with a shoot/don't shoot real life conflict you will not respond like you did a the airconditioned pistol range!

3. Practice with whatever weapon you intend to depend on until it's use becomes second nature to you. This will be very important if you are already injurred or stroking out becuse of an adrenalin dump and elevated heart rate. You must be able to operate it with your weekhand almost as effectively as you can with your strong hand.

4. If you use your weapon (especially a gun) and you actually hit someone (bad guy or innocent bystander) expect to go to the local police station, hire a lawyer, be subpoened to the Grandjurry and civilly sued. Yes you will obviously still be alive (good thing) but you can count on a long up-hill journey in the courts.

5. As already mentioned, killing a person, even a really bad guy, has significant mental effects on most human beings. It is one thing to be all pumped up ready to defend yourself and your family ( a very good thing indeed) but there is another very real side to that action. Many fine officers who I have worked with, suffered tremendoulsy after killing a criminal even though they were doing their job and completely justified in using deadly force. This is why most major law enforcement agencies require significant psychological evaluation following a use of deadly force death.

In conclusion, I fully support Americans right to bare arms and defend ourselves. However, in my police career, I have encountered a lot of tragic occasions where folks wish they had put more thought into that decission. I like a lot of what folks here have said about using a lot of common sense when chosing where to camp. I do believe that a good offense is better than a good defense. I do carry my gun, but hope I never have to use it off duty. My wife and I switched from a trailer to a Motorhome to increase our security while traveling and make every effort to avoid what seems to be questionalbe locations.

regards,

Dave

[Big Bear Local]

Thanks Dave
Always more than meets the eye. Your thoughts are something we all need to consider.

Mark