Guns Banned at State Parks

[MPI_Mallard]

Gary,i did READ your account of what happened to your folks,my point is that had response after response had related a real increase of armed crimes against RV'ers here and in the USA then i might be inclined to agree with carrying a handgun with me during my travels,by the way my wife and i both own Barretta shotguns that we use for hunting,i'm talking about handguns and the obvious lack of real threat that in my opinion doesn't warrant carrying handguns. After getting into this debate i spoke to my friends son who is an OPP Constable who today related to me that he was told that the incidence of gun-related crimes against RV'ers here in Canada is practically non-existant and in the states it's very low as well. i never subscribed to the attitude that "Insured by smith and wesson" was a viable way to live,i'm just not that paranoid.

Good luck to all of you and a happy new year!

Red Green:
If women don't find you handsome,
they can sure find you handy.

[Gary - K7GLD]

Originally Posted by MPI_Mallard

Actually,,,at a park in Ontario a vistior to Canada was arrested for brandishing a loaded 44 magnum at a waterpark/family campground,this idiot was as loaded as his handgun and was quickly subdued by an off-duty OPP[without his sidearm] and tossed in a cell,after answering several charges he was asked to leave our country,several years ago while working as a bouncer a middle eastern gentlman from Dearborn Michigan came into the bar on a very crowded saturday night with a automatic handgun with the intention of shooting his cheating wife but when the gun fell out of his coat pocket the off duty windsor policeman [again without his side arm] subdued him,,,harshly and was put in stir. Recently handgun crimes have become more frequent to the point where the boy's in Ottawa are beefing up our gun laws and were finding that most of these weapons are coming from the USA,these are facts that i've gotten from the son of a friend who's a constable with the Ontario Provencial Police so i'm inclined to accept them as true. I understand the American attitude towards their right to bear arms and why its so important to you however nobody as yet has shown me that to RV in the States and Canada i would need a handgun for protection,i've travelled quite a bit in the us and never have i felt threatened as a matter of fact i find you yanks to be very gracious hosts and i'm looking forward to spending my winters there soon,remember its a jungle out there!

Red Green:
Remember, I'm pulling for ya. We're
all in this together

ll very interesting - but NONE answer, and most are totally unrelated to your actual question - yeah, there are incidents involving guns in many places in the USA and other countries as well - but THIS thread is related to RVing and CG gun related incidents - not bars and situations totally UNrelated to RVing - and actually, *I DID* relate RV incidents where what obviously gave evidence as to potential threat to my parents WAS defused when the shotgun was made visible - or did you miss - or intentionally disregard those incidents?

In better detail on one of those incidents, on a lonely and deserted stretch of Arizona road, my dad pulled off onto what looked to be a rarely used dirt path, and back a few hundred yards onto that road to stay for the night. After a bit, as it was growing dark, a shabby older automobile slowed, then also pulled off onto that same dirt road, slowly circled my folks RV from a short distance, and then parked blocking the exit road a short distance away as all eyes from the 4 or 5 adult Hispanics were very carefully eyeing my folks setup, with lots of animated conversation and hand waving/pointing taking place. Mind, they gave NO indication that they too were simply planning to also camp for the night - this was not an area showing signs of frequent overnight stays, and there was no evidence they possessed any sort of camping gear or were there for that purpose.

What would you have suspected - or done?

Sure, normally my folks could have simply left the area - but the road was blocked, and they were in a remote and lonely area, and from all indications, had already been targeted for dirty work.

It was at this point my dad got out the shotgun, then took a stroll, shotgun in hand, outside around the RV, eyeing the parked group as he went - and they quickly started up their car, and left.

NOW, you might have preferred that the group had actually exited their car and rushed my folks RV with knives, clubs and guns to more exactly indicate their intentions - but my dad already had a pretty good idea what they had in mind - and his solution apparently worked - and not a shot was fired!

But for sure, if it ever actually came to the point that RV travel or lifestyle REQUIRED carrying a gun for protection, I'd take up stamp collecting instead - but I have guns for VARIOUS purposes in my home, and feel they have all the same potential uses in my RV as well.

But no one here is CLAIMiNG that carrying a weapon is a "necessity" when RVing - only that it is an established RIGHT to do so in this country - just as it is on our homes!

After all, our country - and it's liberty and freedom from onerous and abusive treatment was ESTABLISHED thru the armed determination and personal, physical sacrifice of this country's early patriot settlers - and this is a freedom we do NOT take lightly - and have very GRAPHIC evidence from citizens of other countries as to exactly what happens when they submit to being disarmed - and it ain'r pretty!

It is not my intention to be argumentative on this issue - but your comments and in particular, your related question deserved a direct reply - and the question itself I have responded to - twice!

Have a good, and safe, day sir...

[steelheadbluesman]

Well said, Gary

[MPI_Mallard]

Gary,,You win,Jesus,you win!!!By all means have a handgun in every room of your house,stick one under the entry step of your rig or better still haul it to the place that makes the M1 tank and REALLY get fitted out! In the meantime i'm gonna' believe an OPP Constable in his PROFFESSIONAL,TRAINED opinion that it's not necessary to carry and the odds of being accosted at gunpiont [unless your out in Mexico alone in the middle of the night or somewhere else NO SANE PERSON with a $100.000+ RV would consider being and in closing i'd reccomend that you check with our handgun laws if you ever decide to enter Canada with your piece,our scociety doesn't have the same attitude towards handguns wich is probably why our handgun murder rate is so low and we don't have our children walking into their schools and executing their schoolmates.

All the best to you and yours and good bye!

[steelheadbluesman]

Ouch! Sorry, MPI, I don't think we wanted to make it personal. You made some good points, it's just that many Americans take our civil (and constitutional) liberties REAL seriously. Please don't be offended., 'cause we yanks love our northern brothers and sisters

[TXiceman]

Carrying an weapon of any sort can get to be a very personal issue for a lot of folks. The anti-gun faction is as bad as the pro-gun faction.

I have a CHL and mostly do not carry. I do keep a loaded handgun at home as well as the truck when on the road...it moves to the RV when parked.

If you are going to have a loaded firearm, you need to make up your mind in advance that you will be able to use it in a deadly manner if you have to protect yourself or your family. My wife is a very capable shot with the handgun and she is ready to use it if necessary.

Texas has a long history of hunting and firearms. I for one grew up with firearms in the house and was taught at an early age what it can do and how to safely use a firearm. I do not have any problems with neighbors and firearms provided they know how to properly use and store them.

Texas is not the wild west, but we have a lot of issues from illegals and drug coming over the border. There are many home invasions in broad daylight and at night. Things are a bit different in Canada and not just due to the lack of legal handguns. There are handguns in Canada just l like there are drug dealer here that carry and do not have a permit.

MPI, we lived in Toronto area for 2 years and I legally took my rifles and shotguns to Canada with the properly paperwork. I left my pistols in the US with my brother.

Ken

[Jocat54]

Originally Posted by MPI_Mallard

Gary,,You win,Jesus,you win!!!By all means have a handgun in every room of your house,stick one under the entry step of your rig or better still haul it to the place that makes the M1 tank and REALLY get fitted out! In the meantime i'm gonna' believe an OPP Constable in his PROFFESSIONAL,TRAINED opinion that it's not necessary to carry and the odds of being accosted at gunpiont [unless your out in Mexico alone in the middle of the night or somewhere else NO SANE PERSON with a $100.000+ RV would consider being and in closing i'd reccomend that you check with our handgun laws if you ever decide to enter Canada with your piece,our scociety doesn't have the same attitude towards handguns wich is probably why our handgun murder rate is so low and we don't have our children walking into their schools and executing their schoolmates.

All the best to you and yours and good bye!

Pretty low my friend.

John

[Lorna]

Considering the OP was about NM State Parks allowing guns but no ammo, most of the replies in this thread really have gone way off base. From what I understood, the State Parks that I have been in (FL, GA, NC, SC, TN) do not allow anyfirearms or weapons. I do have a hand gun (unloaded) and a rifle (also unloaded) buried in our RV... we full time and the guns were left to us by my father. I have nowhere to store them and I do not want to sell them. I was going to keep the rifle loaded in case we ran into a rattlesnake. After all there are signs all over NM that say "beware of snakes" with a pic of a rattlesnake on it. We came out here last summer. I have yet to see a snake. We had 7 to 10 rattle snakes and/or copperheads in our front yard in TN a week, every week (mowing the yard was... fun... they seemed to be attracted to the riding lawn mower). And that's not even taking into account the big black snakes or the hog snakes (both are non-poisonous).

From talking to many park rangers in many public parks, I believe most of the rules about firearms is actually directed at poachers. If you aren't allowed to have a weapon with ammo then it would be a tad difficult to explain WHY you have a riffle with ammo close to a nice sized buck ("I wasn't going to shoot it, I was just looking at it thru the scope"... that was actually said to a park ranger in a GA state park). Most park rangers assume that there is a fair amount of RVer's who travel with a gun, loaded or unloaded. I have been told "I don't want to hear it, I don't want to see it and I don't want anyone else to know about it". That is the rules that I follow.

[UFO Pilot]

I want to carry a handgun, you don't. Why can't you just leave it at that?

[Vegasdan]

I'm afraid this discussion goes the way many political and religious views go. We all have views one way or another on this particular topic. We, in the USA are not bad, just because we have a right, guaranteed by our Bill of Rights in the Second Amendment, to carry arms. If your country does not allow this, then that is what you have. If you are happy with that, fine. We Americans have the right, but we also have the CHOICE whether or not to arm ourselves, and that is priceless. I personally choose to have a firearm. I pray that I will never have to use it, but I am well prepared if the need arises.

[Twomed]

When I go to Canada (without my guns) I don't try to tell people how to build their igloos.

Just curious??? Trolling?? Mad at Santa??

[stangman]

i have a cwp that is because i chose to carry and do 24 7 i am not going to discharge me weapon unless me or my family are in danger but if someone is trying to break in to your rv they do intend to do you harm they are not coming to welcome you to the area in the middle of the night. if it is out side the can have it but when they break in my home they better have there heart right with god. and i make no appoliges for how i fell . so if you chose not to carry to protect your loved one then i reserve the right NOT to use my weapon to stop a crime against you because i respect your rights and in turn i ask you to respest my right to bear arms. if i have offened any one i offer NO appoliges

[jdny]

I carry always have always will never had to use it but never know

[Gary - K7GLD]

Originally Posted by MPI_Mallard

Gary,,You win,Jesus,you win!!!By all means have a handgun in every room of your house,stick one under the entry step of your rig or better still haul it to the place that makes the M1 tank and REALLY get fitted out! In the meantime i'm gonna' believe an OPP Constable in his PROFFESSIONAL,TRAINED opinion that it's not necessary to carry and the odds of being accosted at gunpiont [unless your out in Mexico alone in the middle of the night or somewhere else NO SANE PERSON with a $100.000+ RV would consider being and in closing i'd reccomend that you check with our handgun laws if you ever decide to enter Canada with your piece,our scociety doesn't have the same attitude towards handguns wich is probably why our handgun murder rate is so low and we don't have our children walking into their schools and executing their schoolmates.

All the best to you and yours and good bye!

To this point, the subject has been reasonably informative and cordial - at least that has been my intention, sorry if it appeared otherwise.

BUT, when the issue of guns comes up, it usually brings with it the aspect of mental and emotional control of individual gun owners, as well as individual judgement.



'Nuff said!