hysteria has consumed us all...
- Thread starter J. Parker
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I still remember the day I woke up to the sound of my door of my studio apartment being unlocked, was before I owned a handgun or any "defense" type gun...since I didn't have a handgun around I didn't have a lot of options.
I live about 45 minutes from where that happened now, in a quiet little town of almost 5 thousand people about 15 minutes from the Mayo Clinic. I have twice in the 3 years I have lived here stopped assaults against women that occured right outside my apartment. One was in broad daylight, and in both cases the reason I KNEW something was going on was because someone involved was yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs in both cases [the victum in the daytime one, and the goblin in the other one]. Both times no one even called 911, besides me that is [i know because I have a police scanner]. And I know some people here on TFL will say you shouldn't step into situations even to help people. I personally could not stand to live with that decision, when I KNOW from experiance that I can help someone.
I could go on and on. The town I lived in before I moved here had a gang, or wanna be gang, that had home invasion as part of initiation supposedly. I don't know if that was true, but I do know that several of my mother in laws congregation were victums of home invasions in that small town. And that robbery didn't seem to fit what happened.
Things DO happen. Even at home.
I live about 45 minutes from where that happened now, in a quiet little town of almost 5 thousand people about 15 minutes from the Mayo Clinic. I have twice in the 3 years I have lived here stopped assaults against women that occured right outside my apartment. One was in broad daylight, and in both cases the reason I KNEW something was going on was because someone involved was yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs in both cases [the victum in the daytime one, and the goblin in the other one]. Both times no one even called 911, besides me that is [i know because I have a police scanner]. And I know some people here on TFL will say you shouldn't step into situations even to help people. I personally could not stand to live with that decision, when I KNOW from experiance that I can help someone.
I could go on and on. The town I lived in before I moved here had a gang, or wanna be gang, that had home invasion as part of initiation supposedly. I don't know if that was true, but I do know that several of my mother in laws congregation were victums of home invasions in that small town. And that robbery didn't seem to fit what happened.
Things DO happen. Even at home.
Steve Smith
New member
J.Parker, carrying all the time may seem a little weird, but I tell ya, it gets pretty normal in just a little time. I live in rural America, and my crime rate is so low that it really doesn't qualify as a "rate." Having said that, no, I don't carry when I'm on the tractor, but when I walk around the acerage, I carry with snake shot loads. I don't carry around the house, but there's a gun handy when I'm at home, in the same room, and I'll grab it and take it with me if I go to the can. Any time I'm not actually at work (where it's forbidden, but I carry sometimes anyway) I'm carrying...whether it's downtown, Safeway, or long-distance.
What is the difference between "paranoid" and "well prepared"? Time & past experience.
Prior to Hurricane Andrew, people who insisted on having homes built out of cement instead of wood, who had their roofs re-inforced, who had storm shutters placed on their windows were considered "paranoid" because at least a couple of hurricanes hit that part of Florida every year and there was never a need for such preparation. After the storm had past, those people were no longer called "paranoid" but "well prepared" and the steps that they took, the steps which were called "paranoid" has now been incorporated into the law for builders of new houses so that home owners will be "well prepared" against future hurricanes.
I recall the LA riots from a few years ago. A majority of shop owners lost everything because they were ill-prepared for such a crisis and they put their faith in the government to protect them and their property yet the police were no where to be found. I also recall a Korean store owner sitting on top of his roof with his M1 rifle. His store was not touched and he still had his inventory in stock when everything was over. One day earlier he was considered paranoid. One day later, he was considered well-prepared.
Chases are most store owners will never be caught in the middle of a riot but for those that are, they are at risk to lose everything unless they are well prepared. A lot of long established shops lost everything and were never seen from again.
The risk is small but the danger is great.
With personal crime, the same logic applies. Your chances of being the victim of a home invasion is very rare but you know what, it happens and the next time that it happens, it could happen to you. What happens to you and your loved ones will be determined by how paranoid / well-prepared you are.
Prior to Hurricane Andrew, people who insisted on having homes built out of cement instead of wood, who had their roofs re-inforced, who had storm shutters placed on their windows were considered "paranoid" because at least a couple of hurricanes hit that part of Florida every year and there was never a need for such preparation. After the storm had past, those people were no longer called "paranoid" but "well prepared" and the steps that they took, the steps which were called "paranoid" has now been incorporated into the law for builders of new houses so that home owners will be "well prepared" against future hurricanes.
I recall the LA riots from a few years ago. A majority of shop owners lost everything because they were ill-prepared for such a crisis and they put their faith in the government to protect them and their property yet the police were no where to be found. I also recall a Korean store owner sitting on top of his roof with his M1 rifle. His store was not touched and he still had his inventory in stock when everything was over. One day earlier he was considered paranoid. One day later, he was considered well-prepared.
Chases are most store owners will never be caught in the middle of a riot but for those that are, they are at risk to lose everything unless they are well prepared. A lot of long established shops lost everything and were never seen from again.
The risk is small but the danger is great.
With personal crime, the same logic applies. Your chances of being the victim of a home invasion is very rare but you know what, it happens and the next time that it happens, it could happen to you. What happens to you and your loved ones will be determined by how paranoid / well-prepared you are.
I moved from SF Bay area to an area of 100,000 people then to the country where the closest town is 10 miles away and has 5,000 people. Maybe I've just been in condition "mild" since we've been here. If I offended anyone or injected to much sarcasm I apologize for that. Best Regards, J. Parker
J. Parker:
No offense taken (at least on my part). Similiar to you, I now live in a community where the crime rate is almost off the scale but past performance does not ensure the same thing in the future. All you need is one armed robbery or forced break-in to change those stats. And that will happen sooner or later especially when the criminal element realizes how ill-prepared the residents might be. When that happens and IF I am unlucky enough to be their first victim, I want to be as ready as I can be.
I'm working from home today and I have a lite-weight .38 snubbie on my hip in an inside the waist belly band as I type this message. If I didn't have the gun on me and the doorbell rang, I would have to first identify the stranger. If it wasn't anybody I knew, I would have to make a determination if the person posed a threat. If I felt he did, I would then have to grab a gun and conceal it on my person prior to opening the door. If I felt that he didn't pose a threat and opened the door unarmed and was wrong in my conclusion, it could end up being a deadly mistake.
I prefer to keep things simple. I'm armed with a revolver which weighs less than a pound fully loaded. A majority of the time I even forget that I'm wearing it. If the doorbell rights, I just go and answer it with the knowledge that if a gun is needed, I have one.
Finally, I don't know if you follow any of my posts but about a year ago while I was in my backyard with my little one, an alligator from a nearby swamp decided that he was going to have my daughter for lunch ( see http://www.thefiringline.com:8080/forums/showthread.php?threadid=37167 for more details). Being armed enabled me to save her life.
No offense taken (at least on my part). Similiar to you, I now live in a community where the crime rate is almost off the scale but past performance does not ensure the same thing in the future. All you need is one armed robbery or forced break-in to change those stats. And that will happen sooner or later especially when the criminal element realizes how ill-prepared the residents might be. When that happens and IF I am unlucky enough to be their first victim, I want to be as ready as I can be.
I'm working from home today and I have a lite-weight .38 snubbie on my hip in an inside the waist belly band as I type this message. If I didn't have the gun on me and the doorbell rang, I would have to first identify the stranger. If it wasn't anybody I knew, I would have to make a determination if the person posed a threat. If I felt he did, I would then have to grab a gun and conceal it on my person prior to opening the door. If I felt that he didn't pose a threat and opened the door unarmed and was wrong in my conclusion, it could end up being a deadly mistake.
I prefer to keep things simple. I'm armed with a revolver which weighs less than a pound fully loaded. A majority of the time I even forget that I'm wearing it. If the doorbell rights, I just go and answer it with the knowledge that if a gun is needed, I have one.
Finally, I don't know if you follow any of my posts but about a year ago while I was in my backyard with my little one, an alligator from a nearby swamp decided that he was going to have my daughter for lunch ( see http://www.thefiringline.com:8080/forums/showthread.php?threadid=37167 for more details). Being armed enabled me to save her life.
I carry/ have one within reach 24/7 except where it is forbidden by law. Am I paranoid, maybe; hysterical I dont think so. Firearms are tools one uses when the misfortune arises. Since we can never be certain when that misfortune will arise it makes perfect sense to have the tool readily available at all times. Also carrying means that the chances of someone else fiddling with my gun and getting hurt are none.
The cultural anti-gun hysteria has gotten to the point that a gun owner feels compelled to justify - to great lengths - each moment of carry, each situation, etc. Even when we can justify a moment, our most valid fears are still dissed. It's frustrating!
The case SHOULD be: put it on in the morning, take it off (and store at hand) at night, and don't worry about it the rest of the time unless needed (which is NEVER scheduled). No fuss!
Instead we have to fuss - despite being unquestionably upright, well-trained, responsible citizens - about whether even routine chores might inadvertently become a felonious transgression (ex: carrying at Post Office).
All this extreme fuss (to even legal extremes) over morally innocent/responsible activity leads to being ridiculed for something as minor as carrying in the crapper: if someone reasonably has it handy 24/7, well then yeah he's got it with him in the crapper! Ditto for being ridiculed for carrying in the shower: if it's present 24/7, then when he disrobes to shower, it's right there and it's only natural to fold it into a towel nearby!
We have the RKBA. It has been infringed so badly that seeking a most reasonable, continuous exercise thereof has become viewed as "hysteria" - even by fellow shooters. Instead of keeping arms constantly handy and nobody worrying about it, we're dissed by laws & culture, and go crazy trying to figure out how to find a balance where there isn't one, and chew out others for not agreeing with our personally-chosen unbalance point.
RKBA. 'nuff said.
The case SHOULD be: put it on in the morning, take it off (and store at hand) at night, and don't worry about it the rest of the time unless needed (which is NEVER scheduled). No fuss!
Instead we have to fuss - despite being unquestionably upright, well-trained, responsible citizens - about whether even routine chores might inadvertently become a felonious transgression (ex: carrying at Post Office).
All this extreme fuss (to even legal extremes) over morally innocent/responsible activity leads to being ridiculed for something as minor as carrying in the crapper: if someone reasonably has it handy 24/7, well then yeah he's got it with him in the crapper! Ditto for being ridiculed for carrying in the shower: if it's present 24/7, then when he disrobes to shower, it's right there and it's only natural to fold it into a towel nearby!
We have the RKBA. It has been infringed so badly that seeking a most reasonable, continuous exercise thereof has become viewed as "hysteria" - even by fellow shooters. Instead of keeping arms constantly handy and nobody worrying about it, we're dissed by laws & culture, and go crazy trying to figure out how to find a balance where there isn't one, and chew out others for not agreeing with our personally-chosen unbalance point.
RKBA. 'nuff said.
I carry a gun like I wear a watch. They both come off for showers and sit on the vanity or toilet tank. They come off for sleeping, but sit on the nightstand nearby. They come off during sex, girls hair gets caught in it. Sometimes the watch comes off when I wash the car, wrench on a motorcycle, or dig in the yard, but the gun stays with me.
Juan Hunt Greer
New member
At this moment, there is a Colt's Combat Commander resting on my scanner li about 20" from my right shoulder. My home is my castle!
crankshaft
paranoia is a really good thing to have when they actually are out to get You!
crankshaft
paranoia is a really good thing to have when they actually are out to get You!
Jeff Thomas
New member
J.Parker, first ... your reply to me was quite kind and polite ... my post to you was overly harsh. My apologies. You have my respect for your demeanor in this thread.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>What happened before the concealed carry phenomenon swept the nation? (God bless Florida). We still went on with our lives. But now we have legal access to all these neat pistols. Nothing has really changed, we're just all packin' and waitin'.[/quote] Actually, if you believe Dr. John Lott (and, I do), something has changed ... crime has gone down. My understanding is that his work has adjusted for demographic changes. And, to be frank, it simply makes logical sense to me.
I know a fellow who works as a prison guard for the state of Arizona. He is strongly pro-self defense / RKBA. He agrees with the truism (and survey results) that indicate criminals are most concerned about encountering an armed civilian.
For me, it is really quite simple. After more than a year of carrying everyday, it simply becomes routine. Now, I don't mean I simply toss the firearm around ... the safety rules are still paramount. But, I do put it on in the morning, and take it off at night. I know where it is every minute. And, I've gotten so used to it, I don't notice it anymore ... at all.
So, I have a bonus, from my perspective. I'm always prepared to deal with that unlikely defensive situation, but I really don't notice my preparation. In many ways, it is less hassle than fastening my seat belt over and over throughout the day.
Take care. Regards from AZ
[This message has been edited by Jeff Thomas (edited September 08, 2000).]
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>What happened before the concealed carry phenomenon swept the nation? (God bless Florida). We still went on with our lives. But now we have legal access to all these neat pistols. Nothing has really changed, we're just all packin' and waitin'.[/quote] Actually, if you believe Dr. John Lott (and, I do), something has changed ... crime has gone down. My understanding is that his work has adjusted for demographic changes. And, to be frank, it simply makes logical sense to me.
I know a fellow who works as a prison guard for the state of Arizona. He is strongly pro-self defense / RKBA. He agrees with the truism (and survey results) that indicate criminals are most concerned about encountering an armed civilian.
For me, it is really quite simple. After more than a year of carrying everyday, it simply becomes routine. Now, I don't mean I simply toss the firearm around ... the safety rules are still paramount. But, I do put it on in the morning, and take it off at night. I know where it is every minute. And, I've gotten so used to it, I don't notice it anymore ... at all.
So, I have a bonus, from my perspective. I'm always prepared to deal with that unlikely defensive situation, but I really don't notice my preparation. In many ways, it is less hassle than fastening my seat belt over and over throughout the day.
Take care. Regards from AZ
[This message has been edited by Jeff Thomas (edited September 08, 2000).]
During my divorce proceeding in 1974, my ex wife told me she was going to have a *contract* put out on me. I sluffed it off as a hollow threat until she was convicted of attempted murder 6 years ago. I no longer take it as a hollow threat. She is up for parole in March of 2001. What would you call it? Hysteria or common sense? 
Ed Brunner
New member
It is a matter of personal choice. IF you trust your government to protect you 24/7, then of course you have no need to be the protector of self and family.
If you dont trust your government to protect you, then it makes sense to be prepared.
As the "protector", a little paranoia helps.
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You have to be there when it's all over. Otherwise you can't say "I told you so."
Better days to be,
Ed
If you dont trust your government to protect you, then it makes sense to be prepared.
As the "protector", a little paranoia helps.
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You have to be there when it's all over. Otherwise you can't say "I told you so."
Better days to be,
Ed
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