Taught my son a lesson in awareness & safety yesterday

Hemi, I just never take my chain off. Its 180 grams of 14kt. I hide it inside my shirt when forced to be in a risky area. As for the rods I messed up on the price. I had 2 G loomis GL3's (220 each) each with Shimano Stradic 2500 reels (120 each) thats 680.00 just for those two. I brought 4 rods but the other two were only about 250 bucks for both. What can I say I work at a pawnshop and get good deals. I also tournament bass fish. Good equipment makes a difference in guns and in fishing.

Dave, Hobo's or Bum's have never bothered me. You are right though it seems that predators and perverts hang around parks these days. This park was devoid of people. It was so isolated and quite that I felt very funny almost too quite. The bridge we chose just happened to be the main link between a store and the Ghetto.
 
"What is the purpose of wearing 3000 dollar necklaces fishing?"


Hemi - shame on you. How do you feel when someone asks you: "whats the purpose of this big fancy dodge just sitting in your garage?"


Its not a "purpose" or a need, its a want.
 
I bought the chain in 2000 give or take when gold was at about 270 per oz. The chain cost me 1,400 back then. Now gold is around 660 per oz almost 2 1/2 times more money putting the chain at around 3,500.

I worked hard to get it and it is a part of me now. It represents my sweat. As Dave so eloquently put it I want to wear it. When I fish, shoot, eat, sleep, bathe, and yes even while doing IT LOL. It only comes off to clean.

"Why do you own that black rifle"? "Can't hunt with it"! "You ain't in the army"!

I own it just because LOL.
 
three gun, you did the right thing man.

Here's the rule about when to leave:

If you aren't FROM that neighborhood, and you feel uncomfortable, its time to make like a banana and split.

Eltorrente (possibly), and maybe a few other guys on here- myself included- we grew up in crap neighborhoods, and have a better street feel, than someone who grew up elsewhere. We know when its just a toothless crackhead that wants to see what you caught or babble on with you, and when its a scout- someone scoping you out as a potential target. If you can't tell the difference, err on the side of caution. The world is full of lakes and streams, and none of them are worth death or injury.

Not to pull the race card here, either, but if you are white in a black neighborhood, you are GONNA stand out, so you will get looks. And, if you are in a poor/ghetto neighborhood, its not even a "maybe". You can be 100% sure you will get mugged if you put yourself in that position. Poor neighborhoods are ridden with crime, simply because there's usually no education, no jobs, no money, and very little hope. In the neighborhood I grew up in, there were groups of guys constantly on the lookout for ANYONE casually passing through, even from another close-by neighborhood, just so they could "kike" them. In the rare case that they appeared to be from a "well-to-do" area, perhaps just lost tourists, then all the better! They were like a big fat juicy lamb in a den of wolves.

Growing up, I had to fight sometimes just to keep my NIKE sneakers on my feet. While in Junior High School, a white family moved to my area from South Africa- to escape the violence. Within one year, one of the boys- my age- was killed in a daylight shooting. Sad but true. He was a twin brother, and his sisters were twins too. In neighborhoods like this, it doesn't matter if you are black, white, or latino. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you LOOK like you have something of value, you WILL be scoped out. From there its just opportunity.

Go with your instinct and if you are going to make an error in judgement, err on the side of caution.
 
Why should anyone have to explain themselves as to why they own any legal item? The insinuation that he's in the wrong because he owns something valuable is outrageous.
 
Dave P...

You assume that the Dodge (or Plymouth) is just sitting in my garage... you couldn't be more wrong...

I put over 20,000 miles on the Hemi'Cuda convertible (original, restored) last year...

I admit, the Cordoba and the others averaged less than 10k...

I get chastized REGULARLY for driving such a rare and expensive historic musclecar... I even fry the tires occasionally... and that REALLY gets some people going...

BUT, Ma MoPar built her to be DRIVEN...

to use your analogy, I do NOT take my high-dollar musclecar to the slums and leave it parked, where it would be a temptation...

I also do not advocate wearing $3000+ worth of gold, to go fishing... the fish don't care about "bling" and if the people with you do, then you AIN'T fishing... you are partying...
 
Hi Threegun,

Sounds like this is a perfect time to talk to your son about why we DON'T want to use the guns we carry unless absolutely necessary which is a concept many adults just don't get. An 11 year old can handle it. Today's movies and poorly depict reality and as parents we must be aware of what is going on in the minds of our children. He needs to understand carring a gun is no substitute for avoiding trouble in the first place. I tend to be more careful about my actions while carrying than I would other wise. For instance if someone flips off my wife I would ignore it because I don't want to get into a fist fight and possibly lose control of my gun if things went really bad. In other words I'm probably a little less likley to get into a fight while armed. You need to discuss the many reasons why we don't want to use a gun unless there is no choice. Young people (older ones too) tend not to think about "what happens next" when a bullet leaves the barrell - things like collateral damage for one. In the movies the good guy shoots the bad guy who falls down dead after 1 round to the abdomen - we all know good guys never miss and the bad guys always miss. There are no "winners"in a gunfight only survivors - maybe. Real people miss and some innocent bystanders could be hurt - bad guys can and many times do shoot back with tragic restuls. Then there are the legal ramifications just because you were justified does not mean you won't land in jail. Everyone needs to consider that if you fatally shoot someone it is as likley as not the incident will end up costing you between $10,000 and $20,000 in legal fee either from prosecution or civil litigation and you won't get it back. Learning to think beyond the moment is a valuable lesson for everyone and 11 yrs is a great time to start!
 
Thanks for sharing the story, threegun. Good job on trusting your instincts and getting out of there. Your son learned a valuable lesson too.

Don't let Monday morning quarterbacks like eltorrente get you down. You were there, they weren't. You did right for yourself and your son.

-Dave
 
Threegun, I've seen that boy of yours shoot, both of them actually, and I don't think you had too much to worry about. Just toss him your backup, he'd have protected you. You're raising the next Jethro Dionisio. And that's the God's honest, lightning fast truth.
 
Thanks for sharing the story, threegun. Good job on trusting your instincts and getting out of there. Your son learned a valuable lesson too.

Don't let Monday morning quarterbacks like eltorrente get you down. You were there, they weren't. You did right for yourself and your son.

-Dave
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Yes I totally agree. In situations like that you have to trust the dangerous signals that you are perceiving and act to avert a bad situation before it happens or to escape. And not to make more out of that situation than it was, but apropos dangerous situations: I will posit that our brains are pretty good at picking up a dangerous situation, it is just that we often suppress these messages or choose to ignore them. That is when we flirt with potential disaster. If you want to read about the neurophysiology and psychology of survival situations read the book "Deep Survival". In a nut shell most people can recognize danger signals, but what separates survivors vs the dead is the willingness to act decisively and promptly. The dead choose to ignore danger and often convince themselves that it is probably nothing, or decide that not acting is more socially decorous if you will (they don't want to cause a fuss). If you see danger signals better to act to investigate and/or remove yourself from the situation IMMEDIATELY than be sorry that you didn't do this later when it is too late. This is exactly what you did and I say it was a good call. When I was a teenager I was messing with my bike in a river bed, and after a ride-by by some hoodlum looking types I decided to stay put and continue messing with my bike instead of following my instinct and egress from the area. Well that ride by was recon, and they came back in a few minutes to jump me. They beat my a$$ good and took the bike. Lesson learned. Keep your radar on, recognize threats, and act appropriately..that's exactly what you did and good for you, and good lesson you taught your son, he's lucky to have a pops like you.
 
SoVT, Thanks for the kind words. My son also thinks he's lucky to have a dad like me. Only his reasoning is probably his Browning HP, Px4 Storm, and Bushmaster superlite LOL. I'm the best dad ever....every trip to the range or new gun.

In fact we are going to the range in a few hours. I gotta work (RO) and my boys are gonna shoot.


Micrgunner, Chuckie can't miss with the Browning HP. We ran reduced speed double taps Monday on two different targets and he was amazing. I have no doubt that he could protect mama and brother from goblins.

Hemicuda, I don't put the chain on to "fish". I never take it off. You are correct though I did/do feel that it attracts attention both good and bad. I would have left the fishing area with or without the chain however. Things smelled real bad and I'm not gonna chance it.

JoeBlackSpade, I am Hispanic and the neighborhood was black. I think I blend better than a white boy would. Having grow up on the out skirts of a ghetto I am familiar with bad people. Heck working at a pawnshop and dealing with poor people has taught me alot. I often sell guns to folks who have been assaulted or robbed. I always ask when, where, why, and how. Most people knew it was coming and simply had no way to stop it.

A general thanks to everyone who posted. I hope my experience helps others. I strongly feel that it will someday help my boy.
 
Remember, in situations where you're unexpectedly approached, always watch the hands no matter how broadly they're smiling at you.
 
What is the purpose of wearing 3000 dollar necklaces fishing?
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Where I grew up, when I grew up, necklaces were absolutely a woman's jewelry item, with zero exceptions. Imagine my shock when I moved! It would be like an Amish man seeing a kilt on a man for the first time! I've never overcome it, much like many WWII-era men never overcame seeing men with long hair. I'm more libertarian, so I don't care how you dress or spend your money, but it sure is strange to hear!

Anyway, good job with your boy, and glad to hear you're safe.
 
It's almost impossible to convey in writing all the information you can get and process from the way someone looks at you. You should keep this in mind when you post such a story; some people are going to assume that they know a lot more about the situation than they do, because when you say someone was staring at you, they're going to picture someone looking at them.

If you were that worried, I doubt it was quite that simple.
 
Don, I have trouble explaining things already. You are dead on though it is tough to explain. I can tell you that when that one guy stopped looked around then looked back at us before continuing walking away that was it for me. It was the classic look around to see if anyone was coming type move.

Funny thing though. I explained to my dad what had happened. He said that I was FOS and paranoid. When I showed him in person how the guy did it he said oh crap.

You are correct that you had to be there.
 
Why should anyone have to explain themselves as to why they own any legal item? The insinuation that he's in the wrong because he owns something valuable is outrageous.
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Agreed! I don't take off my Tissot Ballade (watch), my gold ship's wheel necklace or my 3 diamond wedding band, but then again you don't find me in such places if I can help it.
 
own what you want (legally), fish what you want (legally), and be smart enough to keep you and your son safe (legally)....see a theme here?... Good Job, many tough guys would be in a jam today for not making such a wise decision. In addition, you helped teach your son some situational awareness, which may save his skin someday!!!
 
Threegun, I'm as street savvy as the next guy, but I'd take off my $6,000.00 Mr. T necklace if I was going to the ghetto. Of course, I don't HAVE a $6000 necklace, but if I did, I wouldn't walk out to Liberty City in a tank top. I'd end up like Rodney King.


There's a reason why there are 5-ton steel doors on the vault at the bank. If a thief/thug sees wealth or value, he gets this peculiar twinkle in his eyes, that means something bad's gonna happen.

Sounds to me like you handled yourself admirably. Your son won't forget that lesson.

Still, does that chain give you a neck-ache?

mr-t-mom.png
 
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