When Fishing/hiking, Do You Carry A Handgun?

[Flyflinger]

"And rarely does concealed carry save anyone's life. So it's basically a wash..."

That's silly....I have read about, heard about and dissected many a statistic....and it is the opposite of what you think.

[ozark trout fisher]

Ok. Not interested in going further with this.

[rayfromcrane]

Jack I still have my ford escort and I know what you mean. The bad thing for me is if some one called me every thing in the book and I WAS CARRING I WOULD JUST HAVE TO WALK AWAY. They just better hope I didnt have any eggs .Jack was that NE MO? I have been places when I have looked around got in car and left. Not Wild Bill dont want to be. take care rfc

[Flyflinger]

Ok. Not interested in going further with this.

Then don't post stupid comments.

[ozark trout fisher]

Alright then...

[ness]

OTF -- don't let him scare you off. Sure, he's got a short fuse and a CCW permit, but we all enjoy your 'stupid comments'

[Flyflinger]

OTF -- don't let him scare you off. Sure, he's got a short fuse and a CCW permit, be we all enjoy your 'stupid comments'

Ah Ness....I guess it's you have to be either a fence sitter or oppose CCW in order to make smart butt remarks? Is that right. You people crack me up. You make statements like "Well...It really is a personal decision...and to each their own. But, guns really don't save lives." Why don't you just say "It's a personal decision but I'm still going to add my dumb butt assumptions here to make me feel good."

Really.

Short fuse? Funny...I watched this thread for quite awhile before jumping in to the disinformation pool spewing from people like you.

[rayfromcrane]

OTF dont pay any mind to ness he is from ks. Ness be fore you come back at me are finding many birds? There has not been many in sw mo. OK go for it. rfc

[tanvat]

In countless floats and hikes in Missouri and Arkansas and about three weeks worth of backcountry trips in Colorado and Northwest Wyoming I have never, not once, had any experience in which carrying a gun would have made me safer. Sure, it could happen, but it is so, so very unlikely that the focus - obsession? - with carrying a gun for protection while outdoors seems to blunt consideration of reasonable precautions to avoid trouble in the first instance in favor of thinking over and over about how the shootout will go down.

There have been two times when I"ve had an uncomfortable encounter with another person outdoors, courtesy of the same person - perhaps a poster on this board. The first time, my wife and I were backpacking on Bell Mountain in the winter; there are steps and crashing about and then the cedars part and this guy named "Jeff" - who said he was from the St. Louis area - stumbled into our camp in the dead of night, made some small talk, and made a special point to note that he was carrying just in case ... uh, OK dude, didn't ask, so what was the point of that; after all you were the one who barged into the side of our tent.... Then, the following summer, I run into the same guy on the Current above Parker's Ford a ways - perfectly nice guy and I recall pleasant chit chat about the fishing, nice day, etc., then, just like on Bell Mtn., he pulls his fishing vest open to reveal his chest holster w/ some gargantuan handgun and, once again, went out of his way to tell me how he liked to carry it just in case. Again, I didn't ask and topic of guns never arose and conversation, to that point, was perfectly pleasant. The need to display the weapon was just odd and I can think of no other reason than that he wanted to make sure he was the Big Man on the River. Very odd IMO. Of course, that is one person, but it seems that if half the mental effort re CCW went into situational awareness when outdoors, appropriate precautions, and simply avoiding/defusing confrontation, then all involved would be a lot safer.

[Flyflinger]

In countless floats and hikes in Missouri and Arkansas and about three weeks worth of backcountry trips in Colorado and Northwest Wyoming I have never, not once, had any experience in which carrying a gun would have made me safer. Sure, it could happen, but it is so, so very unlikely that the focus - obsession? - with carrying a gun for protection while outdoors seems to blunt consideration of reasonable precautions to avoid trouble in the first instance in favor of thinking over and over about how the shootout will go down.

There have been two times when I"ve had an uncomfortable encounter with another person outdoors, courtesy of the same person - perhaps a poster on this board. The first time, my wife and I were backpacking on Bell Mountain in the winter; there are steps and crashing about and then the cedars part and this guy named "Jeff" - who said he was from the St. Louis area - stumbled into our camp in the dead of night, made some small talk, and made a special point to note that he was carrying just in case ... uh, OK dude, didn't ask, so what was the point of that; after all you were the one who barged into the side of our tent.... Then, the following summer, I run into the same guy on the Current above Parker's Ford a ways - perfectly nice guy and I recall pleasant chit chat about the fishing, nice day, etc., then, just like on Bell Mtn., he pulls his fishing vest open to reveal his chest holster w/ some gargantuan handgun and, once again, went out of his way to tell me how he liked to carry it just in case. Again, I didn't ask and topic of guns never arose and conversation, to that point, was perfectly pleasant. The need to display the weapon was just odd and I can think of no other reason than that he wanted to make sure he was the Big Man on the River. Very odd IMO. Of course, that is one person, but it seems that if half the mental effort re CCW went into situational awareness when outdoors, appropriate precautions, and simply avoiding/defusing confrontation, then all involved would be a lot safer.

I agree...I do not understand why someone would "show off" the fact that he/she is carrying a firearm. Strange. Just a little bit stranger than your assumptions that you can avoid any and all confrontations by having "situation" awareness.