Security while Boondocking

[Glamper]

enough with the guns....I know I am in the minority but any recreational activity that requires me to carry firearms for protection, not for me.

[InterBlog]

(1) When seconds count, the police are minutes away. I had to chuckle at the "dial 911" advice. For those of us who really boondock, not only do we have no cell service in those areas, the nearest law enforcement is up to 90 minutes away, even if they dispatch at top speed.

(2) As for the "proportionate force" suggestion, well, of course common sense should prevail, but a lot of people seem to assume that a killer could be stopped by a slap on the wrist. That's utter nonsense. Fatally nonsensical.

(3) Has it ever happened - a version of it, yes, on my off-grid property but not when I myself was physically present. One of my off-grid neighbors (3 of us share a private road; the other two are electrical engineers) had rigged a tripwire that activated his battery-powered ham radio to let him know that our properties were being invaded. He also had rigged the most obnoxious battery-powered siren which literally could be heard for miles (which was a good thing, because everybody else was miles away). The invaders got so spooked when they encountered his unexpected tech that, while trying to escape, they crashed their stolen car in the ditch on MY land and then fled from there on foot - in the absolute middle of nowhere, where it's really difficult to get anywhere on foot. If I'd been present on that day, dollars to donuts they would have attempted to commandeer my van so that they could resume flight from law enforcement. At which point I would have had to defend both it and myself using whatever means necessary.

LOOK at this picture below - this is where ALL THAT ^^ went down. Do not ever make the mistake of assuming that remote locations are "safe". Criminals cruise remote areas *specifically because* they know that law enforcement is 90 minutes away from them. What better place to violate people unopposed?? Duh.

[InterBlog]

Two other points --

When my off-grid neighbors and I are on our respective properties at the same time, we've gotten into the habit of leaving our FRS radios turned on at all times, in case anyone needs anything. I've got the type that can charge off the van's DC system. Again, no cell service in the area. I can get weak unreliable signal using a weBoost in the van, but it's not enough to phone my next door neighbors with.

Also, regarding that warning sign posted above, I actually use something like that, but only in some jurisdictions. A firearm warning sign in greater Houston would be taken at face value and respected. However, other vanners have told me that, in some areas, such a sign could be interpreted as a gauntlet, and it would do more to encourage break-ins than to discourage them. Therefore, I only use it when I'm sure it would inspire a desirable response.

[ClassB4Me]

Originally Posted by Glamper

enough with the guns....I know I am in the minority but any recreational activity that requires me to carry firearms for protection, not for me.

Agree 100%

Americans Who Carry Concealed Weapons Keep Accidentally Shooting Themselves in Public Bathrooms
JOHN METCALFE SEP 17, 2014

[DUTCH in Atlanta]

Originally Posted by ClassB4Me

Agree 100%

Americans Who Carry Concealed Weapons Keep Accidentally Shooting Themselves in Public Bathrooms
JOHN METCALFE SEP 17, 2014

I've carried concealed for over 40 years; and have not yet accidentally shot myself or anyone else in a public bathroom or anywhere else for that matter!

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Glamper

enough with the guns....I know I am in the minority but any recreational activity that requires me to carry firearms for protection, not for me.

Good choice. No one uncomfortable around guns should carry one. Different for everyone and no one says you have to.

But having a plan to protect yourself, like maintaining situational awareness and considering the possibility a threat could (no necessarily will) happen, should be part of your planning.

I like this analogy. No one thinks their house is likely to catch on fire, but yet we carry home insurance and make an evacuation plan to protect our families just in case.
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[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by ClassB4Me

Agree 100%

Americans Who Carry Concealed Weapons Keep Accidentally Shooting Themselves in Public Bathrooms
JOHN METCALFE SEP 17, 2014

I call B.S. A firearm will not discharge itself by falling and striking the floor as mentioned early in the article. I stopped reading after that, and passed on rest the article.

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[RossWilliams]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

I call B.S. A firearm will not discharge itself by falling and striking the floor as mentioned early in the article. I stopped reading after that, and passed on rest the article.

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Depends on the firearm, how old it is and what condition it is in. Its not likely that a newer gun is going to discharge when dropped, but telling people it can't makes it more likely. It seems like every "fact" about firearms becomes a political statement.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by RossWilliams

It seems like every "fact" about firearms becomes a political statement.

To who? Maybe someone trying involve a moderator in a thread that is a discussion on being self aware should a threatening situation present itself? Certainly correcting factual errors is not considered political. If so, a quarter of this forum would be considered political.
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[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by RossWilliams

Depends on the firearm, how old it is and what condition it is in.

I don't recommend anyone carry an old Colt black powder six shooter.

Yes, those would be a problem.
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[ClassB4Me]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

I call B.S. A firearm will not discharge itself by falling and striking the floor as mentioned early in the article. I stopped reading after that, and passed on rest the article.

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Just curious.... Why are you so strongly doubtful?

Chase Bishop, 30, is facing a felony second-degree assault charge after the authorities said his gun went off while he was off-duty at a Denver club, injuring another patron.

July 2018 Story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdWfRIlYfjg

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by ClassB4Me

Just curious.... Why are you so strongly doubtful?

Because the firearm did not discharge when it fell. That was all I was pointing out.

If you watch the video, the idiot grabbed at it and pulled the trigger accidentally. Probably the same thing happened in the instances in the article you posted earlier.

p.s. - I was waiting for this video to come up.
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[DUTCH in Atlanta]

Originally Posted by ClassB4Me

Just curious.... Why are you so strongly doubtful?

It wasn't the drop that discharged it. He hit the darned Glock not so safe trigger safety and trigger when he went to pick it up.

[ClassB4Me]

Originally Posted by DUTCH in Atlanta

It wasn't the drop that discharged it. He hit the darned Glock not so safe trigger safety and trigger when he went to pick it up.

Second Officer Faces Charges For Weapon Discharge

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) – A police officer whose gun accidentally fired at a youth baseball tournament in Steamboat Springs last month is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday to face multiple criminal charges.

The bullet grazed King, but did not cause serious injuries and nobody else was hit.

King was cooperative and told officers he had a few sips of a mixed drink about half an hour before the gun fired. A Steamboat Springs police sergeant who arrived asked King, ”Would you go to work 30 or 40 minutes after you had a couple of sips of whiskey? That’s the thing that is running through my mind and is worrying me about this.”


My apologies for raising this issue but adding a gun to the mix of any activity increases the likelihood it will be used (intentionally or unintentionally) IMO...

[JakeyLee]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

I call B.S. A firearm will not discharge itself by falling and striking the floor as mentioned early in the article. I stopped reading after that, and passed on rest the article.

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Ha! I wish that were true. 25 years of law enforcement and counting here. The amount of people I've responded to who shot themselves is staggering … and yes, there are still some guns around that can "go off" when dropped from an elevation over a few feet. Though that's pretty rare these days. More common is the guy that doesn't know how to properly carry and draw his firearm. Lots of shots to the leg and hind quarters. Occasionally a femoral artery is hit. I'm very pro gun, BTW. An armed society is a polite society.

Back to the topic at hand. Folks uncomfortable with firearms should not carry them. However, having a plan can be exponentially more important. Lots of great tips here. Always think about escape routes. Concealment and cover can be very helpful, and often, your rig can be provide enough concealment and cover to get you out of a situation. If it doesn't, know where an impact device can be procured and in reach. I'm a fan of aluminum bats that kids use in little league. Heck, I've popped a large animal or three in my day. Sometime a just a quick jab to the nose of a wild 100 plus lb. dog does the trick. I don't think there's one right answer here. But thinking outside the box BEFORE something happens make all the difference in the world..

Okay.. now back to arguing about guns.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by JakeyLee

Okay.. now back to arguing about guns.

No please, let's not. It will only provide the Mods an excuse to shut down this otherwise helpful thread. I feel some others might welcome that, but I sincerely hope that does not happen.

Okay. . now back to discussion of how to handle uncertain personal security situations that might arise. And thanks for your service and input.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by ClassB4Me

My apologies for raising this issue but adding a gun to the mix of any activity increases the likelihood it will be used (intentionally or unintentionally) IMO...

Don't appologize. But please drop this hijack of a helpful thread.

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[ClassB4Me]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

Don't appologize. But please drop this hijack of a helpful thread.

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I was being gracious because it was clear you knew little about the topic and was giving you a way to save face. You hijacked the thread by speaking on a subject you know little about.

Sorry if I hurt your feelings - it was not my intent.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by ClassB4Me

I was being gracious because it was clear you knew little about the topic and was giving you a way to save face. You hijacked the thread by speaking on a subject you know little about.

Sorry if I hurt your feelings - it was not my intent.

Sure, whatever. Accuse others of what you are doing.
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[gregmchugh]

This discussion has turned out better than usual for this topic. These discussions on camping security usually degrade quickly into the two sides lobbing cannonballs back a forth with both sides making demeaning comments about the other side.

I can’t imagine how anyone with no prior preference for guns vs no guns could make a decision on which way to go from getting responses on the internet. There will always be two diametrically opposed viewpoints with each side justifying their preference with various claims based on their views of the topic.

I personally am in the no gun camp and have never felt in any danger without having a gun when camping anywhere but we tend to camp in state or federal campgrounds or away from people whenever possible and we are pretty careful when making overnight stops in populated areas to avoid areas that might be high crime locations.

Bear spray is the only defense we carry but we do have outside lights with some motion activated and some controlled from inside we can use if we find that there are people coming near at night. We also just bought a couple Larry Alert cameras that activate when motion is detected and can sound an alarm and notify your phone or tablet via Wi-Fi that motion has been detected. We will probably only use these on occasion when we feel the need for more security or when want to detect animals near us. We also carry a couple game cameras that we use on occasion to get shots of animals but they are standalone and don’t alert when activated.

We have never really found ourselves in a situation where we felt anything dangerous going on but several times we have decided to not camp somewhere when there were people around who seemed to be getting ready for a night of drinking or if we saw people who seemed to be something other than normal campers in the area. We just moved on to another location where we felt more secure.