Handguns

[rvgrammy1953]

This has been a debate with the Sultan and me.....Both of us are "retired" hunters and are very familiar with rifles and guns.....and both of us are not afraid to use them when needed....our debate has been whether or not to have one in the RV..... anyway, up until this last year we didn't bring a weapon with us....but Ernie's been saying we should have some type of protection....so we now have one of my Dad's shotguns that he gave me before he passed away....Ernie wanted a hand-gun, but I don't like or trust them...but am comfortable with the shotgun.... This subject has been discussed on our military rvers forum and some interesting info I got there was that your rv is your home, hence your domicile...private property'......and you are protecting your private property....good enough reason for me ....an observation I made when the this subject comes up in conversation among RVers/campers is that most have some kind of protection, so you might be surprised how many of your campground neighbors are "packing"........As far as whether to have a handgun, rifle, shotgun with you....Ernie says that unless you are willing to point that barrel and pull the trigger at the invader's face or chest when you are attacked, don't get one....next best thing would be the wasp spray, mace, or bear spray....may not stop them, but would slow them down....

okay, my 2 cents and now I'm going back to my corner and be quiet again

[Redetotry]

To carry concealed you need a license and you can now go to a class in most any state pass a test and receive a license to carry concealed in any state that has a law allowing it. The license is issued out of Florida. I think there are less than 10 states that don't allow CC and Illinois is one. I agree take a class. In some states gun classes are offered to children as young as FIVE at some summer camps!!! A bit young if you ask me.

[retiredhappy]

You DO NOT need a permit to carry a gun in your RV or in your home. You only need a permit to carry if you are going to CARRY it with you in your purse or on your person. I don't really see a need to carry 99.9% of the time.

There is a difference between licensing (ie. registering your gun with authorities) and a CCW which allows you to "carry" a gun on your person. There is always a lot of confusion between "licensing" and "carrying".

[WickedLady]

I have had a permit since 1968 and I carry. In fact it is at my side most times when I go to town. If some of the people in the crowd had guns when that crazy in AZ started shooting perhaps a 9 yr old girl and 5 others would still be alive and perhaps 14 others would not have been injured. I am prepared to kill if necessary; I do not intend to be a helpless victim, whether in my home, my RV or on the street.

[Forestgal]

Wasp spray, huh? Guess I missed that conversation. Where do you buy it? Home Depot?

I guess I haven't worried about my personal safety. Ignorance is bliss ... until I get into a situation that's not very fun. I'd like to think that Jed would warn me if there was anyone trying to do anything and hearing a big dog's bark would deter someone. But if anything happened to him & I had a gun I'd just turn it on myself.

I can do wasp spray, though.

Laura

[Nasoosie]

So, if I am understanding this correctly, I do not need a license/permit to keep a loaded gun in my house, whether the house be on wheels or rooted? But I would need something special to carry one in my purse? I, too, am unclear about licensing and permitting language. At my northern home, I have many shotguns in my house, not loaded, but decided against bringing one with me in the trailer, as, first of all, they are huge and hard to store, and I don't think I would want to keep it loaded. I really like the idea of a handgun that I could keep 'handy' in the trailer, or even in this house. I also have a semi-automatic 22 rifle (with which I am a crack shot!) at my northern home. That is actually my own gun....the others are family guns, hunting shotguns, etc.

In the meantime, I did buy a can of wasp spray to carry in the trailer for the trip down here, and I guess I really should get one for this house in the 'city.' This neighborhood is a far cry from a city environment, but not far from a really large and crime-ridden (in many areas) city. At home in the north woods, I never had any concerns about crime or home invasion, or anything of the sort.

My son now has a type of large gauge BB pistol, which is semi-automatic, and can do some real damage at even long distances. I am assuming that at close up ranges, it could definitely be deadly. As far as he knows, no permit or anything is needed to buy one of those at any Walmart or place that sells them. They are rather quiet to shoot (an important factor for me with ultra-sensitive ears) and seem very easy to sight on a target. This is interesting to me, this entire discussion.

[VickieP]

Wasp spray, huh? Guess I missed that conversation. Where do you buy it? Home Depot?

I guess I haven't worried about my personal safety. Ignorance is bliss ... until I get into a situation that's not very fun. I'd like to think that Jed would warn me if there was anyone trying to do anything and hearing a big dog's bark would deter someone. But if anything happened to him & I had a gun I'd just turn it on myself.

I can do wasp spray, though.

Laura

Laura, I hope that this sentence just came out wrong and doesn't mean what I think it means! Please tell me I'm wrong!!

[mtngal]

I'm a fan of wasp spray too. Keep cans by my bed in both locations. At home I do have a couple guns, and while I haven't carried with me in my van yet, I'm leaning in that direction. Several women friends at home have actual 'carry' on your person permits, but I don't plan to do that.

One time I did jump out of bed in the middle of the night and had the gun loaded as I ran down the wall due to a HUGE crash in the front room; so I feel confident that I will react in the same way if ever faced with a similar situation. Oh, it was a big pic fell off the wall, landing on the fire place mantel.

(An interesting fact I heard on radio recently...Mexico has among the strictest gun laws in the world and only one store that sells guns; it's in Mexico City, sometimes has a six month wait. Go figure.)

[OutandAbout]

Laura, you can buy wasp spray at the hardware store or at the supermarket or drug store. It's very easy to find. Get a few cans and stash them in convenient places. Linda

[retiredhappy]

Yes Diana, I had heard Mexico had strict gun laws. As the saying goes, guns don't kill people, people kill people. There are several states where it is extremely difficult to buy a gun LEGALLY. The criminals, however, don't usually purchase guns legally, they steal them or buy them on the street from someone else who stole it. The main difference between states that have strict gun laws and states that don't, is that in the states where there are strict gun laws a criminal has to pay more to purchase a gun on the street.

[Birdie]

Regarding Mexico and their gun laws. Make sure you don't have a gun in your vehicle in Mexico and have it found by the authorities. Go directly to jail for a long time. There is a big problem with Americans taking guns to Mexico and selling them right now. Probably would not get the book thrown at you here in the US with a pickup full of rifles or handguns, but you just go to jail in Mexico.

I don't know about Canada, but somewhere I read that you cannot take them into Canada either. Don't know if they have dogs or just know all the places to look for them. Anyway, as I understand (but don't know) they just take them away from you in Canada.

[mitch5252]

Regarding Mexico and their gun laws. Make sure you don't have a gun in your vehicle in Mexico and have it found by the authorities. Go directly to jail for a long time. There is a big problem with Americans taking guns to Mexico and selling them right now. Probably would not get the book thrown at you here in the US with a pickup full of rifles or handguns, but you just go to jail in Mexico.

I don't know about Canada, but somewhere I read that you cannot take them into Canada either. Don't know if they have dogs or just know all the places to look for them. Anyway, as I understand (but don't know) they just take them away from you in Canada.

Canada + Americans + Guns = BIG NO-NO! I had to leave mine (gun) at home when I did the Glacier/Waterton trip with the girls! And mace and pepper spray are no-nos, too, from what I understood (2008). Only thing you could bring in "legally" was bear spray, which I did (and still have). It has to be clearly labeled as BEAR SPRAY. Guess if it would stop a bear, it's gonna stop a 160# meth-ed up crazy man...

..

[flick4411]

For those of you who do have handguns, would you mind sharing what you have? If you'd rather not post here, I understand, but would you consider sending me a PM instead? I'm really serious about getting a handgun, but I'd like to know what works for you women. Thank you!

[Pookie]

Ditto previous post

[VickieP]

I have a Lady Smith & Wesson 357 Revolver and a Springfield XD40 Caliber Sub Compact. Wouldn't leave home without them. Ronnie can't shoot pistols, so they're all mine. I'd suggest going to gun shows where there are tons and picking them up and feeling the weight and balance, how they fit your hand, etc. You can do that at a gun shop too, just not as many choices to put your actual hands on.