Date:         Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:42:50 -0800
Reply-To:     Nathaniel Poole <npoole@TELUS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Nathaniel Poole <npoole@TELUS.NET>
Subject:      Re was Alarm system,
              was Bus story - using a gun??? Now this gun stuff worries me; VC,
              honest
In-Reply-To:  <009401c7420c$fe2273e0$657ba8c0@MAIN>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

I have to admit that this is the kind of thing I hear about relatively
frequently, and it gives me pause. Our plans are to leave Vancouver, head
off to the maritimes, go south as far as we can, go across the southern US
and back up the west coast. I have spent a fair bit of time in Washington
state and Oregon, but that's about it. But we have a story up here, no doubt
partially myth, about Americans and their handguns, and frankly it has me
worried. I'm not gun-shy; I've hunted myself and grew up with several
hunting weapons around me. It's the apparent prevalence of people carrying
around weapons to maim/kill other people that makes me wonder if this trip
is such a good idea.

Now I'll be clear, I'm not dissing America; I've yet to meet an American I
didn't like and I love many aspects of the culture; it's just this gun thing
that has me concerned. I read something the other day that said more
Americans die by guns in DC in a year than all the soldiers that have died
in Iraq. Don't know if it's true.

Of course we have our own problems with violence in Canada, and guns are
becoming more of an issue, but it tends to involve immigrants rather than
privileged white mainstream folks like my family. Should this really be a
concern or is this just selective reporting in the media and too many cop
shows? Anyone else run into problems with folks waving guns in their faces
while traveling in the US? I've never run into it in any of my trips to the
US so far.

Nathaniel


On 1/27/07 4:16 AM, "Robert Fisher" <refisher@MCHSI.COM> wrote:

> I knew a guy that told me almost the same thing about Iowa, of all places.
> Claimed you could pop anybody you saw walking across your lower forty if
> they didn't have your permission- you only got in trouble if you missed. He
> was dead serious. I told him he might oughta look into that a little more
> after he moved there.
>
> I was at my Uncle's place in AZ when this ancient buddy of his drops by,
> drunk as a lord and wearing a belt and holster with a six-shooter that
> looked older than he was- I mean he looked like he'd wandered right in from
> the Old West, except he was probably just a kid when he started wanderin'.
> Had the hat, the vest, the bandanna, the whole get-up.
>
> His hand kept hovering near the butt of the gun, which was not strapped that
> I could see, and a couple of times he kind of caressed the holster. After a
> few minutes I told my Uncle that we were leaving. He asked why, and I told
> him what Yosemite Sam was doing and that I didn't feel like it was a good
> idea to let my two and four year olds run around and play while this old
> coot starting having flashbacks of his days in Tombstone. I told him if he
> actually grabbed the thing I was going to have to go over there and take it
> from him so maybe it would be better if we just split- even tho we were
> supposed to be there for dinner. He went over to the guy and basically said
> 'hey, we've got family over and were getting ready to eat, why don't you
> come back another time...' and the guy was cool with it. He got up, kind of
> swayed goodbye and stumbled out the gate and up the street. He actually
> seemed like a nice enough old drunk and I didn't want to put my Uncle on the
> spot, but I wasn't having that while my kids were there.
>
> Apparently this was pretty much the old guy's state of existence, drunk and
> wearing a gun. I was told later that it was legal in AZ to carry a gun in
> the open in that fashion, but it wasn't legal to be drunk while you were
> doing it- this guy was sort of a local fixture and he'd never hurt anybody
> so they left him alone. Just one of those things that reminds you that you
> aren't in Cali anymore- people wearing gun belts, driving motorcycles
> without helmets and smoking in restaurants.
>
> Cya,
> Robert
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Karl Mullendore" <groups@WESTYVENTURES.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Friday, January 26, 2007 9:09 PM
> Subject: Re: Alarm system, was Bus story - using a gun???
>
>
>> Actually, a friend just returned from Tanzania, he claims that you very
>> well
>> can shoot to kill anyone spotted stealing from you there. He also said
>> most
>> people are packin'. :-O