Date:         Sun, 28 Jan 2007 12:33:31 -0800
Reply-To:     Jeffrey Vickers <jeff@VICKERSDESIGN.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeffrey Vickers <jeff@VICKERSDESIGN.COM>
Subject:      Guns and travel in the US
In-Reply-To:  <20070127222059.021464B0C30@vickersdesign.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed

In all my 49 years as a US citizen, I've had a gun pointed at me
twice---once on a bus in San Francisco in 1977 and once in a motel
parking lot in La Paz, Baja Mexico by Mexican Narcotics agents. Turns
out that while I was taking pics of the motel for posterity, I was
also taking pics of their unmarked narco ride and since they wanted
the film in my camera and I didn't speak Spanish, there was a
disagreement and the guns came out. Whoops!

Anyway, as far as planning a trip through the US and not getting
shot, I would say that there is blind luck (good and bad) and there
is planning. Stay out of the bad parts of towns and you will avoid
95% of violent crime. That said, you can get lost and breakdown
somewhere where you may not be welcomed.  Those places usually have
lots of cops around so do not hesitate to call them and maybe they'll
roll by and check on you. Make sure your AAA membership has not lapsed!

I would be more concerned about crimes of opportunity like break in
and theft. Again, bigger towns and cities have more of both so I
would avoid them when possible.

People in Europe ask me about traveling in the US and the danger
involved. 99% come back from a trip here and laugh about how worried
they were because they were treated really well when they traveled
here. It pays to be aware of your surroundings. Keep you van running
well so you can pick the places to stop---not the van.

"Travel-Related Dumb Luck" is also a marvelous thing---I was
hitchhiking out of New York City in the late 70's (my 1st visit
there) and a cab driver swerved from three lanes over to stop in the
middle of a split in the freeway to pick me up. I ran over to the cab
and the driver is shouting, "Get in! get in!" and I am yelling, "I
don't have any money! I don't want a cab!" He yells one more time and
I jump in. I thank him profusely for picking me up and mention once
more that I didn't have any money for a cab ride and he tells me that
he didn't want any money---he just wanted to get me out of there.

"What do you mean?" I asked.
"This is your first time in New York, isn't it? he asks.
"As a matter of fact, yes it is. Why do you ask?" I said.
"Because you were hitchiking in Harlem" he says.

Jeff / 87 Syncro Westy



On Jan 27, 2007, at 2:11 PM, Automatic digest processor wrote:

> Date:    Sat, 27 Jan 2007 14:10:38 -0800
> From:    Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
> Subject: Re: Re was Alarm system,
>          was Bus story - using a gun??? Now this gun stuff worries
> me; VC,
>          honest
>
> So don't go to D.C. : )
> IIRC it was more than 15 years between the incident I related and
> the last
> time before that in which someone was being unsafe with a gun in my
> presence
> (not counting the Navy). I live in what is technically Southern
> California... ok, I just remembered about 8 years ago I saw some
> cholo type
> adjusting his piece in his pants in front of the Federal Building in
> downtown L.A. but that's about it. I haven't been shot yet. There's
> a bunch
> of other people on the list that live in or close to some serious
> crime
> areas and there still here... tho Sam hasn't posted in a while. Hmmm.
> Seriously, use common sense and you should be fine- but that should go
> without saying, eh? hehe
>
> Cya,
> Robert