Nathaniel,

I've been driving since the mid '50s and have driven extensively in 49
of the 50 US states.  I've yet to see someone brandishing a gun while
driving.  Such thoughts just don't occur to me when starting out on a
trip.  But you know what they say, YMMV.

Mike

Nathaniel Poole wrote:
> 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
>