Are you always armed?

[wyntrout]

Hey! Now you're talking about one of my "investments". I invest hundreds of dollars a month... sometimes a week. I'm probably getting close to EVEN. I played the lottery here and there... California in '86 while going through re-qualification in the B52, after 3 years out of SAC... in a "sleepy" little Command Post next to France, almost... Zweibrücken Air Base... West Germany, at the time.

I then got stationed at Loring AFB in Northern Maine '86 to '88 when I retired... not my choice but at least I could retire after 20 years. I hit 5 out of 6 on their TRI-STATE LOTTERY(ME, NH, & VT) and won a whopping $500... small population and small pots!

My wife still had another 8 years, at least, until retirement in '96. SHE didn't HAVE to retire, but tired of that posting and the B.S., so she quit at 20 years. That was Brooks AFB in Sn Antonio. I, of course, played the Lottery there. I don't remember any remarkable winnings there... other than a FAX machine from a business store that I sold for $225. I HAVE had my bit of luck... the greatest being my wife.

I've always gotten 10 to 20% back... about 80% losses. So I usually can count on 90% losses!

Then there was Florida. I played here... April '97 to December '01 when I hit 5 out of 5 on the Fantasy 5 for half of the nearly $220,000! I was up all night after the drawing 'cause back then, they didn't give results until the office opened the next morning around 10 AM. I was going over all of the data online trying to see how many people usually won and what the usual prizes were. I was excited. I told my wife and we did some hugging and celebrating and then she went to sleep.

We did have savings then... my IRA in stocks, but we owed about $20K each for my 21'+ Walk-around cabin boat and her 6-month 0ld Volvo S40 car, and about that much total on two credit cards... about $60K all together, and after netting about $80K we had money left over which I used pretty wisely for the house and a little help to my ex with my grown daughter's expenses.
Anyhow, within 30 days I hit 5 out of 6 on the state Lottery for a low pot of $3880 plus my "wheeling" winners for a total of $4,299, and thought I had something going with my strategy of play... wheeling numbers with matrices. Almost 10 years later, I haven't done any better than $800 or so and that was a LONG time ago. I still play and I'm hoping, but I know the odds are against me... BUT, I DID have more than my share of luck... one of those miniscule statistics, so I know STUFF HAPPENS... and most of the time it ain't good!

We haven't suffered because of my gambling... no late bills or doing without, too much, but I wouldn't advise anyone to "invest" in lotteries. I'm the exception because I did beat the odds for a brief period.

While active military I went to Sea Survival several times... in Japan in '67 while enlisted and later at Homestead in Florida... just before the movie JAWS came out Summer of '74. Thank God! We had to put black socks over our sneakers for some training in a river so the barracuda wouldn't attack our feet(brackish water connected to the bay), but we para-sailed off a fast boat setup with a platform and a winch with 700+ feet of rope out in Biscayne Bay. The water was clear and the sun made kind of a chicken wire pattern in the water or on the bottom. We could see pretty well and didn't notice any BIG fish... like I said, before JAWS that Summer of '74, and we were busy practicing our water-entry procedures, otherwise, I would have been scared $#!+less!

What I'm getting to... long-winded as usual, is that we live near the beach and I was trying to body-surf and swim in the ocean. Then we noticed all of the SHARK attacks... and more commonly... the shark BITES... where sharks are confused in the swirling sand of the surf and ACCIDENTALLY bite people... mistaking them for their smaller fish... food. Or the people on surfboards or body board/rafts that make them look like the favorite food of sharks... seals! Well, I had never heard of so much shark activity in the States! Several times a week people were getting bitten, though rarely fatally... though THAT DID HAPPEN a time or two since we've been here... April '97.

My wife and I adopted a policy of not going into the water deeper than we could see... usually ankle or calf deep. I know it's a rare thing... but... have you ever seen the aerial shot of the shark migrations... sometimes within yards of people in the water!! Many, many sharks, and this is going on a lot of the time! We don't get too wet at the beach and just watch the others and everything else at the beach. We're content to stay away from being shark... or barracuda, snacks. Yeah, the odds are against that, too, but I think we're plenty happy without the risk of being fish snacks. Oh, I do legally carry my EDC in this State park... Huguenot Beach.

Well, that was where I was going... somehow it seemed appropriate to the discussion. Hell, I don't know. I just get carried away easily... Rambling Wind, er, Wynn.

Anyhow, there are risks and there are RISKS. I try to keep the life and limb ones to a minimum.

Again, JMHO.

Wynn:blah;

[LaP]

wyntrout: I'm not scared of the sharks.... it's the jelly fish that always get me and my family. Even at ankle depth, those slimely little suckers can still reach out & put a nasty sting on you. Sometimes, you don't even know they hit you...then you get on shore and your legs/back/stomach are on fire!!!
Did I mention that I hate them SOBs?

[wyntrout]

Yeah, those are seasonal, but I've never seen or stepped on any remnants of the Portuguese Man 'o wars, but I've seen PLENTY of jelly fish... late August or September when they do their reproductive thing... mainly the basketball-looking things. I've seen the dolphins tossing those around like basketballs... neat!

That's another good reason to stay out of the water... when those things are in "season". Back in '84 my kids got into something... possibly part of a Man 'o war. My son had a minor brush, but my daughter... about 9 then, had a tentacle drape across her instep and it was like a fiery brand... immediately! A lifeguard had tenderizer or something to put on the affected area. That helped pretty quickly, but it hurt me to see her in so much pain!

Wynn

[LuckyGunner]

I always have my carry pistol within arms reach. I have a handful of small single and double pistol safes in all the places I spend most of my time.

I rarely leave the house without at least a LCP on me.

[cgo99]

Never fear, where there's an obsession there's always a way......just pulled the trigger on this baby from Davidson's......

M-

Well played, good for you. Congrats.

[tv_racin_fan]

Do you buy MOTORCYCLE insurance when going out on a boat? Why carry a gun in a totally known safe area?

Introduce me to this totally safe area, I need to move there...

COMMON SENSE is staying out of known problem areas, COMMON SENSE is steering clear of confrontation and trusting your instincts. COMMON SENSE is walking on other side of street when you see a situation that may not look good.
There is a big difference from downtown PHOENIX, HOUSTON, ATLANTA and BLOOMINGTON Minnesota. The first 3 I would want to be armed, the last one you can even walk at night [staying alert helps no matter where you are aka COMMON SENSE].
Another thing that makes me chuckle is posts that say you need to carry multiple spare magazines with like 30 or so extra rounds! Holy cow! After about 3 rounds are fired in MOST areas you will be swarmed by LEO's [not all....MOST]. :59:

I don't need to carry at all I do however choose to. I may or may not be armed while in the house or in my own yard but I pretty dern well am armed if I get into the car even if I am going some place I am not allowed to carry (it can stay in the car for a short time or someone else can carry it while I am not allowed to).

[Barth]

I don't need to carry at all I do however choose to. I may or may not be armed while in the house or in my own yard but I pretty dern well am armed if I get into the car even if I am going some place I am not allowed to carry (it can stay in the car for a short time or someone else can carry it while I am not allowed to).

Many employers used to ban employees having guns in their cars on Company property.
No more. Florida continues to understand and support concealed carry. Say what you want about the Deep South - we love our freedom!

[Rainman48314]

stats say otherwise

Do you buy MOTORCYCLE insurance when going out on a boat? Why carry a gun in a totally known safe area? COMMON SENSE is staying out of known problem areas, COMMON SENSE is steering clear of confrontation and trusting your instincts. COMMON SENSE is walking on other side of street when you see a situation that may not look good.
There is a big difference from downtown PHOENIX, HOUSTON, ATLANTA and BLOOMINGTON Minnesota. The first 3 I would want to be armed, the last one you can even walk at night [staying alert helps no matter where you are aka COMMON SENSE].
Another thing that makes me chuckle is posts that say you need to carry multiple spare magazines with like 30 or so extra rounds! Holy cow! After about 3 rounds are fired in MOST areas you will be swarmed by LEO's [not all....MOST]. :59:

http://gis.logis.org/Bloomington/PIMAWeb/PIMAWeb.aspx

This is the city's web tool for analyzing crime by type. It's a map where push pins pop up. It's only the last 90 days worth of crime. Check it out by selecting categories on the left (check boxes one after another).

[Michael W.]

Do you buy MOTORCYCLE insurance when going out on a boat? Why carry a gun in a totally known safe area? COMMON SENSE is staying out of known problem areas, COMMON SENSE is steering clear of confrontation and trusting your instincts. COMMON SENSE is walking on other side of street when you see a situation that may not look good.
There is a big difference from downtown PHOENIX, HOUSTON, ATLANTA and BLOOMINGTON Minnesota. The first 3 I would want to be armed, the last one you can even walk at night [staying alert helps no matter where you are aka COMMON SENSE].
Another thing that makes me chuckle is posts that say you need to carry multiple spare magazines with like 30 or so extra rounds! Holy cow! After about 3 rounds are fired in MOST areas you will be swarmed by LEO's [not all....MOST]. :59:

I really have no dog in this fight. Carry, don't carry, that's up to you.
Thank God we live in a country where we have the right (in most states)
to do that. If you feel safe living in Bloomington then more power to you.
Glad that you can exercise to not carry.

For me, however, carrying is more than simply strapping on a piece of
hardware and feeling bad ass. It's more like a state of mind, or even a
world view if you want to get philosophical. It's about being prepared
and being self reliant. I carry a reload when I carry single stack Kahrs,
I don't when I carry a Glock. That's just me. I think what some folks take
exception to is the ridicule in your tone about what we choose to carry
and the implication that we either lack or are not applying COMMON
SENSE. (emphasis yours). I think that I speak for most of us here that
subscribe to the tenant, "If you're going to carry at all, then carry always"
(paraphrase) and the heart if this thread is discussing this mindset. I
respect your decision to carry selectively although I don't agree with it
If someone were to ask me whether I think it was a good idea to
carry a gun once in a while, I would probably tell them to instead get
a collapsible baton and get some lessons. That way they are less
likely to have an AD during the "once in a while" that they do decide
to carry.

And just a couple of facts......




I bet those citizens of Bloomington, MN represented on these two charts
aren't exactly feeling very "safe" today.

Michael-

[Rainman48314]

I really have no dog in this fight. Carry, don't carry, that's up to you.
Thank God we live in a country where we have the right (in most states)
to do that. If you feel safe living in Bloomington then more power to you.
Glad that you can exercise to not carry.

For me, however, carrying is more than simply strapping on a piece of
hardware and feeling bad ass. It's more like a state of mind, or even a
world view if you want to get philosophical. It's about being prepared
and being self reliant. I carry a reload when I carry single stack Kahrs,
I don't when I carry a Glock. That's just me. I think what some folks take
exception to is the ridicule in your tone about what we choose to carry
and the implication that we either lack or are not applying COMMON
SENSE. (emphasis yours). I think that I speak for most of us here that
subscribe to the tenant, "If you're going to carry at all, then carry always"
(paraphrase) and the heart if this thread is discussing this mindset. I
respect your decision to carry selectively although I don't agree with it
If someone were to ask me whether I think it was a good idea to
carry a gun once in a while, I would probably tell them to instead get
a collapsible baton and get some lessons. That way they are less
likely to have an AD during the "once in a while" that they do decide
to carry.

And just a couple of facts......




I bet those citizens of Bloomington, MN represented on these two charts
aren't exactly feeling very "safe" today.

Michael-

Great response. I agree to disagree as well. These graphics are from the link I posted. Those are crimes in just the last 90 days.

[earle8888]

Good responce

[dademoss]

The last time I felt relieved to have a firearm was in one of the safest places I can imagine, my own back yard.

We were having an AC and furnace installed, so the gate to the backyard was open so the installer could carry stuff to the basement.

He was hooking up the condensor, and I was fishing leaves out of my pond. I had my back to the gate, when I heard "OH #$!@, a pit bull!". When I turned, a rather large brown pit was standing in the gate.

I yelled and tossed the rake, which made the dog leave, but I was glad to know there was a CW9 tucked inside my waistband, in case the dog decided we looked like a snack.

[BuckeyeBlast]

Yesterday, on a street less than a mile from my work, in a quiet neighborhood, low crime rate, suburb neighborhood, a guy went crazy, killed his girlfriends family, then went into the neighbor's home and killed them, as well as chased some people down the street. All-in-all, 8 killed including an 11 yr old shot in the back as he was fleeing, plus one still fighting for her life in the hospital. Want to know why I carry at home? Because I love my family and have an obligation to protect them. My fists can only do so much against an armed attacker. Call me paranoid or call me crazy for taking responsibility to ensure that I do everything I can to ensure the safety of my wife and our sons.

And for the record, in the story I mentioned above, the police are reported to have been on scene in less than 3 minutes. They were on scene when the guy was exiting the neighbors home, still shooting. The shooter had no prior criminal record. Still people died while they were in the 'safety' of their homes, on a Sunday morning, quiet day w/ sunshine and a church nearby. People never expect it to happen to them, only now this fine family is together in the morgue instead of their home.

[wyntrout]

I'll bet the STATISTICS for something like that happening were pretty high... against it happening. It really sucks when someone goes "crazy" like that and kills innocents. They should just take care of themselves instead of inflicting pain and misery on others.

Wynn

[BuckeyeBlast]

I'll bet the STATISTICS for something like that happening were pretty high... against it happening. It really sucks when someone goes "crazy" like that and kills innocents. They should just take care of themselves instead of inflicting pain and misery on others.

Wynn

Yes, the stats are very well against this happening. It's a nice community w/ a low crime rate, and an especially low violent crime rate. But, it sure sucks to be the family and friends of the deceased. At least the cops dropped his ass when they saw him, no trial to worry about, no insanity plea, etc. Gotta hand it to the police for this one.