I have a CC permit but dont feel the need to carry on the trail, I would however if I didn't have to carry it.
And how do you know that? That's pure speculation. Day hikers maybe, hunters definately, thru-hikers rarely if at all.Originally Posted by bfayer
If your hiking with a group and have a gun in your pack, sooner or later somebody is going to see it or your gonna show it off. Once that happens it will become common knowlage.
Besides all the legal issues of taking a gun across state lines, it's a huge responsability to carry. You have to ensure that gun is in your control at all times, which means it can never leave your side. Should it ever become lost or stolen and then used in a crime, your as guilty as the one who used it in my book.
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I hope people that carry guns don't take the responsibility too lightly, a person should know there are two things they must be prepared to do if they pull a gun on someone...be prepared to kill someome... and be prepared to die...same goes for pulling a knife.
Drybones speaks the truth.
I'm not really a hiker, I just play one on White Blaze.
To address the opinion part of the OP again: It is my opinion that the type of weapon likely to be carried on the AT is not an effective weapon for the possible reasonings of carrying such a weapon. Instead of a possible bluffing bear you will create a pissed off bear. It is also my opinion that a lightweight .380 is not enough for the 2 legged concerns. I am not opposed to conceal carry on the AT. I just think you need to evaluate all weights on your body while hiking and decide if the item is effective at the weight you are willing to carry or worth the weight in an effective size. On both counts, I think such an item fails the test.
Last edited by BirdBrain; 03-13-2013 at 10:49.
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. - Abraham Lincoln
I believe the basic answer is no you don't NEED a gun the chances of a situation arising in which you would need one are very low(seems to be the general consensus). I posted this in another thread and still feel it rings true. I think it is fine to come and ask how dangerous people feel the trail is or if they ever felt they could have used a weapon but the logistical/legality questions should be directed towards a more knowledgeable user base in my opinion.
I wanted to chime in about guns. I don't own a gun. I have fired a few different guns and been to a range twice I think we should be allowed to own guns but their should be reasonable law's in regards to ownership and carrying. NOW my main point is I see a lot of people talking/asking about carrying a gun on the trail, legality aside, you are an idiot if you CCW and tell people. For those of you who have question about carrying on the trail ask your question on a gun forum, talk to LE, or a lawyer(about legality). This is not the place and you should not be telling people you will encounter on the trail that you will be carrying.
That is all have a nice day.
I use to carry on the trail but now I dont. I could not find an easy way to carry concealed and was to worried about what to do with it once at camp. If you own a firearm legally and carry one normally then I have no issue with you on the trail. I find it interesting when people say that you dont "need" one.
That's why my wife wants me to carry the Public Defender. She doesn't understand that the bears are gonna turn around and run off.
I'm not really a hiker, I just play one on White Blaze.
I want to be careful I do not stray from the OP question. If his concern was to carry for that purpose, it is my "opinion" that that gun is suitable for that situation but, at 29oz before ammo, too heavy. It is prudent to plan for as much as you can, but it is my "opinion" that there are better choices. That would require thread drift, so I will refrain.
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. - Abraham Lincoln
if you feel the need to carry, then by all means carry
Yes there are people here who carry on the trail.
It is my opinion that one should carry, or not, based on their own experience, conscience, opinion, etc.
It is also my opinion that it would not be wise to disclose, either here or elsewhere, whether one carries
or not.
Who carries?.. is really no one else's business.
Last edited by aficion; 03-14-2013 at 21:45. Reason: spelling
Carrying is a person by person need, if that person thinks a gun makes them safe, they confused the trail, say for South Central LA, not the beauty and woods of the trail. Also, what if someone needed a piece of gear, as all hikers do for the most part share, a filter or maybe a snack as a payback, or some on the trail magic, they reach in root around, accidently now pulling said trigger, who is to blame then and there? Guns are a danger, both on and off trail, but its person by person, myself I wont say if I carry or not, it goes without saying its a private matter.
Yeah, by the time I get it out, the bear will have run away.
This may be an urban legend. I heard about a country lady with a .22 who had a bear charging her. She supposedly shot the ground in front of the bear and when the bear stopped and looked down, she shot him in the top of the brain. Otherwise the shot would have bounced off the thick skull.
I'm not really a hiker, I just play one on White Blaze.
I knew someone (a woman) who carried a pistol.
She was unusually cocky and provocative to men on several occasions when there was no need for it; trying to start something.
I think that some people who carry would just love to push someone enough that they were justified in pulling out the gun and using it "to protect themselves" from an "attacker" that they had just royally pissed off on purpose.
Consider the benefit vs the alternatives and at least I will find that other items carried outweigh the potential benefit of the weight of the handgun, and for me that not carrying that extra weight is a benefit to having a handgun.
YMMV
A gun is like a parachute, if you don't have one when you need one you'll never need one eagain.
More like adding an umbrella rider to your homeowners insurance:
1. Something that some responsible people may elect to do, but most don't
2. A personal choice
3. No one else's business
4. Never needed by the vast majority of those buying one
5. A decision driven by both reality and emotions
6. The cost (in the broad spence of the word) depends on where you live.
OPSEC
I can neither confirm nor deny ..........
"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it!"
"Not all those who wander are lost." JRR Toliken
This question relates to the national debate on gun control. In this forum as in our nation we have differing opinions on the need for a weapon, even for what type of weapon is needed or justifiable. To pose a question like this and expect a yes or no answer is somewhat naive.
Weapons are tools. Your boots, sleeping bag, cooking implements and everything else that you carry while hiking are tools. Some people require feed back from the community on each and every item that they carry. Some people decide and select their tools without any comment, recommendations or feed back from another.
Each and every person has a unique point of view that determines the choices they make. If a person decides that they need a particular type of tool. That is their choice. What type of tool or the usefulness of that tool will be demonstrated at sometime in the future.
My choice of sleeping bag, water container, fire maker, etc, is mine. As is the choice to have a weapon.
It would be a prudent action to assume that each and every person that you encounter on the trail has a weapon.
Any other assumption is putting yourself at a disadvantage.
I agree: A gun is just like a parachute. I have never carried a parachute while flying. I dare say the vast majority of people have never carried one too.
I am not picking on your analogy. It is a good one and I understand your point. However, it does illustrate my point of the decisions that must be made given the activity. I wish the OP would get back on here and define what opinions he is looking for. I maintain it boils done to a risk to reward to weight analysis. There are so many things I wish I could carry. I can't carry them all. There may be a few people who don't fly because they can't carry a parachute. I think most get over it by looking at the risk reward side of it and get on the plane.
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. - Abraham Lincoln
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