View Full Version : Firearms on the Florida Trail
Shane! Come Back!
12-17-2007, 14:22
Okay, this is a hot topic on the AT so let's give it a whirl here. MOWGLI16, since you're a heavy poster on this topic on other threads, I'm looking forward to your input here. :D
Who recommends carrying and why? Is there a section of the FT where it's a must-have for personal protection?
Lone Wolf
12-17-2007, 14:25
i would carry on the FT. way to close to roads most of the time. although i would never wanna walk the FT. not very scenic
Shane! Come Back!
12-17-2007, 14:29
i would carry on the FT. way to close to roads most of the time. although i would never wanna walk the FT. not very scenic
We're both going to be censored into oblivion by MOWGLI16 :clap
Okay, this is a hot topic on the AT so let's give it a whirl here. MOWGLI16, since you're a heavy poster on this topic on other threads, I'm looking forward to your input here. :D
Who recommends carrying and why? Is there a section of the FT where it's a must-have for personal protection?
I'm hardly a "heavy poster" on the topic, unless you consider 235 pounds "heavy." :rolleyes:
My experiences on the Florida Trail aren't any different from my experiences on other trails. That is to say that a firearm is just dead weight and not necessary. YMMV
I would say that it is definitely necessary to wear blaze orange on the FT during general gun season - to protect yourself from the people with guns.
We're both going to be censored into oblivion by MOWGLI16 :clap
I actually take pride in the fact that I have only moderated one post in over a year. And that was this morning. I'm hardly a fan of censorship. Or trolling. ;)
Rifleman
12-17-2007, 15:09
I actually take pride in the fact that I have only moderated one post in over a year. And that was this morning. I'm hardly a fan of censorship. Or trolling. ;)
Jeez mowgli16, lighten up! Personal defense is a personal responsibility. A protection device (of any kind) is always useless weight, until you need it--desperately! Oh, and by the way. Just asking about the need for a peice of gear is not trolling. :-?
R.
Gray Blazer
12-17-2007, 15:10
i would carry on the FT. way to close to roads most of the time. although i would never wanna walk the FT. not very scenic
If you've seen one palmetto scrub, you've seen 'em all.
Jeez mowgli16, lighten up! Personal defense is a personal responsibility. A protection device (of any kind) is always useless weight, until you need it--desperately! Oh, and by the way. Just asking about the need for a peice of gear is not trolling. :-?
R.
You are welcome to your opinion Rifleman. Mine is based on first hand experience over thousands of miles.
If you've seen one palmetto scrub, you've seen 'em all.
While some areas along the FT can get a little monotonous, the variety of ecosystems on the FT rivals or surpasses those that you will find on the AT.
Shane! Come Back!
12-17-2007, 15:36
I actually take pride in the fact that I have only moderated one post in over a year. And that was this morning. I'm hardly a fan of censorship.
At 7:26 this morning, you posted a nastygram for me regarding my post (Notice to Those Thinking of Thru-hiking in 2008.) And you removed Terrapin’s post today at 9:52 on the thread, CDT Hiker Missing.
That makes T-W-O in one day, Pinocchio :rolleyes:
I wonder if you opine on behalf of American Hiking Society, or just yourself, when you sound gun-controllish? Or when someone (like me) corrects left-leaning historical disinformation? Being that AHS is a 501.c.3 nonprofit organization, and is prohibited from politicking under IRS rules, I'm going to play Taxpayer Moderator here and tell you to cool it. How does it feel to be on the receiving end of censorship? :D
Ramble~On
12-17-2007, 15:47
:-? From the sounds of it if some of you are carrying guns...I'd rather not be on the same trail as you.
At 7:26 this morning, you posted a nastygram for me regarding my post (Notice to Those Thinking of Thru-hiking in 2008.)
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=475337#post475337
That's a nastygram?
And you removed Terrapin’s post today at 9:52 on the thread, CDT Hiker Missing.
That makes T-W-O in one day, Pinocchio :rolleyes:
Yes. But moderating to me means editing or deleting a post, which I have done exactly one time. Ever. I suggest you take this up with the Administrators if you think I overstepped my authority.
I wonder if you opine on behalf of American Hiking Society, or just yourself, when you sound gun-controllish?
My opinions about guns and weapons are my own, based upon my own experiences. My father getting shot by a hunter in the NJ woods when I was a lad may have something to do with that. My friend having her home hit by gunfire might inform my opinions too. As has my thousands of miles on trails - hiking without a firearm without incident.
PS: I'm doing 90 miles on the FT next month. I'll be the guy wearing blaze orange without a gun.
I am a firm believer in my 2nd Amendment right to own and bear arms... (Ive received handguns as Christmas presents, wedding presents -dont ask, Birthday gifts and for no reason at all... its a family thing. However, I have never carried while on any trial, nor ever felt the need to.
Appalachian Tater
12-17-2007, 16:10
However, I have never carried while on any trial, nor ever felt the need to. Generally, only law enforcement officers can carry firearms in courthouses. You are fairly safe in a courthouse, but there have been some notable examples where people have been shot in courthouses, including a convict who escaped in Atlanta a few years ago and shot a judge among others.
taildragger
12-17-2007, 16:22
I am a firm believer in my 2nd Amendment right to own and bear arms... (Ive received handguns as Christmas presents, wedding presents -dont ask, Birthday gifts and for no reason at all... its a family thing. However, I have never carried while on any trial, nor ever felt the need to.
I agree with this. I think that the only time that I would carry a gun would be if I was camping in an area with a known con on the run, or maybe in griz country.
Actually, I'd be tempted to carry one on the west part of the Ouachita trail because of the type of people that can be found living in those woods (meth addicts / pot growers in SE Oklahoma are not uncommon to find).
OTOH I am getting a concealed permit so I can put a 1911 in my truck, that would have come in handy more than one time while out hunting with a bow (fargin coyotes stalking calves)
Generally, only law enforcement officers can carry firearms in courthouses. You are fairly safe in a courthouse, but there have been some notable examples where people have been shot in courthouses, including a convict who escaped in Atlanta a few years ago and shot a judge among others.
So its a typo... get over it.
Shane! Come Back!
12-17-2007, 16:40
I'm doing 90 miles on the FT next month. I'll be the guy . . . without a gun.
You (and your sister, is it? Sue Turner/Hammock Hanger?) will probably be safe despite that you are unarmed, but only cuz you're with a girl. For some strange reason, Florida criminals are attracted to male hikers but not females.
Firearms are a good thing to have in the Florida wilderness, because the "wilderness" is near drug-trafficking highways, or state prisons. Duh.
You (and your sister, is it? Sue Turner/Hammock Hanger?) will probably be safe despite that you are unarmed, but only cuz you're with a girl. For some strange reason, Florida criminals are attracted to male hikers but not females.
Firearms are a good thing to have in the Florida wilderness, because the "wilderness" is near drug-trafficking highways, or state prisons. Duh.
Sue is a friend, not a relative. And I ain't skeered - either way.
Shane! Come Back!
12-17-2007, 16:47
Generally, only law enforcement officers can carry firearms in courthouses. You are fairly safe in a courthouse, but there have been some notable examples where people have been shot in courthouses, including a convict who escaped in Atlanta a few years ago and shot a judge among others.
:clap Ha ha ha :clap
johnny quest
12-17-2007, 16:56
i grew up on blackwater bay. folks land borders eglin. done a lot of training at eglin. and im telling you, the locals can be very deliverance..ish. they might think you got a purty mouth.
i used to carry a little 410 snakecharmer...for the snakes. yeah. thats it, the snakes.
troglobil
12-17-2007, 16:58
:clap Ha ha ha :clap
I hope this is for the typo and not the judge being shot. GCPD should have popped a cap in that bastard when he gave himself up.
take-a-knee
12-17-2007, 17:01
Mowgli, I'm truly sorry to hear that your father was negligently shot, notice I didn't say accidentaly. If that is the source of your dislike for firearms, you should join the NRA and train to become a firearms instructor, you will learn the safe handling of handguns and long guns. They are dangerous but inert, they don't cause accidents, poorly trained people cause firearms accidents. I agree with you that most men have no actual need for a handgun on a trail, I would opine that the ladies should strongly consider doing so in some areas.
I agree with you that most men have no actual need for a handgun on a trail, I would opine that the ladies should strongly consider doing so in some areas.
Why? Again, I have never felt the need to carry on any trail so far... even here in Alabama, redneck central.
Mowgli, I'm truly sorry to hear that your father was negligently shot, notice I didn't say accidentaly. If that is the source of your dislike for firearms, you should join the NRA and train to become a firearms instructor, you will learn the safe handling of handguns and long guns. They are dangerous but inert, they don't cause accidents, poorly trained people cause firearms accidents. I agree with you that most men have no actual need for a handgun on a trail, I would opine that the ladies should strongly consider doing so in some areas.
Thanks. He was shot with an arrow. Not a bullet. Personally I have no interest in shooting or joining the NRA. I grew up (target) shooting a .22, but it doesn't do anything for me. I am an avid fisherman however.
Shane! Come Back!
12-17-2007, 17:38
i grew up on blackwater bay. folks land borders eglin. done a lot of training at eglin. and im telling you, the locals can be very deliverance..ish. they might think you got a purty mouth.
i used to carry a little 410 snakecharmer...for the snakes. yeah. thats it, the snakes.
Johnny knows. The western panhandle bears no resemblance to the Florida you’re thinking of, MOWGLI16. It’s referred to as L.A. – for Lower Alabama. Except in those weird hybridized places like Apalachicola, where the Quiche Eaters moved in & now sell lattes from their shoppes, instead of raw oysters. Don’t go talking that funny stuff about gun control or popping off little .22s in the real Florida or you’ll be sorry. No joke. This is the Shoot First State.
Instead of the sweet little walk with the girl guide, hike by your gunless self if you have a hair. Do it on the road walk between Bristol and Blountstown. Yeeeeehaw! This is what American Hiking is all about :banana
Jeez mowgli16, lighten up! Personal defense is a personal responsibility. A protection device (of any kind) is always useless weight, until you need it--desperately! Oh, and by the way. Just asking about the need for a peice of gear is not trolling. :-?
R.Asking someone specifically for his thoughts so they can jump on them is trolling. And let's be honest, very very few experienced backpackers carry guns, so it isn't like it's a hotly debated topic. You can carry one if you are so inclilned. Trying to convince the hiking community that they are necessary is a fool's errand.
People who feel a need to carry guns while hiking are much more in love with guns to have and hold, than with a need for a gun for defense. Some people feel safer if they have one, but that does not necesarily mean they are safer.
There are many things that could go wrong backpacking, and it is good to be prepared, but being personally attacked is extremely rare, and your efforts might be better spent preparing for something more likely to actually happen.
I have been in a few scary situations (not backpacking), some involving people who were threatening and some not. Most not. But the time I actually was attacked was when having a gun would only have gotten me in more trouble, and I wasn't really hurt. Using or even showing a gun could easily have gotten me killed.
It is simply a lot easier to get out of a threatening situation if you don't have a gun. A gun makes you feel empowered to "stick up for your rights" or whatever. Not having a powerful weapon makes you much more inclined to feel that discretion is the better part of valor.
Not having a gun makes it more likely you will camp out of sight of a road, for instance, or back down from an unexpected confrontation where you could get hurt, or avoid that "weird" hiker that gives out bad vibes.
You said, "Personal defense is a personal responsibility," and that is why you feed the need for a gun. For defense. To defend yourself, or more likely defend your "honor."
If you said, "Personal safety is a personal responsibility," then I would agree with you. But there is a whole lot more to being safe than defending yourself. Being safe by being aware and acting appropriately generally means you do not have to defend yourself because you have either avoided a situation, or defused it without pulling a trigger.
Carry a gun if you feel the need. Don't expect others who hike a lot to say, "Wow, good idea."
There is very little good that happens outside a bar after midnight, and there aren't many bad situations than can't be made worse by flourishing a gun.
johnny quest
12-17-2007, 17:58
good points and some invalid ones, frosty...
Trying to convince the hiking community that they are necessary is a fool's errand.
amen. your right there.
Some people feel safer if they have one, but that does not necesarily mean they are safer.......Using or even showing a gun could easily have gotten me killed.
if they know how to handle the gun they are a lot safer. hunters who shoot at things they havent positively identified and hikers who wave guns around are not trained. and those folks scare me. and you never SHOW a gun. the only reason to pull that bad boy out is to use it. if your not willing to shoot what you pull on you best not pull.
Not having a gun makes it more likely you will camp out of sight of a road, for instance, or back down from an unexpected confrontation where you could get hurt, or avoid that "weird" hiker that gives out bad vibes. having a gun wouldnt make me camp by a road or let my guard down. that is silly.
To defend yourself, or more likely defend your "honor." technically a woman can be raped without being physically hurt. doesnt mean damage isnt done. defending what you may call your "honor" can be pretty darn important. ask ned beatty's character. he wasnt hurt...physically.
Carry a gun if you feel the need. Don't expect others who hike a lot to say, "Wow, good idea."
your right. noones opinion will be changed here.
There is very little good that happens outside a bar after midnight, and there aren't many bad situations than can't be made worse by flourishing a gun. what does that have to do with things? who hikes to the bar???? are there bars on the trail?
Carry a gun if you feel the need. Don't expect others who hike a lot to say, "Wow, good idea."
Great advice Frosty.
My point still stands. The people who usually try and tell you that you need to carry a gun on the AT or some other trail are usually folks who haven't hiked the trail - but yet they have somehow convinced themselves that it is necessary. I have other things to worry about. Guns just aren't one of those things.
taildragger
12-17-2007, 19:06
There is very little good that happens outside a bar after midnight, and there aren't many bad situations than can't be made worse by flourishing a gun.
If someone is legitimately carrying a gun for self defense, then odds are you won't notice it. The whole point of a concealed weapon is for it to be concealed. I had a pistol in my truck from 16-19 and no one knew that it was in there, never wanted to tell anyone, never felt the need to tell anyone.
If I were to hike and carry with the intent of protecting myself from people would be to carry the pistol where it was hidden and in an area that I could quickly grab. It'd probably be something like a snub nosed .38, something with a heavy enough bullet to put down a human in a close range situation.
Rifleman
12-17-2007, 19:31
You are welcome to your opinion Rifleman. Mine is based on first hand experience over thousands of miles.
So is mine. Thanks for sharing.:sun
R.
Rifleman
12-17-2007, 19:51
Asking someone specifically for his thoughts so they can jump on them is trolling. And let's be honest, very very few experienced backpackers carry guns, so it isn't like it's a hotly debated topic. You can carry one if you are so inclilned. Trying to convince the hiking community that they are necessary is a fool's errand.
People who feel a need to carry guns while hiking are much more in love with guns to have and hold, than with a need for a gun for defense. Some people feel safer if they have one, but that does not necesarily mean they are safer.
There are many things that could go wrong backpacking, and it is good to be prepared, but being personally attacked is extremely rare, and your efforts might be better spent preparing for something more likely to actually happen.
I have been in a few scary situations (not backpacking), some involving people who were threatening and some not. Most not. But the time I actually was attacked was when having a gun would only have gotten me in more trouble, and I wasn't really hurt. Using or even showing a gun could easily have gotten me killed.
It is simply a lot easier to get out of a threatening situation if you don't have a gun. A gun makes you feel empowered to "stick up for your rights" or whatever. Not having a powerful weapon makes you much more inclined to feel that discretion is the better part of valor.
Not having a gun makes it more likely you will camp out of sight of a road, for instance, or back down from an unexpected confrontation where you could get hurt, or avoid that "weird" hiker that gives out bad vibes.
You said, "Personal defense is a personal responsibility," and that is why you feed the need for a gun. For defense. To defend yourself, or more likely defend your "honor."
If you said, "Personal safety is a personal responsibility," then I would agree with you. But there is a whole lot more to being safe than defending yourself. Being safe by being aware and acting appropriately generally means you do not have to defend yourself because you have either avoided a situation, or defused it without pulling a trigger.
Carry a gun if you feel the need. Don't expect others who hike a lot to say, "Wow, good idea."
There is very little good that happens outside a bar after midnight, and there aren't many bad situations than can't be made worse by flourishing a gun.
It was forseeable where this thread was going to go the moment it started. Some victims just want us all to join them and be victims also. Please take note I said "protection device" in my original post on this thread. An "arm" is not necessarily limited to a firearm. In the hands of someone experienced and psychologically prepared a firearm just happens to be extremely effective in stopping a felonius assault made by a criminally deranged backpacker (or otherwise). There was at least one young lady on the AT this past summer who ended her hike in Maine and probably wished she had had some sort of protection device so that she might have finished at Katahdin, happy and confident, rather than leaving the trail afraid and disillusioned.
SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS
R.
The Mechanical Man
12-17-2007, 19:51
No matter what trail you are hiking, if your packing heat, you are a ......."Lead Blazer"
HeHe :banana
There was at least one young lady on the AT this past summer who ended her hike in Maine and probably wished she had had some sort of protection device so that she might have finished at Katahdin, happy and confident, rather than leaving the trail afraid and disillusioned.
That's a heck of an assumption Sparky!
Lone Wolf
12-17-2007, 20:04
That's a heck of an assumption Sparky!
but probably an accurate one.
but probably an accurate one.
Maybe. Maybe not.
It was forseeable where this thread was going to go the moment it started. Some victims just want us all to join them and be victims also. Please take note I said "protection device" in my original post on this thread. An "arm" is not necessarily limited to a firearm. In the hands of someone experienced and psychologically prepared a firearm just happens to be extremely effective in stopping a felonius assault made by a criminally deranged backpacker (or otherwise). There was at least one young lady on the AT this past summer who ended her hike in Maine and probably wished she had had some sort of protection device so that she might have finished at Katahdin, happy and confident, rather than leaving the trail afraid and disillusioned.
SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS
R.Hey, if you want to carry a gun, do so. No one is stopping you. No one has asked you to do anything, or to not do anything. You and the original poster are free to carry guns, but apparently that isn't what you want. You want us to think you are smart for doing so. No one thinks you are smart, or brave, or manly, or anything else. Carry a gun if you want. Do it. Just stop trying to make us admire you.
As for the young lady, you don't know her, so stop speaking for her. Speak for yourself. Would you shoot someone who followed you and hung around your motel staring at your room?
In your fantasies, when someone annoys you, you pull out a gun and blow him away, and walk off to Katahdin, happy and confident, a hero. In real life, you have just killed someone because they were behaving oddly, and you will think about it in jail for a long time.
It isn't about what is right, it isn't about what is fair. It is how it is. And how it is is that it is stupid to carry a gun if you don't use it, and if you use it, your life will be forever changed for the worst. Sorry, but the simple fact is that except in movies and adolescent fantasies, for you as a citizen using a gun on another person is to change your life for the worse. There are other better ways to handle a situation. Sometimes it means swallowing your pride, usually it means backing down. Unless you are LEO, shooting people is an extremely bad idea, with much longer effects on you life than having to back down. No one wants to postpone a hike or flip to another section because of a stalker, but for most of us, killing someone is something we want less. In your ideas, that is being a victim, and I understand that better than you think. It is a choice we all have to make. My choice is that I am better off in the long run avoiding a stalker as happened to Birdlegs, even at the expense of my hike, than to shoot someone because I was afraid of him, and deal with the legal consequences of it. Your choice is your choice.
I served two tours with the 25th Inf in Viet-nam. I've fired weapons in anger and fear. I am not anti-gun. I am anti-stupid.
This thread started by asking for thoughts about using guns on the FT. My thought is that it is stupid.
Have a good hike.
taildragger
12-17-2007, 23:55
Sorry, but the simple fact is that except in movies and adolescent fantasies, for you as a citizen using a gun on another person is to change your life for the worse. There are other better ways to handle a situation. Sometimes it means swallowing your pride, usually it means backing down.
I'm gonna disagree here.
While I do believe that shooting someone is a last resort, sometimes you have to revert to last resorts. I had a neighbor whose house was broken into, when he went to check out was going on he was shot when the burglar saw him. He did have his pistol CONCEALED for when he went to check, he ended shooting and wounding the man that was coming after him (he hid upstairs behind a wall and when the man came looking for him, he shot him either 2 or 3 times in the legs). Arguably in his situation he might have died if not for his gun. He was the type of guy that would have gone to inspect the sound anyways, gun or no gun.
There was no chance to swallow his pride as you say it. He had to swallow his pride of not wanting to shoot someone, and he did so for his own sake. It did change him, but he knew that in that situation he did the right thing.
But you are right in that all confrontations should be avoided, pride swallowing and all. The only time that firing a weapon is practical is when all other resources have been exhausted and its a life or death situation, and the odds of that are few and far between, but they do still exist.
taildragger
12-17-2007, 23:58
And as for the woman (bird legs right?). I doubt that she would have been the person to consider carrying a gun, and I think that her leaving the trail was the right thing to do. If I had been in a similar situation and had a pistol on me, I still would have left the trail, no need to go tempting trouble when it can easily be avoided.
Rifleman
12-18-2007, 00:11
Hey, if you want to carry a gun, do so. No one is stopping you. No one has asked you to do anything, or to not do anything. You and the original poster are free to carry guns, but apparently that isn't what you want. You want us to think you are smart for doing so. No one thinks you are smart, or brave, or manly, or anything else. Carry a gun if you want. Do it. Just stop trying to make us admire you.
As for the young lady, you don't know her, so stop speaking for her. Speak for yourself. Would you shoot someone who followed you and hung around your motel staring at your room?
In your fantasies, when someone annoys you, you pull out a gun and blow him away, and walk off to Katahdin, happy and confident, a hero. In real life, you have just killed someone because they were behaving oddly, and you will think about it in jail for a long time.
It isn't about what is right, it isn't about what is fair. It is how it is. And how it is is that it is stupid to carry a gun if you don't use it, and if you use it, your life will be forever changed for the worst. Sorry, but the simple fact is that except in movies and adolescent fantasies, for you as a citizen using a gun on another person is to change your life for the worse. There are other better ways to handle a situation. Sometimes it means swallowing your pride, usually it means backing down. Unless you are LEO, shooting people is an extremely bad idea, with much longer effects on you life than having to back down. No one wants to postpone a hike or flip to another section because of a stalker, but for most of us, killing someone is something we want less. In your ideas, that is being a victim, and I understand that better than you think. It is a choice we all have to make. My choice is that I am better off in the long run avoiding a stalker as happened to Birdlegs, even at the expense of my hike, than to shoot someone because I was afraid of him, and deal with the legal consequences of it. Your choice is your choice.
I served two tours with the 25th Inf in Viet-nam. I've fired weapons in anger and fear. I am not anti-gun. I am anti-stupid.
This thread started by asking for thoughts about using guns on the FT. My thought is that it is stupid.
Have a good hike.
No one here asked for anyone else's admiration. The original poster asked a legitimate question and and individual purporting to be an authority attempted to be Socially Correct. Whether I carry a protection device or not, using it would be the last resort and in the gravest extreme. Until such time arose you nor anyone else would know--none of your business.
Is it stupid to carry a can of bear-strength pepper spray if you never use it? I know which side of the question I come down on.
As for the young lady, I read her fearful and disillusioned posts and thought it was a darn shame that an animal was allowed to terrorize her, but then some might say, oh well, HYOH.
I've never had fantasies about a scenario of which you write. I only know that in the gravest extreme I have made the conscious choice before hand to survive--whether that means going the other way double time from a threat or to be forced by someone to stand and deliver. All of us are accountable yet only some of us are responsible.
SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS
R.
The original poster asked a legitimate question and and individual purporting to be an authority attempted to be Socially Correct.
Actually, the original poster was being cute and was attempting to provoke me (as the moderator) into censoring him - because he was offended by my suggestion earlier in the day that he not inject politics into another thread in this forum. I hate to disappoint him by not responding in the desired manner, but that's the way it goes. ;)
And for the record, I don't see anyone "purporting to be an authority attempted to be Socially Correct" on this thread. Just people posting their feelings about this consistently polarizing issue.
Yup, troll and baiting thread by Shane! Go Away! . We've been through these gun arguments time and again.
OregonHiker
12-18-2007, 00:38
Actually, the original poster was being cute and was attempting to provoke me (as the moderator) into censoring him - because he was offended by my suggestion earlier in the day that he not inject politics into another thread in this forum. I hate to disappoint him by not responding in the desired manner, but that's the way it goes. ;)
And for the record, I don't see anyone "purporting to be an authority attempted to be Socially Correct" on this thread. Just people posting their feelings about this consistently polarizing issue.
I thought this was a closed thread?
If I close the thread, some people will say "I told you he's a control freak!" I'd hate to give them the satisfaction. Simply knowing that I can is enough for me. ;)
Shane! Come Back!
12-18-2007, 01:16
Actually, the original poster was being cute and was attempting to provoke me (as the moderator) into censoring him
You're a legend in your own mind, Jeff. Actually it was a last ditch effort to get a pulse on this comatose Fl Trail forum. But go ahead and shut ‘er down now, we’re tired of being moderated to death.
Ramble~On
12-18-2007, 01:17
Wow another thread about guns and trails....
So far it sounds like Florida is a horrible place where there are constant gunfights and crazed rednecks in the woods with guns waiting to pounce on poor hapless hikers...hmmmmm sounds like a great place to hike?
With all this talk about guns and how dangerous hiking is I am amazed I haven't heard of any trail related shootings lately......in any state........on any trail..........
But since this thread has less to do with guns and more to do with trying to bash a fellow WBer what's the point?
Appalachian Tater
12-18-2007, 01:44
Really, if the trail is so dangerous, go someplace safe instead. I certainly try to avoid spending time in places where I need to carry a firearm for protection. If I were so paranoid that I felt like I needed to, I would address the underlying issues by seeking medical attention.
Dances with Mice
12-18-2007, 07:11
You're a legend in your own mind, Jeff. Actually it was a last ditch effort to get a pulse on this comatose Fl Trail forum. But go ahead and shut ‘er down now, we’re tired of being moderated to death.So it was a troll. We've seen better.