Random question for today: I cannot be the only law-abiding gun owner who regularly rides a bicycle (yes, I said “bicycle”, not “motorcycle”, though if the answers for both are more-or-less equivalent, feel free to weigh in). With that in mind, what do you all carry, and where do you carry it? I have been carrying my PPS in its IWB holster under an untucked t-shirt (Better Half and I are just casual cyclists, so no spandex concerns), but given how one bends over when riding a bicycle, that hardly seems ideal. Any thoughts/suggestions/comments?
Call me crazy but couldn’t you just go for a bike ride without worrying about the need to possibly shoot someone along the way? I’ve done so many times over the years, and actually find it quite enjoyable.
Call me crazy, but could you not just go for a car ride without worrying about the need to stay in your seat? I have done so many times over the years, and actually find it quite enjoyable.
Unfortunately, the logic in either situation is more or less equivalent. I am not worrying about the “need” to possibly shoot someone when I carry a firearm… I am preparing for the possibility of someone threatening me or my wife. Just like I am not worrying about my actions when I don a seatbelt, but rather preparing for what other people will do that will necessitate me staying in my seat. Preparation != worry.
The CDC estimates that over one in three adults will be victims of violent crimes over the course of their lives. The odds are in your favor, but do you want to play them? Or do you want to take steps to possibly prepare yourself for a distressingly common outcome? (I am not, however, saying that simply arming yourself will, in any way, prepare yourself, or improve the situation. However, appropriate armament, training, and mindsets will.)
I do not know if I will be a victim of a violent crime. I do not know where I would be a victim of violent crime – in the past few months here in Tennessee, there have been shootings at a church and a high school. In the past few years, a mall in Knoxville was the scene – a mall replete with “no weapons allowed” signs. So why should I not carry whenever the opportunity presents itself?
The act of carrying in no way diminishes the enjoyment I receive from going on a bicycle ride – maybe it would be different for you.
Hey, if you want to carry a gun everywhere you go I guess that’s your prerogative. It just seems to me like in some cases (like taking a leisurely bike ride) it’s completely unnecessary. I couldn’t live my life walking around constantly thinking “oh shit somebody might jump out and rob me, better be strapped.” That exceedingly paranoid mindset is just baffling to me. Were you a victim of some major crime at a point in the past? To me that’s the only reasonable explanation I could find for feeling it’s ALWAYS necessary to have a gun on you (like while riding a bike or shopping at Home Depot or going out to dinner etc.)
Ok, so is it paranoid to wear my seatbelt when driving a mile to Wal-Mart? Is it paranoid to keep a fire extinguisher in my house and check on it every six months? Is it paranoid to take a better-lit path over a darker one, even if it means a longer journey? Is it paranoid to shred all of my banking/utility/etc. documents after I am done with them? Is it paranoid to firewall the everloving crap out of my computer? Is it paranoid to take an umbrella with me if it looks cloudy outside?
Where you might see paranoia, I see simple preparation.
Thankfully, I have never once been a victim of violent crime, or any other for that matter, and I would be quite happy going through my entire life always being able to claim that. I would be doubly happy to go all the way through my life without having to draw my firearm in self-defense. But, just like accidents do happen, there are people out there who would cause you and yours harm. Why not be a little ready for them?
I guess the difference I see between the examples you gave and taking a bike ride is just the likelihood of the preparation coming in handy. Like yeah I always wear my seatbelt because there’s a pretty good likelihood that I’ll be in a car accident at some point. Kitchen fires, identity theft, computer viruses, all understood as pretty credible threats. But your average bike ride to me doesn’t seem threatening enough to warrant anything other than a helmet.
But I guess if you go riding in a rough area where there’s a good chance that you might get mugged on your bike then it’s a warranted choice.
I do not know about you, but I consider a one in three chance of being the victim of a violent crime in my lifetime to be far too great as it is. Our society is obviously doing nothing to prevent the situation – more and more repeat criminals are getting off on technicalities, being released on parole, etc. etc., and then, surprisingly enough, they are going out and committing crimes again. And that is just one symptom of the overall problem. Add to that the factor that the police have no legal obligation to protect me and mine, and I reach the conclusion I decided on years ago: It is time for me to do something.
The other problem is that you do not know when crime is going to strike. I would imagine that the people going to the Unitarian church in Knoxville that one Sunday did not, at all, figure that someone would have interrupted their service with repeated shotgun blasts.
Furthermore, what is a “rough area”? How do you know? How is it identified? Do you know the route you are going to take when you leave home for an evening’s relaxing bike ride? Do you know what areas criminals prey on, exactly, in your town? What happens if they were to rove abroad one night? What happens if they are just happening to drive past you on their way home?
I honestly do not know. I have simply taken to not leaving home without a firearm, ever, unless the laws of the locations I am travelling to forbid it. I see no reason to break stride simply because my mode of conveyance has changed.
Fair enough, I guess. I don’t necessarily agree with your mindset but I can at least understand it a bit better now.
And that is all I am really looking for with this weblog – spreading a little knowledge, and hopefully helping people with a little understanding. Hell, I certainly was not looking to convert you – I can hardly convince anyone of anything
.