California Self Defense

I keep this handy for such occasions..

Winchester SXP Marine Defender 12-Gauge.

Funny thing though, everytime I clean this thing or wipe it down a solicitor rings the doorbell and I have to answer it while holding the gun. They usually "forget" what they were selling or preaching and hastily retreat to pester some other unfortunate soul. 😉

In California that would be considered: 1) an assault wrench since it is larger than 1/4 inch; 2) high-capacity clips which guarantee a minimum of 25 to life for each one since more than zero are in possession; and 3) extra-deadly shells because of their sharp edges.

A few years ago on a slow day, I was cleaning my 870 .410 and had parts spread on my desk. Then a vehicle drove up causing me to briefly panic... anyhow, the person was a vendor I knew and when he entered, his comment was "Oh, so you are a shooter, too?"

"Too?" says me, thinking this was going to be a good thing. Next week, for a sales pitch, he took me to the range, bought a couple boxes of .44 and lunch. I recall briefly discussing his product line, that I still specify to this date. I had one heavily-armed engineering office...

ComerPEPLS, post: 364078, member: 3790 wrote: A few years ago on a slow day, I was cleaning my 870 .410 and had parts spread on my desk. Then a vehicle drove up causing me to briefly panic... anyhow, the person was a vendor I knew and when he entered, his comment was "Oh, so you are a shooter, too?"

"Too?" says me, thinking this was going to be a good thing. Next week, for a sales pitch, he took me to the range, bought a couple boxes of .44 and lunch. I recall briefly discussing his product line, that I still specify to this date. I had one heavily-armed engineering office...

You obviously have never been to California.

We have ten times more armed rednecks than any other state.

I often step out the door with a Daisy lever action BB gun. Anyone that knows me would know it's to run my dogs off so whoever is in the car can get out safely.

James

Dave Karoly, post: 364142, member: 94 wrote: You obviously have never been to California.

We have ten times more armed rednecks than any other state.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

In a conversation with a coworker a couple of years ago, in response to some knuckleheaded comment she made that reflected an assumption that all gun owners were unstable and mostly intoxicated and always careless idiots, I mentioned that I've owned and been around guns since I was a child and have never shot at anything that I hadn't intended to shoot at and had never pointed a gun in anger at anyone. I found it interesting what part of my statement she keyed in on.

"Guns?! You mean you own more than one."

"Well, yeah. Doesn't everybody?"

She had this look of near horror on her face, as if I had just transformed into a werewolf right before her, but she recovered enough to ask:

"How many do you own?"

I thought about it for a couple seconds then replied "A couple dozen, more or less."

After a slight gasp of shock, surprise, or disgust, she responded in a rather demeaning tone:

"I don't think that anyone really needs to own a gun, but I can't even imagine why anyone would feel the need to own several guns."

This coworker goes out in the field occasionally to help with field surveying and so is familiar with the equipment and methods we use for various tasks, so I ask: "You have a pocket tape in your vest, right?"

"Yes"

"So when you go out in the field, why do you load up a total station, a 100' rag tape, a 200' steel tape, GPS, a prism pole, the level and a level rod? If you have a pocket tape, you have a measurement tool. Why would you need any others?"

She actually went on to justify all the different measuring tools as if I had just started a new conversation on a completely different topic with her, but she was still in argument mode so was responding to me as if I were actually arguing that surveyors shouldn't need more than one basic measuring tool. The connection to the gun topic and the point I was trying to illustrate was completely lost on her. When the conversation was all done, I think the only thing that was accomplished was that she decided that from now on, she needs to watch me carefully to ensure that I don't show up to work someday all Rambo style and ready to go postal.

Kind of reminds me of an old Bugs Bunny episode where a none-too-bright hound is chasing Bugs and trying to figure out which way he went when he has the good fortune to find his trail.

"Rabbit tracks!" and off he goes. Then the type of tracks change but continue on in the same direction.

"Deer tracks!" After just a moment's confusion, he's off again until the type of tracks changes once again.

"Train tracks!" But now he's accustomed to the types of tracks changing, so without hesitation, he's off again, following them into a tunnel. He got confused again when he saw a light moving his direction from deeper in the tunnel.

You probably remember the rest.

Dave Karoly, post: 364142, member: 94 wrote: You obviously have never been to California.

We have ten times more armed rednecks than any other state.

I don't think I would agree...there a very large swath of rural America that probably fits that description.
I think they call them the fly over states (everything between the west coast and the east coast)

JaRo, post: 364143, member: 292 wrote: I often step out the door with a Daisy lever action BB gun. Anyone that knows me would know it's to run my dogs off so whoever is in the car can get out safely.

James

I also keep my Daisy handy, but I am careful who sees it.

imaudigger, post: 364161, member: 7286 wrote: I don't think I would agree...there a very large swath of rural America that probably fits that description.
I think they call them the fly over states (everything between the west coast and the east coast)

Urban and Suburban too... but again, more careful of the viewing audience

Peter Ehlert, post: 364166, member: 60 wrote: I also keep my Daisy handy, but I am careful who sees it.

Urban and Suburban too... but again, more careful of the viewing audience

Your Daisy!...Thought every home in Mexico had a .380 ACP pistol, or a 38 Special revolver?

imaudigger, post: 364180, member: 7286 wrote: Your Daisy!...Thought every home in Mexico had a .380 ACP pistol, or a 38 Special revolver?

could be, you never know.
kinda like California maybe, you never know

We have a higher class of gun owner in California.

Not so dumb as to walk around with it in plain view. The bad guys have no idea who to shoot first.

Dave Karoly, post: 364142, member: 94 wrote: You obviously have never been to California.
We have ten times more armed rednecks than any other state.

That is because you have more people per square mile than around here.
Everybody here has a small arsenal.
The people that claim they don't have guns and all the felons that are not supposed to have any have guns.

The "not supposed to have a gun" thing has no connection with who actually has a gun. Never has, anywhere.
Reality

Peter Ehlert, post: 364181, member: 60 wrote: could be, you never know.
kinda like California maybe, you never know

I expected a response similar to that :clap:

I think it is better to keep them guessing and keep the odds stacked in your favor.

imaudigger, post: 364189, member: 7286 wrote: I expected a response similar to that :clap:

I think it is better to keep them guessing and keep the odds stacked in your favor.

a brief overview

source:

A fellow who lives a couple of miles from me took the Y2K predictions to heart and acquired enough ammo to sink a battleship just in case the predictions were accurate. Not long after that his home caught fire one afternoon while no one was around. I was the second person to arrive on the scene having noticed the black smoke from my house. Two volunteer fire crews arrived but there was no hope of saving the rickety old house. Once the ammo got hot enough to start popping like a gigantic popcorn popper I moved behind a large tree. It wasn't a really dangerous situation but I felt much better with about three feet of tree between me and the popping noises. The 500-gallon propane tank was a far more dangerous concern and was addressed immediately by the first fire truck.

Holy Cow, post: 364207, member: 50 wrote: Once the ammo got hot enough to start popping like a gigantic popcorn popper I moved behind a large tree.

You can lay a cartridge on a mattress and set it on fire. when the ammo explodes, the shell casing will travel farther than the bullet. It doesn't become a projectile until the shell casing is contained in the chamber of a gun. That's why I don't keep a round in the chamber. I have loaded guns in the house, but nothing in the chamber. My wife leaves one hole empty in her 357 revolver for the same reason.

That being said, If he had a lot of ammo, I would be hiding behind you standing behind that tree.

Several years ago we were called to a house fire. It started in the breaker box in a bedroom. The first interior attack team got to the bedroom door and was able to knock the fire down from the doorway.

After the fire was out, someone noticed that as you enter the bedroom, the door opened against the wall to the right and there was a gun safe to the left. The interior attack team was using the gun safe as a bit of a shield when knocking down the fire. I said gun safe, it was more of a gun locker. No fire protection, just a 5 foot high metal lock box with a shelf about chest high and a revolver on the shelf pointing toward the open door. There was also a bullet hole thru the metal gun locker, thru the door, and into the sheetrock wall. We never figured out when the gun fired. Ever since then, I don't leave a round in the chamber. I advise anyone that does, please don't leave it pointing at the door.

James

I can just imagine a FBI gang, doing some kind of raid, and monitoring the local radio frequencies. And hearing something like:
"Take a shot here..."
"Better get one there too"
"Get the rest of those shots out by the road, then move up here..."
"Take a shot on me here"
Ok, move the gun up..."
"Go to my left 10', do an offset shot!"
And the FBI crew is college educated...and cannot figure out what is going on.
I can see a McDonnalds employee calling the law too. While overhearing typical surveyor talk, over the McDonnalds radio....

I was actually on a crew once where we were using Motorola P100 on Red Dot when the local el cheapo Police Department came on demanding that we get off there channel