O.T: Does anyone have a carry permit?

[Paladin]

A bum jumped in the open door of my bus last winter in San Deigo. We are still laughing. Our German Shephard ripped about half his arm off before he escaped!

Gotta love a GSD!
My main alarm is Lexie, she keeps the peace for the most part. Great pillow and car alarm in one package!
(I wouldn't want to put her up against an armed intruder though)

[Lin]

Although you are right in saying the you would not want your dog to face an armed attacker, I read a survey that concluded that most people are more afraid of an angry dog than an armed man.  The hope is that the dog's presence discourages anyone from bothering you in the first place.

[mike davis]

I tote a Walther PPKS .380 and the Mrs carries a Beretta Tomcat .32  I also keep a S&W Model 629 .44 Magnum beside the bed.... Just in case....

Walther PP the best pocket gun ever made

                      mike

[Kwajdiver]

I keep a shotgun midcoach and pepper spray, near the driver.

Bill
Sunny Florida

[rwc]

What ever your preference It should be something you practice with often and spouse also.

[BusCrazyTom]

Carry the Mossberg 500 Home Defender w/ pistol grip and short (legal) barrel. Don't want to ever have to use it on someone, but will gut shoot if necessary.

[John Z]

Has to be comfortable to carry, and able to conceal under summer clothes. Bad guys are not impressed by the big gun you have back in the glove box of your pickup! Bersa .380 with jacketed hollow points, nice gun! As already mentioned, practice a lot, and read up enough to scare the hell out of you about having to use it! Even if you are correct and right to use it on an intruder, it looks like one expensive, long drawn out nightmare. I have read stories on the difference made in court between using double-ought and home defense loads. It helps to be able to make a case for intent i guess. I have been thinking about the new .410 home defense shotguns as a bedroom gun. I agree about the chilling effect of hearing a pump action being jacked, but again i have read of the sound just broadcasting your location to the intruder. Interesting too, are the stories from people who have discharged a 12 ga in the small confines of a bus. They said it was like a stun grenade going off, and was very blinding/disorienting to the shooter. So i would be interested in hearing from anyone who has the .410. And one question i have - i thought i had heard that at least for Minnesota, if you have RV plates on the bus, you do not need a permit to have firearms in the bus, it is the same as for your home. You don't need a permit to have firearms in your home. Is this true in other states as well?

[cody]

I have the mossburg home defender in 410, it's got a very effective pattern and is very friendly for anyone to use.  One of the benefits of it is that it is very easy to justify as a snake gun.  As far as home intruders go, we've never had an instance where we've had any kind of a problem in that area and hopefully never will.  I spend most of my life in law enforcement working both in the corrections area and in road work so I've carried most of my life and have the permits and experience to be legal in all aspects but the appeal has long since diminished, however, the fear of snakes is still strong lol.  Anything bigger than an earthworm is enough to stop my heart lol.

[Chaz]

Interesting thread, as I am right now considering purchasing a "carry weapon". I have several long guns - both varieties - and a few hand guns, but all too large to carry.

It is my guess something around the size of the Walther PP or other brand (Sig, Taurus, etc) would be a good choice to "carry". But at this point before I buy one, I am definitely paying attention to what you guys think. I know everyone has their preference, I'm just curious as to why.

By the way, my local gun shop had an old style Walther but he said it was a "hand skinner". I guess the action likes to skin the webbing between your thumb and fore finger.

  Chaz

[HighTechRedneck]

My choice will surprise you and you may disagree. That's fine with me, each person must make their own decisions.  But first let me tell a little background.  I've owned several guns over the years and sold most of them prior to full timing.  I once had a 12ga Mossberg pistol grip like the one BusCrazyTom mentioned.  That thing was an animal.  Unfortunately it was stolen long ago.  I've also had a 410 Browning shotgun, a .30 caliber Universal carbine with a 30 round clip (that was my favorite, most accurate rifle I ever fired), a .22 caliber Iver Johnson carbine, .45 caliber Colt Combat Commander (loved that one too) and a .22lr Jennings J-22 pocket pistol.

Out of all these choices, I kept the .22lr pp for full-timing.  Why you might ask.  It seems too light to be a good choice.  Indeed, for absolute stoping power and my love of the weapon, I would have preferred to keep the .45 with hollow points.  But that little Jennings can fire 3 rounds of .22lr in the time the colt could cycle once.  It has no kick to speak of, keeping close range grouping very tight.  It has never jambed in all the times I've fired it.  It has minimal sound level, good for tight enclosures.  It is very small and light making it easy to carry when and where desired.  And finally, and very important, a stray shot won't take down a neighbor by accident.   But 3 rounds of .22 ricocheting around in the rib cage of an aggressor should cause enough trauma to halt their approach, if not, there are still 3 more just as fast.

In any case, if you ever have to use it, you will have a serious legal battle ahead.  Even if they find it a justifiable self defense homicide, if you were anywhere that guns are illegal (COE/state/county campgrounds, DC, etc.), they'll still nail you for that and you may see significant jail time/fines.  But you and your family will still be alive.

As for trouble at the door, a good can of bear spray is an excellent, non-lethal choice that is legal to have in all campgrounds that I know of.

[mike davis]

Has to be comfortable to carry, and able to conceal under summer clothes. Bad guys are not impressed by the big gun you have back in the glove box of your pickup! Bersa .380 with jacketed hollow points, nice gun! As already mentioned, practice a lot, and read up enough to scare the hell out of you about having to use it! Even if you are correct and right to use it on an intruder, it looks like one expensive, long drawn out nightmare. I have read stories on the difference made in court between using double-ought and home defense loads. It helps to be able to make a case for intent i guess. I have been thinking about the new .410 home defense shotguns as a bedroom gun. I agree about the chilling effect of hearing a pump action being jacked, but again i have read of the sound just broadcasting your location to the intruder. Interesting too, are the stories from people who have discharged a 12 ga in the small confines of a bus. They said it was like a stun grenade going off, and was very blinding/disorienting to the shooter. So i would be interested in hearing from anyone who has the .410. And one question i have - i thought i had heard that at least for Minnesota, if you have RV plates on the bus, you do not need a permit to have firearms in the bus, it is the same as for your home. You don't need a permit to have firearms in your home. Is this true in other states as well?

All I can say about is CA.  If you have your vehicle plated as a house-car which is different than registering it as an RV.  The house-car registration denotes the vehicle as your primary residence and most of your rights are the same as in a physical non moving house would be.  It's especially true with search and siezure.  They really need a warrant to step through the doorway of a bus. 

RV and passenger tags do not bring you the same protection in the state of CA.  an RV is looked at in the same way as a passenger car would be under CA laws.  Of course they would need a warrant in either one of those circumstances to open a locked box, but they can still look in plain sight after entering.  My personal take is I don't intentionally do anything illegal in my life, but I don't know every law.  So it's easier just to avoid the situation. 

As per being on the road since 1977 I've never been involved in an instance where I would need a fire arm.  I also think that sometimes having what people would call having protection might promote some actions that are riskier than they would do if they didn't have a piece on them (ie places to park overnight, etc.). 

Mike

[mike davis]

Has to be comfortable to carry, and able to conceal under summer clothes. Bad guys are not impressed by the big gun you have back in the glove box of your pickup! Bersa .380 with jacketed hollow points, nice gun! As already mentioned, practice a lot, and read up enough to scare the hell out of you about having to use it! Even if you are correct and right to use it on an intruder, it looks like one expensive, long drawn out nightmare. I have read stories on the difference made in court between using double-ought and home defense loads. It helps to be able to make a case for intent i guess. I have been thinking about the new .410 home defense shotguns as a bedroom gun. I agree about the chilling effect of hearing a pump action being jacked, but again i have read of the sound just broadcasting your location to the intruder. Interesting too, are the stories from people who have discharged a 12 ga in the small confines of a bus. They said it was like a stun grenade going off, and was very blinding/disorienting to the shooter. So i would be interested in hearing from anyone who has the .410. And one question i have - i thought i had heard that at least for Minnesota, if you have RV plates on the bus, you do not need a permit to have firearms in the bus, it is the same as for your home. You don't need a permit to have firearms in your home. Is this true in other states as well?

All I can say about is CA.  If you have your vehicle plated as a house-car which is different than registering it as an RV.  The house-car registration denotes the vehicle as your primary residence and most of your rights are the same as in a physical non moving house would be.  It's especially true with search and siezure.  They really need a warrant to step through the doorway of a bus. 

RV and passenger tags do not bring you the same protection in the state of CA.  an RV is looked at in the same way as a passenger car would be under CA laws.  Of course they would need a warrant in either one of those circumstances to open a locked box, but they can still look in plain sight after entering.  My personal take is I don't intentionally do anything illegal in my life, but I don't know every law.  So it's easier just to avoid the situation. 

As per being on the road since 1977 I've never been involved in an instance where I would need a fire arm.  I also think that sometimes having what people would call having protection might promote some actions that are riskier than they would do if they didn't have a piece on them (ie places to park overnight, etc.). 

Mike

[Paladin]

I also think that sometimes having what people would call having protection might promote some actions that are riskier than they would do if they didn't have a piece on them (ie places to park overnight, etc.). 

Mike

In my most humble opinion those people who behave like that are weeded out via natural selection by the police or the bad guys. I am more cautious with or without and take steps to be careful even walking downtown that we wouldn't have done before the local Trolley Square shooting as remote of incident as it was. I still don't normally carry in public places, it's on the road on out away from society where there are no cops to call. With or without a weapon I'm getting out of Dodge when trouble hits...unless I'm trapped. I'm no Superman or cowboy and the goal should be that nobody should ever see that you are carrying anything so they should never see you pull it out either.
Anyone who places themselves in a situation will sooner or later end up dead or in jail.

[Chaz]

Agreed.

[JackConrad]

A couple years ago, Florida passed what has been referred to as the "Kill Bill". Essentially the law says you have the right to shoot anyone who forcibly enters your house or vehicle. You cannot be held criminally or civilally liable. Home invasions and car jackings have decreased greatly since the bill became law.  Jack

PS: Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.