Re: Weapon as camping equipment?

["Glenda R. Snodgrass" <grs@theneteffect.com>]

> Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with her, but it made me think.  I
> usually travel alone over long distances and that's all it would take to get
> me to stop--so now I take them.  I've never had a need for it, but its nice
> knowing its there.

Better safe than sorry and all that stuff.  I have a carry permit for my 
pistol, which technically is good only for the state of AL.  However, I 
have been told by numerous attorney and police friends that I should 
carry it wherever I go, even across state lines, because the only way it 
will be known I have it is if I use it, and if I had to use it, then 
facing an unlawful weapons charge is definitely the lesser of two evils 
-- and the chances are slim of being prosecuted for carrying the pistol 
in GA or MS when I have a permit for AL and had to use it in self 
defense.  

I carry it in a special holster fanny pack -- looks like a regular fanny
pack, but has a back pocket with velcro for the pistol, where you can
reach it with one hand (either side).  All the special agents in local law
enforcement carry the same type fanny pack, costs about $35 at a local gun
shop.  I carry it when riding alone (most of our rides we're alone),
though not on an organized endurance ride.  It doesn't bother me at any
gait, as it's made for running. 

Females travelling alone, especially long distances and hauling a horse,
have to be extra careful.  Ditto for females riding alone.  Running away
is definitely your first line of defense, but what if you get dumped and
the horse runs away or falls dead lame and you find yourself on foot and
completely vulnerable?  Don't you stop at rest areas to give the horse a
rest when travelling a long distance? 

I also vote for taking self-defense classes whenver possible.  Don't carry
a gun if you are unable or unwilling to use it.  I've taken gun safety &
use instructions from the Sheriff's Department (free of charge, call and
see if yours does the same), and I've taken rape self-defense classes from
a local tae kwon do studio that is part of a national program (call and
see if you have something similar locally).  If nothing else, it builds
your self-confidence that you can handle yourself in a bad situation, and
sometimes that alone is enough to prevent a crime from happening -- human
predators are often nervous and uncertain and look for easy marks.  Don't
be one. 

Glenda & Lakota