Road Trip

[Trope]

Yikes. I'm pretty paranoid about being in a car (moving or not) with the doors unlocked, especially when my son is in there with me.

I also agree with TXI. I like to have my carry weapon on my person when I'm in a vehicle.


I also don't give money to panhandlers. If someone asks me for money and they keep their distance, I just say, "sorry, I cannot help you." If they get too close or don't go away, I will yell loudly for them to "STOP! Get Away From Me!" or "GET BACK!". I expect that they'll call me names as they retreat, but I get over it really quickly. I'm sure they do, also.

A couple weeks ago, I was getting gas and ran into some guy peddling some kind of cleaner. He would go up to people's cars and spray something on their windows to start the conversation, then wipe it off and try to sell the cleaner to them. I wanted no part of it, so when he approached me, I told him to "BACK OFF!" The other patrons looked surprised, but he didn't even flinch. He just said, "ok, have a good day" and moved to the next person.

[stevie_d_64]

Well, now we've opened up a whole nother can of worms.

Yeah, I think if you are in your car, and you aren't waving your gun around, then it's concealed. Your mileage may vary.

Yeah, and depending on what county you're in at the time...

[casselthief]

yeah, I agree. I'm not waving it around, and it's still in it's holster and all.
when I get in the truck, gun goes in my console. you can't see it casually, and I can get to it a heck of a lot quicker than if it's in the small of my back.
in better weather, I like to keep a "truck gun" that stays in the truck, and a concealed one on my person.

I, as well, use the drive up ATM's. nobody can get TO me in such a situation, cause my truck takes up most of the carport. they're not squeezing in between the ATM and my door, cause I get reeeeeeal close, mainly for my comfort of not having to hang my whole body out the window.
using debit cards at, dare I say the devil's name, WalMart is an excellent idea, and is practical when you are there. however, many times when I am going out to a club to see a band, I just hit the ole ATM on my way out of the 'hood.

[KBCraig]

I drive a full-size van, and I pull up so that the driver's side door opens just past the ATM, and step out of the vehicle and leave the door open.

I drive either a full-size van or full-size pickup, but I take a different approach.

I figure that I am always more vulnerable outside the vehicle than in. My number one goal is to make sure what's outside the vehicle stays out, so I pull up close; no chance for a BG to get in with me (all the doors are locked, so no need to worry about unauthorized entry from behind).

I also leave the vehicle in "Drive", and foot on the brake, instead of putting it in "Park". Quick departures are even quicker if you don't have to shift first.

Kevin

[gregthehand]

I like the asking them for money way of doing things too. I have seen this make panhandlers angry though so lately I have stopped doing it. I've now moved back just to saying "No", and leaning it at that. I dont' even offer any excuses or stories of my own, just "No." If they ask again I and I am a good distance away I just walk away while keeping my eyes on them. If they are following me I turn and say in a VERY stern voice "STOP!" This seems to work. I usually will blade myself and take a more defensive stance when I do this. So far it has seemed to work. For thos of you in the Houston area (and probably other areas) try to take some of this information. When I was in the police academy they told us that one of the favorite weapons of the homeless was the ice pick. It was very cheap (around a buck) and could go right through police body armor. Just something to think about.

[TX Rancher]

I like the asking them for money way of doing things too. I have seen this make panhandlers angry though so lately I have stopped doing it. I've now moved back just to saying "No", and leaning it at that. I dont' even offer any excuses or stories of my own, just "No." If they ask again I and I am a good distance away I just walk away while keeping my eyes on them. If they are following me I turn and say in a VERY stern voice "STOP!" This seems to work. I usually will blade myself and take a more defensive stance when I do this. So far it has seemed to work. For thos of you in the Houston area (and probably other areas) try to take some of this information. When I was in the police academy they told us that one of the favorite weapons of the homeless was the ice pick. It was very cheap (around a buck) and could go right through police body armor. Just something to think about.

I too have adopted this approach. While it may be entertaining to ask them for money, it could also rile an unstable person and escalate the situation. Best just to say no and continue on your way, and if he/she follows, respond as Greg mentions.

[stash]

This basic same thing happened to me at a gas station in Van Horn on my way home from El Paso to The Hill Country. I just got out of my truck when I was approached by a real dirty scuzzy guy carrying a plastic maybe 20 gal. gas container. He said he was out of money and needed money for gas. I told him sorry but I could not help him. He seemed upset but left. Actually there appeared to be about six males/females working this truck stop at the time driving a real dirty hippie looking van. The lesson I learned from this was not to be lazy because I did not holster up before getting out of the truck.
I lived in Haiti for a couple of years and really got hardened to panhandlers. You could not walk 50 feet in Port-au-Prince without getting hit up for money.

[glocklvr]

I had a bum hit me up at an atm 1 time which did not appeal to me at all luclily anytime I have to use an atm I put my gun on the center console and keep my hand on it while I take care of my business with my other hand. I don't know what the intentions of this guy were but he sure lost interest when he looked in my window and realized that I was armed and ready. I did tell him that he was very lucky that I keep a pretty cool head but approaching people at atm's can be hazardous to your health and no I did not give him any cash.

I should have mentioned that this happened at about 4am right after I got off work. At that time of day I am always more cautious than during normal hours especially at an atm