• Canopyflyer@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    When I took a class to get my Concealed Carry Permit, on the very first day the instructor made a very interesting statement.

    “If you are somewhere where you feel you need a gun to feel safe… Why are you there in the first place?”

    While I did go on to get my permit I never once carried. I never went anywhere where I felt I needed it. If I became uncomfortable at a location, I left.

      • BeardededSquidward@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        4 days ago

        As well reciprocal states that recognize it so you can transport them with minimal issues as well. It’s one reason to get one regardless of being in a constitutional carry state.

    • ameancow@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      I did self-defense training, both learning and teaching for close to 15 years or so, I did the CCW thing, took classes in firearms as well as martial arts and the whole nine-yards for many years.

      I will often reiterate what you cited there, that if you’re in a dangerous situation that you already expect to be dangerous, your first priority is changing your situation. Not going to that place, working towards moving, etc. Kind of like step-one of any fight is to not get into a fight.

      I eventually also stopped carrying my gun, because all it did was add extra stress to my life. Always making sure you know where it is, if you’re somewhere that legally prohibits you having it, then if you do have to leave it outside of a store or business, you are always thinking about it inside your car. My greatest worry was someone breaking into my vehicle and using the gun to commit a crime, which statistically is much, much more likely than actually being in a situation where you need to use it.

      I still own guns but keep them locked up. But I don’t enjoy guns broadly because I’ve had too much time think about it. I’ve had to learn the law, I’ve had to take responsibility for teaching others how to defend themselves, I’ve spent too much time playing out situations and the post-event situations that most gun-chuds NEVER spend a moment thinking about.

      I feel strongly now that a lot of the gun violence in the US can be connected to the general lack of respect and knowledge about firearms. The only “training” most owners get is action movies. I think if more people were required to actually study the law and play out scenarios they might be far less likely to reach for a gun to solve all their problems.

      • wabasso@lemmy.ca
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        4 days ago

        Never really thought about the logistics of having to leave it in your car. Are you allowed to take the ammo in with you?

        • BeardededSquidward@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          4 days ago

          If it’s a state/federal building you can’t even bring the ammo and that’s still the least of concern. The person getting a firearm can get replacement magazines and ammunition for it easily. People concerned for the safety of others and not wanting it stolen will get small gun safe boxes that bolt into the car someway to stow it.

        • ameancow@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          It depends a lot on your local laws. Not every state even makes the distinction, so to err on the side of caution, I always treated ammo the same as a gun, and never separated them.

          Some laws let you transport guns anywhere in your car if it’s in a locked box, some laws are written in a way where that could mean your glove compartment, other states have wording that excludes a glove compartment, just as an example of the ambiguity involved in gun laws.

          Also, your proximity to schools or other public services can override all the other laws. It was when I was drawing kilometer radiuses from local schools that I started to feel such stress from planning my trips outside that I decided to stop taking the damn thing out all the time, and eventually just stopped entirely.

          A good CCW class will give you the most basic stuff you need to know for your area, but it does change frequently so you would need to refresh on the laws frequently.

      • Semester3383@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        Interestingly, a lot of gun violence in the US comes down to neglected spaces. Without changing anything else, cleaning up vacant lots, demolishing abandoned buildings, adding street lights, and general neighborhood beautification cuts down on a LOT of gun violence. Violence intervention programs–teaching kids restraint, essentially–does a lot too.

        • ameancow@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          I know that building community is not only an answer to violence, but broadly speaking the answer to a lot of social problems. I am curious though if you’re referencing a source or study, if the neighborhood beautification projects lead to people becoming more involved in their communities, or if it’s communities already coming together to beautify their neighborhoods.

    • Bluewing@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      As another carry permit holder, this is most certainly true. But there are a few places I will carry due to the remoteness and some of the wildlife that can eat you if they really want to. But mostly it remains at my bedside as an “in case” if it’s needed. If something were to go sideways, law enforcement is probably going to be at least 20 to 30 minutes away and possibly up to 90 minutes. I cannot rely on either one of the two deputies on duty at 2AM to be anywhere near me if things go bad. Things will be well and done long before I can expect help.

      Another thing most of the rabid “Gotta have my pistol and 3 spare mags on me at all times” never think about is the cost of shooting someone even in self-defense. By the time it’s all said and done, it can cost upwards and beyond of $100,000+ in lawyer, expert testimony, and court fees. And you are likely to lose your job due to being jailed for at least large parts of it.

      • BorgDrone@feddit.nl
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        4 days ago

        But mostly it remains at my bedside as an “in case” if it’s needed. If something were to go sideways, law enforcement is probably going to be at least 20 to 30 minutes away and possibly up to 90 minutes. I cannot rely on either one of the two deputies on duty at 2AM to be anywhere near me if things go bad.

        If something goes ‘sideways’ at 2AM, you expect anyone breaking into your house to ring the doorbell and wait for you to wake up?

        Even if you carried at all times, and you were specifically trained (think special forces training, not I spend my weekends at the gun range training) then it’s still a toss-up if you will be able to respond fast enough. If they want to harm you, they will. You cannot be hyper-aware of your surroundings 24/7, you need to relax, you need to sleep.

        I can’t imagine what life must be like when you’re so afraid that you think you need to have a gun within reach at all times.

        • Bluewing@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          I do not keep a gun on me at all times. Merely when hunting. I do have a first layer warning system called dogs. Hopefully the barking is all it takes to drive away a bad situation. But I WILL be awake before you can get out of your car.

          And it’s not about being afraid of my surroundings. It’s about understanding that public safety, (police, fire, ems, and even neighbors), is a long ways away and I cannot expect timely help from anyone. If I have a heart attack at home, I will die for sure because EMS will never get there in time. So I need to be at least somewhat prepared for situations you don’t even consider living in a city. Where help is a mere phone call and a few minutes away. Hell, I don’t even have cell service in my yard to even call or text with.

          So yes, you are at least somewhat correct. You can’t imagine.

        • burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de
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          4 days ago

          Most people don’t sleep next to doors to the outside. Most windows are always locked. The least common way of a burglary happening is someone picking a lock.

          You will be awake with a significant amount of seconds to grab a gun if someone breaks into your home.

          As to doing it 24/7? Jesus, did you even read the rest of the post? That was the whole point of what you were replying to. They specifically said they think it’s true that carrying it most of the time isn’t the point.

          • BorgDrone@feddit.nl
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            4 days ago

            The least common way of a burglary happening is someone picking a lock.

            You don’t need a gun to defend against a burglar. Burglars are generally cowards and run away when caught. The whole point of sneaking into your house is to not be detected and commit theft. (taking something without a person noticing it).

            What you might need protection from is robbery (taking things under thread of violence). A robber is not going to sneak into your house. They will either kick down your door while you sleep or simply ring the doorbell and wait for you to open. Do you bring your gun every time someone is at the door?

            They specifically said they think it’s true that carrying it most of the time isn’t the point.

            Then there is no point. They will just wait until you are not carrying to rob you.

  • acchariya@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    It happened to me once. I was sitting on the back porch on a farm in Tennessee, and there were cans on the ground about 100yds away. Things would have been better if I could have put some holes in those cans

  • Saledovil@sh.itjust.works
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    5 days ago

    Not so fun fact: Gun suicides are far more common than any other type of gun related death. Having a gun in the house is a big risk factor for suicide.

    • Zetta@mander.xyz
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      100% I just posted a comment about how I feel like I’m more likely to kill myself than needing a gun for defense. Not that Id generally say that I’m suicidal.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      Not really, suicide is historically just under half of all gun deaths. But your point stands!

      • treesquid@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        It hasn’t been under half in ages. In 2023 it was 58% in the US and in some areas it’s noticeably more

        • shalafi@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          Haven’t looked at numbers for 4-5 years, and holy shit did it flip around 2022-2023. Last I saw was 43-48%.

          Anyone want to see for themselves, this is a solid search:

          “cdc gun deaths”

          Plenty of data from solid sources to back treesquid. Thanks for getting me up to date! I was quite ignorant.

      • k0e3@lemmy.ca
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        5 days ago

        What do you mean, “not really”? Is there a single type of gun-related death that is more common? Because OP is saying “the most common,” not “the majority”.

      • billwashere@lemmy.world
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        I think you missed the point. Not what percentage of gun deaths are suicides, but what percentage of suicides are gun related.

        • Bad_Ideas_In_Bulk@lemmy.world
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          It’s never one way. It’s not like owning a gun is driving people to suicide. It’s intersectionality that drives higher numbers.

          • billwashere@lemmy.world
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            5 days ago

            You’re absolutely right. Owning the gun gives them the opportunity that wouldn’t exist as easily otherwise. And just for the record I’m not anti-gun.

  • yesman@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    The pig who shot Michal Brown said he had to shoot because Brown could have taken his piece away. If you accept that, then you agree that, at least in this situation, the public and the police would be safer without guns.

    It used to be: I had to shoot him judge, he had a gun

    Then it was: I had to shoot him judge, I thought he had a gun

    Now it’s: I had to shoot him judge, I had a gun.

  • CancerMancer@sh.itjust.works
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    5 days ago

    I’ve faced many attempts to severely harm me but I usually escaped. I failed to escape twice: got kneecapped with a bat once (leaving me with a permanent injury), and stabbed once miraculously missing anything vital.

    My crime: having to work late, growing up in a poor neighbourhood.

    I’d feel a lot safer if I could be armed. I don’t want to die.

        • pressanykeynow@lemmy.world
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          Why? I mean if a gun could help you in that situation, some other non lethal stuff could have also been enough. At least those are enough for people not in the US facing similar situations.

          • dontfearthereaper123@ani.social
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            Exactly I’ve never needed a gun I think its purely marketing and social expectations causing Americans to default to “muh guns” when someone’s mentioned self defense. Like if ur up against guns js wear body armour at all times rather than trying to be john wick.

        • dontfearthereaper123@ani.social
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          I’ve been stabbed too. Ive never felt the need to carry a gun. I face a lot of risk anytime I leave my house esp rn acc due to political unrest essentially I still don’t feel the need for guns yet the government do feel the need for arming trained police (known for corruption and violence where I’m from) who I think are a lot more likely to kill me than someone w a knife. As I mentioned tho I still don’t feel the need to arm myself against those people infact doing so would worsen the situation as I’d be more of a threat and could be further used for the narrative justifying the arming of police in the first place

          Edit: if an unarmed person is shot by police even if its attempted to be covered up the people who were there will know what happened. if I try to shoot the police because im threatened and they shoot back that’s going to worsen things. I don’t see how its better to carry a gun in this situation

        • CancerMancer@sh.itjust.works
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          Running away saved me a lot of times. It also failed me twice, and those two times left me with a scar and a permanent disability. As a complete self-defense solution it’s a bad idea, but as part of your defense it’s a great suggestion for any able bodied people.

          I can no longer outrun potential attackers. This door is closed to me.

  • GladiusB@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    I have lived in Oakland. I have lived in some of the seediest areas in Northern California. I have known gang members that wore colors. I have seen bikers with patches all over the place.

    Not once have I been in a situation where a gun outweighs treating people like they are people.

  • shalafi@lemmy.world
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    Here’s one my conceal carry instructor taught about, and I’ve seen it play in my own life:

    If you have a machine in your pocket or pants that is capable of taking a human life, you think and act differently. You’re more situationally aware, because you don’t want to stumble into a situation where you have to use the fucking thing. A concrete and steel box may be the next place you find yourself. Forever.

    I lack the words to put the reader in that emotional state, but it’s real. Not like you’re paranoid, constantly on the lookout, but you are more aware. Used to put myself into crazy situations when I was younger, got stories all night long, but now I’m way more chill.

    In the past, I have been threatened with violence, many times, from the homeless downtown.

    Unarmed me: “FUCK YOU!”

    Armed me: I’m out, not a word. More to the point, I wouldn’t be anywhere near that situation in the first place.

    “But you can peace out without a gun!”

    Very true, I’ll grant that. But having one makes me more aware of what’s going on around me, makes me less threatening. The vast majority of us are exactly like this. If you watch GunTubers, you will find none of them talking the way we’re made out in social media, drooling for violence. Most of the “give me an excuse” people are already in jail or dead. It’s a Darwinian thing.

    The stories you hear on the news are outliers, or they wouldn’t be news. (That applies to everything else in life.)

    I’ll only add this: Almost everyone in America is woefully ignorant of self-defense laws. Cops are the only shooters that can kill with impunity. You cannot, almost no matter how justified you think you are. Concrete and steel box.

    Anyway, I’m sure a European from a healthy society will be right along to lecture me on how nuts I am.

    • kossa@feddit.org
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      Maybe getting chill and more aware is just a function of getting older. I mean, I live in a country where nobody is armed and: I get in less dangerous situations and am more aware than in my youth.

    • Alpha71@lemmy.world
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      Cops are the only shooters that can kill with impunity. You cannot, almost no matter how justified you think you are.

      Tell that To Kyle Rittenhouse…

      • Bluewing@lemmy.world
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        He is an exception you know about because of all the news stories. If that wasn’t the case, he would have not been more than a single blurb on the news and forgotten by morning. And he would be most likely in jail. A result you wouldn’t have heard about either.

        News outlets have a vested interest in shouting up the outliers while mostly ignoring the mundane. And cops are just the group you have outsourced the killing to so you don’t have to.

    • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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      Unfortunately a lot of people seem to put a hammer in their pocket because they are always looking for nails. Hammer or not.

      There are untold numbers of videos, clips, tiktoks or whatever of people who refuse to walk away from an escalating situation. Out come the fists, or sometimes a gun. The comments are full of people agreeing with FAFO with no thought of walking away and the violent means and end, and plenty claim to be fine with using a gun.

      I’ve been through those courses and carrying a firearm is sobering. I don’t do it anymore, and sometimes I miss it, but not enough.

    • Dead_or_Alive@lemmy.world
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      Conceal and carry holders statistically are the safest segment of society for the exact reason you just gave. I would rather be in a room full of conceal and carry holders than the general public or police.

      I was walking in a relatively safe part of downtown last month when two drunks suddenly started fighting over a dog 8 feet from me. I noped my way out of there. I had my gun on me but had no interest in intervening.

      For the vast majority who carry we don’t want to put ourselves in a situation where you have to use it.

      But yeah, I’m also sure some internet guru who has never held a gun in their life will tell me why I’m an irresponsible death machine.

    • moopet@sh.itjust.works
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      UKian here to lecture you on how nuts you are: I’m sure there are cases like yours, where you will retreat from a situation because you have a deadly weapon hidden on you. I’ve known people who carried weapons and who would generally try to avoid danger. But I’m 100% positive that’s not the norm, and most people who feel the need to have a gun would react less predictably. I’ve not lived in the US, but the impression I get from media is that there are a lot of gun owners who haven’t trained with them or who are “muh freedoms” idiots.

      • laranis@lemmy.zip
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        the impression I get from the media

        I think this is the issue the OP is trying to point out. There are many more silent, responsible gun owners than nuts.

    • ChillPenguin@lemmy.world
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      I live in a duty to retreat state. And damn if this isn’t accurate. You have to be cool as a cucumber. Back out of all situations.

      You just try not to put yourself into situations at all cost.

        • teft@piefed.social
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          Also some of us have been to war or grew up in the deep woods where having a gun can save your life.

          I guess technically that’s being a victim too. Just that the perpetrator is more likely to be a bear than a person.

          • mitchty@lemmy.sdf.org
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            Yep being 20 feet away from a bobcat will probably make you reassert things. Also having a handgun pointed at you as well. And hearing a ricochet of a bullet right in front of you.

            I’m not saying a gun helps in all those situations but it definitely changes your available options.

            • lad@programming.dev
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              Bobcats are relatively ok, maybe you meant cougar (mountain lion) or wolverine? The latter is especially nasty

              • mitchty@lemmy.sdf.org
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                Been a while, coulda been a cougar just happy it announced its presence versus decided my neck looked tasty.

          • rayyy@lemmy.world
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            In most cases just the noise from a gun will be enough but a rabid raccoon might need dispatched. Also, some of are too old,or fat, to run from an animal.

        • masterspace@lemmy.ca
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          And some of you may be upvoting any plausible argument for gun ownership, even in the face of overwhelming objective evidence that it makes societies vastly unsafe.

          Here’s the thing about guns and victimhood, access to guns causes far more victims then access to guns prevents, and it always inherently will. In that environment, a predator intent on committing a crime will always have one, and a victim only ever might have one.

          If you rely on mutually assured destruction arguments, then you have armed and killing each other over road rage because humans are dumb emotional children who think they’re more mature then they are.

          • CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world
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            Thanks for your hypothetical but I’m speaking from first hand experience. When you have the same type of experience and aren’t just speaking off a statistics sheet you might change your tune. Most people do.

            Personally I think we need massive gun control reform. But I don’t live in that world, or a world where that’s going to happen in my lifetime even. So I’ll continue to do what’s most practical for the reality I live in.

          • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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            Maybe so, but we live in a world where guns exist. Choosing to disarm oneself doesn’t change that, and certain things can change the math.

            There was a violent incident at a nearby house, and it took police 40 minutes to arrive because I live in the middle of nowhere, so right off the “call the police” option essentially doesn’t exist for me. I also have no kids in the house. If children come over, the gun that isn’t in the safe goes to the safe and the ammunition goes to the car. I am not suicidal. For me, gun ownership makes sense where it doesn’t for others.

            If I lived in a country where guns didn’t outnumber people it may not make sense. Though with the current government I also wouldn’t give mine up if they were outlawed.

            • MrFinnbean@lemmy.world
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              Less guns there are in rotation and more screening there is when getting one effects straight how likely it is for the bad guy having a gun.

              Nobody is suicidal until they are and nobody leaves the guns out for children until they do. Also guns at house escalate domestic violence cases.

              • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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                So my personal solution is what? Can I un-invent firearms? Can I ensure not only that they’re outlawed, but that hundreds of millions of them are magically rounded up? Should I trust US law enforcement to protect me and respect my rights?

            • masterspace@lemmy.ca
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              Maybe so, but we live in a world where guns exist.

              No, you live in a country that chooses to manufacture guns in response to people buying them, and you choose to actively perpetuate that by going and spending money buying guns and gun infrastructure, directly funding gun companies / their lobbies, and then by going online to try and spread that justification so that you can feel slightly less guilty about choices you’ve made that you know are wrong.

      • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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        Guns have caused a lot of harm. They seem evil until you need one. I was hiking solo in the wilderness once and was carrying one for wildlife and was attacked by a homeless guy. I shoved him away and pulled it out and he ran off.

      • billbasher@lemmy.world
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        A girl just got killed by a mountain lion on a hike not 2 miles from me. A gun could have prevented this. I do live in the mountains so like this may not be common

      • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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        People who have been in situations where having a gun would have made things better tend to not be around anymore to post about it.

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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    Okay, but what if my self-esteem is predicated on the knowledge that I could kill anyone at a moment’s notice.

    Surely that suppressed libidinal desire to inflict unimaginable pain and suffering on everyone around me is worth something.

    • fartographer@lemmy.world
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      You’ve got a good point there… Have you ever considered using your car as a weapon against bicyclists who have indirectly offended you?

      It’s incredible that we feel the need to make up monsters for our movies and ghost stories when we’ve got prime examples living amongst us.

      • thermal_shock@lemmy.world
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        Realistic movies scare the shit out of me. Prisoners, Blue Ruin, The Tall Man. True psychos are way scarier than any fucking ghost or demon.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        A bicyclist’s very existence is offensive. But I consider the .50 mounted on the back of the pickup a more sporting way to handle things. Alternatively, mini-gun mounted from a helicopter, and if anyone asks I’ll just say I was hunting wild hogs.

  • kynzo@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    I’ve never been in a situation where I’d need to know how to do cpr. Yet I’ve learned how to do it.

  • AnarchoEngineer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    6 days ago

    Clearly you’ve never spent time in the desert near Ship Rock at night. Never heard the stories told by the natives and the rangers and the soldiers. Never saw twisted shapes on four legs run backwards into the brush, living rot retreating from your headlights. Never heard the desert go completely silent, not the sound of coyotes or insects or wind, while you see shadows move in the starlight. Never seen things that look like deer but aren’t run as fast as your car on highway 191, taunting you, staring at you, trying to fool you into slowing down or stopping.

    Not that a gun would do much good against them, but if your car breaks down just south of the state lines near four corners, some who know the area would say shooting yourself is a better death than the alternative…

      • AnarchoEngineer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        6 days ago

        The area I’m talking about is one that supposedly has a high concentration of skinwalkers. There are lots of creepy stories about skinwalkers across all of the nearby states, but that area near four corners is where the Navajo nation and Hopi and Ute reservations are.

        Maybe it’s just mass psychosis or a pop phenomenon, but people who regularly spend time in that area from the natives to forest service to the national guardsmen running trainings out there, will warn you about traveling at night and not stopping for anything on the road especially if its an animal that looks off in some way

        • MangoCats@feddit.it
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          5 days ago

          There’s also a lot of users of “strong medicine” in that area… it can make the stories more vivid.

        • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          Sounds like good advice. Between the armadillos and the prairie dogs, I’m convinced that the entire “Great American Desert”* is actively trying to make us deathly ill. We joke about Australia trying to kill you, but we got our own “australia” at home.

          *I’m using the term the way the stagecoach settlers did, meaning everything west of the Mississippi till the Rocky Mountains.

          • AnarchoEngineer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            5 days ago

            Gila Monsters definitely give some Australia vibes. They are kinda cute chonky reptiles even if they are venomous

            Rattlesnakes are another fun venomous reptile, though they’re much more common and more likely to bite you than Gila Monsters. It’s always a bit of a scare when you’re hiking and suddenly hear a rattlesnake start warning you but you can’t even tell where it is. Like pick a lane buddy, either camouflage/hide yourself or try to tell me where you are so I can avoid accidentally stepping on you, don’t try to do both at the same time lol

            Of course in the reptile cases, the animals rarely bite unless you’re actively antagonizing them, but still a bit scary to have

            We’ve also got scorpions everywhere out west. If you ever come out to the Rocky Mountains or the deserts around them, bring a black light flash light out at night. You’ll be able to find a ton of the fluorescent green critters crawling around in the sagebrush. They only get about 3cm long, but they are “the most venomous scorpion in North America” haha I’ve never been stung and Ive caught several before, but the venom can cause full limb paralysis, can feel like “lightning” even a while after the initial sting, and there are a reported deaths from it

            And we’ve actually got a ton of different stinging/biting wasps and bees and creepy vibrant colored things like mud daubers. Oh and those Velvet Ants which are nicknamed “cowkillers” because they’re bite is painful enough to kill a cow (it isn’t really of course)

            Definitely not as much diversity as Australia, and most things here will leave you alone if you leave them alone, but there are plenty of things that will, at the very least, ruin your day if you’re not careful

        • teft@piefed.social
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          5 days ago

          especially if its an animal that looks off in some way

          Probably just some animals with mange like how everyone thought chupacabras were real until they found the weird looking mangy coyotes that were the actual chupacabras.

          Don’t fall to superstition just because you don’t understand something.

      • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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        5 days ago

        Scared of Chupacabras or something like that is my guess.

        Americans are always living in fear of something, so why not that I guess.

        • AnarchoEngineer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          5 days ago

          Hey now chupacabras are much farther south and they’re actually aliens don’t you know /s

          Anyway you telling me there’re no creepy stories from some cryptid or other where you live? What a shame. What stories do you tell on camping trips?

          Also if you’re Canadian like your instance suggests, the First Nations people have their own it-goes-on-four-legs, and I’m wiling to bet the stories of wendigo are just as creepy as those for skinwalkers.

          I don’t really believe the stories and you don’t have to either, but don’t go saying it’s “Americans” as if you don’t belong to that same continent with similar myths and legends. The native people of “turtle island” didn’t have the same borders we do today and neither did their stories and mythos

      • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        Might not be ghost stories. Prairie dogs carry the plague, and armadillos carry leprosy, and tons of critters carry rabies. Sure the symptoms got exaggerated, but that shit will kill you either way.

        • shalafi@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          Rabid animals, though far more rare than most think, are why I’m always armed in the boondocks. I know, you shouldn’t splatter their blood, but if it’s me or them…

    • mcv@lemmy.zip
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      6 days ago

      I think it’s indeed fair to say that the vast, vast majority of people have never spent time near Ship Rock at night.

      Not that a gun would do much good against them

      So even that is not an argument for guns?

      • AnarchoEngineer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        6 days ago

        You purposefully omitted the last sentence specifying a gun gives you the option of a quicker death.

        And I guess I’m overselling the walkers/witches/spirits a little bit. Most rangers and soldiers think guns are useful at least as deterrents if not fatal weapons. In fact usually the stories end with something along the lines of “and that’s why I keep a loaded shotgun within arms reach when I’m driving there” or something similar lol

        But technically, yes, you’re right, guns are not necessarily vital.

        The Navajo and Hopi and Utes and others have supposedly been defending themselves against these for much longer than guns have been in the Americas and possibly since before guns were even invented. However, afaik most strong good magic in their traditions is drawn from community. So if you’re a lone traveler who has neither a tribe that can help protect you (physically or magically) nor personal cultural knowledge of these evils, I’d argue a gun is probably the best substitute you’ve gonna get.

        (Of course, just not traveling in skinwalker country at night alone in the first place would likely be the most effective method of survival lol)

        • mcv@lemmy.zip
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          6 days ago

          I’m just saying that your comment started out superficially looking like an argument justifying guns in some situations, and then turned out not even being that.

          I have no doubt that there are situations that would justify carrying a gun, but “you will need to shoot yourself” is not it.

          And of course most people would simply prefer to avoid dangerous situations like that, or prefer the danger to be addressed in a more systemic way, if necessary. But not all danger needs to be made safe. Nature in particular just needs to be left alone sometimes.

    • mydoomlessaccount@infosec.pub
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      5 days ago

      Sheesh, should’ve known better than to try and make a joke around here, I guess. I appreciated it, at least. I’ve got a soft spot for suddenly making really dire, grim statements in otherwise totally pedestrian conversations

      It genuinely boggles that so many people would take “the evil night-horrors” as an actual argument for this

  • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    5 days ago

    Lucky you!

    I have. Luckily I didn’t have to pull it though, I just put my hand on it and the guy holding the knife at me decided “I’ll catch the next one” and walked away.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Shit like this never makes the news because it’s boring and you can’t prove it. Anyway, since Trump 1.0 I won’t set foot outdoors without being armed and since Trump 2.0, there’s never a gun I can’t reach.

      If it was just me, not such a big deal for a middle-aged white guy. But my wife is a brown, legal immigrant. Let’s say I have drawn a line at what my life is worth.