General Cycling Discussion - So do you keep your big gun in your shorts?

For all of those "Dirty Harry" cyclists, with concealed carry permits, do you "carry" while cycling and if so, how about some tips. I am having difficulty figuring out a discreet way of doing it while wearing a cycling jersey and lycra-spandex.

ankle holster.

handle bar bag

Disguised as a water bottle. :p Just kidding, I'm not allowed to carry in this state. Now in Arizona...

The only time I carry it is when I am bicycle touring down the Natchez Trace Parkway. While I am riding, I have the gun unloaded and in my pannier. At night, when I pull off and go into the woods to camp, I load it.

I carry it more for protection from wild animals than people.

How about a rifle across the back lined with red led blinkers for night riding.

Discreet?

Why would you want to be discreet?

The most deterring aspect of carrying a handgun is that others KNOW you have a handgun.

Stick a Walther PPK (my weapon of choice) in your middle jersey pocket and ride.

Ya know, everytime i think about going to the States either in car or bicycle I get a wake up call when I see posts like this.

I have to ask, other than the obvious posts, is this thread really serious? You guys actually carry guns? Well, if a cyclist carries a gun, who i almost always consider sane people, then what to the crazies and freaks carry?

No offence guys, but it doesn't sound that inviting.

Digger

No offence guys, but it doesn't sound that inviting.
Digger

Then stay up North.

I have never carried a gun, never felt the need to.

Ya know, everytime i think about going to the States either in car or bicycle I get a wake up call when I see posts like this.

I have to ask, other than the obvious posts, is this thread really serious? You guys actually carry guns? Well, if a cyclist carries a gun, who i almost always consider sane people, then what to the crazies and freaks carry?

No offence guys, but it doesn't sound that inviting.

Digger


Relax Digger, We only shoot bad guys.

Of course I can't speak for William.

Ya know, everytime i think about going to the States either in car or bicycle I get a wake up call when I see posts like this.

I have to ask, other than the obvious posts, is this thread really serious? You guys actually carry guns? Well, if a cyclist carries a gun, who i almost always consider sane people, then what to the crazies and freaks carry?

No offence guys, but it doesn't sound that inviting.

Digger

1.Why would you consider cyclists sane?
2.Yes, some people actually carry guns.
3.The crazies and freaks carry whatever they take from the people that don't carry guns.
4. You don't have to carry a gun but remember #3.

1.Why would you consider cyclists sane?
2.Yes, some people actually carry guns.
3.The crazies and freaks carry whatever they take from the people that don't carry guns.
4. You don't have to carry a gun but remember #3.

Then stay up North.

[/QUOTE]


Well, I guess my question has been answered, and I'll stay away.

The only time I carry it is when I am bicycle touring down the Natchez Trace Parkway. While I am riding, I have the gun unloaded and in my pannier. At night, when I pull off and go into the woods to camp, I load it.

I carry it more for protection from wild animals than people.

Sometimes they're the same thing.

Ya know, everytime i think about going to the States either in car or bicycle I get a wake up call when I see posts like this.

I have to ask, other than the obvious posts, is this thread really serious? You guys actually carry guns? Well, if a cyclist carries a gun, who i almost always consider sane people, then what to the crazies and freaks carry?

No offence guys, but it doesn't sound that inviting.

Digger

Good, stay home.

Hmmm, I'd consider a tazer and/or some sort of chemical deterrent for humankind maybe... the gun sounds somewhat reasonable for wild animals (the keeping it loaded only at night in the wilderness)... but then... I think just a hit from an airzorn 115db would scare the bejezus out of most wild animals -- or a starter pistol - you know... starter pistol might also serve as a deterrent from humans too... but eh... alas I don't carry anything anyway.

when I do carry, I carry a full sized .45 USP, plus reload, and it's not impossible. far from it. use a belt and whatever IWB (inside the waistband) holster you like, wrapped over the shorts, and it all tucks under the jersey.

all this assumes you're trained and legal in doing so:

1. it's worse than pointless to carry in any way that keeps the weapon out of your instant control. remember the rule of three: armed defensive encounters usually occur at night, within 3 feet, 3 or fewer shots are fired and it's all over in 3 or fewer seconds.
2. burn the four laws of gun safety into your heart, mind and character, or somebody *will* get dead or worse:

I. All firearms are always loaded. (no whining, "I didn't know it was loaded! I'm so sorry!")
II. Never point the weapon at anything you are not ready to shoot at that moment. (none of this cinematic warning presentations or any of that BS. the weapon stays legally concealed until the moment you are totally convinced you're under mortal threat. period. there's no such thing as a warning shot. period.)
III. Always keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot. (an easy one to forget in the heat of the moment. think of it as a car accelerator; you don't put your foot on it until you know there's nothing but open road in front of you.)
IV. Be sure of your target. You are responsible for the final resting place of your bullet. (that means you're not just spraying bullets around like an idiot. you're firing deliberately aimed shots that you *know* are either going into the target, or if they're gonna go all the way through, whatever's behind the target can take it. like a wall, or something of that sort.)




you see, dreadfully, terribly, nightmarishly few people follow these four laws. if you don't, you don't f****** deserve to carry a firearm. it's that simple.

all you people who envision cowboys on bikes who think they're badasses because they have a gun are right about one thing: those people do exist, and I don't think they should be carrying either. it takes some righteous g******** responsibility to carry a weapon (or drive a car, for that matter) -- and I think we know there are too few people in the world who know how enormous certain everyday burdens can be. "This ain't no ******* game." it's a dreadful, spiritually important burden, and far too many people take it far too lightly, which is an insult to the countless good men and women who have gone before us in learning these rules the hard way. if people took driving as seriously as I and certain other defensive shooters take gun safety, there'd be millions fewer driving deaths every year. and fewer people would be mistaking accidents for negligence.

if you don't get anything out of my post other than this, remember this: DON'T CARRY A FIREARM UNLESS YOU ARE TRAINED AND LEGALLY ABLE TO DO SO.

grouchily,

-alex.

Deringer!

No, seriously, I don't do guns. Maybe a can of mace or a tazer or something, but only if I felt particularly at risk (like, if I did a tour of Columbia).

I only carry when in remote wild areas where an incident could happen or where there may be the threat of wild animals. I carry on my camel back or jersey pocket with a hand towel wrapped around it.

As a matter of fact I am currently looking into a new lighter weight handgun to tote either in .40 or .45 caliber.

:eek: You people carry guns??I dont know anyone who has a gun apart from my dad and thats not used that often!

Sam, how about a smaller cal. One of the parttimers brought in his new Walther p22. It was very nice. Very light, came with two barrels short and long with what looked like a weighted compensator for the longer barrel. You could strip it in about ten seconds with no tools. The barrel end is threaded for those who might want to keep things quiet. The short barrel end had a low snagless sight on it. Ammo is only about $12 per 500.(He said) No stopping power, but if you poke 10 holes in something it should at least be a deterrent. :D

Nice avatar there Zub ;)

For you armed cyclist....is it really that bad where you are cycling to warrant a weapon? Aside from the wheel-crazed dog, or deranged armadillo?

Have you personally ever used a weapon to ward off/stop an attack?

I have never needed a weapon, but then, this is me in a good mood:

How totally bizarre, imagine that even on a bike ride you'd feel threatened enough to carry a loaded weapon. Never once on a single bike ride have I ever felt threatened enough to even think I could WANT to shoot anyone,even if I HAD a gun. What is so dangerous or threatening that you need to feel you have to carry a loaded weapon? I can't believe that things are so much more dangerous there than they are here. Even if I HAD a gun, I can't imagine feeling I had to take one on a bike ride! What on earth does it say about a society where even when you're going someplace for recreation, you can't even relax enough to go without a weapon? Are you really sure that you need it, are there really so many dangers out there?

I usually carry this....

http://www.imt.net/~mele/images/wincss.jpg

when I feel light of heart and in a great mood I go with this...

http://www.datazap.net/sites/mele/sc/scout1.jpg

and for days when I feel like a victim and down about the pressures of life...

http://featherusa.com/img6.jpg

I'm thinking about a compact grenade launcher when my wife, daughter and me do our bike tour, you know, something to announce to people in other countries, "Hey we're Americans!! Watch out or we might kill you!" Something nice and friendly.

:eek: :D :p

I think guns are as stupit as the nra but that another topic.Are there dangers out there,hell yes,around every corner.I'm still against guns.I say let everyone have the guns,just get rid of the bullets and use them as clubs.

wabbit, while you(and most people) do not need to carry a gun, here in Wake county NC a cyclist was beaten with a 2x4 after he flipped off a trucker that ran several cyclists into a ditch. cyclists here have been shot with paint ball guns, I had a triaxle dump truck swerve me into the ditch and been run off the road, as part of a pack(four guys down) by a tank truck. A cyclist in Chicago was run down and dragged(and killed)
I could see where one might want to be armed.

This is sorta funny, in a strange kind of way. Being from Tennessee, I learned to count from 3 to 30-30, just like other rural farm boys. What makes this so funny is that the only time I cary a fire arm is when I go to Nashville or Memphis! ;) Maby I fear the preditors that stand upright more than the ones who walk on all fours. :eek:

How totally bizarre, imagine that even on a bike ride you'd feel threatened enough to carry a loaded weapon. Never once on a single bike ride have I ever felt threatened enough to even think I could WANT to shoot anyone,even if I HAD a gun. What is so dangerous or threatening that you need to feel you have to carry a loaded weapon? I can't believe that things are so much more dangerous there than they are here. Even if I HAD a gun, I can't imagine feeling I had to take one on a bike ride! What on earth does it say about a society where even when you're going someplace for recreation, you can't even relax enough to go without a weapon? Are you really sure that you need it, are there really so many dangers out there?

All good points... but you have to understand-we're Americans, we like to kill things and even if we had nothing to kill we like to think there might be something to kill eventually.

And if there's nothing to kill eventually, well, ummmm, errrrr, Charlton Heston tells us to kill, I mean to carry our guns- in case there's something we need to kill. I mean it's IN the Constitution so we have to follow it... it's not like a Right from 200+ years ago could possibly be outdated, NO WAY! :D

And about recreation... Of course biking is recreational but you never know when a highly armed person might be nearby posing as a frisbee player or pretending to walk their dog and BAAAAM!!, they might try to steal your bike or laugh at how you look in your skintight spandex-so you'll have to pull some heat out on them and punch 'em fulla lead.

Lance Armstrong has a Glock made out of carbon fibre tucked away beneath his helmet during the Tour de France just in case that pesky Jan Ulrich gets too close to beating him.

:)

Im 15, can't really carry a loaded firearm around. And I really don't need to, i live in SD and the most threatening thing around here are some rowdy teenagers taht have had to much beer. I do however carry a knife somewhat like this one.
http://www.gungfu.com/pics_general/pics_knives/classic_survival_knives-knives.jpg

I have only had to wave it around before, just to scare off some people who felt that it would have been fun to try and beat me up.

You should never wave anything around unless you intend to use it. This goes for things other than knives and guns. :eek:

yes ill remember that. But those guys were seriously going to hurt me...

:(

You carry guns?, while biking? :lol: Feel free to do what you want, I don't really care who carries a gun.

Personally I have never been in any situation, on a bike, where I experienced enough fear or anxiety that I would even think about the need to carry deadly force. I have heard of foul hunters using bicycles to get into and out of the woods, and this sounds pretty cool, but I don't think that's what we're talking about here. Protection from wild animals? I guess I can see that.

So where are you guys riding??? The public housing projects of Chicago? (ridden there), the backwoods of the southeast? (been there done that). Afraid of getting raped like in Deliverance? Will a gun keep a trucker from running you off the road? I'm not against you carrying a gun while cycling, but I just don't understand. Humor me on this one. Do you really feel more relaxed while carrying?

Not much good a gun will do versus a truck.

Sometimes they're the same thing.


How true that can be!!!

I carry it more for protection from wild animals than people.


I don't see the difference in two :( …. Seriously, this thing never crossed my mind. I always though if anyone charges at me, I’ll get away by pedaling faster, plus I’m in New York , so I’m used to be among the crazy, or sometimes be one of them :D

:eek: You people carry guns??I dont know anyone who has a gun apart from my dad and thats not used that often!]


Well, aren't there only like 10 of you in that one tiny island?

;) :D

Koffee

For you armed cyclist....is it really that bad where you are cycling to warrant a weapon? Aside from the wheel-crazed dog, or deranged armadillo?

Have you personally ever used a weapon to ward off/stop an attack?

Most of the places...no. But here is a good one. Last summer, I parked my car at Centennial Park, and took off on my bicycle. At the end of my ride, I was entering the park. There was a family picnicing close to my car. All of a sudden, with all of their food on the blanket, they pick the blanket up, dump the whole thing in the trunk of their car, and they are gone. It made me somewhat suspicious. So anyway, I got to my car and was putting my bicycle on it and a kid, maybe 8-10 years old, who was a immigrant from some African country, came up to me and said he wanted money! Truthfully, I told him that I didn't have any cash on me and that I had just realized that I left my check card in the ATM in Dickson. His first response was "expensive bike, expensive car." Then, 3 more, 16-20 year olds, and big, start walking over to my car...and they didn't look like they were going to chat! My first response was to pull my gun out of my car. I pulled it out and their response was we don't want any trouble. I said "I guess not!!!" They walked off and I got out of there.

If I would not have had my gun, they would have robbed me and probably taken my car!

Um..that's bad. I was rubbed once. It's not the money or the belongings but your dignity. Do what I did, go to gym and take some karate classes.

Have you personally ever used a weapon to ward off/stop an attack?[/QUOTE]

Maybe, Maybe not, but if I did and I did not have one, it would be too late to go get one.

Ya know, everytime i think about going to the States either in car or bicycle I get a wake up call when I see posts like this.

I have to ask, other than the obvious posts, is this thread really serious? You guys actually carry guns? Well, if a cyclist carries a gun, who i almost always consider sane people, then what to the crazies and freaks carry?

No offence guys, but it doesn't sound that inviting.

Digger
When I last lived in Florida..The state temporarily allowed ( circa 1989) citizens to carry weapons on their person, if it was visible...That lasted about 1/2 year...It is bad for tourism for gun shoot outs to occur in the malls..
We have spent long months in Europe..walking about the city parks late at night, it is a relief to feel safe and not worry about more than just a semi, non violent mugging.. But Americans are a product of the wild west and we have severe social problems..
One odd fact about the US, most police organizations favor some kind of gun control...

One odd fact about the US, most police organizations favor some kind of gun control
That's because more crime causes the citizenry to demand more police. Less crime is bad for empire building. Quite amazing how rank and file officers, police unions, and police chiefs disaggree on things.
I do not pack and ride, but I live in a reasonable upscale area of California, very upscale by some states standards. If I lived in Rockford, Illinois, where I was born, I wouldn't go anywhere without a firearm, muchless get on a $5000 bicycle in leotards without one.
You cannot compare Canada to the U.S., don't take that as an insult, I love Canada, 32 million people over 3.5 million square miles cannot be compared to 300 million over less.
Populations and areas approximate OK??? :D

Im having trouble concealing my FN FAL on club rides...........

How totally bizarre, imagine that even on a bike ride you'd feel threatened enough to carry a loaded weapon. Never once on a single bike ride have I ever felt threatened enough to even think I could WANT to shoot anyone,even if I HAD a gun. What is so dangerous or threatening that you need to feel you have to carry a loaded weapon? I can't believe that things are so much more dangerous there than they are here. Even if I HAD a gun, I can't imagine feeling I had to take one on a bike ride! What on earth does it say about a society where even when you're going someplace for recreation, you can't even relax enough to go without a weapon? Are you really sure that you need it, are there really so many dangers out there?

Now here's a predictable comment from someone out of touch with responsible methods of self defense planning, "....to even think I could WANT to shoot anyone". Who in the f...ing world said they wanted to shoot someone? That has nothing to do with the discussion so keep your canuck presumptions to yourself.

Um..that's bad. I was rubbed once. It's not the money or the belongings but your dignity. Do what I did, go to gym and take some karate classes.

Why on earth would you take karate lessons? Why not wrestling, boxing? This ain't a contest to see who's strongest! When confronted with a situation that might warrant the use of deadly force, why would anyone be so stupid as to try to turn it into some machismo sport? And offer their safety or someone else's as the prize to the victor?

Now here's a predictable comment from someone out of touch with responsible methods of self defense planning, "....to even think I could WANT to shoot anyone". Who in the f...ing world said they wanted to shoot someone? That has nothing to do with the discussion so keep your canuck presumptions to yourself.

Sorry Don, I don't understand your point. Why carry a gun unless you're prepared to use it and unless it's against an animal presumably it's potentially against a human.

By the way, if you want to use the same tone with me, I'm a jock.

I can see the need for protection if you are camping wild in areas with bears or lions, but for other areas can I just say I'm glad we don't have the same culture of fear of attack over here.

I'd hate to be as scared as some of the gun carriers must be. It would ruin my enjoyment of cycling.

I ride my mountain bike in remote areas of North Georgia and North carolina where I have bumped into many strange charactors who do not seem thrilled I was there.

When in remote areas like this you cannot predict who you will run into. As a matter of fact a recent an FBI most wanted was captured in a town just a hop skip and jump away from some of my favorite riding places.

Eric Robert Rudolf was wanted in connection with terrorist activities and if you bump into someone like this you cannot know what they will be willing to do to keep you from saying you saw them.

I also run into very unfriendly locals from time to time that seem to think we are all city folk who are infringing upon them. Even though I am as much a country boy as any of them they do not typically like my presence. Sometimes they have guns. I even ran up on some locals out in the woods setting up to shoot bottles and cans in National Forest where it is illegal anyway.

Not to mention the remote possibility of angering Black bear and/or Cougar. Cougar are rare here but I have run up on black bear and surprised them many times but luckily they always ran from me. Once I ran up on Momma bear and three cubs, now that was a situation that could have turned ugly and at that time I did not have a peice, but I would have been very reluctant to shoot a mother bear anyway even if she charged me.

I'd likely throw my bike at her and pick up a big stick and hope for her not wanting to fight.

Anyway, I do nopt carry with the mentality that I want to shoot someone or something. I do so just to be armed if confronted with a life threatening conflict.

I do not carry on my road bike. But I live where it is not a threat to travel alone.

I'm a jock.

.

Sure you are, thats what they all say ;)

Me, I'm just armed and dangerous!

Police favoring some kind of gun control...Maybe has something to do with the number of funerals they have to attend..?