banerjek

This past Sunday, I took part in an organized ride that I've always associated with particularly low traffic.

This year, there was a surprising number of lifted rigs along the course which surprised me since the roads only go up to the peaks, and there's really not much to do at the top. On the second climb, some hicks in a lifted white truck waved a shotgun as they passed me.

I couldn't imagine why the heck anyone would want to wave a gun outside a moving vehicle, and I was a little concerned that anyone willing to do this on a bumpy road might be stupid enough to leave it loaded so it could accidentally discharge.

Apparently, I have dealt with so many idiots that I don't realize when I'm being harassed. Other cyclists reported the driver, and apparently he was arrested as soon as he descended

rumrunn6

Lovely.

Hey I met a woman at the beach Saturday from Oregon! She didn't seem like a gun toter. I doubt you are naive.

patentcad

And I thought I lived in Redneck Land.

Ouch.

mrbUSA

Down in my neck of the rednecks, that "harassment" with a shotgun loaded or not would get that a-hole the 10 part of the 10-20-life. I hope you added your name to the complaint.

banerjek

I thought I had decent exposure to redneck culture, except it wasn't until this year that I learned that many people have special shells for indoor use.

THE PROBLEM: You want to blow away an intruder hell bent on stealing your stuff. However, you don't want the shot to carry through the walls and hit your kids in the next room

THE SOLUTION: Reload with aluminum flakes instead of regular shot. They spread out fast and they don't carry far at all. This will probably not kill the intruder, but it will stop him more effectively than pheasant load. The flakes will not penetrate regular wallboard, so the kids in the next room are safe.

I wish I were kidding...

mgbguy

I too live in redneck land. This morning a big red truck in the oncoming lane pulled out to pass, saw me, and gunned it around 3 other cars. I had to hit the ditch. He was laughing as he passed.

kostoglotov

I don't know which are worse. Rednecks or big city cabbies. I went from one to the other.

Rob P.

Why? What did the ditch do to you?

roadiejorge 

When I rode in Tennessee I carried a micro-Uzi in my jersey pocket; hicks quickly learned that trying to run me off the road was a bad idea, and that waving shotguns/rifles at cyclists with an automatic weapon was an equally bad decision.



This tough guy moment brought to you by Cyclists for the NRA.

cod.peace

And when they'd wave a shotgun on you, what did you do? Let loose with a few short bursts over their heads?

jsharr

In Texas, if you wave a shotgun at anyone, it can legally be considered a marriage proposal.

diziet

My problem is my eyesight is too bad to spot license plates from anywhere farther than 5 meters.

Daytrip

Whoa, pardner. That's pretty serious. Around here it's just considered foreplay.

luker

wow, that's bad. I'm glad we don't have any rednecks in Idaho...

FR4NCH1SE

This thread made me giggle, I have seen those lifted trucks around here. But to be honest, the way I see it, who gives a poo, leave them alone, they wont mess with you if you dont mess with them. The problem arises when they mean to hurt you and run you off the road. In that case, you do have to stand up for your self and either get in a mini fight, or curse them. I am lucky enough not to run into bad "redneck" people. When the time rises thou, I hope they show me respect.

haimtoeg

Too bad the OP is in Oregon, might have been a world of new friends and family for him.

spry

At least he waved.

bigfred 

And when they level a double barrel out the window aimed at your head as they match your speed, like I've had done to me,...will you stand up for yourself, curse them or steer into the ditch as instructed? Respect? Yeh right. I hope you never get exposed to the sort of personality that we're talking about.

FR4NCH1SE

No doubt, I would have either cried for my life or just fainted if I saw a shotgun swayed to my face. I would have called the cops as soon as possible. That sad, Oregon sounds like a awesome place to live.

Hornbiker

Hey, I did this ride too — Shasta Century, yes? If so, it's Northern CA not Oregon. But Oregon has our share of wacko, cyclist-hating rednecks.

Ex Pres 

My next door neighbor used to carry a 2 shot derringer with him on rides. The kind of gun you take to a knife fight. A pickup driver tried to hit him with his mirror, missed, pulled over, stopped and came at him with a baseball bat. My buddy flashed the gun - driver got back in the truck and left.

But he quit carrying because the next time it might be too easy to pull the trigger.

Connell

A cyclist was hit by lightning in Boulder, Colorado yesterday. Fortunately, she's OK. However, I learned about it from a local Colorado forum. The thread was started with the comment "So it's not just we motorists who hate these a**holes!", followed by the LOL smiley.

yeah, hilarious.

I'm afraid rednecks are everywhere.

nycphotography

Would you prefer someone choose to keep a FMJ 9mm for home protection? Or maybe buckshot?

Seems to me that if you want a gun for home protection, that would be the most responsible choice. Too bad a workably short barrel is illegal. If it weren't you might see a lot fewer loaded 9mm or 45's laying around.

turbo2L

Have you actually SHOT aluminum flakes from a shotgun? True enough they wouldn't penetrate anything, but wouldn't it catch fire and burn the house down?

Nimitz87

no offense...but this is 100% WRONG. ANY load that will stop an intruder WILL penertrate standard dry wall.

https://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm shotgun vs dry wall.

https://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot1.htm handguns/rifles vs dry wall.

the number #1 best load for a home defense shotgun is #1 buck followed by 00 buck. these rounds will penertrate less than most hangun rounds and damn near all rifle rounds. they will also penertrate enough to cause a large wound channel and hit vital organs/arteries


ever been to an ER and seen a bird shot victim? they bleed alot but the wound tract is shallow and rarely life threating, there are two ways to stop someone.

loss of blood, mass trauma leads to shock, however if said assailant is high on PCP, meth, etc this doesn't always work...there are videos of guys being shot 10+ times with 9mm and keep attacking.

so the other way is to sever the CNS, or hit vital organs (lung, heart, etc.)

so do you know what happened to the guy besides being arrested? what was he charged with?

Chad