thinktubes 

Too bad he wasn't into carbon fiber - maybe you guys could have bonded.

Stucky

Yes, with bigger-ticket items- like motor vehicles, or when trying to find homes for rescued pets, I have met some very nice people from CL. -Although, the way I write my ads probably helps cut down on the flakes... For some reason, it's when trying to sell the little things, that the weirdos seem to come out of the woodwork!

rccardr 

I saw what you did there!

martl

Nah, mate, its the "home of the brave"

cheers, martl

Phil_gretz

Okay. I just guffawed at that one. Nice.

nlerner

I thought they would have shattered on impact.

DMC707

Yes- when I mentioned my 38 is usually in my pocket, that was not meant to suggest it is only there during CL encounters, it's there 90% of the time

Not to get political, but it's a crazy world out there,----- bicycle re-sellers on CL are at or close to the bottom of my list of people to worry about though

A young lady who was dating a friend of mine asked me once why I carry, (my friend knew my tendencies and must have told her , because I didn't) -- I just replied back quite simply "Because you don't"

Nobody believes anything bad could ever happen to them until it does

DMC707

I'd rather donate than sell the small stuff- for the same reasons

I rarely have buyers to my house because I don't want them checking everything else out while they are there. If I have a garage full of vintage automobiles, racing motorcycles , a few bicycles and all the tools to maintain those items, --- I don't want anyone thinking it's a bright idea to come back later when I am out of town working

I sell from my rented storage building mostly---- I do that for me as much as the buyer-- I'd rather a buyer feel comfortable in a presumably safe well lit place too.

Once, after chatting with a buyer for 30 minutes, I learned we had similar motorcycle interests so after he loaded up his bicycle, he followed me back to my house to check out a motorcycle I was thinking about selling --- went through a 6 pack of Sam Adams and had a serious bench racing session -- he didn't buy the motorcycle but I do see him on occasion at the track

Stucky

Maybe non-US residents don't understand: Half the people here are crazy. (And the cops are even crazier). I think the same is unfortunately true for Canada lately, too. And I don't just mean "Not quite right"- I mean bat-guano crazy!

Dave Cutter

Yep. also... some people carry cash and some people don't. It doesn't affect me if you always have cash or not, or are armed, or not.

I, can't really assign a number the how many people I've known who carry or have carried. Because I am old... the number may be in the hundreds. The number of people I've known who shot someone with a pocket gun of purse pistol.... ZERO.

mstateglfr 

True. Doesnt mean carrying a loaded weapon is the answer, but your comment is accurate.
My brother in law, a police officer, carries probably 95% of the time he is out of his house. I dont feel safer with him than on my own.
With that said, I would actually feel less safe with some random person carrying versus my well trained and practiced brother in law. He has been in extremely tense situations many times over and i trust his judgement and reactions more than some random Bob who carries, even if they got certified by the county sheriff.
-note- I am not saying you are a random untrained gun carrier, but I have come to learn the world is certainly filled with people who think they are trained and/or responsible but arent.

close the garage door?

clubman 

'Apt natural, I have a gub...' (paraphrased, name the film without google)

All 6 handguns in this town are owned by the local constabulary and they don't seem to answer my CL/Kijiji ads. Hell I even get angry at bad drivers and give them my opinion. Remarkably stress-free.
I'm not gloating, just telling you how it is.

Before the lock.

martl

Naturally i don't carry, living where gun laws are very strict, but this means it is very unlikely that the other person i'm dealing with is carrying, either. This is nice because it allows me to receive visitors i don't know very well without feeling the need to 'protect' myself by lethal weaponry. I don't want armed protection by other citizens, either. The only ones carrying are police officers, it's their job to provide safety in any civilised society, not mine or any other citizens. They are the ones trained to use them and under extremely close inquiry if they do, which is fine with me. It also means i'm not treated like a serial **** murderer when i'm pulled over for speeding or not flashing my lights. And, if i actually happened to be in a crowded nightclub and four madmen with towels on their heads and Kalashnikovs came in and opened fire (which has about the same odds as me winning the TdF), i don't think i would singlehandedly fight them off with my trusty 45, even though i received gun training while in the army, because i'm not John Wayne and not McLane either - i would **** my pants, and in that state, a gun is little use

DMC707

This is a common misconception, when in reality, --- you are the primary person responsible for your own safety .
The police are great, When seconds count, they'll be there in a few minutes

martl

Happened to you often, that it was necessary to pull a gun to protect your or your dear ones life? Not only in the spur of the moment, but also in calmed-down hindsight?
If you feel you need to carry a gun for *your* safety, thats fine. Those who tell me "i carry a gun so you don't have to": Don't tell me its for *mine*. I didn't ask for it, i'm happy with the kind of protection i get from official sides. I'm not happy with being the scapegoat for other people's paranoia. I feel safer the fewer people have guns, not the more.

The line of reasoning "we have so many lunatics here, so we have to make guns availabe" doesn't really cut it for me, tbh, because that means not only reasonable people like you and me can get them easily, but also the lunatics. I don't buy you have a higher percentage of them than others. i like to call myself a well-travelled man, and from my point of view, they are about evenly distributed across the globe.
I prefer them as unarmed as possible.

kingston 

I often invite people into my house to look at my bike collection and have been invited into at least half-a-dozen other people's houses that I can remember to look at their collections. On a few of those occasions the "sale" took a few hours. One guy's wife invited me to stay for dinner. Having bought and sold dozens of things on CL, I have never feared for my safety. Then again, I'm not the kind of guy who goes around fearing for my safety. It's just people. Most of them are cool in their own way and nice if you get to know them.

Stucky

Where one lives makes a big difference. In an upscale suburb or here in Bumpkinsville, it's not really an issue. Now ask the guys who live in Brooklyn or Detroit.....

jgedwa

To any readers of this thread from outside the US, please know that most people here in the US are not casual firearm people. Or, in other words, the reaction you have to these revelations of us carrying heat is perhaps similar to how many people here react to it.

I, for one, promise not to shoot you even if you deserve it.

Jim

DMC707

Happen to me often? It only has to happen once -- in a lifetime

I carry a small device in my car used to cut seatbelts and smash window glass in the event of an emergency --- I have also never had to use that

In the winter months, I have a plastic box in the back of the car with a blanket, some beef jerky a few bottles of water, and a battery jump start pack -- also --- never had to use them

A small first aid kit to include a tourniquet, compression bandages and sutures - haven't needed it yet

All of these items are priceless when you do need them though

To bring it back to cycling - how bout the spare couple of tubes, energy gels, co2 cartridges and chain breaker you may carry if its going to be a long day?

---------------

I'm not the Guardian of the Galaxy ---- the statement "I carry so you don't have to" is a bit pompous, but my statement, -- which is -- "I carry because you don't" --- means I am taking responsibility for my own safety and I would rather someone have a modicum of preparation if I am out with a mixed bag of people

Regarding being happy with the "protection" you get from your officials - realize not every one of your beloved LE officials has a GSG-9 level of training ---- we had a happy afternoon just 2 years ago in my small town in Oklahoma where a disgruntled employee severed 2 women's heads in a very short spree ---- the manager of the establishment had to retrieve his rifle from his vehicle to end it before there were 3 severed heads or more

If you are on the receiving end of this -- would you have waived off the guy with the gun? " No no, put that away before you hurt yourself -- the cops are on their way , they will handle this "


But lunatics do not need guns --- knives are fine- big ones , small ones, even box knives , delivery trucks work well in a pinch, full propane tanks and a flame source maybe , --- perhaps just a van full of commonly available agricultural fertilizer with a propellant and an accelerator - Jansport backpacks full of nails and an explosive cocktail cooked up with information gleaned from youtube --that will get you noticed too

DMC707

Naah -- rather just deal with most people at my storage unit --- I may miss out on a handful of encounters with good people, but ive made my peace with that --- I don't want most people knowing where I live

The higher end stuff I will sell either here or on ebay anyway. If a person from CL wanted to buy my late model yeti mtb or Cannondale at the price I would need for either , I would likely greet them with a highball of Lagavulin or Glenlivet and whip up a beef tenderloin on the grill with some wine braised baby portobellos and a sliver of NY cheesecake for dessert

But if if your the type of guy who comes over and offers me $325 "Cash Money" for my $700 listing --- no, I wont let you intrude upon my home

kingston 

Probably has more to do with the middle-aged guy stuff I buy and sell which is related to where I live, but not the same thing. I sold a van a few years ago, and one of the guys interested in it asked if I could meet him at his house in Humbolt Park because he didn’t have a car. Humbolt Park isn’t the worst neighborhood in Chicago, but it’s not that great either, and it was totally fine. I figured the worst they could do was take my van which I ended up selling to someone else for fifteen hundred bucks, so a big loss, but not the end of the world. The guys were cool and even though they didn’t want the van, they went with me to auto-zone to get a part to turn off the engine light that kept coming on during the test drive.

Stucky

Funny thing: When I lived in the NYC metro area, I used to haul junk cars with a tow truck. I'd go into some of the very worst "hoods". About the worst thing I encountered was a crackhead running up to me and offering to sell me obviously stolen power tools. Luckily, he just floated* away when I said I wasn't interested. [*= Couldn't think of a better word. "Walked" or "ran" wouldn't do it- that guy was moving like a butterfly- hardly touching the ground- and coming and going like a stray greyhound....]

I even stopped and gave someone a jump once [err...their car, that is]- for free.

I figured out that I was one of the few guys who'd pick up cars in those neighborhoods- so I actually ended up advertising there- and picked up a lot of extra business by doing so! (The older I get though, the more foolhardy I think that was]

howellhandmade

Heh. I recently emailed a CL seller about a bike. I made an offer, and he responded asking if I had any firearms I would consider trading for it. Ummm . . . no.

I've had both buyers and sellers who were excellent folks and also little better than crooks. For better or worse, CL is a slice of life.

markwesti

About 5 yrs. ago I sold this bike thru CL asking $850 firm . It's a 58 cm , all this was in the ad . A buyer comes over and he is like 5 foot even .
I tell him no way is this going to fit , but he insists he wants it . I think he watched American Pickers to many times , damn he was a pain .

Trsnrtr

My brother put a hot tub with a broken pump on CL for free. As soon as he posted it, his phone started ringing. Before it was over, he gave it away to the highest "bidder" for three cases of Miller Lite.