Dr_Robert

"The defendant was already moving at speed on his bicycle (at this time I'd like to admit into evidence the defendants onboard computer, which shows a top speed of 27 MPH), and had a considerable lead on my client. He could have just ridden away, but instead the defendant chose to stop his bike, drew this nickel plated, Desert Eagle .50 caliber magnum handgun (exibit D, a weapon many in the jury will be familiar with from movies such as "Pulp Fiction"), and fired at my unarmed client 7 times."

Yeah, good luck with that.

-DR

baron von trail 

State?
12 peers in Georgia, Alabama, Ky, or anywhere else just south of Oh and I'd say, "Not Guilty".

Of course, the lawyer would really earn his keep explaining to the jury what you were doing riding on one of them there Bicycles instead of in a pick-em up truck.

Blue Roads

Exactly. In a civil case -- where the burden of proof is lower, meaning the prosecution need only prove its case by a preponderance of evidence (so-called 51% rule), not beyond a reasonable doubt -- the shooter has an excellent chance of being found responsible in the above or a similar scenario. Goodbye everything you own and much of everything you earn for the rest of your life.

Carrying a handgun on your hip every time you ride a bicycle for the rest of your life -- for the one-in-a-million chance where you might be forced to use it in a justified homicide -- is silly. You have a greater chance of being negligent with it, accidentally discharging it, being an idiot with it, or a combination of all three, than using it in a justified homicide.

Schwinnrider

That's a pretty elitist attitude. There are millions of people in the US who carry concealed weapons. Millions. I've carried a handgun for 24 years. I've never been negligent with it, accidentally discharged it, or been an idiot with it. Have I ever used it to protect myself? Yes, once. No shots were fired, but the three guys who followed me to my car turned around quickly when they saw me remove the pistol from my glove compartment and place it in my waistband.

You are coming to this discussion with a clear bias, and an ill-informed one, at that. Your argument is the same one which is put forward EVERY TIME a state wants to enact CCW legislation. And every time your argument is proven wrong. Why do you keep beating the dead horse?

ascend

Well he can't shoot it now, can he

baron von trail 

Right to bear arms. That would be #2 on the famous list of 10.

I have never, nor do I ever wish to carry a gun, but...See above Constitutional Decree. I agree with Scwinnrider on this one.

BTW: Getting shot is one of the risks associated with being a thug. If indeed millions are carying guns, and more than just a few ride bikes, then the bike snatchers have some serious discerning to do, don't they?

PaulRivers

If there is one single time in your entire life that you needed your handgun in a justified homicide, that would be worth carrying it around your entire life. It's like the safety equipment in your car - if there's a single time that it saved your life, it was worth the added expensive and gas mileage hit of driving around with it your entire life.

However, in a practical reality most of us simply prefer not to bike through areas where we think there's a valid chance of needing to use a gun. If I lived where that was the case I might have a different opinion, and I definitely respect people who don't want to give up space to the thugs, but a lot of us simply prefer to ride where the biggest danger is cars or equipment failure (I know someone who's steel front fork broke while he was riding - broke his collarbone). If I feel the need to carry a gun, it's time to get off the bike and into the car.

noglider 

Honestly, I feel less vulnerable to mischief on a bike than in a car. I think the bad guys see me as innocuous or they don't see me at all.

I support the right to bear arms and to have your own opinion as to whether you need a gun. However, my own view, which works for me, is that I don't want to own a gun. I'd rather take my chances. If I owned a gun, I'd have to train, practice, etc., which would lead me to think about scenarios, very ugly scenarios. My life is better not thinking about them.

I live in Maplewood, NJ, which borders Newark, NJ, a poor city with a high crime rate. I haven't cycled in Newark yet but a riding partner of mine does it every day without incident. Once, when driving through Newark, a guy made a very suspicious gesture to me as I was pulling into an auto parts store. Rather than stopping to see what he wanted or pulling in, I pulled out and drove the rest of the way to work. I was shaken up just from that for a week. The gesture was waving his hands over his head as if he wanted to talk to me. There was just something odd about it. I got a weird vibe. And there were two other guys with him. If he really needed help, then God forgive me, but I had an intuition, and I had to respond to it.

Roody

I think you did the right thing. I'm writing this for you and other people who don't need/want to take self-defense or MA classes.

The first rule of urban self-defense should be "Never let a stranger approach close enough to strike or (especially) grab you."

If a stranger gets close to me on the street, I back away defensively. If he continues to approach, I say loudly and firmly, "Stay away from me. Don't get any closer." At this point I'm also looking around, and going over plans in my head. And eventually I'm probably getting louder and sounding a little "crazy" (in the street sense of crazy).

I've had to do this a few times in my life. Don't worry about looking stupid, or being wrong about the person's intentions. If somebody gets close to you when you've asked him/her not to, they do not have good intentions. Period. You are fully justified to scream, run away, dial 911, or attack this person who won't leave you alone.

The main thing is never let somebody grab you. If they grab you, they can kill you. It's better to get hit, kicked or even stabbed than to have somebody hold onto you.

noglider 

Roody, surely you don't mean that we have to keep that kind of distance on crowded downtown sidewalks and on mass transit. So could you clarify?

baron von trail 

Stranger on stranger crime is an opportunity affair. It's like what's shown on those nature shows where the lions seperate their victim from the herd. The criminals try to draw you away from your comfort zone and pull you into theirs. They can ask for directions, a few bucks, a light of a cigarette or anything in between. All of it is a ploy to break you away and make you vulnerable.

When OP was slowing down and taking a sip of water, he was like the wildebeast with the broken leg. The predators sensed that he was vulnerable. Lucky for him, he had the strength to be able to take off and get away.

BTW: Non-stranger crime is the #1 problem in this country. Friends, lovers, and spouses blowing each other's brains out is much more common than stranger on stranger crime. That is the primary reason I wll never own a gun. I simply do not trust myself enough to know that I would not fall into that category, especially in a fit of rage or after a few cold ones.

Blue Roads

There's a thought. Make practical, simple decisions that preclude carrying a gun on your hip every time you ride your bicycle for the rest of your life.

You did the right thing. Get away and avoid the confrontation, report the incident to the cops, and be better prepared next time with reasonable means such as pepper spray.

Roody

Sorry. I meant strangers approaching you and showing an interest in you, especially at night, or when there aren't many people around. "Hey! I gotta talk to you for a second!....Don't stand way over there, I just wanna talk to you!...I guess you think you're too good to talk to me?...Nice bike, can I look at it?" And so on. They're testing you, trying to see if you'll do what they tell you to do.

Bheleu

Anything that attracts additional attention adds to safety. Be it an air horn, or with some design work a couple carefully unwrapped bags of snap 'n pops wrapped in cellophane stored in a container with some cotton swabs (tossed on the pavement a wad of them sounds like a shotgun blast). Not sure how comfortable I would be carrying the snap 'n pops around all the time, but the flash and blast would deter anyone blindly running after you (and make them think you really are armed). If they could be made non-volatile enough to carry around (they're already light) someone could make a good profit selling a prepackaged kit.

de-bug

For the OP - 2 guys were shot at 17th and Carrollton on Sunday evening.

https://www.wishtv.com/dpp/home/Shoot...pital_20090329

There were two men shot, not one. Another neighbor walked over to get the scoop....said the shooting was the result of an argument with the shooter. The police had to come out earlier in the week to the same house for a disturbance.

watersyrup

yawn

thebeatcatcher

Man, I was just getting ready to ride in again. Well, I'm still going to, just not that route.

Why did you even bother?