Oregon Hikers

Shelly Ann wrote: ↑

September 15th, 2020, 10:54 am

Thank you for letting me share these experiences. If you are contemplating carrying a sidearm during hikes, you need to be extremely alert to your surroundings, you need to be well trained in its use and in marksmanship, I qualified as an expert in my issued weapons. If you need to fire such a weapon, you need to be sure of the surroundings, where are all the members of your party, a bullet can travel nearly tree quarters of a mile and still be potentially lethal. During an encounter you cannot dither, you have to act 'right now.' You have to act as if it is second nature, an extension of your consciousness, so to speak. My initial firearms training was by our local Chief of Police, then the ongoing training in the military and refined during my last combat tour.

//es//An Avid Outdoors Lady.

Wow! Those certainly are exciting experiences! I think your last point is very important. Training and skill level need to be sharp and constantly honed for carrying a gun to be a net positive. For those of us without your professional background and life time of hunting, we might be safer without.

My only comment is that I wish every owner of a sidearm were as well-trained and responsible as you appear to be. That would make me a very happy man. I know from more than one personal encounter that they are not. The amount of thoughtless or reckless target shooting happening in the forests is extremely troubling and I do not know how to correct it. Directly telling target shooters they are being irresponsible, either because the area is off-limits to target shooting, or they have chosen an unsafe location with trails or roads located beyond their targets is just as likely to prompt belligerence (from men or women with loaded guns in their hands) as to gain thanks. I've experienced both.

Your stories, on the other hand, are models of responsible gun ownership and reminders that wilderness hiking is not a stroll in the park.

Crusak wrote: ↑

May 25th, 2013, 5:44 pm

Washington County has seen a ten-fold increase in concealed handgun applications. That started in 2009 and has continued ever since. They've had to hire two additional staff members and still it's not meeting demand, so they're employing a couple of "temps" as well (to handle stuff like fingerprinting). Appointments in the CHL office when from two weeks out to three months out for new permits.

Our employees have asked people why they're getting a concealed carry permit. The answer is often that they are worried about the direction the country is headed. They see the reductions in public funding, the state of the economy, and the attempts to restrict access to firearms and it's making them nervous.

Interesting that the post above was from 2013. It describes the present situation very well.

Shelly Ann, you've had an unusual number of aggressive animal encounters. Maybe you need to change your fabric softener brand, or whatever it is that makes the critters stalk you.

dalylab wrote: ↑

February 28th, 2010, 7:12 pm

RBar wrote:Research the shooting at New Life Church that was stopped by an armed citizen!

Actually, the gunman was shot by a New Life Church security guard, not some random armed citizen.

Hired to protect. Kind of like a Park Ranger.

Well I wish there would have been a person with a firearm the day my cousin was raped and murdered in the national Park they can't always be a ranger or a police officer available you're out in the back country bad things can happen out there too

I'm sorry to hear about your cousin. Was this recently in the news? Which National Park did it happen in?