I learned alot of this after my dog bit someone trying to enter my yard instead of using the doorbell on the gate. They sued me for damages when my dog was protecting my wife and the property. You learn alot during these events.

By the way, he was my ex mechanic. The extent of the injury was a scratch. Went to hospital, they cleaned it, tetanus shot, and put a bandaid on him.

Ps, they won the case. Insurance company settled.

what happend to the good ol' days when if they were on your property you could shoot first and ask questions later. maby ill move to TX or Arkansas or some other state where the left wing hippies have not completly taken over. MO is good in the rural areas but im tired of the city. why im going otr

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Pumpkin Driver - we got problems but so does every one else
Army Driver
"Wars come and go, but my soldiers stay eternal." tupac

i agree with the ones who think they should be able to carry a gun. if someone is going to harm me, i should have the right to take them out. but as you might have noticed the last few years or so the penalties for these bad guys amount to only a light slap on the hand. more and more the law abiding person has no rights at all.

i am looking to possably drive otr, i drive local class b now. but i will never carry a gun. on another forum i read of a good protection device that i think i will use instead. a can of hornet and wasp killer it will spray 20 ft or so. anyway thats my .02

|I think perhaps a basic assumption o this discussion needs to be questioned. This is the idea that carrying a gun will enable its use to save you. I do not know how manyof you have seen a trained policeman have a shoot out with a driver he had stopped. They were 20 feet apart at opposite ends of a four wheeler. Each emtied his clip. No one was hit.

|The proper use of a gun as a weapon to kill someone requires training to the extent that it is instinct. If you have to think, draw the weapon, release the safety, aim and shoot, it is too late. When someone who is ready to kill you sees the movement towards the gun, you will be dead. If someone holds a gun on you and thinks he sees a movement for a gun, you will be dead. The person threatening you has already done all the thinking. All they have left to do is the reflex of pulling the trigger. This can be done very quickly when the adrenalin is flowing. Smoothly drawing and accurately firing a weapon with the adrenalin flowing and the emotions peaked can only be done if you have experienced it and trained for it.

The training for this is not readily available for most people. Half trained, you have the reflexes and become very dangerous. The reflexes have been used against the worng targets and kiled family members, etc. If you have fully fully completed a training program |(prison guard, etc) you may be ina position to instantly switch from driver to killer with all the mental gymnastics this takes. If you gun is at hand, you may be fast enough. If you get one shot off, it may prevent the attcker from getting a shot off at you. But the odds are agains you witha ll those ifs. And, if you were trained, you would know that. Since you are reading this far, it is safe to assume you are not trained to use a gun to kill in civilian situations (which are very different from military actions). In which case a gun in your hand is a danger to you and will get you killed.

Perhaps someone who has been trained and kiiled with a gun will comment about carrying a gun. But my training has convinced me it would be too dangerous to have in the truck for my safety as well as for the legal reasons.

Demmy

I dont know anyone who who has been trained and killed with a gun that is capable to comment (on anything).
That being said, your assertion that only those "trained to kill" have the knowledge to carry a gun (or comment) is just about ridiculus as saying only those who have had an accident should speak about the proper application of seatbelts.
The SAME "gun" training available for Police Officers is available to the General Public.
It is a well established fact that (the use of) "guns" prevent more crime in the US than they cause and save far more lives annually in the US than they take.

I am not against guns as I own several. I used to carry a concealed weapon, but not in a CMV. I will take my chances on truckers not being able to pack. Not to mention all the places that do not allow weapons that we deliver too. With all the hate out here and road rage do you all really want some of these truckers packing??? All I need is to be parked between 2 CB rambo's who are breaking leather on each other.Some of these guys are not trained to use a tooth brush and ya'll want them to pack???

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My childhood dream of becoming a truck driver turned into a nightmare!

DeMorcan; as for your post: As a former Police Officer and Firearms / Academy Instructor, I can say that people defend themselves everyday with a firearm, properly trained or not. Is the bad guy properly trained? Some are, but usually not. True, having sufficient training is a very big factor in surviving an armed encounter, but it's not that simple. If that were the case, Police Officers would never be killed and the bad guy would always lose. The situation in your mind is usually what you base your opinion on. But the situation in your mind, that you generally look at as an armed encounter will usually not be the one you face. For instance, many people think being carjacked, means someone walking up to your car while you sit at a stop light, pulling a gun on you and taking your car, possibly shooting you. Many people therefore formulate a plan to have their gun within reach while seated in the car, to counteract that scenario. At least those who are not experienced. However, while this scenario can be real, and your thoughts on this are justified, most people are carjacked while walking to their car from a store, etc, and are accosted while outside of their vehicle.

Many people have protected themselves in their homes, vehicles or on the street, with very little training. It's just that it happened the way it did. Another factor is how well trained or prepared the bad guy is. I've seen many of them get shot, while holding a gun on someone. The reaction time takes effect here. Also, many bad guys think that a firearm automatically gives them the advantage and free reign on the public. Most understand the reality, but many just don't believe they'll encounter an armed victim. They think having that gun makes them King Kong and everyone is going to cowar and submit.

Last, but certainly very important. Your awareness and tactics, have a big influence on how the situation will turn out or develop. Keeping doors locked AT ALL TIMES. Avoiding certain areas or environments. Watching your surroundings, expecting something to happen. Your attitude. All of these, combined with Firearms familiarization and training will up the odds of your survival. For starters, I would recommend anyone to have your safety training down first. Then practice slowly getting the gun out (draw) and putting your rounds onto the target. Over a period of time, this movement will develop and speed follows. Hitting what you are shooting at, one and two handed, seated, standing, prone. Start at close distances. The majority of armed encounters occurr WITHIN 10 to 15 feet, and most within 5 feet. Don't mean to start a class here, but that's my suggestion. Take a good class, enjoy shooting and develop your skill. It's a great sport and lots of fun. My whole family enjoys it and respects firearms and is drilled in safety.

As far as truckers are concerned, alot of scenarios can develop. I wouldn't worry as much while I'm in a truck going down the road. It would take alot to get me out of a moving truck. It's the times when I bed down for the night in a truck stop, rest area, or roadside that bother me. Maybe fueling up at 3 AM in an area that's no too kosher or dropping a load off in the hood somewhere. That's when the situation meter starts to elevate.

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I have read the Second Amendment, and nowhere within did I find that a certain level of intelligence was mentioned as a precursor to the application of the right to keep and bear arms.

I realize the point you're making, and I don't really disagree with you, even though the argument is fundamentally flawed.

Honestly, with the gun laws we live with, if a person has passed the muster enough to be able to legally carry one, they have already demonstrated a fair amount if intelligence.

Well go into any truckstop. Look at all the drivers. Listen to them. Turn on the CB. Now tell me the % of those out there that you would feel safe in knowing they were armed??

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My childhood dream of becoming a truck driver turned into a nightmare!

Using your same points......I would like to have the right to protect myself from these "rambinos"