Don't Bring Your Guns to Town (Unless You Can Prove They Are Yours)
11-02-2015
Author: in RVing Ruminations by Russel
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Guns are much in the news these days. They are a fact of life in America. This post is not designed to begin a debate, no matter what your feelings are about them. Only to convey a couple of points learned from experience.
Before I started RVing full time, I worked at a newspaper selling classified ads. An older gentleman came in one day to put an ad in for a small twenty-two caliber pistol. He only wanted a small price for it, so I bought it just to play around with plinking at cans. Without even thinking twice about it I had it in the trailer.
A couple of years later I was driving up I-5, the major Interstate artery in the Central California valley as well as the entire west coast from border to border. It was a nasty day, raining to beat the band, wind blowing like crazy but I had to be traveling to get to my next job. I saw the blue lights flashing in the rear view mirror before I heard the siren and pulled over as soon as I could. To my surprise the Highway Patrol car pulled in right behind me.
“You know you have a tail light out?” asked the trooper.
“No, I didn't know.” I make it a habit of checking my lights every morning before I take off. (If you do find a problem with lights, RW Trailer Parts may help you solve it. I got out and sure enough one of the four lights was dark. I explained I had checked them that morning. But little did I know this stop was part of a sweep going on to catch drug runners.
“Do you have any guns?” was his next question.
“Yes, a twenty-two pistol,” I answered truthfully.
“Mind if I have a look at it?”
“No problem,” I got it out of the trailer for him.
“Wait, in the truck,” he took the gun and went back to his car; I, into the cab.
A short time later another patrol car pulled up in front of me. The officer from in back returned and I rolled down the window.
“You are under arrest for a stolen weapon. Get out and put your hands behind your back.” A few minutes later I was sitting in the back of the patrol car in handcuffs, telling the story of how I had obtained the gun for about the third time. A tow truck and trailer pulled up and I watched as they loaded my truck and trailer on to it. Shortly thereafter we were speeding on ahead of it in the downpour, the cop on his radio most of the time. After about five miles we pulled off on an exit and came to a stop; the tow truck soon followed.
The cop turned around to me and said via a speaker, “You're lucky, the office in Washington is already closed, and we can't confirm the gun is stolen. Here's a ticket for the tail light.” A bit later the handcuffs were off and my truck and trailer had been unloaded. Shortly thereafter I was driving through the pouring rain again.
Now, such scenarios are not likely to occur very often and probably never to most people, but I learned from that experience. The point is, that, had I had a bill of sale with a serial number on it, the whole situation would probably have been avoided. I never did go try to retrieve that gun.
I decided first of all if one was going to own a gun, it should be more than a quite worthless “Saturday night special” and bought a 9mm Glock. And from there on out I kept the bill of sale very close to the gun and ammunition. I also kept a copy of the bill of sale with my truck and trailer registration. I kept two more copies of the bill of sale. I’ve never had occasion to need any of them. If a gun is ever stolen it is extremely important that you can report the serial number of it. This would go for hunting rifles and shot guns as well as any others.
Be sure to store any weapons as securely as you would in your home. Especially if you have grandchildren visiting you in your coach from time to time. I am assuming that if you choose to own guns then you are smart enough to know how to treat them wisely. Laws vary widely when it comes to concealed carry, so if you choose that option, know about those laws everywhere you go.
A final personal note about the Glock, in my travels, from time to time I boon-docked it-- camped in the wild where there are few or no facilities. One time I was camped about twenty miles out on one arm of the huge Lake Shasta in Northern California at a Forest Service Campground. Many national forests have such campgrounds that are usually administered by private management companies. The US National Forest Campground Guide has a comprehensive listing of them. Facilities are usually very minimal; even electrical hook ups are rare. But for being out in nature, they are hard to beat. I was the only one in the small campground since it was late in the season and the water in the lake was very low, as it usually is that time of year. One afternoon all of a sudden I heard three ATV's each driven by an unshaven young man and they started driving in a circle around me only a hundred yards away. After I watched them circle a number of times I felt just a bit insecure, so I got the pistol out and laid it on the table. Of course nothing happened and fifteen minutes or so later they left. Had there been any bad intentions though, I felt I had evened the odds.
If you are going to take your guns with you on your on RVing adventures, advice can be boiled down to a couple of axioms. Be responsible with them as you would anywhere and make sure you have paper work in order and backed up. Perhaps you have stories of your experience with fire arms while on the road. If so, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.
Until next time, walk in beauty and keep it between the ditches.
Russel
Though from my travels I have come to roost
I hope my experiences will give yours a boost
About the Blog Author
Russel Micnhimer is retired after twenty-five years of full time RVing. During that time he was a sales representative for Southeast Publications selling advertising on Site Maps (aka Guest Guides) for RV Parks and Resorts and Fairgrounds. He traveled in a pickup truck and travel trailer primarily in the Western United States logging nearly 500,000 miles. In his blog he shares many experiences and insights in hopes they will be helpful to others who pursue the RVing lifestyle.
Before I started RVing full time, I worked at a newspaper selling classified ads. An older gentleman came in one day to put an ad in for a small twenty-two caliber pistol. He only wanted a small price for it, so I bought it just to play around with plinking at cans. Without even thinking twice about it I had it in the trailer.
A couple of years later I was driving up I-5, the major Interstate artery in the Central California valley as well as the entire west coast from border to border. It was a nasty day, raining to beat the band, wind blowing like crazy but I had to be traveling to get to my next job. I saw the blue lights flashing in the rear view mirror before I heard the siren and pulled over as soon as I could. To my surprise the Highway Patrol car pulled in right behind me.
“You know you have a tail light out?” asked the trooper.
“No, I didn't know.” I make it a habit of checking my lights every morning before I take off. (If you do find a problem with lights, RW Trailer Parts may help you solve it. I got out and sure enough one of the four lights was dark. I explained I had checked them that morning. But little did I know this stop was part of a sweep going on to catch drug runners.
“Do you have any guns?” was his next question.
“Yes, a twenty-two pistol,” I answered truthfully.
“Mind if I have a look at it?”
“No problem,” I got it out of the trailer for him.
“Wait, in the truck,” he took the gun and went back to his car; I, into the cab.
A short time later another patrol car pulled up in front of me. The officer from in back returned and I rolled down the window.
“You are under arrest for a stolen weapon. Get out and put your hands behind your back.” A few minutes later I was sitting in the back of the patrol car in handcuffs, telling the story of how I had obtained the gun for about the third time. A tow truck and trailer pulled up and I watched as they loaded my truck and trailer on to it. Shortly thereafter we were speeding on ahead of it in the downpour, the cop on his radio most of the time. After about five miles we pulled off on an exit and came to a stop; the tow truck soon followed.
The cop turned around to me and said via a speaker, “You're lucky, the office in Washington is already closed, and we can't confirm the gun is stolen. Here's a ticket for the tail light.” A bit later the handcuffs were off and my truck and trailer had been unloaded. Shortly thereafter I was driving through the pouring rain again.
Now, such scenarios are not likely to occur very often and probably never to most people, but I learned from that experience. The point is, that, had I had a bill of sale with a serial number on it, the whole situation would probably have been avoided. I never did go try to retrieve that gun.
I decided first of all if one was going to own a gun, it should be more than a quite worthless “Saturday night special” and bought a 9mm Glock. And from there on out I kept the bill of sale very close to the gun and ammunition. I also kept a copy of the bill of sale with my truck and trailer registration. I kept two more copies of the bill of sale. I’ve never had occasion to need any of them. If a gun is ever stolen it is extremely important that you can report the serial number of it. This would go for hunting rifles and shot guns as well as any others.
Be sure to store any weapons as securely as you would in your home. Especially if you have grandchildren visiting you in your coach from time to time. I am assuming that if you choose to own guns then you are smart enough to know how to treat them wisely. Laws vary widely when it comes to concealed carry, so if you choose that option, know about those laws everywhere you go.
A final personal note about the Glock, in my travels, from time to time I boon-docked it-- camped in the wild where there are few or no facilities. One time I was camped about twenty miles out on one arm of the huge Lake Shasta in Northern California at a Forest Service Campground. Many national forests have such campgrounds that are usually administered by private management companies. The US National Forest Campground Guide has a comprehensive listing of them. Facilities are usually very minimal; even electrical hook ups are rare. But for being out in nature, they are hard to beat. I was the only one in the small campground since it was late in the season and the water in the lake was very low, as it usually is that time of year. One afternoon all of a sudden I heard three ATV's each driven by an unshaven young man and they started driving in a circle around me only a hundred yards away. After I watched them circle a number of times I felt just a bit insecure, so I got the pistol out and laid it on the table. Of course nothing happened and fifteen minutes or so later they left. Had there been any bad intentions though, I felt I had evened the odds.
If you are going to take your guns with you on your on RVing adventures, advice can be boiled down to a couple of axioms. Be responsible with them as you would anywhere and make sure you have paper work in order and backed up. Perhaps you have stories of your experience with fire arms while on the road. If so, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.
Until next time, walk in beauty and keep it between the ditches.
Russel
Though from my travels I have come to roost
I hope my experiences will give yours a boost
About the Blog Author
Russel Micnhimer is retired after twenty-five years of full time RVing. During that time he was a sales representative for Southeast Publications selling advertising on Site Maps (aka Guest Guides) for RV Parks and Resorts and Fairgrounds. He traveled in a pickup truck and travel trailer primarily in the Western United States logging nearly 500,000 miles. In his blog he shares many experiences and insights in hopes they will be helpful to others who pursue the RVing lifestyle.
Comment
AlicewdmitchellJanuary 10, 2016 | 12:25 AM
I gotta get me a GUN for mountain lions and bandits! Thanks for sharing.
WanderLusterNovember 2, 2015 | 01:33 PM
Yikes! That sounds like a pretty scary scene with the guys in ATVs circling you. I would have been very glad to have protection in that situation.As long as people are responsible it's great for protection. A must when you camp in remote areas!
Author: Russel Micnhimer
