How many people carry a firearm in their rv? Been telling the wife lots of people have a gun on board just in case a problem comes up and before people start going off I know as a last resort but sometimes people or animals leave you no choice.

NO, only a heavy copper power cable. This item stays near the door.

I think if you do the research you will find the percentage of people in rvs with firearms will be about the same as those with firearms in their homes/cars. IMO, there would be no additional reason to have a firearm in an rv than in your stick and brick. It is also prudent to remember, IMO, that anything posted here stays on the internet forever (just google your forum user name). A clever person could match your answer with a person and have the information you just published. Whether I carry weapons or not is not really something I would wish to broadcast - your mileage may vary.

My experiance is that 75-80% of RVers carry a firearm.

I have them at my home, but never carry one in the RV. There are too many jurisdictions across the country where the mere possession of a sidearm could be a truly severe problem. At home I am aware of what noises exist, what is normal and what is not. In an RV everything changes every day. I feel that makes having a firearm more dangerous. The actual chances of using a firearm to prevent a serious crime or a serious animal attack is almost zero especially in unfamiliar surroundings. Not worth the risk to me.

I do know about the net thanks but i never said I have one or not just taking a poll I guess if a person wants to find out if I do try to brake in to my rv

I have a Mossburg 500 12 gauge shotgun with an 18" barrel and a pistol grip in the bedroom of the motor home with very easy access. I also have a Kel-Tec 380 Auto for my truck (toad) which is small and fits within my hand, It is also used as a second weapon by many cops (Where I got mine used.) I has a 5 shot clip and I have two. In hundreds of nights, I have never felt like we needed them, but it was nice to know. I have a concealed carry permit that is valid in about 30 states. The first time we ever stayed at Wal-Mart, I got out the shotgun and laid it by the bed. The next morning when I counted 6 other RV's in the parking lot, I realized it wasn't necessary.
I would recommend that if you decide to carry a weapon at least take your wife to the range to get her comfortable with shooting it. Also decide on a safe place to shoot it in the floor to scare off an intruder.

Intersting thread.
Safest place: out an open door, window or ceiling vent. Relatively easy to rescreen.

Something else one must anticipate.
Ever fired something inside a small space? Be prepared for everyone (including pets) to be painfully deaf for a bit.

DH packs a large revolver from another era. I'm much more comfortable with the 12-gauge. Never had to use either while in the rig.
Have had great fun target practicing at various shooting ranges and privately owned boonies over the years.

All get packed in a safe (with family) when we head for Canadian points of destination. So in those cases, we are 'armed' with a ball bat and mace. Feeling lucky?

Carry one whenever we travel.

About 2/3 of the states honor each other's conceal carry permits. Generally, it is those states that don't allow concealed carry that would present the problem. But this brings up an interesting question. If it is the RV is it a concealed status or is it just "in the house."

I would respectfully suggest that anyone who is going to have a handgun in the rig to get a CCP. There is a safety and training component if nothing else.

While camping in a tent, rv, pop-up, shed, or hotel room any area you may legally call your "home" the Supreme Court has determined a right to privacy under the 4th Amendment.

Its "in the house."

I thought "mace...pepper spray, etc", were banned in Canada ????

Pepper spray etc is very legal in Canada. Up here we use it on bears though.

You might know that people hiking in the forests are encouraged to wear little bells on them to warn bears about their presence, as bears might attack if they are surprised. Pepper spray is supposed to be used as last defense. In outdoor education people are also taught the difference between black bear and grizzly scat, as it might come in handy to identify the kind of bear in the area. Black bear scat has lots of seeds from wild berries in it, grizzly scat has shreds of textiles and small bells in it and smells like pepper.

Good one.

A trucker friend gave us a great tip... carry a flare gun instead of a fire arm. It is legal everywhere, even Mexico and Canada. It can do some major damage to someone trying to harm you. It can be handy if you need help along the road.

Another good suggestion I have heard is that directional wasp spray will blind someone temporarily. Again, it has multiple uses - we have a can in every vehicle including the RV.

I find it hard to believe that 75 or 80% of RVers came out and told you that they are carrying weapons.



[quote name='FosterImposters' date='Mar 3 2011, 11:35 PM' post='25556'] </I>
Intersting thread.
Safest place: out an open door, window or ceiling vent. Relatively easy to rescreen.



How is that safe? Do you know where that bullet is going to wind up?



Please let the people that know how to handle a firearms handle them.

It's my experience that quite a few RVr's do have a weapon. It's a good idea if you do a lot of primitive camping, but make sure you practice, and are comfortable with whatever firearms you own.

When I was a reserve sheriff's deputy, our department required us to carry at all times, on or off duty, so I'm sure this influences my reasoning. A lot depends on your camping. At the K.O.A. in town you can more than likely get assistance quickly, but in the middle of nowhere you will be on your own. I've never had to use a weapon while camping, but want to be prepared as there are criminals, meth heads out there, even in isolated areas . In terms of animals I've had bears and other wild animals walk by my campsite while camping many miles from civilization. In all situations they have had no more desire to get close than I have.

A good combination might be a 12g shotgun,and a 22 semi-automatic handgun. The shotgun would be handy if threatened by more than one person. I know many would recommend more fire power than the 22 handgun, such as a 9mm. However with a little practice and a Browning target 22 pistol for example, you can group your shots quite accurately. Ammo is cheap, so you can have some fun targeting while improving your skill. Some states, such as Missouri, have a number of free practice ranges in national forests.

I have been full timing for 8 years and hadn't thought about being armed until now. I guess what I need to do is mount a quad 50 on the roof of the RV and a 106 recoiless on the truck firing WEP. In the RV I could use a M16 on auto and a 1897 Winchester pump with 00 Buck. Maybe I should have paid more attention when I watched the movie Tremors the last time. A few hand grenades might be useful too.

In reference to post #13, 14 & 15, I know, getting way off topic, but...

Why in the wild do they call it scat, sign, or droppings, but when it's from my dog in my own back yard (or in my closet), it's called something else (unprintable).

Could it be they used those terms for the same reason you called it "unprintable?" It would be crude to use the term you refer to.

Quad 50s are really heavy. Will your roof support them?

The 106 is typically an anti-tank weapon. Perhaps it’s overkill, but then if you can afford it, why not?

If you are going to use a grenade, then may I suggest the standard Mark IIA1. A frag grenade might rib into the siding on your rig. Wouldn’t want that to happen.

I too kinda like the idea of an M16. You wouldn’t need the 1897 Winchester pump. I might suggest that you not load more than 15 or so rounds into the clip tho. On automatic, it is prone to jamming with more than that.

When you said WEP did you mean Willie Pete? The appropriate acronym for that is WP.

Ok, I think we are under 'dressed' for this party!

We have only been traveling by RV since 1972 and fulltime since 2000 and in that time we have never needed a firearm for protection. But we do use some degree of common sense in choosing where we wish to spend the night.

As to whether or not I carry a firearm, I adhere to the policy of "don't ask and don't tell!"

Oh yeah, I can make braces for support of the 50's on the roof.

I knew right after I put in WEP that I was wrong. Maybe I could make a mixture of WP and HEP. I was a squad leader on a 105 in the 60's. We fired mostly HEAT rounds but HEP and WP were available. Long time ago and the memory isn't what it used to be.

Actually I prefer an M1 carbine but it isn't auto. Maybe a BAR.

Seriously? I have never been in a situation where I needed to use a firearm to defend myself or family, but everything I have read, and everyone I have talked to, have said that if you feel the need to pull out a gun and fire it, aim at the threat -- and fire it. If you don't think you are willing to do that, a baseball bat or pepper spray may be a better choice. Yes, verbally warning that you have a gun will hopefully solve the problem, but don't shoot to warn or scare. This is just what I've heard.

We don't carry firearms, mostly due to being unsure of different state laws. I have not been at a campground yet where I felt I wanted a firearm.

I have only met one or two people who made it known that they carry firearms in their campers. I have no idea the percentage of people who are armed while camping, but I find it hard to believe it would be 80% or even over 50%. Very possibly full-timers or more avid campers would have a higher percentage of carrying - is that where the 75 or 80% numbers are coming from?

Also, we are usually camping with kids -- who many times are going in and out of the campers. This is not a good situation to have firearms about, unless you are actually carrying them --- which can be interesting to do wearing a bathing suit and T-shirt.

Possibly in the future, when the kids have moved out and wife and I are traveling around, I may look into carrying while camping. But for now, nope.

Oh, and I do have a carry permit and shoot on a regular basis.

nedmtnman,
When you're done with the mods to your rig, please post pics. I'd love to see your post apocalyptic RV!

I will not advertise what the new mods look like. They will be camouflaged so they aren't conspicuous for the surprise factor.