I live in liberal hipster paradise, Portland, Oregon (I say that completely unironically and lovingly). I don’t think I have seen a gun or heard a gunshot in town (except police as others have covered). There is definitely gun violence around, I just haven’t encountered it. I definitely have friends who have never handled a gun.
Get out of town, though, into a state forest or something, and you are bound to hear people out target shooting. Most folks do it safe places like quarries so they can shoot into a wall, but once and a while I come across a spot where there is nothing to stop a bullet but trees. As a person who does a lot of off trail mushroom hunting I think this is the most likely way that I get shot. I really wish there was some sort of training required to own a firearm.
A lot of people like to carry when they hike and camp too, which I think is as silly as keeping a gun under your pillow. Like, that is just asking for a terrible accident. In fact someone I know was shot and killed while out hiking and I can only imagine it was some kind of stupid accident or over reaction or something.
Sorry for rambling, this is my kind of everyday interaction with guns. PS, my partner and I own several handguns, an AK 47, a shot gun, and some rifles. Many of them were inherited and we never really shoot them anymore. It’s weird.
I hunt, fish, kayak, and camp. I also conceal carry when I’m not inside my house due to a few reasosns.
Moved recently, but my kayaking was in the deep South, often in swamps. I open carried a .22 single action revolver with ratshot when kayaking, strapped it to the milk crate on the back. There were water moccasins as thick as my forearm and I’ve heard of them climbing in a kayak.
Only time I’ve ever drawn my concealed handgun was when a mountain lion got curious after dark. It wasn’t afraid of me. I growled and hissed at it and it went away. It was wild.
When I’m in the woods I also carry a medical kit including epi pen and tourniquet, bug spray, a fire source, and water.
The thing I’m most afraid of in the woods are ticks, Lyme disease or alpha gal would be horrible. I treat my clothes with permethrin. There are bears, and I think there are mountain lions in my new home. Two legged predators in the woods is also always a risk, but a minor one.
I do agree that we need mandatory training and better gun control.
I live in liberal hipster paradise, Portland, Oregon (I say that completely unironically and lovingly). I don’t think I have seen a gun or heard a gunshot in town (except police as others have covered). There is definitely gun violence around, I just haven’t encountered it. I definitely have friends who have never handled a gun.
Get out of town, though, into a state forest or something, and you are bound to hear people out target shooting. Most folks do it safe places like quarries so they can shoot into a wall, but once and a while I come across a spot where there is nothing to stop a bullet but trees. As a person who does a lot of off trail mushroom hunting I think this is the most likely way that I get shot. I really wish there was some sort of training required to own a firearm.
A lot of people like to carry when they hike and camp too, which I think is as silly as keeping a gun under your pillow. Like, that is just asking for a terrible accident. In fact someone I know was shot and killed while out hiking and I can only imagine it was some kind of stupid accident or over reaction or something.
Sorry for rambling, this is my kind of everyday interaction with guns. PS, my partner and I own several handguns, an AK 47, a shot gun, and some rifles. Many of them were inherited and we never really shoot them anymore. It’s weird.
I hunt, fish, kayak, and camp. I also conceal carry when I’m not inside my house due to a few reasosns.
Moved recently, but my kayaking was in the deep South, often in swamps. I open carried a .22 single action revolver with ratshot when kayaking, strapped it to the milk crate on the back. There were water moccasins as thick as my forearm and I’ve heard of them climbing in a kayak.
Only time I’ve ever drawn my concealed handgun was when a mountain lion got curious after dark. It wasn’t afraid of me. I growled and hissed at it and it went away. It was wild.
When I’m in the woods I also carry a medical kit including epi pen and tourniquet, bug spray, a fire source, and water.
The thing I’m most afraid of in the woods are ticks, Lyme disease or alpha gal would be horrible. I treat my clothes with permethrin. There are bears, and I think there are mountain lions in my new home. Two legged predators in the woods is also always a risk, but a minor one.
I do agree that we need mandatory training and better gun control.