Rural America

[Bright Raven]

Oh my, it has changed.

Let's go back to the hills of Kentucky where I was born in 1950. When I grew up, very few farmers had handguns. Their homes were not arsenals. Most farmers had a single barrel break down shotgun, usually a 12 ga. That was used to kill rabbits, squirrels, varmints, etc. Almost everyone had a 22 rimfire rifle to kill hogs, woodchucks, varmints, etc.

No one locked a door. If a stranger pulled up, it was great excitement. They were lucky if they got away without a meal and for sure had to stay for coffee and a biscuit.

When I read all the threads on here of people calling the sheriff and the paranoia about theives, vandals, drug heads, etc. it sure makes me realize how much rural American has changed.

My dad would not allow a handgun in the house. My Uncle had several handguns and I wanted one. I will repeat what my dad said when I ask him if I could have a 22 handgun to carry on my trapline. "Ronnie, get that bullshyt out of your head. No one in this house needs a handgun. What to heII good is a handgun? Only something someone would want to shoot someone. You got a 22 rifle. By Gad, that is all you need."

To him, a handgun was a tool for doing bad.

I am not disparaging those who feel a need to protect their property or family. But it is a very sad commentary on how far rural America has fallen.

 

[Caustic Burno]

You better carry here used to worry about rattle snakes now it's meth heads. It's epidemic bad here.
We have almost lost an entire generation to the stuff.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Oh my, it has changed.

Let's go back to the hills of Kentucky where I was born in 1950. When I grew up, very few farmers had handguns. Their homes were not arsenals. Most farmers had a single barrel break down shotgun, usually a 12 ga. That was used to kill rabbits, squirrels, varmints, etc. Almost everyone had a 22 rimfire rifle to kill hogs, woodchucks, varmints, etc.

No one locked a door. If a stranger pulled up, it was great excitement. They were lucky if they got away without a meal and for sure had to stay for coffee and a biscuit.

When I read all the threads on here of people calling the sheriff and the paranoia about theives, vandals, drug heads, etc. it sure makes me realize how much rural American has changed.

My dad would not allow a handgun in the house. My Uncle had several handguns and I wanted one. I will repeat what my dad said when I ask him if I could have a 22 handgun to carry on my trapline. "Ronnie, get that bullshyt out of your head. No one in this house needs a handgun. What to heII good is a handgun? Only something someone would want to shoot someone. You got a 22 rifle. By Gad, that is all you need."

To him, a handgun was a tool for doing bad.

I am not disparaging those who feel a need to protect their property or family. But it is a very sad commentary on how far rural America has fallen.

It's not just rural America. I refuse to lock the doors on our vehicles or house, and I leave the keys in everything I own also. Sounds kinda crazy, but I'm not going to change my ways because someone might steal something.

 

[Bright Raven]

You better carry here used to worry about rattle snakes now it's meth heads. It's epidemic bad here.
We have almost lost an entire generation to the stuff.

Its bad everywhere. Personally, I don't feel as threatened as some of the Users here are. I have a conceal permit more as an exercise of my rights than to actually carry. Basically, I don't carry, on my person or in my vehicle. I may pay an awful price someday for that negligence.

 

[BrandX]

I am not scared. i just like guns. if i am out work'n and see some pigs or yotes, why not use a tricked out tacticool handgun that cost a grand? heck we just got our doe this year with a suppressed muzzle loader. FUN!

edit: although the time i caught a meth head/thief on my place trying to load my stuff on his 35ft gooseneck i was glad to armed, because i had one of my little girls with me.

 

[Bright Raven]

I am not scared. i just like guns. if i am out work'n and see some pigs or yotes, why not use a tricked out tacticool handgun that cost a grand? heck we just got our doe this year with a suppressed muzzle loader. FUN!

edit: although the time i caught a meth head/thief on my place trying to load my stuff on his 35ft gooseneck i was glad to armed, because i had one of my little girls with me.

I sure appreciate that. It truly is worse than when I grew up.

 

[kenny thomas]

You better carry here used to worry about rattle snakes now it's meth heads. It's epidemic bad here.
We have almost lost an entire generation to the stuff.

Its bad everywhere. Personally, I don't feel as threatened as some of the Users here are. I have a conceal permit more as an exercise of my rights than to actually carry. Basically, I don't carry, on my person or in my vehicle. I may pay an awful price someday for that negligence.

Good to know you don't carry just in case I wanna stop and steal something. Or get pilled up and need more pills.
I carry every day, everywhere.
And for any that think I'm a scared wuss I will sneak up on a bear just to see how close I can get to it or crawl in its den to see how big it is.

 

[Bigfoot]

Meth is some pretty bad stuff. Those guys and gals will do anything. I had a face to face run in with two guys on my place about 10 years ago. I really didn't know how bad it messed people up. One of these guys had really large patches of hair missing from his head. Open sores everywhere. Their skin also had a funny color, almost like a corpse. I caught them breaking in to an uninhabited farm house here. I had a shotgun, and caught them red handed. I actually recognized one from grade school. This is the honest truth, if I've ever told it. I turned them loose, and called the police. I felt sorry for the one I knew, and the other one looked like I might end up having to shoot him.

I ended up finding out, they had each been arrested countless numbers times. The law (around here anyway), is never going to do anything with people like that. They are both dead now, and have been for quit some time. Sad as it is, and as bad as it sounds, I keep my guard up. Not every second of every day, like some here, but the threat of "drug heads" is a real threat here. If I had detained them much longer, that one guy would have made me shoot him.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Meth is some pretty bad stuff. Those guys and gals will do anything. I had a face to face run in with two guys on my place about 10 years ago. I really didn't know how bad it messed people up. One of these guys had really large patches of hair missing from his head. Open sores everywhere. Their skin also had a funny color, almost like a corpse. I caught them breaking in to an uninhabited farm house here. I had a shotgun, and caught them red handed. I actually recognized one from grade school. This is the honest truth, if I've ever told it. I turned them loose, and called the police. I felt sorry for the one I knew, and the other one looked like I might end up having to shoot him.

I ended up finding out, they had each been arrested countless numbers times. The law (around here anyway), is never going to do anything with people like that. They are both dead now, and have been for quit some time. Sad as it is, and as bad as it sounds, I keep my guard up. Not every second of every day, like some here, but the threat of "drug heads" is a real threat here. If I had detained them much longer, that one guy would have made me shoot him.

Bad part about having to shoot someone besides having to live with it.

You will spend 10k if your innocent.

 

[Dave]

My Dad was the same way. Pistols were only good for shooting people. He never did own one. He owned guns and hunted all his life. I was raised on wild game that he shot. Up until my older brother started hunting he only had 30-30, a 12 gauge pump, and a single shot 22. Never kept a loaded gun in the house.

 

[Waterway65]

In 45 years I have never locked anything up here. I have never felt threatened in this neighborhood. I do have firearms around and a concealed weapons permit. God is good.

 

[kenny thomas]

In 45 years I have never locked anything up here. I have never felt threatened in this neighborhood. I do have firearms around and a concealed weapons permit. God is good.

I'm glad there are some places like that left. Enjoy it

 

[AdamsCreek]

Years ago you could work outside all day and see three cars go by and know who they were. Now you see 5 to 10 an hour go by at 70 mph and not recognize one. The town facebook page has someone getting broke into every day when not very long ago you would go months without having one. That's only 9 or 10 miles from here. Then a month ago this happened just 3 miles up the road http://m.newson6.com/story.aspx?story=3 ... tId=112042
so now I always keep a loaded pistol in the house and one in the truck just in case I surprise one of the local dope heads in the act.

 

[Dave]

I also leave the keys in the vehicles and the doors unlocked. The keys aren't in the ignition but in the cup holder or console. Not really hidden but easy to find if you looked. The only time the house is locked is when I am going to be gone for several days or more. Locks just keep honest people honest anyway. Someone really wanting in will just break a window or kick a door in. Only time I ever packed a pistol was when I was trapping.

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

Just like the time Pancho Villa had to eat shyt......I had a pistola, and he had no pistola......
I've made lots of furry things die, but this one ranks near the top. Wide open corn stalks and watched him lay down with his face in the 20mph wind. It took us 4 hours to get to him. Worst part was, we spotted him at 9:30 in the morning, and we eat dinner at 11:30. lol Couple of grouchy basturds by the time we got back to the house. Ronnie, this is why you NEED that Les Baer. For the record, I've never even wounded a crack head, thief, or any other criminal with a handgun. We usually just give em 5 gallons of gas or a ride home.

 

[haase]

Not Sure that it has anything to do with rural America, I'm only a short time younger than you ravin, most of my life was spent in rural America and my grandparents lived in the city, they never locked their doors and the neighborhood was great, look up that city today, Rockford Illinois, sets records every year, and none of them are nothing to be proud of, think it has more to do with the lower standards that are a norm with today's society.

 

[Bright Raven]

Just like the time Pancho Villa had to eat shyt......I had a pistola, and he had no pistola......
I've made lots of furry things die, but this one ranks near the top. Wide open corn stalks and watched him lay down with his face in the 20mph wind. It took us 4 hours to get to him. Worst part was, we spotted him at 9:30 in the morning, and we eat dinner at 11:30. lol Couple of grouchy basturds by the time we got back to the house. Ronnie, this is why you NEED that Les Baer. For the record, I've never even wounded a crack head, thief, or any other criminal with a handgun. We usually just give em 5 gallons of gas or a ride home.

I have a target Les Baer. For defensive pistol, I like my Close Quarter Battle (CQB) WC. I prefer only the full size 1911s. If I needed a smaller conceal or pocket gun, I would prefer a DA revolver like the S&W bodyguard.

 

[herofan]

In 45 years I have never locked anything up here. I have never felt threatened in this neighborhood. I do have firearms around and a concealed weapons permit. God is good.

I'm glad To bear someone else lives in a nice place. I guess with some, it's no trouble having conversation topics; it's all about what you had stolen this week or who you caught tresspassing. Around d here, it's rarely mentioned.

I still cant get over some of these stories. It relates to the thread we had a while back about people who felt the need to pack while they mowed their lawn. I thought they were joking.

I think this is like wondering why people do t move who get hit by hurricanes a lot. I think if I lived in a place so bad that I had to pack to mow my lawn and call the sheriff because someone came down my drive, I would move. According to these post, however, there would be nowhere to move to.

 

[Bright Raven]

I'm glad To bear someone else lives in a nice place. I guess with some, it's no trouble having conversation topics; it's all about what you had stolen this week or who you caught tresspassing. Around d here, it's rarely mentioned.

I still cant get over some of these stories. It relates to the thread we had a while back about people who felt the need to pack while they mowed their lawn. I thought they were joking.

I think this is like wondering why people do t move who get hit by hurricanes a lot. I think if I lived in a place so bad that I had to pack to mow my lawn and call the sheriff because someone came down my drive, I would move. According to these post, however, there would be nowhere to move to.

I appreciate your comment. Be careful, you cannot read comments on a forum and draw hard conclusions. People are gifted with the art of exaggeration.

 

[Bright Raven]

Herofan,

Maybe I can provide some thoughts to shed some light on the threats in our society.

Each of us has a threshold for what makes us feel uncomfortable.

TexasBred is a secure, balanced Texan. He would not feel threatened if two Abram Tanks came rolling down his driveway.

On the other hand, if two young girls catching butterflies came down Grit's driveway, he would not feel safe.