RVER'S, DO THEY CARRY GUNS?

Do RVers carry guns for protection? Since there are millions of RVers out there, that is a loaded question. Pun intended. But, how safe do RVers feel on the road? I gave both of my husband’s service revolvers to my son after he died.  I was uncomfortable with them in the house where a potential assailant could steal it, use it on me, or a grandkid could find it and have an accident no matter how well I’ve hidden it.
One of those revolvers was stolen from my son’s garage. It was, he thought, well hidden. He still has the second one. He doesn’t carry it and doesn’t go to a shooting range, or use it. It has sentimental value to him.

Jim traveled 17,000 miles, across Mexico and through every country in Central America, in his motor home, in 2004, without a gun. It was clear before he started, you don’t carry a weapon or you’ll end up in a jail. Period. He has been a full timer for 18 years and has never felt the need to carry a gun. He does carry a weapon, of sorts. He has an ice pick just above the door. He has a small, narrow, hardwood bat also near the door by the passenger seat. He used to carry a loud noisemaker air horn. He has never felt the need for a more serious weapon.
Having just read about another lone gunman attack, shooting an automatic rifle at an airport yesterday,  makes me think about the lunacy of selling automatic rifles to anyone who wants one. Let’s face it, the supposed screening process does not work which is exactly the way the gun manufacturers like it. (The NRA is now a gun manufacturer in case you didn’t know.)

Jim and I have had one incident where a “weapon” was used. We were parked at a bus station waiting for an early morning shuttle to take me to an airport. We were in Arizona and three drunks came knocking on the door about 10 p.m. waking us up.  Jim opened the small kitchen window and asked what they wanted. They were pretty incoherent and kept up some babble, have you got some…, whatever. I’ve forgotten what they were asking for.  He took out his weapon, his cell phone and said, leave or I’ll call the cops. He had to say it repeatedly and hold up the phone and pretend to press a couple of buttons.  They went away, and awhile later they came back. Jim used the same weapon, they backed off a second time and went away for good.
My weapon of choice at home is a can of bee spray by my bedside, and an air can of loud noise in my car small enough to conceal in my hand. Pepper spray small enough to have on a key chain is available if you work where you have to walk to a dark parking lot at night.
The best weapon, is being careful not to put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation, but, as we all know, shit happens.
Our good friend, Randy Vining, a fellow full timer,  does carry a weapon. I’ll come back to his story. And, I’d like to hear from other RVers about weapons.