I just had an interesting conversation with a student in my class.  He is a police officer who lives "Out in the country."  

Last week he and I were discussing the comfort of living out in the country vs. living in an urban jungle.  We both agreed that our lifestyles, relaxed, rural, quiet, tended to make some people (mostly our wives) assume that living in the country is safe.  ie.  quiet neighborhood = no crime, no need to lock doors, carry firearms, answer doorbell with pistol in hand, etc.

We both compared notes and realized we had the same level of mistrust of fellow man even though others in our community think we might be a little odd for being overly cautious (ie. doors always locked, pistol within arm's reach at all times, password to enter the house.)

After he got home last week he was discussing with his wife the conversation he had with me, and the need to be safe even though the community appears safe on the outside.

Guess what...  She related to him that a neighbor that lives on the lot behind theirs had been robbed, at gunpoint, in broad daylight, with construction workers in the area.

The robbery had occurred on the same day that he and I were speaking about never being too cautious.

Theives approached his neighbor at gunpoint.  Taped him up, and robbed him.

The student is now planning to carry a 'baby Glock' at all times. On and off duty.

People (including my wife) wonder why I mow the grass with a pistol on my hip.  It is because I want 'random thugs' that might be casing our neighborhood, or casing my house, to see an ARMED homeowner any day, any time.

TheRedGoat

Well since I am not 21 yet... only a few more agonizing months, I  can't carry a loaded handgun... do you think if I put my Semi-auto 1919 A-1 on my roof it will be just as effective?
[50]
[uzi]

Everyone has the right to protect themselves by any means they deem necessary.

Unfortunately politicians do not agree sometimes.

and DANGEROUS [:D]

I saw a sticker on a mans door that said something about an armed american citizen lived inside and will shoot anyone attempting to break into the house.  It looked pretty cool.

My daughter, her husband and my beautiful little 4 year old granddaughter live out on a farm in the sticks.

One day when my granddaughter was playing on her trampoline in their back yard, and I was with her, we saw two chows come running along the fenceline, stop, go under the fence and come up to within 100 feet or so of us.

The two chows were very, very interested in us!

As a matter of fact, they were closer to us than we were to the house.

What does a Hun do in such a situation? He reaches into his Don Hume ITP holster and pulls out a Glock 27!

Normally, I carry Glocks with empty chambers (I've got three grandchildren total), and so I racked a .40 cal JHP Blazer into the weapon!

Those chows must have understood Glock, cause they just trotted on out of the yard!

Needless to say, Kristin and I breathed just a little easier.

She used to ask me 'Granddaddy, why do you have a gun in your pocket?' She hasn't asked me that since then. Now she always says to me:
'Granddaddy, show me your gun!'

She's learning!

So being in the country doesn't mean that you are in the clear.

As I always say out at my farm in West Texas - the good news is that crime is very unlikely, the bad news is that if it does occur, the cavalry is a week away!

BTW RedGoat, I hope you get to see my Farm in May! I'll stay in touch about that.

Eric The(Country)Hun[>]:)]

what just happened?  why did my last post look like that?

When I was living in Moore (near Oklahoma City) one of the growing crimes was home robberies of people out in the boonies.

A guy I worked with lived out in Choctaw, in the 5 months he lived there 3 of his neighbors had been robbed, one at gun point.

The nice lady who works at the Tinker housing office had been robbed while she was at work and she lived in Mustang. Even in the sticks there is the same shit going on.

ETH, I like the new Signature pic.  I will be at your farm in May with bells on!  

MOJO, I just got back from a conference in Houston, I carried my .40 with to spare mags in my pocket, was sure wishing I had carried even more.  Those Houston folks are weird...

1GUNRUNNER, you should know buddy.  Armed Dangerous and hungover....

I live in the woods. I mean IN the woods.

Gun on nightstand.

Doors locked at night.

Motion detection lights outside.

sleeping with one eye open.

Me??? Paranoid??? [peep]

Maybe. But let's hold off on that discussion until AFTER you are robbed.

Password to enter the house?

My uncle lives in...well, given the situation, let's just say he lives in a VERY rural farmland area of one of our most southern states.  Southern in ATTITUDE, not location, that is. Where the Confederate flag is still treated as THE flag, practically!

He came home from work one day and discovered that his pretty glass gun case had broken glass and no guns in it all of a sudden.  Plus the door had been broken open.   He lost more than a dozen guns, and some are rather collectible. Some were family heirlooms, too.  [>Q]

My uncle is a reserve deputy with the county Sheriff's department.

Here's the kicker:  His wife's parents (who live in the next house down the road) saw a strange truck backed into their driveway eariler in the day...and thought nothing of it and did nothing about it!   [frag]

If ever you had a reason to hate your in-laws...!  [pissed]

This happened in broad daylight.

He DID have all the pertinent data on every gun he lost, and that of course got reported and entered into NCIC.   I don't know if any of the guns have been recovered, but I sure hope they all are, and the thief's picture ends up on the back of a milk carton and he ends up at the bottom of an old rock quarry.

Fortunately, my uncle's class III MAC-11/9 was NOT one of the guns taken.  I don't know what he'd do without his carry gun!  [uzi]

CJ

Yup!  This is the result of a not so funny after the fact prank.  I 'snuck' intothe house one day after work.  My wife was in the laundry room folding clothes.  I thought it would be funny to scare/surprise her.  It wasn't.

Although I laughed when she jumped she quickly changed my opinion of the situtation by pointing out her 9mm, close at hand.  

"Two minutes ago, I was walking through here with that gun because I thought I heard a noise.  If you had scared me then, I know you would have been shot..." was her response.

Needless to say, I have a plan, procedure and routine for entering the house.  Including a 'password' to confirm it is me.  

Had an incidence once a long time ago, used a pass phrase then as well with her.  Anyone coming to the door without that pass word, myself included, was not getting in.

Try to establish a routine, stick to it, and plan in advance for all contingencies.

Mojo, next time you come down, I expect you to get started on the high wall around my house.  Bring work clothes.  [;)]

TheRedGoat

Wasn't Tackleberry the gun nut in "Police Academy"?

I dunno, when you showed up in the short skirt and high heels, I kinda wondered what kind of work you were planning to do, but other than that, yeah, you have done your fair share of making things better.

BTW, MrsRedGoat and myself have built a 32 foot wooden bridge across the creek.  Much easier and completely safe now to access the back of the place.  I am still toying with the idea of stopping ALL the rounds with a berm, or moving the range further back.  No final decision on that yet.

TRG

Is there gonna be a troll under that bridge?

yup, no more walking across the fallen log to cross.

Beekeeper, fwiw, at teh time she was serious.  She had the gun out, clearing the house, just a matter of minutes before.  She is kinda jumpy, so I know she meant "I would have been so scared I would have pulled the trigger!"

TheRedGoat

As in "Three Billy Goats Gruff"..."Who's that stomping on my bridge?"

Man, getting light headed thinking about kindergarten rhymes...

Bridge built by a goat, weird.

TheRedGoat

Very!  Any gal that will pick up he 9mm and go clear the house when she hears a noise is someone you DON'T trifle with.  Thus, I ALWAYS get a voice recognition from her before I clear the threshold.

TheRedGoat

[:D]

Work alot of nights and weekends, huh?  

TheRedGoat