Eagles International Forum

Seems we lost the thread so I'll start another one. I've been considering a small firearm to help protect us especially when I'm away working. What have you done? Where do you store it? What are the best choices? What's legal and what's not?

I haven't owned a gun for over 30 years, but with today's economy it makes sense to protect your loved ones.

~Paul~

Hi Paul,sorry the threads gone ,so lets start over shall we lol.Cheryl and I purchased two 9mm ruger's over a year ago after looking for a new hobby(before the Eagle affliction,lol),but first we went to the local pistol range and fired a few hundred rounds through them to see if Cheryl would dig doing this(she did),mind you the guns were rentals and I don't recall the brands .The point of this exercise was to see if she had the will,confidence and fortitude for handling a fire arm in close quarters (indoor range)and she did hooray ,so then came picking out the right weapon I liked the barretta9 she liked the ruger9 which was good for me too,so there you have it .Location to stash the gun(s) can be where ever you feel would be advantageous,having one gun is plenty but two would be more than enough.If up front lock it up in a steel box(felt lined of course),to avoid any hassles by law enforcement and to remain compliant (hopefully) weapon should be unloaded and ammo kept separate. Always check the local statutes where you plan to be traveling would be my best advice.

There is no better substitute for weapons familiarization and training and finally qualification,and most importantly that you and Becky feel comfortable about having a new tool for the bus lol,it's been lots of fun for us thus far and makes me feel confident that Cheryl can manage to keep gun safety first and foremost when ever handling the pistols or rifles .hope this helps paul,good luck.Van

9MM S&W with two magazines and 10 ga. pump w/00 buckshot. Don't mess with the Zohan. Pistol near entry door (mid entry), stored unloaded. Shotgun in closet, also near mid entry. Paul is right on about the firearms training. That is a must. One of my biggest fears is some punk spraying holes in the side of my bus, or spray painting graffiti on it.

Paul, I would enroll Becky in the consealed weapon class in your area takes about 6 hrs and now most states honor each others permit.when going through bad areas and it will happen I like my 9mm with 2 clips on the left side of me in the drivers area and we have a Colt Double Eagle 45 in the bedroom and Sonja has her 380 in the kitchen area.The best part of a consealed weapon permit is the gun can be loaded but we keep ours empty if any of the grand kids are in the bus good luck

Clifford

Clifford, Great idea on the class, I'll look into it. Not sure what we'll end up getting, but enough bark to take care of business.
It's nice to know I'm not the only one considering this by knowing others have already done it.

~Paul~

I only have one problem with getting a CWP and that is all your private information going into data bases all over who knows where. I kind of like to stay under the radar if at all possible. Thats why I carry an unloaded 9mm weapon in the bus. It's not concealed if it's not loaded. It only takes a moment to pop the clip in. Can't do that with a revolver.

Just my two-cents worth, but I sense this may become an active topic! If you do decide to carry a gun in your travels, two critical considerations are compliance with the local law and effective weapon retention. The law can be a little dicey when interpreting whether our coaches are vehicles or houses, which can make a considerable difference determining whether the weapon is legally retained; my guess is you'd get ten different opinions (none of which would be binding) from ten different people in the legal profession--in most any state.

As far as retention and use, it's been my experience that most who carry weapons are unable to access them (because they're unloaded, hidden, or locked away) in the 10-15 seconds it takes for someone to enter the coach (or house); many of those who were able to access their firearms were generally caught off-guard and couldn't make a confident determination to use lethal force. If a bad guy is able to get close enough to you to disarm you, and is able to gain control of the gun, then the scenario changes dramatically.

At the end of the day, it's a personal decision that warrants considerable aforethought.

I hope I didn't stir the pot too much!

Art

I just want to improve the odds. I figure if an intruder really wants to break in and steal something, I want to give him something to remember it by. Don't get me wrong, I don't like violence, but when it comes to protecting my wife, There is nothing I wouldn't do to stop or slow him/her down! A scatter gun is not a bad idea either. I take this whole gun thing very serious, more now than before. For years I didn't even want to own one, and living SoCal for a few years didn't cause me to change my mind, even though I thought about it often. I would rather be prepared than not.

~Paul~

I have a CWL so I carry full time except for any locations that serve alcoholic beverages. I prefer the Glock model 19 in 9MM. This is a fairly light handgun that will fit in a front pocket and is concealed by the shirt tail. I consider this handgun a first line of defense with the intent of allowing me the opportunity to get to my real protection with is a choice of several long guns/scatter guns. Don't get me wrong, I can drop someone inside of 60 yards very easily with the handgun but I consider distance and a better long gun a much better proposition. In fact, if I can put at least 1000 yards between my family and the offensive party, and they continue to present a threat, I will reach out and touch them with one of the scoped long guns (.223, .308 or 50 BMG). Of course the idea is to get some distance and hope the idiots loose interest.

In my bus I have a Smith & Wesson quick access handgun vault that is bolted to the frame within easy reach of my driver seat. I only use the bow when I have children aboard and when I am asleep. Otherwise the handgun is on my person. The other guns are locked away with combo access as well. - Greg

Greg, That's interesting, a hand gun vault. I'll have to look into that. Have you had any peace officer say anything about the location? It looks like you are well prepared for any intruder or low life. I'm impressed.

~Paul~