Always remember your security depends on the criminal believing that you might be armed, in other words you are secure because enough people around you own and carry guns, that the bad guys fear the risk of being shot while acosting you, because you might own and have a gun. Its kind of like flu shots, if everyone around you has been inoculated then your chance of getting the flu is much less, you should thank me that I own and carry it, you are safer because of it.
What does paranoia have to do with carrying a gun?
As a retired Border Patrol Agent, I can tell you that I have arrested some very vicious people right outside of prestigious RV parks, in national parks and forest where people were camped, on BLM lands just yards from parked RVs and campers, the number of drug smugglers that I have arrested at roadside parks and rest areas numbers into the hundreds, and that is just one agent, how many experiences do you think that 16,000 BPA agents add up to (not even talking about the local police, sheriffs and highway patrol), I remember one large drug bust that I participated in at a Walmart parking lot, the bad guy was hauling 2000 lbs in a 5th wheel. I was not familiar with RV's back then and I did not know why there were several RVs parked next to this one. I thought they were all smuggling narcotics or humans.
I was on the Mexican border but we have a Canadian border also, which is unique in that it is all bad guys that cross the border there, they are generally not looking for work (common on the southern border) but in the act of smuggling drugs or some other contraband, if circumstances arose they would be happy to "off you" and transport their stuff in your rig. After all who is going to stop them, you can't alert anyone because you are tied up in the trailer or worse, in the trailer and not tied up.
If you're comfortable not carrying a gun, then that is you, but don't insult others by implying that they are paranoid. But as long as we are talking about such things, the real question is how comfortable are you burying your head in the sand?
Be advised, because of our litigious society, my gun is for the protection of me and mine. It is not available to protect my neighbor, a store, a bank or anti gun fellow rv'r. But hey I will call 911 for you, and I will beg them to send someone right away.
Do you not realize that criminals are good at what they do. And when you are pulling that rig into a rest stop or rest area or fueling station, you have a large red X that says money. It says purse or wallet, food, vehicle. If you don't know this then you are out of touch and I'm sure that there is a psychological term for that too.
I know one thing is for sure, a tendency for unarmed people; is to call a man with a gun to come solve their problems for them. That would be fine if the bad guy would wait until the guy with the badge and gun show up, before they do what they do.
You might think that I advocate handguns for RV'rs but I don't, they are too troublesome and require too much attention to detail when crossing from one state to another. ITs alright for those that want to go through that much trouble, but my recommendation is a 12ga pump shotgun. NOTHING says I'm serious like the racking of a pump shotgun. Its far more effective than a handgun, a lot simpler to use, and the laws concerning them are fairly consistent in all 50 states, you can even pass through Canada with one. A shotgun owner is less likely to display it, for there is no mistake when a pump shotgun has been displayed and racked, you have to be real serious to pull it out in public. Not so much with a handgun, handguns are trouble in my opinion but let me be clear, I respect a mans right to carry as he sees fit. Handguns are just not for me, eventhough I have 2 1911's and a SW 686, and I'm a marksman and former firearms instructor at both the station level and at the academy level. I have given instruction and trained in SW 686 357, Beretta semi auto in 40 sw, M-16, M-4, 12 ga pump, UMP 40 and 9mm, ASP, side handle baton, and pepper spray. I have trained in weapons retention, disarming a perpetrator, and self defense.
I agree with the tenants of the magazine article, If you are hunting for someone to kill, then you should not carry any form of a firearm, you will create your opportunity to fulfill your own proficy, property is not the issue either, it is purely protecting your life or the life of a loved one or protecting yourself or another from grievous bodily harm. Stealing property is not a good reason to change my life permanently. And shooting someone will change you permanently, mentally and financially.
One thing that people do not realize unless they have been in the business, is the number of people driving our highways with EXTENSIVE criminal records. There are many criminals in our society that have a criminal record with 50 different arrest. But further, it takes hundreds of offenses in some cases before a criminal gets arrested and charged once, and the conviction rate is even less, a whole bunch of those charges are plead down and no prison time is ever served. Many bad guys are on probation and that is what keeps them straight. Almost anyone with an extensive criminal record has been arrested and convicted for at least one crime involving violence against another person. And the record only reflects the crimes that the public knows about.
Of late, I have become an advocate of "bear spray" as a defense weapon. It is highly effective non lethal defense weapon that merely makes the perpetrator wish he had been shot instead. Infact I think that one should have two cans of it. Once you splash it in their face, then one should follow them to the ground and make sure its all over their face and in their ears, you will be 150 miles away before they can open their eyes and breath again. And you will have a standby can. I would not bother calling the police, the criminal is not going to, so why should you.
Use your manners and refrain from calling names to people who are participating in a lawful constitutional endeavour of carrying weapons for defense purposes. I would never call someone with their head buried in the sand an idiot.
BTW, weapon or no weapon TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN.
If you intend to lay there while a bad guy has his way with you and your family then you don't have to do anything.
Neat thing about the constitution is it makes it very clear that you don't have to carry a gun if you don't want to.
How Necessary is a weapon?
I would say it all depends on what level of comfort or paranoia a person has with being out traveling and camping in unfamiliar places.
Here's a good write up:
http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/newbie-articles/personal-safety-for-truck-campers-part-2
