Thread: Travel advice

Originally Posted by AetheLove

Everyone has to judge for themselves, but I hope you take into consideration that the 'social climate' you see depicted on TV (especially the news, and extra especially cable news), on the web, and in the papers, is not an accurate reflection of the social climate generally.

[similarly - I see a lot more disabled people out in the world than I did some years ago, but that doesn't mean there are more - it means that we're doing a much better job making the world more accessible.]

Most of the places I go, most of the people I meet are just trying to get along in their lives.

Quite honestly: being older, white, grandparents from Texas, with a granddaughter in the backseat, seems about as low as you can get on the list of things that make a cop suspicious.


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I don't think he's worried about cops. Just making sure he was following the rules and regulations because he planned on taking his firearm.

While I don't personally own or carry a firearm down here in AZ, I can't tell you the number of times I've seen shady things that warrant protection. I imagine every state has its dangers but us being a border-state with tons of open desert means crazy amount of drug activity. The number of people who carry here is pretty staggering as a result, especially since you don't need a permit or license to carry openly or concealed here (assuming you are legally allowed to own the gun in the first place). No background checks required for private sales, no firearm registration required, no restriction on assault weapons, no magazine capacity restriction, no mandatory waiting period - it's pretty crazy how little restriction there is here; people think Texas is gun-crazy? All the people I know come to AZ to buy their guns.

Lots of bikers (lots of Hell's Angels), vets, and rancher types here that open carry on their waists but the overwhelming majority of people I know that carry, mostly regular joe white-collar types, carry concealed and for protection. Lots of drug activity coming across the border - my uncle used to be SWAT in my city and the stories he told me of the sorts of things they'd encounter was insane, the vast majority of which doesn't make it into the news, even locally.

I'm in a pretty safe area and don't go out into the sketchy places super often so I haven't felt the overwhelming need for a firearm, but I have considered it a number of times after scary encounters with some seriously shady people. Just last week 2 guys ran a car off the road and shot the driver to hell because they "thought he was drunk and wanted to protect people from him". About a month or two ago, an armed man ran into our busiest intersection (right across the street from where I work), started shooting at the police who were following him, and then proceeded to take a hostage and get into their car. Luckily the police were able to quickly disable the vehicle and kill the assailant before he harmed the hostage, but that could have gone much worse.

Further east and in other parts of the country, there's a lot of distrust of the police but in my city the cops are every-freaking-where and are very quick to respond to bad situations. It's not the police here people are afraid of, it's all the other crazies in this damn state. Everyone and their mom has a gun here - even though I identify as a fairly conservative republican on most issues, I feel that the gun laws here are extremely lax, potentially allowing many people access to guns that shouldn't be.

Anyways, sorry to side-track your thread Deputy - if you ever pass through AZ you won't have any problems. Hell, you'd probably get a .45 free with your Happy Meal at McDonalds in this state.

Originally Posted by AetheLove

Nope.




That's what I thought initially too. But then there was some issue of social climate, and that's what I asked him about.

I don't know, specifically, what his concern was. He said that pulling off the interstate for food or gas might give him cause to worry.

Also, vague and ill-defined concerns can be just as valid a reason to be careful.


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Me and my brother pulled off for gas at some small town in New Mexico on our way to Quake Con last summer and after a couple "aw hell no"s and a "nope nope nope" we got right back onto the on-ramp and said "we'll wait til the next town". I swear that town looked like the set of Mad Max. Depending on the location, pulling off for gas can be incredibly nerve wrecking.

Originally Posted by AetheLove

Nope.




That's what I thought initially too. But then there was some issue of social climate, and that's what I asked him about.

I don't know, specifically, what his concern was. He said that pulling off the interstate for food or gas might give him cause to worry.

Also, vague and ill-defined concerns can be just as valid a reason to be careful.


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Did you by any chance hear the Dallas PD chief say what the shooter gave as his reasons ? Dallas suspect "wanted to kill white officers": police

For fuck's sake. That's a fringe fuck just like the KKK fucks are fringe. You'll be fine. Don't let the fear control you. I'm not saying to take detours through a bad neighborhood to use the local gas station while flashing cash. If you let that fear control you, you'll never be able to do anything. I am admittedly a hypocrite for saying that.

It's a fun road trip with family. Enjoy your retirement and the trip.

I'm not afraid just cautious and that was an example if you follow any social media you'll see many more. I don't want to get caught up in the BLM highway blocking shit and Salty gave a good example .