[ojibweindian]

Originally Posted by Moonglum

Don't go to Stupid Places
With Stupid people (or where stupid people congregate)
To do Stupid things
At stupid times



So the other night in Colorado Springs someone got car jacked in a 7-11 in a known high crime neighborhood. One of the news channels reported it on Facebeast and 10 or 12 people responded something like "That's why I always take my gun when I go there." While I'm reading this I'm thinking "If it's so bad you make a point of bringing your gun there why are you going?"

Unless I'm going somewhere where I am legally prohibited from even having a gun in my car (Military Installations/State prisons and the like) I do not leave my home unarmed. Still armed or not there are places I don't go.

There's an area downtown that is literally nothing but bars/nightspots for 6 or 8 blocks. Each bar by itself isn't bad but if you put that many drunk people in that small of an area there are bound to be problems. There are fights and shootings pretty much every weekend. I don't have any reason to go there so I don't.

I used to be a late nighter until I got to work nights downtown for 4 or 5 years and I got to see what crawled out of the sewers after dark. I've read some postings on other forums by a guy who has 20+ years experience in the criminal justice system who says that your chances of being involved in a homicide sky rocket if you're outside your home after 9 pm. I won't say that I won't be out after 9 but my lifestyle rarely requires it.

So my question is how much of a part does avoidance play in your over all self defense strategy?

95%, or thereabouts.