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Old April 1, 2007, 12:19 PM   #26
Edward429451
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Ah but we are in a war zone. Critical thinking and observation will confirm that for anyone not afflicted with WPFS. Home invasions on the rise, gangsters, punks. thugs, druggies...The fact that we don't have bombings everyday, or soldiers in the streets constantly doesn't mean anything.

If you prepare and nothing ever happens, some will tag you paranoid. If you prepare and shtf in some way, all of a sudden you're a genius for having foresight. The weird thing is, the ones who tag you paranoid will be the first ones to your house if something happens to them. I had this happen to me. Some friend of a friend called me paranoid for having so many guns, but then showed up after he had a run in with some gang bangers. He expected me to give/loan/sell him a gun because I had extra. You're not paranoid. Tell them people to go pound sand.

There is no de-militarized zone.
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Old April 1, 2007, 12:25 PM   #27
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I'd say it's simply a matter of perception. Yes, some people are a bit too paranoid from my POV, but a POV can change pretty quickly when the situation takes a drastic turn. Some might think having an underground bunker secured away somewhere in the desert would be paranoid--right up till the world starts coming apart at the seams and said bunker becomes the life support system for the individuals it was meant for.

Do I have a bunker? Nope. I'm comfortable with just a plan. As for the day-to-day way of life, same thing. I have a plan for the just-in-case, and life is "normal".
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Old April 1, 2007, 01:05 PM   #28
dairycreek
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1. distrustful: obsessively anxious about something, or unreasonably suspicious of other people and their thoughts or motives. This is a somewhat formal definition of paranoid. If I carry a gun because I want to be able to protect myself as well as me and mine - am I being unreasonable? Because I think that bad things often do happen to good people does this make me obsessive?

People who are unwilling to take the precautions to protect themself often call those like us - paranoid. Baloney! I get tired of that term being thrown about as a demeaning label by those who are too doggone dumb and lazy to take care of themselves.:barf:
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Old April 1, 2007, 01:07 PM   #29
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If you think your community has no crime, listen to police frequencies or a collective county frequency on a scanner.
I don't think you are being paranoid.
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Old April 1, 2007, 01:13 PM   #30
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Once I get out of the police academy I will carry every minute I'm awake and clothed . Right now I don't have my CHL but I usually have my Sig 220 with me when I'm in our living room and my Rem 870 is in the bedroom. I don't think I'm paranoid, even if I were to carry my 870 from room to room. I don't live in constant fear, but I feel the need to be ready.
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Old April 1, 2007, 01:15 PM   #31
habeuscorpse
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deadin,

I do not recall ever having met you. How is it that you know me? Are you a stalker? There are stalkers out there, you know. And peepers. That is why I have 900 rounds of ammo and two loaded, cocked and locked 1911 .45 ACP pistols in the kitchen drawer where the silverware is supposed to be. Why two? There might not be time to reload when the Zombies come.
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Old April 1, 2007, 01:18 PM   #32
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Preparation tends to focus on what may or could happen. Paranoia is being convinced that people are out to get you.

If what you are doing reduces your anxiety and doesn't substantially interfere with your participation in life, then I personally don't see the harm.

Whatever gets you through the night.
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Old April 1, 2007, 01:31 PM   #33
Edward429451
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Paranoia doesn't mean that they're not really out to get you.
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Old April 1, 2007, 01:54 PM   #34
CA357
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This past Fall I went on a ride-along with the Police as part of a District Attorney and Police Department Citizens Academy I was attending. The first two calls were going after people with guns. One of our other stops was to meet up with detectives at the home of a "person of interest" in a murder case. It was a trashed and filthy hovel.
In this city, there are home invasions all the time, the crime rate is growing and funding for law enforcement is tight. Innocent people are being assaulted and sometimes killed by thugs and punks. I don't like the odds of the police getting to my home to save me should a break in or whatever happen.
If civil unrest/rioting should happen, I think I'd be pretty much on my own. It's definitely possible here. We also face the potential of a flood that would be worse than New Orleans.
I like to think I'm prepared rather than paranoid and if SHTF, the unprepared will think I was just really lucky.
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Old April 1, 2007, 05:02 PM   #35
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It's Sunday. I live in virtually a crime free area of Suburbia, Kentucky. As I write this, I have a snub S&W .38 in a Bianchi IWB holster on my person. Will I need to use it? I'm guessing not likely. If I do need it, I'll need it badly. I sleep with three loaded in my bedroom and usually have one handy. Am I paranoid or afraid? Not at all. If I need one, I need one. I tell my wife that if I get killed in my own home, where I have several firearms, because I can't defend myself, it's no ones fault but my own. Therefore I keep one handy.
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Old April 1, 2007, 05:49 PM   #36
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I'm sitting at my computer right now while wearing a .45 caliber snubbie, I have a 9mm Glock, a .44 Magnum and a .357 snubbie on a TV stand behind me and an underfolding AK in the corner. I wouldn't consider myself paranoid, though... Canada is only a few short hours away and you never know when God darned leftist Canuck bastards are going to pour over the border and try to subjugate us under a repressive national health care system!
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Old April 1, 2007, 07:49 PM   #37
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Okay.... I gotta come clean. I do not have a stainless .410 derringer hidden in the walls of my bathroom. I have been considering it for quite some time though. Not because I am paranoid, but because everyone knows I have guns and if I were going after me, I would wait 'till I was in the shower or on the John.

I am not a street officer, but I work in a county jail. We have more than our fair share of douche bags here, and I have had my share of death threats already. Meth is rampant here. I live in a town of only 50,000 so I am very easy to find if you want to. Truth is, I worry more about my wife than myself. Our other 2 sidearms are secured in a rapid access pistol safe when we are not carrying, due to us having a 10 year old daughter in the house. I have made larger holes in drywall disappear without a trace, and my daughter will never know if I've done it. I figure a bed of silica gel and 4-5 coats of latex paint should keep rust at bay.

Do you still think it's a good/bad idea? If I ever do it I'll sent you pics of how it "dosen't" look!
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Old April 1, 2007, 08:41 PM   #38
Mike P. Wagner
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Quote:
We have more than our fair share of douche bags here, and I have had my share of death threats already. Meth is rampant here. I live in a town of only 50,000 so I am very easy to find if you want to.
Credible death threats would certainly call for an increased level of vigilance.

Mike
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Old April 1, 2007, 09:06 PM   #39
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asking this question here is like going to glock talk and asking if glocks are good guns.............
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Old April 1, 2007, 09:24 PM   #40
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Luck has been described as a situation where preparation meets opportunity. Being prepared for any forseeable situation makes you "lucky."

Being unprepared when the unexpected happens makes you "unlucky."

I don't walk around the house with my AR-15 in one hand and shotgun in the other. But I do keep my little S&W 682, loaded with 5 "Metro Loads" (158 LSWCHP+P) in my pocket. I'm sitting at the keyboard now in a lounging robe and slippers. The 682 is in the pocket of the robe.

Do I think I'm going to need it? Hell no! If I thought I was going to need a gun, I would have the 11-87 loaded with 7 rounds of 00 buck, the SIG P226 in the pocket, and the level lllA vest under the robe.

I carry the 682 when I don't think I'm going to need a gun. Maybe I'm overly cautious, maybe I'm a little paranoid. I don't know. and I don't care. But that's how you stay alive for 22 years in law enforcement.
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Old April 1, 2007, 09:26 PM   #41
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Ok, I admit it, I carry a gun because I'm paranoid!



...that my friends and coworkers would call me a blithering idiot if I were attacked and didn't have a gun handy.

I can hear it now:

"Did you hear about John?"
"Yeah, but as long as he doesn't dress that way at work, who cares?"
"No, not THAT, I mean did you hear that someone broke into his house while he was there?"
"No kidding? Talk about a flawed victim selection process! Did the guy live?"
"Yeah, apparently John was unarmed--they took his wallet, some other stuff and slapped his wife around."
"He didn't have a gun on him? Was he naked?"
"No, apparently he didn't want people to think he was paranoid so everything was locked in the safe."

I'd never be able to show my face again!
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Old April 1, 2007, 09:33 PM   #42
cheygriz
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I'd never be able to show my face again!
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Neither would I!!!!
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Old April 1, 2007, 09:41 PM   #43
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I'd never be able to show my face again!
Yah, that would be about right for me too... LOL Somehow me and weapons of any kind seem to be synonimous with the people I know. *shrug*
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Old April 2, 2007, 01:14 AM   #44
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I read somewhere that if a person exhibits 4 or more of the following traits they are considered paranoid. Recognize anyone?

Unwillingness to forgive perceived insults
Excessive sensitivity to setbacks
Distrustfulness and excessive self-reliance
Projection of blame onto others
Consumed by anticipation of betrayal
Combative and tenacious adherence to personal rights
Relentlessly suspicious
Naw, these are just politicians.
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Old April 2, 2007, 07:30 AM   #45
Tokamak
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I carry in the house

My P3AT is usually in my pocket even in the house. My wife has her's in her purse holster and it is usually a few feet away from her at most.

Home invasion? Remote possibility but it does not cost me anything to have the gun close by.

We had a body turn up in a cemetary a few months back. No one could figure out where it came from. Turns out that a few guys tried a home invasion and the homeowner got off a few shots.

The survivors packed their buddy in a car and when they found out he was dead they dropped him off. The homeowner was unharmed.
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Old April 2, 2007, 08:29 AM   #46
pesta2
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I think is it paranoid. People caring guns in their house on them at all time and having them all over the place, come one. Buy some really good locks. If someone knocks on you door later at night take a gun with you. Like the one thread what do you do with you gun when you shower, come on!
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Old April 2, 2007, 08:58 AM   #47
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The bad guys don't always knock.
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Old April 2, 2007, 09:42 AM   #48
deadin
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As the original title said, It's a Thin Line and a lot depends on one's point of view. Another definition I always liked is "A neurotic builds castles in the sky, A psychotic moves in."
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Old April 2, 2007, 12:45 PM   #49
Houndog
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Don't know if any of you guys remember those two teenagers living in a small town in Vermont/NH who decided to kill innocent people for the thrill of it. Ended up attacking and killing a Dartmouth professor and his wife in their home. Brutally stabbed them to death.

Well apparently, several days before committing that murder, they randomly knocked on the door of another man, presumably planning to kill him and his family. Only this guy always carried, even when he was just hanging out at home. I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but either these two kids saw his holstered gun when they knocked on his door and he opened it, or he felt they were acting "hinky" and withdrew the weapon. Needless to say, once they saw the gun they decided to move on.

Moral of the story - I bet his some of his friends/neighbors thought he was paranoid for always being armed, even though he lived in rural area with almost no violent crime ... but he and his family are still alive.
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Old April 2, 2007, 01:36 PM   #50
deadin
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Yeah, and a part might fall off an airplane and come through your roof and hit you in the head. Better wear a helmet 24/7. Then there's body armor to protect against snipers and camo's so you won't be too obvious when you go out.

Life's a crap shoot. You can't "protect" against everything. You can try, but at some point it becomes paranoid. Whatever makes you comfortable is going to be strange in someone else's opinion.
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