Posted on 11/20/2002 9:13:06 PM PST by Capriole
I am a divorced mom. I have a stalker, a man who can't take no for an answer. He's been rather worrisome, and his mental health is deteriorating. The police say that his threats have not yet been specific enough for them to arrest him and keep him locked up. The problem is made somewhat worse by the fact that he lives in another state, 40 minutes away, and it's difficult to prosecute across state lines, especially since he hasn't actually hurt me (yet).
What makes the situation a little more tolerable is that I have (among other things) a lovely 9 mm Browning Hi-Power. Now I'm trying to figure out how can I carry this in my bag and still keep it away from my gun-obsessed eight-year-old son, who is a lunatic, like most eight-year-old boys. How do other parents handle this? Any recommendations, Freepers? It's easy enough to keep the long guns away from him, and he can't do anything with them anyway, but if the Browning is going to protect me at all I have to have instant access. I've never been in the habit of dragging a handgun around with me all the time, but since this sicko is threatening to find me when I'm alone and "make me pay," I'm about to start doing so.
TIP: this holster rig comes in various sizes for various guns - so be sure to buy the right one.
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Seriously, take the kid out somewhere, you shoot a melon or something, let the kid shoot something, let him see how much damage it will do, and tell him you will kick his ass to the moon if he touches it without your OK.
My Dad & Grandpa took this approach with me & my cousins, and we were so scared of what they would do to us (and what else might happen)we never touched a gun without their OK.
Yes, I suppose I could move. I could give up my beautiful and beloved house, on which I've lavished so much time, energy, and money. I'd been thinking about moving to a decrepit mid-nineteenth-century farmhouse so that I could have the horses on the back acreage and could restore the farmhouse.
But I'm not going to be chased from my house and I'm certainly not going to be scared away from going to the church I've loved for ten years. That would be really Satanic, if this screwball scared me away from my church! Nope, sorry, I've got the Lord and I've got the Browning, (and the .22 and the 410 and the 30.'06) so I'm staying right where I am until I bloody well feel like moving.
I sure wish I knew what happened to that gun.
Take your kid to the range. Let him see what a gun can do. Check out the NRA web site for the eddie eagle program. Education works. Hiding doesn't.
That would work too. My brother used to teach for Head Start, he showed the Eddie Eagle video to the kids & almost got fired for it, but the parents were glad he did it, considering the climate most of those kids grow up in.
I agree with 45semi, the hide a gun purse is an excellent option. Your gun can be aimed and ready to fire and the target won't even know you're armed.
You're right, of course. I'm 35 minutes from NRA HQ, I oughta be able to work something out. Thanks.
Anyone trying that should first make sure that the gun fits easily - and, most importantly, draws easily.
Many of those purses are sized for only certain-size guns or smaller. A gun purse just fine for a Sig P232 or Walther PPK won't accept even some "compact" 9mms like the the Sig P239.
Get NRA classes for yourself and your kid, especially him. Find a local range that offers self-defense classes and take one. They will be able to inform you on local concealed-carry laws and on rules of engagement - these differ from state to state. Many also offer pepper-spray classes - consider this if you're interested in a self-defense device you can take places that you can't take a gun. Practice with that firearm at least once a week. Keep the firearm on your person at all times and when at home if you want it locked up I'd recommend one of THESE - I use one and recommend it highly, it is fast and you can keep a loaded firearm in it in confidence that your son can't get at it.
Get a good deadbolt lock for the front door and a peephole if you haven't one already. Get locks for all ground-floor windows at a minimum and use them. Get a cellphone and keep it on you at all times - program 911 on the speed dial.
Investigate a restraining order. There are a number of women's legal-help organizations to aid you; many are not gun-friendly so they don't have to know that part, but they can help you through the legal process at no or very little cost.
For concealment I have had several purses recommended by women I know who carry - Dillon makes a good one. Keep the gun on your person or in that safe at all times if you have a curious son, but if you do nothing else get him the class. For ammunition in that particular caliber, 9mm, I use Federal Hydra-Shok 124-gr jacketed hollow points. Make sure your pistol cycles those properly - they're a bit expensive to practice with on a regular basis but make sure it chambers them at least once, then practice with 115-gr full metal jacketed cartridges - they're cheaper and for self-defense purposes are ballistically identical to the self-defense ammo.
FReemail me with any questions. You don't have to live in fear.
People die every day of apparently accidental circumstances.
Rent "The Mechanic" with Charles Bronson to get the general idea.
If anyone gets a gun in their hand & punches some holes in a target, it changes their view of things
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