Dangerous Park

[MuddyMo]

I have a friend that's in Topeka a lot. She said it's "full of crazys"
Springfield has some rough areas too. I've seen pos trash in small towns with populations under 500 to working in the worse parts of big cities. The truth is any place at anytime can have thug(s) come around. Not only are there thugs but there's mean dogs, predator animals, rabid animals etc depending on where you're at. Choosing when and where to hunt helps but that's no guarantee. As others said self awareness is important but being prepared is JUST AS IMPORTANT. Not wanting be at the mercy of some pos is not acting macho. There's fight or flight situations and if you can't leave in time or run then you best have a way to defend yourself. If you have nothing then you WON'T have any chance. Whether it's a gun, pepper spray, an air horn, bright flashlight, sharp shovel or a combination etc.

This is the rational solution. Guns are worthless if you're on your knees digging a hole and someone comes up behind you and cracks you in the back of the head. Now he's got your wallet, your metal detector AND your gun for his next robbery. Forget about the macho John Wayne act. Find a safer place to detect.

That is one situation out of hundreds. Calling that "the ration solution" is ridiculous. Even a seasoned cop or a soldier can be sucker punched and have their gun taken. So using that theory no one should carry.
Anyone can come up with a situation where something won't work. Like "I won't wear a seat belt because there was this one guy that died because he couldn't get out of his car because of it".
If you don't want to carry that's your choice. If you choose to carry then concealed is best if legal and sometimes just letting them know you're armed is enough to save your butt.

 

[TCosbyJr]

I thought I found a dead body once myself detecting near a spot I was digging. Turned out it was a sleeping bum, but it was the last time I went to that nearby cities particular park. Much too secluded for my safety. About 20 minutes later I was finishing up detecting and a park employee showed up and was rousing several of them awake. I was surprised how many turned up from the nearby weeded areas too.

Trouble is even with a weapon it's hard to say how many people you may encounter at once. If I was seen as a easy target that day, unless they started to run away once they were fired at, no handgun would have helped even with perfect shots. Honestly I doubt if I was packing one it would have been of use if I was surprised by several of them. Of course there are times a weapon can help.

However if you don't feel safe at that park find another place.

That said even at my local Walmart there was a shooting overnight before, meth deal gone bad in the parking lot. Earlier in the day they had Girl Scouts 20 feet from that spot selling cookies. Always seems something happens everywhere in our world.

Safety is relative on the current circumstances of a place for sure. Stay safe and HH

 

[Beachhunter]

I hate to give security advise without a thorough assessment, but my initial take is to perform a cost/benefit analysis. Is there anything in that park worth risking your life over? I *never* recommend a firearm as a security augment unless the person is aquatinted and proficient. As already mentioned, situational awareness is key, and you’re better off walking away at the first hint of trouble.

I had an incident at a Walmart late last week. Two guys were harassing a woman for wearing a mask as she left the store. I monitored the situation and happened to be packing. I was prepared to insert myself (masked) between her and them if they had chosen to accost her. Fortunately, they saw me giving them the stink-eye and decided to move along. This brings up the concept that do you want to find yourself in a position that you have to point a firearm at another person? Does possessing a weapon compel you stand up for justice? And besides, I worked law enforcement in the military, how does one tell the good guy with a gun vs the bad guy with a gun?

So what’s my point? Carrying a firearm is a defensive move, but be aware of the mission creep that comes with it. If a place is getting too sketchy to hang around, I find new places to visit. “Annie get your gun” just isn’t good advice when everyone is looking for justification to shoot everyone else.

This ^! Very well said..

 

[Goat88]

This is the rational solution. Guns are worthless if you're on your knees digging a hole and someone comes up behind you and cracks you in the back of the head. Now he's got your wallet, your metal detector AND your gun for his next robbery. Forget about the macho John Wayne act. Find a safer place to detect.

Carrying is only part of it. Keeping your head on a swivel and being aware of your surroundings is also important. No one is sneaking on me. Keep yourself out of the situation in the first place.

 

[Scooterjim]

Springfield has some rough areas too. .


If you don't want to carry that's your choice. If you choose to carry then concealed is best if legal and sometimes just letting them know you're armed is enough to save your butt.

I seen Springfield made the top 20 list for violent crime per capita. Our worst parks have a couple of shootings a month. I try not to let the threat keep me out of the park. Parks are meant for kids, and if it's not safe for an old man, what chance do they have. I'm a grown !!! man. My tax dollars pay for that park. It's my neighborhood and I won't let some punks keep me from enjoying it.


A body was found in my closest park by the bum that lives in the woods behind the park. I talk to him often, he's not the dangerous kind of crazy just nuts. He told me if he ever finds a body again he's calling from a pay phone and not giving his name. Said he spent 8 hours in the cop shop being interrogated.

 

[amc rulz]

I’ve been carrying a pea pistol since day one.

 

[KinTN]

Some people are wolves, some people are sheep, some people are sheep dogs. I am a retired sheepdog and am here to tell you that you are responsible for your own safety. If the leftists want to go around with their head in the sand, let them.

 

[Vethraxx]

Lets all arm up and do detect DETROIT!

 

[hddeuce03]

So every time you're digging a hole, you're looking around just in case someone wants to bash you in the head? Really? Do you have one hand on your digger and the other on your gun? Uh huh. Right.

Actually, yes, I am always aware of my surroundings. No one will ever be able to walk up to me without me being aware. Don't need one hand on anything, it's called simple situational awareness. Maybe because it was drilled into my head during my 10-year military career, but to me, it's common sense.

 

[aeds151]

So every time you're digging a hole, you're looking around just in case someone wants to bash you in the head? Really? Do you have one hand on your digger and the other on your gun? Uh huh. Right.

I often pause from detecting and check my surroundings yes. I can quick glance in either directions and use peripheral vision to check behind me. I also practice detecting in a way that faces me towards the most likely place for someone to approach. I often drop my headphones to check surroundings as well. I also keep my detector and tools close to prevent someone from grabbing and riding/running off. This is all second nature to me now. Its not that hard


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[Silversmith45]

I have been detecting that park for almost forty years. Partly because it's close and for several months my car was down and I didn't have any other place to go. I don't detect there after dark or anywhere else for that matter. Still not everything happens at night. I have seen a couple of guys spray painting gang signs on a restroom in broad daylight. The restroom was also set on fire and finally had to be removed. Older kids play on playground equipment and break it so it has to be removed too. There are a couple of other parks in town that I don't even try detecting because of the trouble they have, I am a Vietnam Veteran with the 101st Abn and was raised on a farm so guns are not strange to me. I even collected them for a while and attended gunsmithing school after I got out of the Army. I have never carried a gun in all of my years of detecting but times have changed. They said the body they found had been murdered. I'm careful but I don't intend to be a victim either.

 

[CurlyMB]

My dog is more likely to keep you away than my concealed pistol. And isn't going to let anyone get close before being known about.
That being said, there are parks I will avoid. I don't want to be placed in a position like this unless it is a necessity.

 

[Bill_Ace_350]

Situational awareness. Whether you have a gun or not, situational awareness is the key. It's not about "macho John Wayne act" as you put it, it's about being prepared...of which comes situational awareness.

I agree.

I live in a very small village, almost zero crime.

Visit Syracuse, Rochester, Utica, Rome, Watertown and if you aren't aware of your surroundings, you are your own worst enemy.

Don't care how tough someone thinks they are, how tall they are, how tough their work out schedule is, how many people they have beaten with a baseball bat, if you are legally allowed and choose to carry, do so. Don't let anyone tell you when and how to exercise your rights.

They are dangerous also.

 

[TreasureHawk]

I heard from an inside source that the killer was hunting metal detectorists.

 

[Bill_Ace_350]

I have been detecting that park for almost forty years. Partly because it's close and for several months my car was down and I didn't have any other place to go. I don't detect there after dark or anywhere else for that matter. Still not everything happens at night. I have seen a couple of guys spray painting gang signs on a restroom in broad daylight. The restroom was also set on fire and finally had to be removed. Older kids play on playground equipment and break it so it has to be removed too. There are a couple of other parks in town that I don't even try detecting because of the trouble they have, I am a Vietnam Veteran with the 101st Abn and was raised on a farm so guns are not strange to me. I even collected them for a while and attended gunsmithing school after I got out of the Army. I have never carried a gun in all of my years of detecting but times have changed. They said the body they found had been murdered. I'm careful but I don't intend to be a victim either.

Thank you for your service.

My 21 years active duty service with the U.S. Army, several years in law enforcement, decades of hunting, target shooting, and growing up with firearms give me some valuable perspective also.

Guns aren't the problem.

Criminals and those with criminal records are the problem.

Do what you legally can and do to protect yourself, your family, your property and livelihood from criminals and wannabe criminals.

Carrying concealed legally is your choice, not anyone else's.

 

[amc rulz]

Lets all arm up and do detect DETROIT!

Watch chu ‘talkin about, the suburbs?

 

[bmattioli]

I actually do quite well in these types of areas and have been since 2008. Most folks will not try detecting them but as someone told me long ago you blend in just like a ghost and no one will bother you. No one has EVER even questioned what the hell I was doing except some wild pitbull that charged at me..

Maybe I'm just numb to to the areas I hunt..

Good luck out there but don't go with my advise..

 

[FreeBirdTim]

how many people they have beaten with a baseball bat,

Here's the difference. Defend yourself with a baseball bat, you might get two years probation. Shoot an unarmed man, you'll get 10 in the pen.

Just because you're afraid of your own shadow and think someone approaching you is a threat, doesn't give you a right to shoot an unarmed man. Friendly advice from someone who knows the law.

 

[Bill_Ace_350]

Some people are wolves, some people are sheep, some people are sheep dogs. I am a retired sheepdog and am here to tell you that you are responsible for your own safety. If the leftists want to go around with their head in the sand, let them.

There are more than just Wolves, Sheep and Sheepdogs.

There is a category of individuals committed and capable of taking care of themselves to a great extent.

People who won't, or can't wait for, and shouldn't have to wait for, the so-called Sheepdog....

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Here's a perfect example. The guy thought he had a right to shoot an unarmed man, but he was wrong. He got TWENTY YEARS in jail. Carry all you want and brag that you're "packing", but be warned that you can spend a LONG time in jail if the law disagrees with you're "I was afraid for my life" story.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michae...n-gets-20-years-today-stand-your-ground-case/