Lessons of longtime CCW...

[Bama.45]

I use a compressed gas duster....

Does that mean you cut one on it Carmen?

[Brian D.]

Just back from vacation this weekend. Did something a bit out of the ordinary for me last week, spent some hours one day in a city much larger than Cincinnati, namely Atlanta Ga. Met up with some gun folks for lunch, had maybe an hour to kill around the old-but-being-rebooted-as-upscale neighborhood of West Midtown beforehand. Maybe it was a fluke, time of day, etc. but saw not the first sign of those urban panhandler/opportunist types I've written so much about on this thread over the years. Could just be that the "fishing" is better for them in nearby downtown or something.

But hey, now our Ohio CHL's are good in Georgia, so it was pretty much business as usual for me. Until trying to get OUT of that city before their afternoon work traffic mess gets going full bore. A reminder that I shouldn't carp too much about the same thing here in Cincyland.

[MyWifeSaidYes]

...

But hey, now our Ohio CHL's are good in Georgia, so it was pretty much business as usual for me. Until trying to get OUT of that city before their afternoon work traffic mess gets going full bore. A reminder that I shouldn't carp too much about the same thing here in Cincyland.

Yep. A bad day of construction-laden rush hour traffic in Columbus is BETTER than a construction-free off-hours jaunt through Atlanta.

[Brian D.]

Couple quick incidents from a short road trip, just reminders of staying out of Condition White:

1) Not more than a few minutes after going into my motel room two things happened at once: The phone rang, and somebody was trying to come in the room. Fortunately I'd thrown the bolt across so they couldn't just walk in. So i hollered "Who's there?" and picked up the phone at the same time. Gun was still on my hip although I'd been just about to take it off and maybe sit down for a second. It was the front desk calling, trying to reach the maintenance guy, who had just now verbally identified himself as such through the door. Long story short they'd inaccurately advised maintenance that my room was unrented hence he could make some small fix to the carpet. Just glad I'd secured the door upon entry, things would have gotten much more exciting otherwise.

2) Stopped at a gun shop that has just moved from Lexington to the outlet center in Georgetown, Ky. Had seen a couple police cruisers as I'd gone from the I-75 exit to the store, thought nothing of it. Few minutes after I go inside a county deputy comes in to say that they were looking for an armed, dangerous person, and gave a description. He also advised the proprietor to maybe lock the front door. She and I looked at the deputy a bit sideways and asked if this criminal would really pick a gun shop of all places to hole up in. It was only at that moment that the deputy realized which store he was in (they probably have some turnover at the facility) and with a laugh he admitted he'd not been paying a bit of attention to the merchandise all around him. Still, the proprietor said she was not opposed to the idea, and I told her it didn't bother me.

It's funny, the store owner had only arrived a few minutes before me to open up the shop, and she too had noticed the couple more police cruisers than normal from the interstate to the store, but like me hadn't really given it a second thought. And i thought she reacted to the police visit very well: She had already been carrying a handgun, but asked if I minded that she was going to lock and load an AR that was near her behind the counter. Then proceeded to do so in the safest possible direction.
And when i was ready to leave she advised me to keep my eyes open going to and getting in the car. Seems like she has her head in the game.

[Brian D.]

First hour or so out and about this morning my primary carry gun was in the holster, full magazine but no round in the chamber. Long story short, user error. That particular mistake shouldn't happen again, but serves as a reminder to me that stuff happens to pretty much all us humans.

To steal from that Capitol One commercial: "What's in YOUR chamber?" (No slight intended to those who choose to carry without one in the pipe; if that's your method, are you sure the chamber is empty, as you desire it to be?)

[Brian D.]

Spring has sprung, the grass has riz...
I know where the panhandlers is.

A thousand pardons for the politically incorrect nature of that post, but anybody who follows this thread is used to it by now. Kind of odd, the mostly mildish winter down here in SW Ohio has led to the "homeless" being on the streets more than you'd expect in December-February. One guy who hangs out near the developed parts on the Newport Ky. side of the Ohio River tells me he and his non-existent pregnant girlfriend have only had to leave their place under the I-471 bridge for a few nights in favor of the shelters.

The whole story is a scam, both the under-bridge dwelling, and girlfriend specifics. The fifth time within two weeks hearing it, I got a little--no, a lot--miffed at the dude and scolded him for about 100 yards as he was walking away. Then got in front of him and demanded to know his real story, and was willing to follow him around all night to hear some truth. That got me a tale of woe that can be summed up as 'heroin addict'. His family wants no more to do with enabling him, and certainly has no friends at this point.


Right now he's successful enough with his begging to get a fix and whatever else he needs but can't mooch. Pickings get more slim, he'll be breaking in cars where patrons park to go to the nearby restaurants and such. After that, maybe some strong arm robbery or using a weapon he's stolen along the way.

[Tru-Heathen]

Or eventually he'll get a "hot fix" with fentanyl in it and the problem goes away for good.

(I realize that may not be "P.C."... file it under oh well.)

[Bama.45]

Or eventually he'll get a "hot fix" with fentanyl in it and the problem goes away for good.

(I realize that may not be "P.C."... file it under oh well.)

Maybe not with norcam being readily accessible now... Which I strongly disagree with, it sends a message of keep on using. Just have some antidote with ya.. Personally, I think junkies should get one chance at being revived by first responders.. If they don't learn their lesson then... They're SOL when they OD the second time.. I have no sympathy for junkies, they put themselves in the hell they live in.

[Tru-Heathen]

Yeah that's my take on it as well.

That may seem hardhearted, & harsh but I've seen first hand in my community too many beg to be put in a rehab program and never make it past a week before they come back to their old ways.

I had a good friend lose his credit, car, Harley and apartment due to being "in love" with an addict. He was working 7 days a week, clearing over $1500 a week & had to go to a cash advance place several times due to her. Eventually he wised up. But not before having to move into a camper at his parents.

[Brian D.]

Or eventually he'll get a "hot fix" with fentanyl in it and the problem goes away for good.

(I realize that may not be "P.C."... file it under oh well.)

Maybe not with norcam being readily accessible now... Which I strongly disagree with, it sends a message of keep on using. Just have some antidote with ya.. Personally, I think junkies should get one chance at being revived by first responders.. If they don't learn their lesson then... They're SOL when they OD the second time.. I have no sympathy for junkies, they put themselves in the hell they live in.

How do you suggest we in emergency medicine sort out those who have had their "once chance" at resuscitation from those who haven't? Branding? ID chip in their skin? We get calls about unconscious people sometimes where no one makes mention of the cause. And perhaps the needles etc. have been put out of sight. So we do push Narcan at some point during the respiratory/cardiac arrest protocol, and supposing that's when they come back around? Are we supposed to say "Hey, wait a minute, you OD'd on us a couple months ago, we thought it was a heart attack this time. Fred, get me a scalpel, I'm retrieving our Narcan out of this guy!"

[MyWifeSaidYes]

How do you suggest we in emergency medicine sort out those who have had their "once chance" at resuscitation from those who haven't? Branding?...

You answered your own question.

Mandatory forehead tattoos for all drug offenders.

[Tru-Heathen]

Scarlet Letter ?

Looking at the ones around here,facial and neck tattoos seem common enough.

( Full Disclosure : I've plenty of ink, but hail from an earlier time of No Public Skin. Meaning "I clean up fairly well if I need to do so." )

[Brian D.]

How do you suggest we in emergency medicine sort out those who have had their "once chance" at resuscitation from those who haven't? Branding?...

You answered your own question.

Mandatory forehead tattoos for all drug offenders.

What if a guy covers up his forehead with a...holster, for example?

[Brian D.]

Encountered a scam artist at Jungle Jims Eastgate yesterday. That's 20+ miles east of downtown Cincinnati. Pretty good sob story, it almost pained me to catch her lying. Full details tomorrow.

[Brian D.]

Okay so here's the deal: I'm leaving Jungle's weekly cigar get together. I see a youngish woman standing alongside a nearby parked car talking to the driver. She didn't look sketchy so I went about getting in my own vehicle. No sooner locked the door and started to put the key in the ignition I see movement of someone in my passenger side rear view mirror. It's the woman, keeping as much space as possible and immediately speaking loud enough that she's not trying to be sneaky.

Her story involved: A suddenly broken down car, her sister, their elderly mother, and the four small children that had accompanied them on their shopping trip. Three adults in the group, and supposedly between them they had only two dollars cash, no credit cards or other way to get a cab or bus. The woman told me she'd provide me several of their phone numbers so that repayment could be made. The acting was really good, and I was close to buying in. Then I asked "Instead of the phone numbers, could i meet your family? Maybe we can put our heads together and figure something out." Naturally, the woman told me the rest of the brood was way across the other side of the lot, staying by the broken down vehicle.

Even at that, she started to walk in their alleged direction. i told her wait up a second, needed to fetch something from the car. Made a bit of a show of getting out a loaded, spare magazine from the console. Told her I didn't want to wander around too much without some extra rounds for my carry gun.

At that point she just said "Never mind!" and walked off in a different direction, to try some more panhandling I guess. Come to think of it, a store like Jungle Jim's (large international food/beverage market) is shopped mostly by people with some discretionary income. On Friday's they have a cigar event with cash bar, plus it's "Pint Night" inside, so the crowd overall is usually in a mood to hang out and have fun. Maybe that's where I'd hang out and bum money if the "need" ever arose.

I followed up with a township cop who was driving a cruiser into the lot as I got to the edge of the property. He seemed aware. If not for spotting that cruiser I had no intent to call them. Better I should let Jungle Jim's management know what's going on in their lot.