[pct-l] Illegal Contacts

[res46 at cornell.edu (Rebecca Emily Selling)]

      The prospect of PCT hikers carrying firearms as a defense, is both
discouraging and frightening.  There are a huge amount of people in
this country who carry or own firearms "just for defense."   A scary
number of tragic accident result from people owning these firearms. 
If you own a gun, there is the temptation to use the gun.  I'm sure,
as a trained police officer, there is less of a temptation to use a
weapon, due to officer training on proper use and operation of a
firearm.  Never the less, if you carry a gun you can use the gun,
and if you use the gun, you can kill people.  It's as simple as
that.
       There is a vibe on this list, painting a portrait of illegal aliens
as bad people, out to get hikers.  In general, they are people just
like us, trying to get through life, give their kids more than they
have, find a job, and just live.   I'm not saying illegal
immigration is a good idea, generally things that are illegal are
not good ideas.   But if we think of illegal aliens as inherently
bad and threatening, we are much more likely to run into trouble
with them.  I'm not saying don't be on your guard, it is alway
important to be cognizant of your surroudings and the people in
those surrounding, especially in unfamiliar terrain.  But I firmly
believe in giving people the benifit of the doubt, unless they
demonstrate that they are intending malicious actions.
     I grew up in Philadelphia, living in the city from ages 0-18.  I
lived in an ok part of town, and went to school in a pretty rough
part of town.  Shooting and muggings were not uncommon in the
neighborhood where I went to school.  Several friend got mugged, or
had things stolen.  On several occasions there were bullet holes in
the windown of my classrooms, yet I never carried a gun.  I've never
even held a gun.  Why?  Because as soon as a gun is introduced into a
situation, the situation become highly volatile.  People panic, and
when people panic, mistakes happen.  It is an infinitely better idea
to just give somone your wallet, or gear, or whatever, than to risk
bodily harm to either yourself or them.  Shooting someone, or even
threatening their life, because they said "give me your wallet," is
simply not acceptable.
        There are plenty of other ways to intimidate, avoid, or defend
youself from trouble, if the need arises.  Pepper spray was
suggested as an alternative, which is an excellent idea.  There
are also plenty of psychological tactics to avoid mailicious
encounters.  Talk to yourself, it will friek people out and they
won't want to confront you.
         Those who work in emergency services tend to have a somewhat
skewed vision of how often emergencies like these actually occur.
 I work in emergency medicine, and it is very easy to fall into
the trap of thinking that major medical emergencies are common in
every day life.  This isn't true.  Both types of emergencies do
happen, medical and criminal, they are a problem that need to be
dealt with, but in the grand scheme of things, they are few and
far between.
    I'm sure many people won't agree with everything I've said in this
e-mail, and that's fine.  The world would be boring if we all agreed. 
But the idea of people carrying guns for defense on the PCT touched a
nerve, so I felt like I should say what I believe.  Back to planning
resupply and my bounce box....... :-)
Becky



> After working in Law Enforcement for the past 16 years and knowing several
> people who work the Border Patrol in the Campo area, I can say this is not
> HIGHLY unusual.  I was informed that about 10 groups of hikers and several
> motorists a year are robbed in this area every year.  I hate to do it, but
> I might be carrying my small off-duty revolver when I thru hike the trail
> in 2005.  I think I might carry it till I get to my house at mile 125.  I
> won't charge for security of anyone who wants to start with me also...
> Mountain Goat has already signed up.
>       Just curious.....   What do you folks think of this idea.  Have I
> labeled myself to much of a redneck?
>                                   Eric Yakel
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