This is a point of curiosity, which has been brought to the surface by the thread on the recent events in Quebec.

Thank you.

Present day fiction or 2060s technology? For that matter, doing what?

SR? All of the above.

RL? While we'll go off on that subject at the drop of a hat, posting new threads about it is really poor form. What I practice, though, is a semiconcealed pocketknife.

~J

You forgot to put "Can o' whoopass" on that list.

None. I am not wearing any weapon or body armor. Does a leatherman count?

No reason to not carry body armor - as normal articles of clothing can be armored in SR4.

Weapons are also standart for anyone who is neither mage nor combat adept. We do not live in the safest areas of civilisation, and handguns can be licenced.

RL? Neither weapon nor armor. Best self defense is a 400m dash.

Black Belt in Mouth-Fu.

I can't vote because the question hasn't been clarified.

In RL: Illegal to carry firearms around (grrr...) and not in the mood for a flak jacket, so neither, unfortunately. If I had the option, I'd carry a handgun.

In SR: The scepter of GMness and the armor of the Holy Rulebook

Good point. see my older thread about conceal carry under women's clothing. RL I have a permit and carry. In SR ditto and usually wear a lined coat or armored jacket- I find the term "body armor" odd- you mean openly? A secon skin hides under anything, we go from there to dusters with ceramic plates and ballistic cloth up to powered suits.

I'm sick and tired of repeating this. YOU DON'T NEED A GUN TO BE ARMED. There are several self defense items which I like to carry around, including a couple of knives, a spray can of some very nasty hot sauce, and a telescoping baton (not at the same time, that would be excessive). I don't know anyone who wears body armour as part of thier civilian attire, and I certainly don't know any people who illegaly carry firearms around.

god made man, Samual Colt made (wo)men equal.

I'm 5' 1" and have been unsuccessfully mugged three times. I'd rather hold them off outside of arm range just incase I find a thug with better skills than mine.

http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?show...opic=14098&st=0

The most recent thread about guns.

Here in germany those few who carry weapons (guns and larger knives alike) are few to the point of being suspicious (some urban areas excepted, and even then it´s usually knives). Those who carry guns for illicit reasons can´t hide behind legal owners - not that many of those.

In Shadowrun, not being armed is even more stupid than not being armored. You DO go to all the wrong areas, AND you have enemies who are out to kill you. Both things wich should be wrong for most of us. Even runners don´t need to be armed if they go shopping in downtown seattle in broad daylight.

Carrying a handgun around, as comforting as it is, can be a pain in the ass.

Wearing body armor around is a *serious* pain in the ass.

It's a goal of mine to have some decent body armor somewhere down the line, but at the moment I don't own any. I doubt I'd wear it regularly even if I did. So mark me down for "Firearm only."

As for "don't need a gun to be armed..."

Fair enough. You are, however, noticeably better armed with a gun. Even pepper spray only really works out to about 10 feet.

Not if you throw the can *REALLY* hard.

But in that case I guess it's not really good as pepper spray. Maybe I should get a license for carrying concealed sharp rocks.

By the same token, guns really don't work so well within ten feet or so—it's too easy to take a hit anyway or worse yet have your gun controlled by the opponent. If you're going to carry a gun, carry a knife too and know which to use.

~J

SR: My precious Salvalette Guardian and my Body Armor

RL: Nothing. Some of you already know my stance about peoples who carry guns to make them feel safer

I'm not the kind of drunk that waves his weapons around, nor do I get to riddiculous levels of drunkeness whilst outside. If you think that smoking pot will make you dangerous to be around sharp objects, then I'm willing to bet you've never smoked pot.

Yes, because it's completely logical to draw that conclusion. I stand by my statement.

edit: Let me amend that. No, I don't think it's all that dangerous for someone smoking pot to have a pocket knife or something. That part of my earlier post was more applicable if you're talking about a gun. In which case, it stands.

Personally, I don't think it's all that smart to carry weapons if you're going to be in an altered state. That's my opinion.

Well, if you think that a telescoping baton is not something a stoned person should have, then you clearly aren't an experianced pot smoker. Weapons are only dangerous in a drunk person's hands if he's past the point of making informed judgement calls, which I don't do when I drink with my friends at a beach or park. I just want to be prepared if a crack head comes wandering in my direction.

And there's obviously no way that being drunk or stoned might possibly affect your decision making skills -- when using a weapon (not just the act of fighting, but knowing when and when not to do so) is all about decision making skills.

And I'll say this. If you're putting yourself into a situation that you know could result in personal injury, and the chance of that personal injury is great enough that you feel the need to be armed, and you're going into that situation specifically to get high or drunk, you have already demonstrated less than ideal decision making skills.

It has nothing to do with alcohol or drugs, and everything to do with the fact that you're being irresponsible not only with them, but with weapons and yourself.

It has absolutely nothing to do with "being an experienced pot smoker", or "being a sober drunk". To think that it does is ridiculous at best.

When I drink to get drunk, I do it inside. Period. Passing a bottle of CC (or a blunt) around with five or six friends is definately not going to get me in to 'falling down intoxicated' mode. If I'm fucked enough to not be able to walk in a straight line or hop a fence, then I'm not in a seedy park late at night.

in SR, generally both. in RL, i've got a camelback bag i've removed the liquid container from; in its place, i've got an 8-inch k-bar.

I've took a course and got shot by one of the new tasers. If I was to conceal carry (which I find personally bothersome) I would get one of these puppys.

Picture thing

They are tiny and pack a punch that makes my balls hurt when I think about getting hit by them. In fact they make a repetetive arcing sound that still makes me cringe to this day, and I took the instructor course about two years ago.

If you think you're drunk then you aren't really drunk. If you're sure that you're sober then you couldn't be farther from sober.

Personally, I'm waiting for effective, afordable, and comfortable armored clothing like that available in SR.

Now, if I had $850 to spend on a jacket this would be my choice.

Why? With $850, you could almost get one of these.

No. If you buy it, you deserve to be shot to death.

In SR: I tend to carry a lot more of both than I'll expect I'll need. Usually SMG's or rifles when I can get away with it, handguns and blades otherwise.

In RL: In the past, work has required me to carry batons, pepper-spray, and at one time a .30 cal rifle (for wildlife.) Other than a kubaton, I've never made a point of carrying a weapon in public. Work has also called for a kevlar vest, but there have been times when I've voluntarily used other protective gear: kevlar gloves, shin guards and the like. But my meat and potatoes are just good quality boots and a groin cup.

I don't think anyone's saying "tasers are fun and tingly to get shot with." But -- same as pepper spray -- they sadly don't always work. There've been cases of people getting tagged by them, locking up/falling down, then getting right back up and kicking ass as soon as the shock's done. More often, there've been cases of the darts not reaching skin due to a thick jacket, multiple layers of normal clothing, and that sort of thing. Also, everyone please remember, they are considered "less lethal," not "non lethal." Understand that someone with a handfull of medical conditions (or under the influence of some drugs) can die from it. Be prepared for that possibility, before triggering it at someone.

But, again, carry what you want to carry. Anything is better than nothing, I (obviously) believe. My hat's off to anyone who decides to carry anything serious, to defend themselves in a lawful manner. Just don't try to tell me (or any other law abiding citizen) that I have to settle for pepper spray or something, too.

Agreed. And its really not the best thing to use if you have more than one assailant coming at you. But damn, it will do the job and you won't end up being criminally charged for using it. Not only does it (when effectively used) make you lose complete control of your muscles, it HURTS! I took a five second ride and I can still remember trying to scream but being unable to do so, it was torture, simply put.

I live in a rural area where carrying a firearm isnt really needed for protection normally (although there are probably more people out here with CWP's than more populated areas).

Just out of curiosity, do you guys with military/LE experience consider a knife or a bottle of OC pepper spray to be a more effective self defense tool, both in trained and untrained hands?