Personal safety when hiking alone
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Yeahhhhh... Wrong country 😂
Australia has a major mass shooting in 1996 which lead them to severely restrict gun ownership. It basically put a stop to mass shootings until there was one this year (that was small by American standards) , that was done with a gun stolen 20 years ago.
In the US on the other hand, the last major mass shooting was... 5 hours ago12 -
Australia has a major mass shooting in 1996 which lead them to severely restrict gun ownership. It basically put a stop to mass shootings until there was one this year (that was small by American standards) , that was done with a gun stolen 20 years ago.
In the US on the other hand, the last major mass shooting was... 5 hours ago [/quote]
"There have been 280 mass shootings in 2019, as defined as involving four or more people injured or killed, excluding the perpetrator, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit that tracks such incidents,
To date, including this shooting, 602 people have died in mass shootings in 2019 and 2,356 have been injured."
But that is OK, as long as the second amendment is protected, nobody cares about who lives or dies... we can always send thoughts and prayers to their families
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Noooooo gun control debates pleeeeaaaassee9
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Hannahwalksfar wrote: »Noooooo gun control debates pleeeeaaaassee
I mean I suppose people could just keep suggesting pepper spray to you...5 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »See, one of the reasons why I'm less than keen on going on hikes by myself is because I'm afraid people will have guns and think "oh god this person must be a threat!" Not that many Portlanders carry guns, but that's along the same lines of, most violence against women is perpetuated by people they know (and that not stopping women from being scared of things like hiking alone).
And no I'm not a threat to anyone, but not being a threat or acting like a threat doesn't mean that people won't think you are (I'll let you all fill in the various dots). It is crappy though because there is a lot of very good hiking here and I currently have way too much free time on my hands.
People who are concerned with their safety may take notice of someone who seems threatening and keep an eye on them but they don't preemptively attack strangers who leave them alone.
That's not a thing that happens.
Alas, this is not true, but I don't want to take this thread there. I'm sure if you think about it, you will recall some high profile instances where this was not the case. But we shouldn't derail this thread with that discussion.
You could have provided a single example instead of alluding to supposed "high profile cases" to substantiate your claim.
Instead, you just made the claim and stated that to counter it would be to derail the thread.
However, it wouldn't be derailment at all.
This is a discussion about safety while hiking. The claim was made that people may perceive a peaceful person as a threat, despite them not acting in a threatening manner, and that this makes hiking unsafe for the peaceful yet scary looking person.
I replied that this isn't a rational concern because people don't approach and attack others in broad daylight on the basis of "I thought they looked threatening" when the person has left them alone.
So, on topic with the thread, I maintain that being attacked for looking scary isn't a reasonable cause for concern when hiking.
If you believe that to be inaccurate, I do request that you present one case of a civilian attacking another civilian, unprovoked, on the basis of "I thought they were a threat to my safety" while hiking in broad daylight.
Two people in a neighborhood getting into an altercation at night, regardless of who started it, which leads to one of them dead with only the survivor's side of the story left and a media frenzy surrounding the controversy does not factor into a discussion about whether or not your looks make it unsafe to go hiking.
"in broad daylight while hiking" is a very narrow clarification of it. It's happened plenty of time where people in the world are just generally minding their own business and doing nothing to lead others on that they would be threatening.
Example: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-adams-white-man-indicted-elijah-al-amin-murder-black-teen-over-rap-music-2019-07-11/
"In broad daylight while hiking" is the topic of this thread and exactly the circumstances in which it was claimed that a person's looks make them unsafe.
ETA: Also, a disgusting racist who murders a kid over rap music isn't an example of someone attacking someone for looking threatening. Again, that's the claim that was made, that they were afraid to go hiking because someone may think they look threatening.
I'm not debating whether or not racists exist. They do. I'm not saying senseless murders don't occur. They do.
But the claim wasn't "I'm afraid to leave the house because of racists."
The claim was "I'm afraid to go hiking because another hiker may think I look threatening."
We get it. You really love guns. They're tacticool toys and you feel threatened by people saying they don't love them too. But this is a thread where somebody is asking for advice, and guns aren't the answer where she lives. Please drop it.
And where in this little side discussion did I even mention guns? Oh, I didnt?
No, I didn't.
Nor did I ever once recommend that the OP consider guns as an option for self defense.
Maybe stop projecting.
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Anyway. Today I skipped out on the hike I had planned and did farm work instead. Behold, tiny cow butts. Little orphans/poddy babies trying some hay.
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Hannahwalksfar wrote: »Anyway. Today I skipped out on the hike I had planned and did farm work instead. Behold, tiny cow butts. Little orphans/poddy babies trying some hay.
Aww brings back memories of hand rearing poddy calves..0 -
When reading through this thread I am left wondering want was actually a threat to someone's safety and what was a perceived threat. Having someone following you, for example, maybe a threat, but on the other hand, it may simply be someone going in the same direction as you. Having that uncomfortable feeling may just be a perception. You can not judge someone by looks alone.
We should take whatever precautions are legal to help keep us safe and we should always be aware of our surroundings, but I refuse to live in fear that nearly every male that follows me wants to do me harm. That is where I find statistics comforting. In my local hiking areas, there have never been assaults reported to the media. Those with serious injuries or worse were as a result of abseiling or losing footing and falling down cliffs. There have been a few breaks and sprained ankles here and there where evacuation has been necessary.
I'll also put it out there that I love Australia! Our remote locations are absolutely awesome and worth exploring.7 -
Hannahwalksfar wrote: »Never mind. It’s illegal here.
To that I say "So what??" You can buy it on Amazon. Carry it when you hike and have it in a place you can grab it quickly. I talked to an ex- Navy Seal who said part of their training is being sprayed in the face with it, and he said the toughest of guys were rendered incapacitated- if only for a couple minutes which is long enough to run.0 -
My experience was more creepy than menacing. I was walking and an older man passed me on the entry of the trail near the lot. I felt him stop but kept on walking he then turned around and started following me. I took a couple of random trails that I knew were unpopular and he followed me down them at about 30m back. I then pretended I forgot something, turned around. Looked him straight in the eye, said hi and then walked passed him. He followed me out but much further back. I stayed in my car on my phone until he left and a family arrived then I went hiking. If the family hadn’t have arrived I probably would have gone home. I hiked along an adjacent trail to them so I could hear them but not see them. Felt safe enough then.7
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lauragreenbaum wrote: »Hannahwalksfar wrote: »Never mind. It’s illegal here.
To that I say "So what??" You can buy it on Amazon. Carry it when you hike and have it in a place you can grab it quickly. I talked to an ex- Navy Seal who said part of their training is being sprayed in the face with it, and he said the toughest of guys were rendered incapacitated- if only for a couple minutes which is long enough to run.
Some people are not big on committing illegal weapon possession crimes. You can literally go to jail for possession of pepper spray in Australia.7 -
lauragreenbaum wrote: »Hannahwalksfar wrote: »Never mind. It’s illegal here.
To that I say "So what??" You can buy it on Amazon. Carry it when you hike and have it in a place you can grab it quickly. I talked to an ex- Navy Seal who said part of their training is being sprayed in the face with it, and he said the toughest of guys were rendered incapacitated- if only for a couple minutes which is long enough to run.
And do you think that Amazon would accept the purchase knowing that it is illegal in Australia?7 -
You can’t even use electric vibration (not shock) dog collars in Some states. It’s like a 25k fine if you’re caught. Laws are big here. Loads of stuff is illegal5
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Hannahwalksfar wrote: »This discussion also proves that people really don’t read past the OP before commenting.
To reiterate
Guns, pepper spray, bear spray, nun-chucks, brass knuckles, knives, hand grenades etc are all illegal here.
Wow, Australia's no fun at all.
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lauragreenbaum wrote: »Hannahwalksfar wrote: »Never mind. It’s illegal here.
To that I say "So what??" You can buy it on Amazon. Carry it when you hike and have it in a place you can grab it quickly. I talked to an ex- Navy Seal who said part of their training is being sprayed in the face with it, and he said the toughest of guys were rendered incapacitated- if only for a couple minutes which is long enough to run.
Look luck with doing that! We can not simply buy it from Amazon and get it shipped here. If you do get caught the fines are huge.2 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Hannahwalksfar wrote: »This discussion also proves that people really don’t read past the OP before commenting.
To reiterate
Guns, pepper spray, bear spray, nun-chucks, brass knuckles, knives, hand grenades etc are all illegal here.
Wow, Australia's no fun at all.
😂🤣😂🤣0 -
Australia, where the homocide rate is more than 5 times lower than the US.
If you do have the mindset to inflict lethal force on an attacker (which is a legal form of self defense IF you have a "reasonable" fear that you may be killed or suffer serious bodily injury as a result of the attack), I would suggest you look into carrying a light weight karambit blade which can be used very effectively w/o significant training. If used deliberately to cut the throat, femoral or brachial arteries, the result will almost always be fatal.
Is that based on your knowledge of the law where you live, the law in New Zealand, or the law is Australia, where the OP actually lives?2 -
Self defence laws in Australia are pretty ambiguous. Basically you can take reasonable force to subdue an attacker if you have to. If you can you must try other reasonable methods of self-protection before becoming physical. It really is based on a case by case basis from what I understand.1
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Yeah, yeah I know.. no knives, no guns, no sprays, no taser... but its ok we are taught to wrestle crocs and subdue a water buffalo with a look from birth. True story
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lauragreenbaum wrote: »Hannahwalksfar wrote: »Never mind. It’s illegal here.
To that I say "So what??" You can buy it on Amazon. Carry it when you hike and have it in a place you can grab it quickly. I talked to an ex- Navy Seal who said part of their training is being sprayed in the face with it, and he said the toughest of guys were rendered incapacitated- if only for a couple minutes which is long enough to run.
I guess you missed my post where I said Amazon wouldn't ship it to me and I had to buy it in a gun store (just because something is for sale on Amazon doesn't mean they will ship it to you.)
Or the OP's numerous posts stating she is not willing to do anything illegal.4
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