Trick or Treaters

[Lupinus]

So now that halloween is just about here something got me thinking.

This is about the only night we come face to face with so many strangers on our doorsteps, or shot up at the doors of so many complete strangers.

Now what got me thinking was how many of you carry on halloween night? Esspecialy for those of you that don't normally carry your guns on you for whatever reason?

[The Tourist]

I feel the same way on this issue as I do about "barrier protection" in a medical setting.

In a medical setting (or in dentistry) you do not know who has hepatitis or HIV/AIDS, and so you wear gloves and eye protection for all patients.

The same ideology should apply here. Granted, the majority of people that you meet will be the same working stiffs you meet every day. And with all social circles, there will also be pond-scum that seek to profit by illegal means.

I would continue my normal mode of carry. If you think you need a bigger gun or a reload, then perhaps you should re-evaluate the things you carry EDC.

Again, I am Mr. Avoidance as in all self defense matters. If full body armor and three Bowie knives are your daily EDC then I would re-evaluate that behavior, as well.

[f4t9r]

I have learned if you carry , Do not get caught without it, its concealed so if you do not need it no one needs to know you have it !!
no matter what time of year or event BE READY

[XLMiguel]

It's never been an issue in my neighborhood, but I still have my 642 in my pocket. We don't have that many kids in the 'hood anyway (less than 2 dozen), I know most all of them and they all seem to know me.

I hand out those cuyalume glow necklaces along with some candy, so I'm the 'glow-stick guy'. Our block isn't well lit, so it makes them visible, and I get a kick out of watching the 'spooks' glide from yard to yard. Bushmills or Lite beer for the 'rents smart enough to come equipped:D

[Michael Courtney]

Trick or treating is a tactical nightmare. My children are not allowed to trick or treat, and I don't open my front door to masked strangers. I carry under all legal circumstances, and both preventive measures and countermeasures are stepped up on certain occasions where there is more likely to be some trouble such as Halloween, New Years Eve, etc.

Trick or treating strikes me as something like Mardi Gras, a lose-lose situation for everyone where safety and security are concerned.

Michael Courtney

[one-shot-one]

the cowboy action shooters dream come true!
open the door dressed as your favorite cowboy or for that matter gangster (old style please), or cop.:D

[pytron]

I carry when out with the kids or when answering the door. No sense in killing the fun by not participating.

It's easy enough to create a costume that works for your carry piece or just some heavier clothing since you'll be outside. At home it's simple to conceal with a longer t-shirt since even if you're discovered it's no big deal.

Or, you can just do what a friend of mine does. Put a empty bowl on the porch with a sign that says "please take one". No one will ring your doorbell and no candy to buy. Worst case is they take your bowl. Just use something you don't mind losing.

[Hardtarget]

Right now its 9:46. Fifteen minits ago three treaters knocked. I had gotten warm and taken my light jacket off.They saw my pistol. :mad: They were too old to be knocking on doors. :fire: All they have to do is mention it to a "friend" Now I'm worried...and mad at myself for being so lax. :cuss:
Mark.

[hso]

We don't have trick or treaters in my isolated pocket neighborhood so that's not an issue. My daughter gets asked to go with her little friends that live in nearby subdivisions so I just throw on my loudest orange Aloha shirt over the .45(helps being seen in the dark also) and walk my daughter and her buddy around the little pal's very upscale neighborhood.

[WayneConrad]

Sweetie and I set up camp chairs on the driveway and handed out candy to the kids. It was a pleasant night out (Phoenix), and much more fun than having the answer the door every few minutes. I carried openly as usual, but I doubt anyone noticed.

I let the kids pick what they liked best out of the bucket. The only tactical nightmare was one little girl who thought she'd see how much candy she could enclose in her little fist. She got so much she couldn't fit her fist in her little pumpkin bucket :)

The very best visitors were the first, a young couple from a few houses down. They had the cutest little infant girl dressed in a cow outfit. "We had this baby so we can go trick or treating!" said pappa. I gave them extra candy.

Nobody beat last year's best line: Three teenage boys, as big as linebackers, dressed in drag. Instead of "trick or treat!", they said, "Candy for a tranny?" They got extra, too.

[Medusa]

Hmm, in Italy some kids fired firecrackers behind one old man's door as they didn't get the candy, I believe. Result is that the old man shot both with SxS shotgun. Yeah, nasty tradition to teach the kids to blackmail - gimme candy or face the wrapped-in-toilet-paper-house.

[Colt]

Sweetie and I set up camp chairs on the driveway and handed out candy to the kids.

We have a long, steep driveway that can be slippery, and I don't like adult-sized people in masks looking into my house. I sat towards the bottom of our driveway in an adirondack chair with a coleman lantern and a bowl of candy while the wife took the kids around.

I read a Pat McManus book between customers and CC'd a 1911.

[Hammerhead Shark]

As we can't CCW here in commie Land, I just set outside dressed as "Jason". it helps that I'm 6'3" & 285lbs. you should have seen the look on the faces!!!:what: :neener: :eek: :evil:

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

Sad is the day, when we gleafully expect innocent children at our stoops, that we need to put thought into which form of protection we'll keep handy in case the villan should show his face. Those Chubaka outfits and the little Lion- Those are scary!!! I was prepared for the one or two relative's scoundrels this year. Candy in my holster! Nope, I wasn't packin. But it's quite accessible right there in the kitchen. No change of plan on this home front. Just that every Halloween, 4th and New Years, I put the truck out back in the shop. Mama's Jeep in the garage. Most around here would think it a fun joke to TP a car or the trees out front. Never happened to me. And as long as my young teens stay popular with the local youth, then I don't expect it to happen. Crime is not a huge problem with the locals in this small border town. It's the transients I keep notice of. And they don't really participate in local tradition.

-Steve

[rick_reno]

I stick a plastic pumpkin full of candy on the steps. I don't get bothered with having to answer the door.

[SouthpawShootr]

I had my regular carry package on last night when I went along with my niece and two nephews. Never know what might happen.

I stick a plastic pumpkin full of candy on the steps. I don't get bothered with having to answer the door.

Yep. Been there, done that. First two turds that come along dump the contents you leave out into their bags. Typical. Too bad they don't make a time delay dispenser.

[dpesec]

Well let's face it, the kids can be scoping out the house. When I was handing out candy at my GF's house, one group of teens said "hey you guys have dogs?" I said, "yep, they're don't let people in we don't know. right now they're tied up, but they the run of the house when we're not here." Kids beat a fast path to the sidewalk. hummm setup, perhaps.

[clt46910]

Last night took my daughter into town to the local Halloween shindig. It rained so bad that they cancelled the spook parade but had the best costume contest at the firehouse. My daughter won best "Witch". Decided it was raining to hard for trick or treating, maybe next year. Carried as usual nothing chanced. But maybe next year I will dress up as Rambo with a M-60 or something. Now what fun that would be...:evil:

Most of the small towns around here have like a two hour window to trick or treat. The town marshals and most of the volunteer fire department personel are out with the trucks and lights going to let people know that kids are out trick or treating. Plus you have lots of parents everywhere, so the kids and houses are well watched and monitered. The kids are only allowed to go to houses that have the porch lights on. If you don't want kids coming to your house, just keep the pouch light off for that two hours or so.

All in all, pretty well organized. A lot of the volunteers and other adults dress up also and have as much if not more fun then the kids. I think next year I may get in the spirit and come up with something.

We have one guy that will put out a scarecrow on the glider on his front pouch a couple days before halloween. Stick through the shirt holding the arms out. On halloween night he dresses in the same costume(stick and all) and will sit on the porch. Should see the people(kids and adults) scream and jump when the scarecrow suddenly stands up...:what: :eek: He gets someone new every year. A lot of us stand across the street from his house just to watch this.:evil: Too bad it rained so hard last night and we missed it.:(

[wolf_from_wv]

Should you carry?

Man dressed as demon charged after fracas

The Associated Press

Kingwood (WV) -- A good Samaritan had a run-in with a demon after stopping to help a vampire.

The unidentified motorist was flagged down by Angela Caplinger of Kingwood after she got into an argument with her husband following a costume party on Saturday night. She was wearing a vampire costume and her husband, 32-year-old Roy Wade Caplinger, was dressed as a demon, State Police Trooper Joe Portaro said.

Portaro said Angela Caplinger asked the motorist to take her to the sheriff's department. She got into the car, and Roy Caplinger allegedly jumped onto the hood.

"Imagine you're sitting on this dark roadway, you have a hysterical woman beside you, and the devil jumps on your hood," Portaro said.

Seeing a demon on the car startled the motorist, and the vehicle sped off, causing Roy Caplinger to fall off.

Portaro later saw a man dressed as a demon :evil: walking near the site of the incident and arrested him on charges of first-offense driving under the influence and second-offense domestic battery. :fire:

Roy Caplinger was treated and released from Preston Memorial Hospital, then taken to the Tygart Valley Regional Jail, still wearing his costume. :D

But officers removed two demon horns from his head before taking his booking photo, Preston County Sheriff Ron Crites said. :evil:

Caplinger was later released on a $5,000 bond.