Shot w/pellet gun on bike - now open carrying!

That gamo hog video is a particularly disgusting encitement to un-ethical hunting...

But you're right, the modern air rifles are quite capable of being lethal, if used irresponsibly... Certainly your drive by idiots qualify there....

J

I commute, and basically live my life, by bike. One time, while driving, I watched the car in front of me slow down and spray a super-soaker right into the face of a bicyclist. After following the car to get the plate number, I stopped and waited for the biker to catch up to give it to him. He said that it wasn't just water, but had soap or detergent or something like that in it. I think that, especially in the context of heavy traffic, any physical assault on a bicyclist should be understood as life-threatening. If I got sprayed in the face or popped with a pellet gun and took a spill into the street, I might very well be hit by a car and die.

Just remember, your best line of defense is a helmet!

Ride safe!
Josh

most of the time when I see bicycle riders talking about how they need to start carrying, it is for very bad reasons, reasons that indicate to me that that person probably should not be carrying a gun.

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I am a bike commuter and I have never had an incident where I would or should have drawn my gun. But all those stupid door slams, airhorns, buzzing, and honking idiots remind us bikers of one very important fact.

While most of the people on the road are securely encased in the climate-controlled interior of the most potent close-quarters combat tool available to ordinary citizens, we bicycle riders are vulnerable. Just because the incidents that remind us of that aren't always life-threatening doesn't mean they shouldn't shake our complacency and remind us to be prepared.

So if someone shoots at you are you gonna ask "is that a pellet gun or a real rifle?" With the power that todays pellet guns have. Yes, I will return fire.

I believe Gamo has a video of a wild Hog being shot in the head and dropping in its tracks.

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You definitely shouldn't have guns then. You would open fire at the back of a vehicle (cause that's all you are gonna get) because you got hit in the back with something that obviously didn't kill or even penetrate you?

{original thought deleted. Disgusts with current thread is fully realized........................}


So, I really like that Kimber I picked up. Who says their quality control isn't up to previous standards?

So if someone shoots at you are you gonna ask "is that a pellet gun or a real rifle?" With the power that todays pellet guns have. Yes, I will return fire.

I believe Gamo has a video of a wild Hog being shot in the head and dropping in its tracks.

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You may want to take a good look in the mirror if you're being serious here. You'd know right away (sound, no gaping wound) if it was a pellet gun and yet you'd still return fire with a handgun?

If that's true, you have issues and should not even own a handgun, let alone carry one.

I have to agree with Inked here. I see bikers {and yes, they are wearing spandex} on the little two lane rural back roads where I live.

And, yes it does piss me off, as there are also logging truck, as well as other big rigs that go up and down these little roads. There are plenty of blind curves, and hills.

If one were to top a hill, and all of the sudden there is a guy on a bicycle in your lane, and a big truck in the other who do you think will win? Its stupid, and dangerous, when there are so many paved bike trails in the area. And, yes my wife, and I do ride on those trails, but there are no other vehicles except bikes and joggers allowed.

Heck, even if I have to walk somewhere by taking a road used by motor vehicles I walk to the very farthest side of the shoulder of the road away from traffic. If there isn't a paved shoulder, and knee high grass I would rather walk on that then end up like Stephen King {and yes he was on the shoulder, not even in the road, and some nut managed to hit him}.

In the state where I live pedestrians always have the right of way, but that doesn't mean I'm going to put it to the test walking across the interstate in Atlanta.............This also applies to jogger's who think the cars will always stop for them, yeah, right.

You definitely shouldn't have guns then. You would open fire at the back of a vehicle (cause that's all you are gonna get) because you got hit in the back with something that obviously didn't kill or even penetrate you?

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Where did I say I would shoot the fleeing vehicle?

And I don't know what pellet gun you're referring about. Most that I use are capable of penatrating human flesh.

You may want to take a good look in the mirror if you're being serious here. You'd know right away (sound, no gaping wound) if it was a pellet gun and yet you'd still return fire with a handgun?

If that's true, you have issues and should not even own a handgun, let alone carry one.

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So you're saying that It's OK to shoot somebody with a pellet gun.

And if somebody points a gun at you and you are unaware of caliber it is, but you can tell that it's a gun, your gonna let them shoot at you? Perhaps I'm not the one needing to look in the mirror. What do you carry a firearm for if not for self preservation.

ChaoSS said:

I wonder what you think you are going to do about a dog with a gun?

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I dunno about the rest of you, but if I ever saw a charging dog with a gun I'd probably crap my pants.

So you're saying that It's OK to shoot somebody with a pellet gun.

And if somebody points a gun at you and you are unaware of caliber it is, but you can tell that it's a gun, your gonna let them shoot at you? Perhaps I'm not the one needing to look in the mirror. What do you carry a firearm for if not for self preservation.

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No, I didn't say it would be OK to shoot somebody with a pellet gun. I said it would be wrong to return fire with a handgun, knowing you were popped with a pellet gun.

I only carry a firearm to protect myself and my family from an unavoidable, life-threatening situation. I don't consider a pellet gun shot by some dufus kid to be life-threatening. You seem to have the mentality that gives responsible gun owners a bad name. Would you fire on someone throwing a rock at you as well?

Think about what your saying. Somebody aims a gun at you and you are going to stand there. Why do you own a firearm?

Let me guess, You feel that the cop that shot the kid should be charged because the kid had a pellet gun aimed it at the cop and the cop shot the kid.

You seem to have the mentality that gives responsible gun owners a bad name

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And how is that. If somebody aims a rifle at you, you're gonna stand there. In your mind i'm a crazed gunman because if I'm shot at I'll return fire. Seems that most anyone here would return fire if shot at.

And not that it makes a difference, You can be charged with attempted murder for throwing rocks at people from a vehicle. You can be charged the same for throwing rocks at vehicles too.

Where did I say I would shoot the fleeing vehicle?

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You said you would return fire if someone shot you with a pellet gun. The way that sort of thing happens on a bicycle, the only shot you are going to have, unless you are covering cars as they pass you, is at the back of the car as it's driving away. So yes, you said you would shoot the fleeing vehicle.

And I don't know what pellet gun you're referring about. Most that I use are capable of penatrating human flesh.

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Just because you own some high quality varmint killers doesn't mean that that's what the average pellet shooter is. Most of the time, when some kid shoots at a bicyclist, it's with some 20 dollar shooter from walmart that won't penetrate.

And let's not forget, you are the one who said you would "return fire", which means that we are not talking about a situation where someone is pointing a gun at you, we are talking about a situation where a bb just bounced off of your back.

So you're saying that It's OK to shoot somebody with a pellet gun.

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Nobody said that.

And if somebody points a gun at you and you are unaware of caliber it is, but you can tell that it's a gun, your gonna let them shoot at you? Perhaps I'm not the one needing to look in the mirror. What do you carry a firearm for if not for self preservation.

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Again, we aren't talking about that. YOU said "return fire", not defend yourself from someone with a gun pointed at you. And to be fair, in case you try to play the semantics game, that's how it's going to work in this kind of situation. You aren't going to know that you are under fire until you feel the pellet hit you.

I dunno about the rest of you, but if I ever saw a charging dog with a gun I'd probably crap my pants.

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Nah, I'm accosted on a regular basis by this little feller:

Just bring along some biscuits and you can go on your way in peace.

Once, many years ago, I was riding my bicycle in a rural area near kent, Ohio. Some yahoos in a car swerved at me and threw a pop can (full) at me. Being P*****, young and stupid, I gave them the finger...
They hit the brakes, and began backing up towards me. I detoured down a side road, ditched my bike, and pulled my lock and chain out, and stood there waiting. They sat there in their car, looking at me for a moment. Then they yelled something and drove off.
I was completely on my own out there, and that was when I decided to pack my 380 when I cycled.
Bicyclists have the right to use the roads just like any other vehicle in my state, Ohio. Saying they should just use bike paths is completely wrong. Those paths are filled with joggers, walkers, rollerbladers, baby strollers...Does anybody really think it is a good idea for a bike rolling silently at 25mph or more to be weaving around all those?
The world would be a better place if more people used bikes for more of their short trips and commuting.

Weekend roadie here. I'm all for concealed carry for unavoidable situations which call for legitimate self defense. Lot of OP bashers here think the OP is a nut, but road ragers (in vehicles) can be a scary lot.

Personally, I'm not much for the "open carry" phenomenon. I don't think carrying a handgun strapped around your waist is a great idea when doing 20 mph on a Trek. It's more like an advertisement to the road rager that you need to be dealt with preemptively and much more lethally than a mere 1 foot pass or telling you "you suck."

Think about what your saying. Somebody aims a gun at you and you are going to stand there. Why do you own a firearm?

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This is not the same as moving on a bicycle and you being shot at from behind with a quiet pellet gun, as a surprise. You even said "stand there". Do you have eyes in the back of your head to see said person aiming a gun at you? Standing is not moving with your assailant coming from behind or moving fast past you in the other direction. You are comparing apples and monkeys.

Let me guess, You feel that the cop that shot the kid should be charged because the kid had a pellet gun aimed it at the cop and the cop shot the kid.

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Once again not even close to the same. Yours is a face to face encounter. The OP is moving on a cycle and the offender is moving from behind and surprises the OP with a pellet to the body.

And how is that. If somebody aims a rifle at you, you're gonna stand there. In your mind i'm a crazed gunman because if I'm shot at I'll return fire. Seems that most anyone here would return fire if shot at.

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No, you are a crazed gunman in my mind because you have transposed the incident to fit your illusions of self defense.
Lets say for argument that you felt a sting on the back while riding a bicycle down the edge of a busy street. You see a car load of "kids" pass and you begin to put your plan in action. You make good hits and kill two "kids" and a nun taking them to choir practice. Later after your superficial wound is examined it is found you were hit with a small rock thrown up by the passing nun and kids. Do you get to go free because you thought you were being shot by a pellet gun. Not if I am on the jury you don't.

I saw this thread yesterday and thought it was concerning Motorcycles, not bicycles. The fact that someone is going to shoot dogs and kids, because they barked or shot a bb gun at them is totally ridiculous and the kind of thing that makes the gun community look like dummies. Dogs chase cars and kids have been shooting bb guns at people since there were bb guns. Take a piece of rubber hose along and a good crack on the head, "if warranted and teeth are shown", will stop the dog from doing you harm. Unless it's Kujo. And a pair of Oakley’s or other shatterproof glasses should put your mind at ease about pellets or bb's. If it's a Spud Gun, perhaps some frying oil and a pan. But this is kind of silly unless someone is trying to kill you. Or perhaps a nice recumbent bicycle used in front of the flat screen, "that fresh air is overrated". It's much safer for all of us, "and our dogs". The real problem will start if you shoot some neighbors dog for running and barking, "what they are supposed to do", and the guy gets really pissed. I am sure you got angry and rightly so, but over reacting isn't going to fix anything. Some have us have been running and cycling for decades without the need of lethal force.

No, you are a crazed gunman in my mind because you have transposed the incident to fit your illusions of self defense.
Lets say for argument that you felt a sting on the back while riding a bicycle down the edge of a busy street. You see a car load of "kids" pass and you begin to put your plan in action. You make good hits and kill two "kids" and a nun taking them to choir practice. Later after your superficial wound is examined it is found you were hit with a small rock thrown up by the passing nun and kids. Do you get to go free because you thought you were being shot by a pellet gun. Not if I am on the jury you don't.

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so now you're saying that there's no bb gun. Must be nice to change it to make you feel good.

Have a nice day.

so now you're saying that there's no bb gun. Must be nice to change it to make you feel good.

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You are not much of a reader. I said for an "argument". Where did I say that was what actually happened to the OP. It was an example of what happens when gun crazed individuals go shooting at fleeing vehicles.
Where do you get this stuff.

I carry a concealed .380 when riding either my motorcycle or bicycle. I do ride the motorcycle on the roads with traffic, I don't ride the bicycle on roads with traffic. If the road is not designed to accommodate both motor vehicles and bicycles it is not safe for bicycles no matter what laws legislators make, on top of that there are many idiots on bicycles that demand equal use of the roads without subjection to the laws of the road and at arrogantly aggressive levels, at least in these parts, and at higher percentages than aggressive motorists.

If riding a bicycle for pleasure or transportation it must be done with extreme defensiveness and I don't mean shooting rather consideration of the possible results of collision.

I'm thinking the OP is blowing off some steam and is hoping open carry will act as a deterrent to the insults he has suffered. I agree it won't work, I carry for reasons of self defence, in case I'm considered a target of violence, by two legged critters, I can handle a dog or two without resorting to fire arms, feral dog packs are a different story.

I think it's great to be able to ride a bicycle to work, I can't imagine a better situation. I would do it in a heart beat, if I could. It doesn't make you a better person for doing so just a lucky one and in all ways consideration begets consideration, mostly

I did not get the sense that the OP was going to shoot the idiots for shooting at him with a pellet gun. Rather that he was open carrying as a way of persuading them not to. As noted that will unfortunately not work as a deterrent when you're dealing with idiots. But by all means open carry if you're comfortable doing it and it's legal. Just don't expect it to have any impact on the way people treat you when you're on two wheels and they're on four.

Do you have eyes in the back of your head to see said person aiming a gun at you?

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I do. A rear view mirror strapped to my helmet. I can see very clearly what's happening behind me, and if I were to see what looked like a sidearm poking out of a window behind me I would not wait to see if it was going to shoot bullets or bb's.

I think cycling is good exercise but don't play in traffic. Use the shoulder whenever possible it's just good manners and good sense.

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Allow me a digression for safety's sake. As is often the case, conventional wisdom is wrong. Classic example--The very WORST place you can be on a bicycle is on the right shoulder to the right side of right turning traffic. Lots and lots and lots and lots of cyclists have been injured or ground to a fine liquid goo trying to go straight when the vehicle to their left turns right. Since the driver of the right turning auto is looking LEFT he often won't see a bicycle approaching to his right. So when I approach such an intersection, I take the lane like a car whenever possible. If traffic is moving faster than me, I will merge back over to the side once across. So it may *SEEM* more dangerous to be sitting smack in front of a car while on a bicycle, but it's actually a very safe place to be.

My wife and I were walking, I heard a "pop", heard her yell, looked around to see teenagers in a car, one of them pointing a handgun at us. I drew and began a fast squeeze when she yelled "NO". It was an airgun.

Hypothetically, if you are riding the bicycle with your young child and the child is shot with a high powered pellet gun, goes down and starts screaming are you not in the right to return fire with a real gun?
I'm curious to hear from people with small children on what their reaction would be.

Everybody seems on the fence on what to do if they fire it and miss/hit you personally with a pellet gun and it doesn't do damage.
After a car had past and missed or hit you and it hadn't done any harm it would seem senseless to do anything except get the plate and call authorities.
As was mentioned most bb/pellet guns are store bought and on the weak side but there are quite a few that given a headshot, would penetrate into the skull and possibly kill. I have one in my closet that's suspect.
At what point can you return fire or is there no point where you can legally because your life is not in danger (because you should somehow know they are just messing around and not trying to injure you)?

I had somebody attempt to throw an egg at me and my brother a while back while we drove our bikes. We caught up to them and got the plate number and called the cops. When caught, we sat on the bikes in front
and back of them a few minutes. The cops did nothing I guess because it was Halloween night but it was satisfying to have at least caught them. We just wanted to scare them.
I can see in that situation no deadly force was needed. What if you are hit though whether it be a pellet gun or soda can and you go down and break a bone/fracture your skull.
Are they protected by law or are they just assuming you cannot return fire because they have past you and you would have to fire into the rear of the car?

I can imagine all kinds of things happening. The scenario I imagine could be very different than yours. I can imagine shooting back at someone shooting a pellet gun at me. It doesn't seem very likely to happen, but it's possible.

It seems so unlikely, and crazy but it could happen.

The .22LR has killed more people than any other cartridge. There are pellet guns approaching the same energy.

Keep it HIGHROAD folks!

I have 2 very young children. I also have air rifles. I know damned well that I can go into any Walmart in America and drop down less than $70 and come out with a 1000fps rifle in 177.

That rifle will penetrate the skull of any child, from most angles. Capable of thru-shots on snowshoe hare, capable of humanely putting down a porcupine.

If I were in a country that allowed defensive firearm carry, and IF I chose to so-carry, and IF some arsehole shot such an airrifle at one of my children, by jebus there'd be return fire.

Today's higher powered air rifles ain't firearms by any stretch, but they do possess sufficient power to be lethal, especially to children, if weilded by idiots. They ain't the daisy of your youth.

J

Carry a paintball gun and mark their car for the cops when they shoot at you again. No harm done, let the law handle it.