From: vojak@icebucket.stortek.com (Bill Vojak)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: CA gun laws -- in cars (waS Re: Travelling help)
Date: 29 Aug 92 23:41:06 GMT
Article-I.D.: stortek.9208291337.AA11454
Organization: Storage Technology Corp.


hollombe@polymath.tti.com (The Polymath) writes:
#...
#As a practical matter, you're not likely to need them in any of the major,
#or even minor, hotels.  I'd check them into the hotel safe (in locked
#containers -- no need to worry the staff).
#...

Maybe by Disney World this may be true, but before you check your
gun at the door, two data points:

1) A few years back we went to Utah, (from CO), to visit some friends.
   While in Utah I was reading a newspaper article about a couple from
   Colorado who was staying in a motel in small town Utah, (might have
   been Mohab), while on vacation. Three guys broke the door to their 
   room in during an attempted smash & grab robbery. 1-2 of the robbers
   was armed with a gun.  The guy from Colorado was also armed.  He shot
   2 of the robbers, 1 died, 2 ran.  It appears that this gang was 
   responsible for several similar robberies.  They always targeted
   tourists figuring that tourist wouldn't be armed.  They were wrong!
   The state of Utah said that NO charges would be filed against the
   man from Colorado since the motel room was considered his temp
   residence, and it was hence legal for him to use deadly force in
   defense of himself & family.  NOTE: In other states your milage
   may vary!

2) On that same trip we took a run out to Wendover Nevada/Utah. Two
   towns with the same name, one one each side of the border. On the
   Nevada side you have a small prosperious town with several casinos.
   On the Utah side you have a couple of old motels that a stiff breeze
   could blow over.  As fate would have it, we had to stay on the Utah
   side because we couldn't find a room on the Nevada side.  Wendover
   Utah is an "unusual" place.  We stopped at the grocery store, and both
   felt that we were lucky to get out of there without being mugged.
   There were some VERY seedy looking people hanging out both in the
   store, and on the street corners. These people would watch your every
   move.  If you think this is paranoia all I can say is I've worked
   as a paramedic on a ambulance in south side Chicago for 3 years (78-81).
   I've gone into the "projects" without police escort at 3AM and
   never felt nervous about the situation.   Wendover UT was different.

   This truely was the first time that my wife, (who up to that point
   never had much interest in, or love of guns) was glad that I had 
   brought my Glock 19 with me.  I would have prefered a M60 :-).  That
   night there was a fight between 3-5 guys directly outside our motel room
   at 1-2AM, which included someome being thrown several times, very hard
   against the door to our room.  After reading that newspaper article it
   even crossed my mind that the fight could have been staged in an attempt
   to cover breaking down the door.  Either way, Katie, our 70lb Black
   Lab, who was also with us, put up a good enough show of force at
   the window to convince the people involved to take their fight 
   elsewhere.  Having my Glock 19 laying on the nightstand helped us
   feel better about going back to sleep that night.

Think twice about checking your guns at the door.  However: DON'T
leave a gun in an unattended motel room.  Lock it in your car
trunk, unloaded with a trigger lock or in a locked case. 

                                Bill Vojak
                                Bill_Vojak@stortek.com
                                NRA, ILA, CFC

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"Of course it's not squirt guns that are killing people, it's real guns"
 (TIME MAGAZINE June, 15. .  Article on Boston squirt gun ban that
  actually is an anti-real-gun editorial.)
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