Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

I've always carried a small pocket knife but have never used it for anything other than cutting string, opening packages and trimming vines. Personally I don't go to secluded places. I guess if I had to fight to protect myself I'd stab the assailant in the eye. I've gotten great beach shots from a well populated boardwalk, and shots of all sorts of birds, critters, flowers, stars and people from my front and back yards. I'd never own or carry a gun. At 72 I don't feel vulnerable, but wouldn't put myself into situation where I was likely to get robbed or mugged.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

patman1 Loc: Pataskala, Ohio

Before my fall a year ago I would go for walks through the woods or parks any place available to me without any fear. The reason being i always bring my dogs, two hugh Pitbulls, recently deceased. Only once being confronted by a man with a knife which my female Pitt disarmed with no problem, made the newspapers. Now adays I have bigger companion, a Bandogge, a cross between Pittbull and Mastiff, 125lbs who will defend me with his life, i have no fear.

davidb1879

Re: Vulnerability by John: I am an attorney. I believe that the only defense against predators is a firearm. If local authorities deny you a permit, remember this: It's not up to them. The United States Supreme Court has ruled that the Second Amendment protects every citizen's right to carry a firearm, except when there are reasonable grounds to deny a permit. If a police department denies you a permit, a local attorney can get an order from the California Superior Court, upholding your right to carry a hand gun. Be sure to take a course on safety and how to handle a weapon. Davidb1879

Paul J. Svetlik Loc: Colorado

I think I can help you how to start. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Try to stay in a reasonable physical shape. Walk or jog with or without your camera in your neighborhood park every day with a backpack.
2. By doing that, you overcome the fear of unknown, people usualy feel about their first trips into the wilderness.
3. Bad people usually don't go to remote places - the chance to get some money bringing loot there, is too low
4. For the possibility of your injury, I would carry a World-wide GPS communicator like a Garmin inReach Explorer. It has a simple to use SOS button and you can also send text messages.
5. Camera models are so similarly looking, that it takes an expert to recognize the more expensive model
6. Carry a good survival kit (you need to know how to use it and how to make a fire) and two large leaf trash bags, space blanket to stay warm, dry and the blanket also serving as an emergency shelter and a signalling tool for the air rescue
7. A pepper spray may help for some cases. Wild animals usually let you walk slowly back, when you calmly talk, hands up so you look bigger and they would know where you might be.
8. Remember: Three long whistle sounds and a three short ones for SOS signals.

lbrande

San Bernardino County is also a relatively easy area to obtain a CA CCW.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

My wife has had those feelings for me and my photography jaunts into the NPs and other venues alone and even when I have one friend photographer with me. Her concerns are more about my falling off a cliff than robberies (I won't mention that issue to her) since she has acrophobia not just for herself but anyone near a precipice! I am 83 and my MD says I can pass for 63 physically and mentally so I plan to "keep on shootin" for a few years yet. I am not interested in firearms to the extent of buying, learning and carrying one so I'll have to keep one eye on the scene and one eye on my 6. It's worked for a long time now. Thievery is a growing concern though should I go to other countries than the USA. From what I read here on UGG and other photo sources, I would not take anything better than a bridge camera or point-and-shoot to Europe or Asia. I don't use obvious camera bags or flash my gear around to impress the natives. Black tape on the camera body ID labels is a precaution I take.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

patman1 Loc: Pataskala, Ohio

I think the worst thing an elderly person can do is carry a gun, it can be wrestled away and used against them. If you do some research their are many cases on record of just such incidents. I lived in the Bronx for a long time and spent many days walking the woods of Pelham Bay Park, believe me nothing beats a big dog. I could relate some other things that happened but gets to involved. A Pitbull, a Mastiff, a German Shepard, Rotti, all of them plus many others are great deterants, not only for strolls but home protection as well.

Bipod

Take a look at police statistics for your area. You maybe surprised how safe your city is.
And you'll find out where the bad areas are and what types of crime are most common
(i.e., stolen bicycles).

By far the most likely crime related to photography is a smash-and-grab to your car.
So never your camera(s) in your car. In fact, don't leave so much as an empty case or
lens cap in plain view--smashed door windows are expensive and time-consuming to replace.
(This happened to me: the thief got away with $2 in change--but I had to go to a junk
yard to buy a used window -- and remove it myself.)

If you're worried about carrying camera gear to and from where you're shooting, go to
a thirft store and buy the crummiest looking gym bag they have, then put your camera bag
inside it for transport. Tie a pair of old sneakers to the handle if you want. You can walk
aound with that and not get a second look.

Make sure you've got the serial numbers of all your cameras, lenses and speedlites
written down in a safe place. Take some photos of your gear so that if it is stolen,
the police will be able to identify it easily (they don't know a Nikon D850 from a
D810 from a D80). Sometimes stoen gear is recovered.

If you're still worried, insure your gear. If you the victim of a a burglary or robbery
and file a police report, you won't have any trouble getting the insurance company to
pay off.

Finally, unless your other hobby is rock climbing, the most dangerous thing you do
is driving your car. Over 40,000 Americans were killed in auto accidents in 2017
and approximately 20 times that many injured. More than 90 people die in auto
accidents every day. Drivers over 60 are at higher risk. If you're not worried about
that, then why worry about getting mugged?

It's human nature worry more about crime than accidents. But if you are prepared
for the worst, then every day you will be pleasantly surprised when it doesn't happen.
And after a while, having a car with side air bags will seem like a higher priority.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

Well, there is something to say for one story and it should be yours. Officer, I was scared to death. I feared for my life. I was so scared I was shaking all over. I had no intention of shooting him in the head. I was terrified. I was certain he was going to kill me.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

I'm 80 and recently returned from a trip to Sri Lanka, Borneo, Bali and Java. Just a few years ago I was in Laos, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia and Thailand. I used to openly carry two FF Nikons on these SE Asia trips and I've recently been carrying a Fuji X-T2 with a fairly large 50-140 f/2.8 lens. I carried the Nikon in Moscow and St. Petersburg and the Fuji in Barcelona, both places supposedly notorious for theft. Nothing happened. Stop being scared. As for Europe, I carried the Fuji in Palermo in Sicily. Nothing happened.

Bipod

Plus, dogs are fun to photograph! And you don't need them to sign a model release.

Statistics show that the most likely person to be shot with a hand gun is its owner or a
member of his family. So for "protection", a dog beats a gun---probably the dog won't bite
its owner.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Fake News.
Most all deaths by owners hand guns shooting the owner are suicides not a criminal taking it and turning it on the owner. Second place are accidents due to stupidity, still more than a criminal taking the gun and turning it on the owner.

Bipod

Remember, this isn't some uniform interrogating you.
It's two detectives from the Homicide Squad. They've heard it before.

Lying to the police is a really bad idea. They were trained in interrogation,
chances are you weren't. Let your lawyer do the talking.