Several years ago, when I was a lot younger, and had very little money, I ended up in Newark, New Jerseyfor business. If you’ve never been to Newark, it’s a lot like Baltimore City. And if you haven’t been to either, both places are pretty much dumps and you’re not missing much.
When I got to my hotel in Newark, the first thing that caught my eye was the bullet proof glass protecting the hotel clerk. When I approached the clerk, he didn’t speak much English and kept asking me “how many hours do you want?” I finally got through to him that I actually wanted to rent a room for the entire night. And yes, I did end up staying there. Like I said, I was younger and more foolish.
Recently, I was in Ohio for some training. I was in the middle of nowhere and when I got to my hotel, it wasn’t exactly a 5-star place, but it wasn’t rundown and dangerous looking either. If it had been, I obviously wouldn’t have stayed there. Now that I’m slightly wiser, I realize that being cheap and staying in a $29 hotel is certainly not worth my life.
However, I was still very glad to have my gun with me.
After all, I was in the middle of nowhere and with only a few cars in the parking lot, I didn’t want some criminals to think they had easy picking.
Also, when I was eating breakfast in the morning – completely alone in the breakfast room – the hotel clerk looked completely bored out of his mind. I was glad to know that if boredom finally sent him over the edge, I was carrying concealed and would have a way to protect myself.
Of course, I’m slightly joking, but I truly was glad to have my gun on me, and it got me thinking about all of the folks I know who have a gun for home defense, yet they never take the gun to their other “homes.”
What I mean is…
In most states (check your state law) the same rules apply to defending your home no matter where that is at the moment for you. In other words, deadly force laws apply to the hotel room you are staying in, the log cabin in the woods, the tent, and your mother-in-law’s house.
So from now on, even if you don’t carry concealed often, at least take a gun with you when you’re traveling so you can have it where you’re staying. Just remember to plan your traveling route, as I always do, so you know the state laws of where you’re headed.
By the way, just as I was finishing writing this, I came across the story of a 70-year-old woman who was staying in a hotel in Ohio. When a gunman burst into one of the rooms her family was staying in, she drew her concealed carry gun and shot the intruder. He ended up dying, but none of her family was harmed.
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